Zia Lennard

Zia Lennard is a strategy and innovation professional with over 15 years of experience in Europe, Asia, and the United States. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Emerson College in Boston, USA and an MBA in international marketing from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis in Nice, France.

Zia specialises in transforming complex research and technologies into commercially viable solutions. His work focuses on business model design, market and stakeholder analysis, partnership building, and commercialisation through active engagement with industry, cities, investors, and innovation ecosystems. He has led multidisciplinary teams, structured go-to-market strategies, and helped secure large-scale European funding by aligning technical innovation with concrete market demand.

Before joining R2M, Zia founded and developed a Shanghai-based brand strategy and supply chain consulting firm, which he led from concept to profitability. His experience spanned product and market development, customer engagement analysis, digital and retail strategy, operational process improvement, and quality assurance.

Main area of activity in R2M:

As co-founder of R2M France, Zia is a senior project manager within the Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 programs, and business development mentor for all full-time staff members. His role lies at the intersection of technology, market adoption, and revenue generation. He ensures that research results are translated into exploitable business opportunities through structured stakeholder engagement, commercial partnerships, and innovation deployment.