Professor Graham Shapiro - The Most Influential Entrepreneurs Making Waves in the Industry, 2026_compressed
                     JANUARY | 2026
THE MOST 
INFLUENTIAL 
ENTREPRENEURS 
MAKING WAVES Where Innovation, 
IN THE INDUSTRY, 2026 Education and 
Humanity Converge.
Why the Future of 
Innovation Still Belongs 
to Human Thinking.
Professor 
Gham Shapiro 
CEO & Founder, Graham Shapiro Design Ltd (GSD®)

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PROFESSOR 
GRAHAM 
SHAPIRO
CEO & Founder, Graham Shapiro Design Ltd (GSD®)
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COVER STORY
HE
T ENTREPRENEUR “Some of the best ideas don't come from IAL ORIGIN & strategy, they come from paying attention I N N O VAT O R ' S to what fascinated you as a child.”MINDSET
Graham,  your  career  spans 
invention, design, academia, and s h e e t  c o u l d  t r a n s f o r m  i n t o b u s i n e s s  c o m m u n i c a t i o n . 
entrepreneurship.  What first something interactive, something Sometimes the best ideas come from 
sparked your curiosity to create, that made people lean in and engage. the things that captivated us as kids.
innovate ,  and  bui ld  beyond That childhood fascination never 
conventional boundaries? really left me. Years later, when I was You are both an academic and a 
thinking about how dull most practicing entrepreneur. How has 
Honestly? Paper folding. As a child, I marketing materials were, my mind balancing theory and real-world 
was completely obsessed with kept returning to that simple paper execution shaped the way you think 
origami, I'd spend hours making fortune teller. That's where the about innovation?
fortune tellers, those paper games interloopmailer® came from, not 
where you pick a number and unfold from any grand strategic vision, but I've also learned a lot from my 
to reveal your future. There was from wondering if I could bring that students to be honest. Working with 
something magical about how a flat same sense of playful discovery to Universities like Westminster, 
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A  P e r s o n a l  Re  e c t i o n  o n 
Neurodiversity
At the age of 56, Graham 
Shapiro received a diagnosis 
o f  A D H D  a n d  a u t i s m ,  a 
m o m e n t  t h a t  q u i e t l y 
reframed his understanding 
o f  h i s  e n t r e p r e n e u r i a l 
journey. What once felt like 
contradictions intense focus 
in some areas, difculty in 
others, and a tendency to 
think differently from peers 
began to make sense. Rather 
than limitations, these traits 
revealed themselves as part 
of how his mind is wired. 
Speaking openly about this 
experience is intentional. 
Many entrepreneurs operate 
without realising they are 
neurodivergent, and late 
diagnosis can be profoundly 
l iberating. By sharing his 
stor y,  Graha m hop es to 
encourage others to seek 
clarity, understanding, and 
s e l f - a c c e p t a n c e  i f 
something in their journey 
has never quite felt aligned.
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Cambridge and Dundee keeps me 
grounded, young people have a “Leadership isn't about having all the 
wonderful way of asking 'why?' answers; it's about knowing when to 
about  th ings  you 've  s topped listen and who to learn from.” 
questioning. And when I'm in the 
classroom, I can't hide behind jargon 
or  theory.  I f  I  can ' t  expla in 
something in plain English with real Distinctions and Professional Recognition
examples from my own mistakes, it's 
probably not worth saying. The Graham's work has been recognised across design, 
academic world has taught me to innovation, and entrepreneurship. He is a Fellow of the 
think more carefully; the business Chartered Society of Designers, the Chartered Institute of 
world has taught me that thinking Marketing, the Royal Society of Arts and a Freeman of the City 
without doing is just daydreaming. I of London. He is also the patent holder of interloopmailer® and 
need both. the recipient of the International Business Excellence Award 
for Inspirational Male Leader. His entrepreneurial impact has 
Looking back over three decades of been further acknowledged through multiple nalist positions 
at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. 
entrepreneurship, which early 
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lesson most profoundly shaped the planted the seed for Reggie Firedrill. translate a client's vision into 
leader you are today? The concept was ahead of its time, meaningful visual communication 
there was no 5G or reliable wifi back that truly resonates?
