McMaster's DeGroote School of Business will present the DeGroote Executive Lecture Series featuring Robert Cooper, a world-renowned expert in new product development.

These workshops are ideal for small and medium-sized business owners who want to maximize the returns on their innovation efforts in the fields of business strategy, R&D, new products, marketing and business development.

The seminars will be presented in two separate sessions: Cooper's Winning at New Products, a perennial favourite, will be offered in a two-day format on Friday, Sept. 23 and Saturday, Sept. 24. The new seminar, Pathways to Profitable Innovation, based on the work from Cooper's new book picks up where Winning at New Products leaves off, and will be presented as a one-day workshop on Friday, Oct. 28.

Through experiential exercises, lectures and facilitated Q&A, participants will learn to distinguish what top performing businesses do differently, and discover how to improve idea-to-launch and portfolio management methods to realize higher productivity and increase profits.

Cooper's seminars continually receive rave reviews from participants from around the world. Mark Swinburn, IPM leader at Cadbury Schweppes, Australia states: “Robert Cooper has a thorough understanding of his subject, excellent understanding of the business environment, and can articulate clearly the concepts and detail of the topics covered.” Katie Bell, strategic planning director for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare USA, explains, “It was great to have the up front and personal teaching approach. [New product development] is a very complex area and was presented and taught with impact, enthusiasm and consideration.”

Robert Cooper is a prolific researcher and thought-leader in the field of product management and has been labelled 'the quintessential scholar' in the field of new products by Journal of Product Innovation Management and described as 'one of the preeminent experts on new product development' in Industrial Marketing Management. Cooper's Stage-GateTM process is widely used by leading firms around the world to drive new products to market. He has also written six books on new product management, including the popular, Winning at New Products: Accelerating the Process from Idea to Launch, with more than 100,000 copies sold.

To reserve your seat for these workshops call Lynn Kennedy-Newman at 905-525-9140 ext. 24936, e-mail newmank@mcmaster.ca or download the registration form at www.degroote.mcmaster.ca.