Business and the Arts

The title of Professor Hindi’s talk was ‘Renaissance of Renaissance Thinking: Why Business Needs the Arts. His main thesis was that much of business is focussed on maths, engineering and economics and what it also needs is the discipline and approach of the Arts. This means the ability to look at contemporary society through different lenses and reimagine products and services. Similarly, the skill of reducing a product or service to its essence. He gave many examples of entrepreneurs who had Arts training as well as STEM skills including Apple, Dyson and accelerator Y Combinator.

In the session, Professor Hindi talked first about his personal path into the world of entrepreneurship. Coming from Israel, the ‘Start-up Nation’, and with a natural-born desire for entrepreneurship, he was involved in different ventures from a young age, starting his first business during his bachelor studies.

The professor shared concepts, ideas, and entrepreneurship tips with the students and advocated for a connection between artistic talent and business entrepreneurship; two areas that fuel each other and provide an opportunity for mutual learning.

Maya in Year 12 was part of the audience:

“Professor Nir Hindi began his talk by asking us all what we thought of when someone mentions the word art. Almost everyone responded with: paintings, drawings... He dedicated his talk to breaking down this pre-conceived idea of art, showing us that it covers the creativity vital to every profession, even the most STEM-heavy areas. He made us realise that even setting up a new business is a form of art, and so it is vital that we all expand our creativity no matter where we see ourselves in the future.”