That it's okay not to have all the then. It took ten years before the 
answers. Early on, I thought being a technology caught up. When I finally Lots of listening, lots of questions 
leader meant projecting certainty, showed Bentley the prototype, it and being willing to push back 
having a plan for everything. It took clicked and away we went. I don't sit gently when something doesn't feel 
me years—and quite a few humbling around waiting for lightning bolts of r i g h t .  W h e n  T h e  D u k e  o f 
moments to realise that the best thing inspiration. I just try to pay attention Edinburgh's International Award 
I could do was admit when I didn't to what's not working and ask chose the interloopmailer® for the 
know something and surround whether there might be a better way. "Live a Legacy: A One Hundred Year 
myself with people who could fill Celebration invitations," we spent 
those gaps. The businesses I'm B U I L D I N G  G R A H A M time understanding what they 
proudest of weren't built on my SHAPIRO DESIGN & LASTING actually wanted people to feel, not 
brilliance; they were built on ENTERPRISES just what they wanted to say. The 
collaboration, on being willing to best work happens when clients trust 
listen and on learning from getting Graham Shapiro Design has u s  e n o u g h  t o  h a v e  h o n e s t 
things wrong. thrived for over 30 years in an ever- conversations, when we can say 
changing digital landscape. What 'have you considered this?'.
You've been recognized as an core principles have allowed the 
inventor with breakthroughs like company to stay relevant, trusted, In an age of automation and AI-
interloopmailer® and Reggie®. and future-ready? driven creativity, what do you 
Where do your most powerful ideas believe still makes human-led 
tend to come from—problem- I wish I could say it was all strategic d e s i g n  a n d  i n n o v a t i o n 
s o l v i n g ,  o b s e r v a t i o n ,  o r genius, but really it comes down to irreplaceable?
imagination? caring about the work and caring 
about the people we work with. Empathy, I think. And taste, though 
They come from noticing there may We've been fortunate to build long that sounds old-fashioned. AI is 
b e  a  b e t t e r  w a y .  T h e relationships with organisations like extraordinary at generating options 
interloopmailer® started with that Rolex, Liverpool FC and The Duke and being a help, but it doesn't 
childhood love of origami fortune of Edinburgh's International Award understand context the way humans 
tellers, but it became a real product and those relationships last because do. It doesn't know that a particular 
because I noticed how quickly w e  g e n u i n e l y  i n v e s t  i n colour might feel wrong for a brand 
people threw away conventional understanding what they need, not with a certain history, or that an 
mailers. I thought, what if opening just what they're asking for. We've audience is going through something 
the post could feel like unwrapping a also never been afraid to admit when that changes how they'll receive a 
gift? Reggie® came from a similarly the world is changing faster than we message. Good design requires 
simple observation. In 2011, I are. GSD® started as a traditional emotional intelligence, cultural 
created Reggie® Education, the graphic design studio; we've had to awareness and sometimes just gut 
world's first app that let teachers take reinvent ourselves several times to inst inct  bui l t  up over  years . 
the register on their phones. Then stay relevant. Staying curious and Technology is a wonderful tool but 
one day I was standing in a car park staying humble, that's about it, tools don't have feelings. People do.
during a fire drill, watching the paper really.
register literally dissolve in the rain. As a CEO and Chairman, how do 
I thought, hang on, this is a legal You've worked with some of the you foster a culture of creativity, 
requirement and I can't even read the w o r l d ' s  m o s t  r e s p e c t e d discipline, and originality within 
names anymore. That moment organ i sa t ions .  How do  you your teams?
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By trying to create a space where more times than I can count, I think people, including my daughter, who 
people feel safe to have a go, even if that helps, actually. If the person at brings energy and ideas I'd never 
it doesn't work out. Creativity dies the top can admit mistakes, it gives have thought of. The best cultures 
when people are afraid of looking everyone else permission to take a r e  o n e s  w h e r e  d i ff e r e n t 
silly. I've got things wrong publicly risks. I'm lucky to work with brilliant perspectives collide and something 
Academic Leadership and Appointments
Alongside his entrepreneurial career, Graham holds key academic roles shaping future innovators. 
He serves as Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Westminster, 
Innovation Ambassador at the University of Cambridge and Professor in Practice at the University of 
Dundee. Through these positions, he bridges theory with real-world application, preparing students 
for the realities of modern entrepreneurship.
