The World Is a Shared Creation.
Expanding how leaders think, create and shape the future.
We cannot create fundamentally different futures without questioning the beliefs and assumptions that shaped the world we know.
Human by Design helps learners, leaders and organisations see beyond existing assumptions, connecting purpose, strategy, innovation and human development to shape meaningful, sustainable futures.
Bringing together contemporary science, systems thinking, nature and ancient wisdom, we turn fresh perspectives into purposeful action.
Because what we create shapes who we become.
Life-Serving Innovation emerged in November 2025, following an Executive MBA programme I led at Maastricht University’s School of Business & Economics. During the sustainability module, industry leaders presented innovative solutions widely celebrated as “sustainable.” Yet some were built on fragile assumptions: products were considered responsible simply because materials could circulate — even when those same materials were toxic to human health or ecologically degrading.
That dissonance became the catalyst for Resonance by Design™. A baseline that moves beyond optimisation and circularity to ask a more fundamental question:
Is this material, product, or business model designed for structural longevity?
Resonance by Design™ grounds the work to help organisations design products and services that hold across time.
You can explore the reflection article here
Mikhael Akasha
Designed for Every Stage of Transformation
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Open Cohorts
Immersive innovation labs for leaders and professionals. Learn by doing, solve real challenges, and leave with practical tools you can apply immediately.
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In-Company
Tailored innovation experiences that help teams tackle strategic challenges, strengthen collaboration, and turn ideas into measurable impact.
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Executive & Academic Education
Experiential programmes for universities and executive education, equipping learners with the mindset, methods, and confidence to lead meaningful innovation.
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Outside-In Strategic Advisory
Independent strategic counsel to leaders, boards and organisations at moments of change. Offering a fresh perspective into the room.
Training Leaders to Build Sustainable Change
Mikhaël Akasha works between two worlds: the emerging future of innovation and some of humanity’s oldest ways of understanding life.
His work bridges contemporary innovation, systems thinking and academia with knowledge gathered through years of learning from Indigenous wisdom traditions, including Māori, Aboriginal Australian and Native American teachers and elders.
He is Innovation Lead and Lecturer at Maastricht University’s School of Business & Economics and has spent more than two decades developing ideas and innovations with international organisations including Procter & Gamble, Eurostar, Agnès b, Coca-Cola, France Telecom, and Sympany Foundation.
Through Human by Design, Mikhaël explores what becomes possible when modern organisations reconnect innovation with deeper understandings of people, nature, purpose and interconnectedness.
His work invites leaders to move beyond simply adapting to the future — and consciously participate in creating it.
Signals from the field
“Design determines impact.”
Research by the European Commission Joint Research Centre confirms that up to 80% of environmental impact is locked in during the design phase.
→ Insight: Impact is shaped before products, policies, or technologies exist.
“Purpose-led strategies outperform compliance.”
Findings from McKinsey & Company show that purpose-driven sustainability strategies outperform compliance-driven ones. But only when purpose shapes actual decisions.
→ Insight: Purpose without governance becomes theatre.
“Behaviour and culture matter as much as technology.”
Studies referenced by Gallup and Harvard University show that employee belief and cultural norms are decisive for execution, resilience, and innovation adoption.
→ Insight: Life-serving innovation shows up in everyday behaviour, not policy documents.
“Regenerative models outperform extractive ones over time.”
Longitudinal studies by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation indicate that regenerative business models deliver stronger long-term resilience, reduced risk exposure, and improved stakeholder trust compared to linear extractive models.
→ Insight: regeneration is not idealism, it is risk management.
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Jochem Visjager
“Working with Mikhael is refreshing. He has a very solid view on what's right and what's not, of what works and what doesn't. In an environment that exists mostly of doubt that's a nice compass to work with. Furthermore he's just a really nice guy.”
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Adriaan Wagenaar
“As a lecturer in business innovation, I came to know Mikhaël as an inspiring and passionate colleague. With visible joy, he brings his knowledge to life, often in original ways, offering real depth and conveying the material to students with clarity and engagement.”
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Bipasha Mookherjee
“Mikhael has been one of the best, bravest people I've worked for. He always inspired his teams to go above and beyond the brief. He is a true problem solver. His strategic thinking, out of the box creative solutions as well as his kind, thoughtful personality make him a truly inspirational leader.”
WHAT COULD WE CREATE TOGETHER?Every meaningful change begins with a question worth exploring.
Whether you're facing a complex challenge, reimagining what's possible or seeking a fresh perspective, let's explore how new thinking can lead to meaningful action.
Let's discover what becomes possible together.
For keynote engagements, strategic sessions, or sustainability programmes, please contact Mikhaël Akasha directly.
Innovation transforms organisations. Healing transforms people. Visit cinmaya.com →
Contact
Email
mikhael@humanby.org
Phone
+31 6 2538 7828
Location
Heemstede, Netherlands | working internationally