Ken and Ian founded Blueprint Business Architecture in 2005 out of a mutual frustration with the lack of results produced by the traditional business planning process. Rather than trying to fix it, they started from scratch, creating their own unique methodology that has been used by companies large and small, as well as all kinds of organizations in the philanthropic world (hospitals, universities, etc.).
Ian Chamandy
Ian Chamandy is a founding partner of Blueprint Business Architecture, a company that developed a proprietary new methodology for strategic planning. Ian has co-facilitated the creation of well over 200 Blueprints for companies large and small, helping them define what makes them uniquely remarkable at their core – in seven words or less – and using this clear, concise and compelling statement as the basis for the company’s future.
About one quarter of Blueprint’s clients are in the not-for-profit world, helping organizations such as hospitals, universities and special-purpose charities define their unique purpose and leverage that to increase donations.
Ian is the co-author of the book “Why should I choose you?” – Answering the single most important strategic question in business in seven words or less, which is published by HarperCollins.
Prior to Blueprint, Ian co-founded, and spent 15 years running, YOUtv, a company that developed, sold and managed format licenses and marketing programs around the world for the “Speakers Corner” programming concept. In this capacity, Ian created branding, marketing and sales strategies for national broadcasters and local TV stations, including CBS, Fox, Post Newsweek and Meredith in the US, Flextech Television in the UK, Venevision in Venezuela, El Tiempo in Colombia, Jyrki In Finland, and Citytv, MuchMusic, CBC, YTV. He also designed and executed branding, marketing and communications programs for Procter & Gamble, Bell, Warner Lambert, Labatt, Molson, Loblaws and The Lung Association in Canada, and Kroger and New York State Department of Health in the US.
Ian founded the Adopt An Athlete Foundation, which is now managed by the Canadian Olympic Committee.
He has a BA in Social Psychology from the University of Waterloo.
Ken Aber
Ken is the founding partner of Blueprint Business Architecture. Ken has spent his entire career creating innovative strategic partnerships and media programs for blue chip companies in Canada. As a partner in and president of HYPN (now PHD, a division of Omnicom), Ken led marketing and communications programs for Labatt, Cara (Swiss Chalet and Harvey’s), American Express and Alberto Culver. He was also instrumental in transforming the role of media companies from simply buyers of advertising to actually buying, producing and packaging programming for clients and broadcasters.
Prior to HYPN, Ken worked with McDonald’s, Ford and Ontario Tourism. In addition to building his clients’ businesses, Ken has created his own. He conceived and developed the Hero Certified Burger chain and sold it to Lettieri.
Ken has a MBA from Harvard University.
To survive and thrive in this increasingly uncertain business environment, companies need to be far more agile, creative, innovative and inspiring than they ever have before. With the launch of its new book “Why Should I Choose You?”, Blueprint contends that many of the traditional business practices employed by most companies today are ineffective when planning for the future.
Ian and Ken’s provocative public speaking presentation – “Why should I choose you?” – Identifies 3 common business practices that are no longer effective and suggests alternatives that have proven their value in the emerging marketplace:
1. Features and benefits actually inhibit sales
2. Mission, vision and values have no material impact on business success
3. Organizations create blind spots that hide revenue opportunities
Whether you are in retail, business to business, business to consumer, professional services or philanthropy, engaging Blueprint’s founders, Ian Chamandy and Ken Aber, to speak at your conference, convention or corporate event will give your attendees entertaining insight into their provocative views on what it takes to survive and thrive in the emerging, uncertain business environment.