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unexpected emerges. I try to hire 
people who'll challenge me, not just “I don't wait for inspiration; I look for what 
agree with me. isn't working and ask whether there's a 
better way.” 
LEADERSHIP, EDUCATION & 
S H A P I N G  F U T U R E 
ENTREPRENEURS worth solving, how to pick yourself You learn more from one failed pitch 
up after things go wrong, how to than from ten textbooks. My job isn't 
As Professor of Innovation and communicate clearly. Technologies to give them answers, it's to help 
Entrepreneurship, how do you come and go, but those fundamentals t h e m  g e t  c o m f o r t a b l e  w i t h 
prepare students for a business stick. Through The Graham Shapiro uncertainty, because that's what 
world that is still being invented? Foundation's Enterprise Challenge, entrepreneurship actually feels like 
we give students chances to try most of the time.
I focus on the stuff that doesn't things for real, with actual stakes. 
change: how to spot a real problem 
What skills or mindsets do you 
believe tomorrow's entrepreneurs 
mus t  deve lop  to  succeed  in 
increasingly complex global 
markets?
Adaptability, definitely. And the 
humility to change course when the 
evidence says you're wrong. I'd also 
say emotional resilience, not 
toughness in the macho sense, but 
the ability to look after yourself 
while dealing with uncertainty. The 
entrepreneurs I admire most are the 
ones who build things that genuinely 
help people, not just things that make 
money. Finding that intersection, 
where commercial viability meets 
real human need, that's the sweet 
spot.
You serve as  an Innovat ion 
Ambassador and Professor in 
P r a c t i c e  a c r o s s  l e a d i n g 
universities. How do academic 
institutions need to evolve to truly 
nurture entrepreneurial talent?
They need more mess, honestly. 
More opportunities for students to 
try things, fail safely and learn from 
real experience rather than case 
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setbacks as assets rather than 
“Technology is a powerful tool, but it obstacles?
doesn't understand context, emotion, or 
human experience. People do.” I share my own failures, frankly. 
Nothing deflates the fear of getting 
things wrong like hearing someone 
studies. When I work with the practical  mental  health tools further along the path admit they've 
U n i v e r s i t y  o f  C a m b r i d g e , alongside theory. Universities are messed up plenty of times. Failure is 
Westminster and Dundee, I try to brilliant at teaching people to think; just information, it tells you what 
bring in as much real-world chaos as they could be better at teaching doesn't work, which narrows down 
possible, actual entrepreneurs with people to do. what might. The trick is learning to 
actual problems, not sanitised examine setbacks without beating 
success stories. The Self-Leadership What role does failure play in yourself up about them. What 
Programme my Charity fund at innovation, and how do you teach happened? Why? What would you 
Westminster is about giving students young entrepreneurs to view do differently? If you can ask those 
The Graham Shapiro Foundation: Recognised Impact
The Graham Shapiro Foundation has earned national and international recognition for its work in 
mental health and wellbeing. The organisation has been honoured as Young Persons' Mental Health 
and Wellbeing Charity of the Year and Mental Health and Wellbeing Charity of the Year, and has 
received a Bronze Stevie Award for Non-Prot Thought Leadership. Registered as a UK charity, the 
Foundation focuses on practical support, awareness and long-term impact. 
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questions honestly, failure becomes 
useful. It's never fun, but it doesn't “Being wired differently isn't a weakness, 
have to be the end of the story. You once you understand it, it can become 
never lose, you learn. your greatest strength.” 
I N F L U E N C E ,  I M PA C T  & 
P U R P O S E - D R I V E N 
entrepreneurs to know they're not openly makes things better, not 
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
alone, that there's no shame in worse.
struggling, and that being wired 
Beyond commercial success, you 
differently can actually be a strength How can successful entrepreneurs 
founded The Graham Shapiro 
once you understand it. use their influence to create 
Foundation to support mental 
meaningful social impact without 
health, wellbeing, and young 
Why do you believe mental health losing business focus?
innovators. What inspired this 
a n d  w e l l b e i n g  a r e  c r i t i c a l 
deeply human mission?
conversations in entrepreneurship I don't think you have to choose. 
