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Networking Business Breakfast
The Innovation Paradox
Leading Through Uncertainty Without Losing Innovation.
Executive Dialogue with Abdelmoula El Hadi.
- 15 September 2026
- 08:00 - 10:00 CET
- Steigenberger Icon Wiltcher’s Avenue Louise 71, Brussels, Belgium
Why this conversation now?
Every mandate leaders carry today pulls in two directions at once.
Organizations have never faced so many competing demands. Leaders are expected to innovate faster while reducing risk, accelerate transformation while maintaining operational excellence, empower people while ensuring accountability, and deliver short-term results while preparing their organizations for an uncertain future.
The question is no longer whether organizations should innovate. The question is how leaders can create the conditions for innovation without compromising performance, resilience, or long-term competitiveness.
Perhaps the greatest leadership challenge today is not solving these contradictions… but learning how to lead through them.
The Innovation Paradox
Innovation isn't about better ideas. It's about the tensions that have no perfect solution.
We often think innovation is about generating better ideas. In reality, innovation is about navigating tensions that rarely have a perfect solution. Every organization must constantly balance questions such as:
- Freedom or Structure?
- Speed or Safety?
- Creativity or Discipline?
- Originality or Incremental Improvement?
- Human Intuition or Hard Data?
- Control or Openness?
These are not problems to eliminate. They are paradoxes to lead.
The organizations that remain innovative are those that learn to manage these tensions intentionally, instead of trying to remove them.
On the agenda
Four moments, one conversation.
Through a keynote, executive dialogue and audience discussion, we will explore the leadership decisions that shape innovation in today’s organisations.
01
Introduction
Patrick Faniel, Managing Director, MCE.
02
Keynote
Abdelmoula El Hadi on leading innovation through uncertainty.
03
Executive dialogue
Leaders from industry, academia and public affairs join the conversation.
04
Audience discussion
An open, interactive exchange with participants.
The leadership challenges behind innovation
During this business breakfast, we will explore:
- Why organizations unintentionally suppress innovation despite investing heavily in it.
- How uncertainty is reshaping leadership, innovation and competitiveness.
- Why innovation requires managing paradoxes rather than solving trade-offs.
- Practical approaches to balancing creativity, discipline, governance and execution.
- What distinguishes organizations that continue to innovate during periods of disruption.
Facilitator Details
Abdelmoula El Hadi
Abdelmoula El Hadi is Group Head of Innovation at Knauf Insulation, where he leads innovation strategy, portfolio governance, and execution across EMEA and APAC.
With more than 15 years of international experience in industrial innovation and transformation, he has led global innovation portfolios, developed innovation management frameworks, and supported organizations in translating strategic ambition into measurable business impact.
He is the author of the forthcoming book The Creativity Paradox, which explores why organizations often struggle to innovate despite their best intentions – and how leaders can create the conditions for creativity, execution, and sustainable growth.
Event details
This Event is Free-of-charge but seats are limited.
This Business Breakfast is designed for business professionals, people leaders, HR and L&D professionals, and decision-makers who want to stay informed about the leadership and management challenges shaping today’s organisations. It is an opportunity to exchange perspectives, learn from experts, and connect with peers across industries.
- 15 September 2026
-
8:00 - 10:00 CET
Including breakfast
Avenue Louise 71, Brussels, Belgium