Solomon Darwin

Executive Director, Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation
Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation

About

Solomon Darwin has broad leadership experience in corporate management and academia. He is an international speaker recognized by peers, executives, and students with numerous awards for his innovative leadership and passion for teaching. He inspires students from both business and engineering disciplines in his courses for open innovation, business models, smart cities, scalable smart villages, and business models for emerging economies. He is also known as the father of the Smart Village Movement. Read More

As an expert in “open innovation” and “open business models,” he is an adviser to senior executives of multinationals and government leaders in the emerging world. The list includes large global brands and government entities in Europe, China, Russia, India, and Latin America. He directs and moderates international innovation conferences and forums, and chairs quarterly Chief Innovation Officer round tables in Silicon Valley.

Before joining Berkeley Haas in 2005, he was an Associate Professor for nine years at the University of Southern California. His progressive corporate leadership experience covers a span of 14 years as a Senior Executive Officer at Bank of America, First Interstate Bank, and Glendale Federal Bank, and Motorola.

During summers, Darwin regularly teaches in executive programs at prominent international universities and institutions. He has conducted workshops and programs in over 18 countries. He also serves as an honorary professor at several universities in Europe, China, South Korea, and India. His current projects, “Building Scalable Smart Villages” and “The Rebuilding India Initiative” were commissioned by the government of India.

Expertise and Research Interests

Open Innovation
Smart Villages / Smart Cities
Business Models Innovation
Strategies for Emerging Economies
Business Ecosystems
Sustainability of the Planet
Forensic Accounting

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2014 – present, Directs and Organizes The World Open Innovation Forum (annual)
2009 – present, Directs and Organizes The Berkeley Innovation Semiannual Forums
2009 – present, Chair, Chief Innovation Officer Round tables (quarterly meetings)
2015 – present, Directs Garwood Innovation Fellows Program (Executive-in-residence program)
2012 – present, Conducts Leadership Seminars for Indian & Chinese C-suite Executives
2011 – present, Keynote Speaker: Corporate Start-up Summit, Zurich (2018); Indian Institute of Plantation Management, India (2019); Inno-Frugal Conference, Finland (2018); TEDx Mumbai (2018); World Cities Congress, Istanbul (2017); International Triple Helix Conference, UK (2013); Big Innovation Center, London (2013/2012); International Open Innovations Conference, Moscow, (2012); Columbia Department of Commerce, Colombia (2016); Innovation Conference, Germany (2011); World Trade Center, Mexico City (2011/2010); The Atlantic’s “American Competitiveness,” San Francisco (2006)
2010 – 2018, Custom Courses Taught for Senior Executives at Google, HP, Genentech, Health Net, Conceptus, UCSF Medical Center, CIO Institute, American Association of Corporate Counsel
2005 – 2018, New Courses Development: Business Models & Open Innovation for Emerging Economies; Building Smart Cities; Creating Smart Villages; IBM Watson & Business Models; Forensic Accounting and International Accounting and Custom Executive Accounting Programs
2007 – 2010, New Degree Development: Developed a New Master’s Degree in Accounting for UC system wide adoptions: Spearheaded from inception to approval
2017, Developed a Framework for the first smart village in the world – the “Mori Village” in India”
2017, Conducting the First Inaugural Open Innovation Forum in India
2018, Continued Smart Village research in 466 villages that was funded by the government of India
2006 – 2009, Chaired, Chief Financial Officer Round tables (quarterly meetings)
2010, Chief Content Officer and Moderator: CFO Summit for Global 1000 companies, San Francisco
2005 – 2009, Directed and moderated annual Financial Reporting Conferences
1999 and 2003, Founded and spearheaded an International School and Charity Hospital in India
2005 – Present, President of Hope For People International, Los Angeles
1986 – Present, Chairman, Project India
1998 – 2000, Board of Directors, Genius Labs, Pasadena
1998 – 2004, Board of Directors, Mustard Seed International, Pasadena
1980 – 1990, Board of Directors, Mission Compassion Inc., a relief organization, San Francisco
1998 – 2000, Consulting for several companies started by former students
1992 –1993, Chief Financial Officer, Mustard Seed Inc., Pasadena
Chaired CFRM Executive Board and Advisory Boards for Financial Reporting Conferences
Faculty Advisor to several student organizations student case competitions