and leadership today? W h e n  G S D ®  w o r k s  w i t h 
I was never a natural do-gooder. The 
organisat ions  l ike  The Duke 
Foundation came from a much more 
Because too many of us have spent of Edinburgh's International Award, 
personal place. In 2009, I had a brain 
years pretending, we're fine when we're doing good commercial 
spasm due to 'burn out', a genuinely 
we're not. The myth of the invincible work that also happens to support 
frightening moment that forced me 
entrepreneur, always confident, something worthwhile. Reggie® 
to stop and reflect on what actually 
never struggling, has done real Firedrill is a business, but its 
matters. But beyond that, I 'd 
damage. Since my ADHD and w h o l e  p u r p o s e  i s  m a k i n g 
watched people very close to me 
autism diagnosis, I've been open workplaces safer, hopefully saving 
struggle with nervous breakdowns, 
about it and the response has been lives and making the world a 
dementia and post-traumatic stress 
overwhelming. So many people b i t  b e t t e r .  T h e  F o u n d a t i o n 
disorder. When mental health issues 
have reached out to say 'me too' or i s n ' t  s e p a r a t e  f r o m  m y 
affect the people you love, you stop 
'I've always wondered.' We lose entrepreneurial life, it's an extension 
seeing it as something abstract. You 
brilliant entrepreneurs to burnout, to of it. I think the most sustainable 
want awareness, you want support, 
mental health crises, to feeling like approach is finding where your 
and you want to do something 
they're somehow broken because skills and your values overlap, then 
useful. More recently, just twelve 
they can't fit the mould. Being building from there. Purpose doesn't 
months ago at 56, I was diagnosed 
recognised as Young Persons' have to be a bolt-on; it can be baked 
with ADHD and autism. Suddenly so 
Mental Health and Wellbeing in from the start.
many things made sense, the way my 
Charity of the Year meant so much 
brain works, the struggles I'd had 
because it validated what we What responsibility do influential 
that I couldn't explain. I want other 
believe: talking about this stuff business leaders have in shaping 
Notable Global Clients
Through Graham Shapiro Design, Graham has worked with some of the world's most respected 
organisations, including Apple, Rolex, Fiat Chrysler, Philips, Samsung, Siemens, Liverpool FC, Porsche, 
Komatsu, Bentley, Stephen Webster, Clive Christian, and The Duke of Edinburgh's International 
Award. These long-standing relationships reect a reputation built on trust, creativity, and 
meaningful collaboration. 
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values. I don't have all the answers, 
“Legacy isn't about what you build—it's but I try to use whatever platform I 
about whether you leave things better have to make things a bit easier for 
than you found them.” those coming up behind me.
LEGACY, INNOVATION & THE 
ethical, inclusive, and sustainable recognised it or not. Paying that ROAD AHEAD
innovation ecosystems? forward feels right. For me, that 
means championing neurodiversity Being recognised among The Most 
A significant one, I think, though I'm and mental health, supporting young Influential Entrepreneurs Making 
wary of sounding preachy about it. If e n t r e p r e n e u r s  w h o  d o n ' t  fi t Waves in the Industry, 2026—what 
you've been fortunate enough to conventional moulds, and trying to d o e s  t h i s  a c k n o w l e d g m e n t 
build something, you've had help show that success doesn't require represent at this stage of your 
a long the  way,  whether  you sacrificing your wellbeing or your journey?
Inventions That Solve Real Problems
Graham is the inventor of interloopmailer®, a patented interactive direct mail format inspired by a 
childhood fascination with origami fortune tellers. Designed to transform engagement, it has been 
adopted by leading global brands. He also created Reggie® Education, the world's rst mobile app 
enabling teachers to take classroom registers on their phones. This later evolved into Reggie® 
Firedrill, an emergency preparedness system inspired by a real-world moment when a paper 
register became unreadable during a re drill. With advancements in connectivity, the idea matured 
into a practical solution designed to improve safety and potentially save lives.
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Charitable Partnerships and Community Support
The Foundation actively supports organisations dedicated to mental health, wellbeing, and 
community resilience, including MIND, The Mental Health Foundation, Help for Heroes, Young Minds, 
Alzheimers Society and CALM. Each partnership reects a commitment to practical action, 
empathy, and social responsibility.
It 's lovely, genuinely, though better after 56 years and finally you hope they say about your 
'influential' is a big word that makes making peace with how my brain impac t  as  an  en trepreneur, 
me a bit uncomfortable. What it works. The external markers matter inventor, educator, and human 
represen ts ,  I  suppose ,  i s  an less now. What matters is whether being?
opportunity. If this recognition the people I care about are okay and 
means more people hear about the whether I'm contributing something I hope they say I was helpful. That 
Foundation's work, or that one useful. sounds simple, but I mean it. That 
entrepreneur reads about my late when people came to me with 
diagnosis and thinks 'maybe I should What excites you most about the problems, whether they were clients, 
get checked out too,' then it's worth f u t u r e  o f  d e s i g n ,  d i g i t a l students, or fellow entrepreneurs, I 
s o m e t h i n g  b e y o n d  p e r s o n a l entrepreneurship, and innovation tried to be genuinely useful rather 
acknowledgment. I've never been over the next decade? than just impressive. I hope they say 
driven by awards, but I've learned I was honest about my own struggles 
they can be useful for opening doors The young people,  honest ly. and that doing so made it easier for 
and starting conversations that Through the Enterprise Challenge others to be honest about theirs. I 
matter. and my university work, I meet hope the people closest to me, my 
students with ideas and perspectives family, my colleagues, the young 
How do you personally define that would never have occurred to entrepreneurs I've worked with, 
success now—has that definition me. They're growing up with would say I showed up, listened 
evolved from earlier stages of your technology as a native language, but properly and cared about their 
career? the best of them also understand that success as much as my own. Legacy 
technology is only as good as the isn't really about what you built; it's 
Completely. When I was younger, human problems it solves. I'm about how you made people feel and 
success meant proving myself, excited by Reggie® Firedrill and its whether you left things a bit better 
building something from nothing, potential to genuinely save lives and than you found them.
winning recognition,  landing improve emergency preparedness. 
impressive clients. I'm not going to And I'm excited that conversations 
pretend that didn't matter; it did. But about mental health, neurodiversity 
now? Success is seeing a former and different ways of thinking are 
student launch their own business. finally becoming mainstream. The 
It's watching the Foundation support next decade could be remarkable if 
mental health charities and knowing we get the human stuff right 
that makes a real difference. It's alongside the technological stuff.
working alongside my daughter and 
f e e l i n g  p r o u d  o f  w h o  s h e ' s Finally, when people reflect on 
becoming. It's understanding myself Graham Shapiro's legacy, what do 
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BUSINESS 
LEADERSHIP IN SKILLS THAT DEFINE SUCCESSFUL LEADERS
THE MODERN ERA 
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usiness leadership is no longer confined to corner at the head of a startup, a growing team, or an established 
Boffices, rigid hierarchies, or command-and-control enterprise, grasp the deeper layers of Leadership that will thinking. In today's fast-moving, people-driven provide long-lasting impact.
economy, Leadership is all about influence, clarity, 
empathy, and execution. The most successful leaders aren't Understanding the Core Meaning of Business 
just about managing tasks; they shape cultures, guide Leadership
decisions, and inspire progress.
Business leadership involves much more than assigning 
This blog provides a comprehensive examination of roles or ratifying decisions. Essentially, it is to lead 
business leadership from multiple dimensions: mindset, people towards a shared vision, striking a balance 
strategy, people, ethics, innovation, and resilience. Whether between performance, values, and long-term directions. 
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True leaders never need a title; they command trust through open and honest communication with their teams, even 
their actions. when sharing difficult news.
Additionally, clarity is a crucial component of effective Emotional Intelligence and Human-Centred Business 
Leadership in the business world. There needs to be a clear Leadership
sense among leaders as to where the organisation is headed 
and why that direction matters. When people see the impact Today, business leadership is a field where a lack of 
of their work, motivation is naturally heightened, and emotional intelligence is a liability. Emotional 
performance follows. intelligence is the ability to recognise one's own and 
other people's emotions, and to use this to guide 
At the same time, Leadership is dynamic. What worked a positive and productive life and Leadership, 
five years ago no longer works today. Markets are says