Architecting Creativity

At Interac, innovation isn't an accident—it's architecture. Michelle Cochrane leads the company's Innovation Practice, where she's building something rare in corporate settings: a fully funded, strategically integrated innovation program that transforms everyday employees into creative problem-solvers. Through immersive Studio experiences, internal incubators, and grassroots campaigns, Cochrane's team is proving that innovation culture isn't about waiting for lightning to strike, but rather about deliberately creating the conditions for creative breakthroughs to flourish.

1. What does innovation mean to you?

Innovation is how we solve problems: creatively, strategically, and collaboratively. At its core, innovation is powered by creativity—the ability to see possibilities where others see limitations. It's about applying imagination with purpose to solve real problems in new ways.

Here's the reality: while everyone has the capacity for creativity, many workplaces unintentionally stifle it. At Interac, we're working to change that through what we call strategic creativity—the deliberate use of creative thinking to drive meaningful outcomes.

We believe innovation flourishes when the right conditions are in place: time, tools, coaching, and a culture that values curiosity, continuous improvement, and experimentation. Our focus is on everyday innovation—embedding creative problem-solving into daily work and democratizing innovation so every employee feels empowered to explore ideas, challenge assumptions, and shape what's next.

One of the most rewarding parts of our work is witnessing those "aha" moments when colleagues unlock new ways of thinking. Creating safe spaces for that kind of creativity is central to everything we do.

2. How does your team generate new ideas?

We blend internal insights with external inspiration, operating as both explorers and facilitators.

Externally, we stay curious—conducting research, tracking trends, and engaging with Canada's broader innovation ecosystem through partnerships with organizations like Platform Calgary, Volta, MaRS, and Communitech. We've also launched our own Youth Council to ensure the next generation's voice shapes the evolving financial landscape.

Internally, we tap into the collective creativity of our colleagues through structured programs. We operate an Open Innovation Platform called Hello Innovation where we crowdsource ideas and pose "How Might We" questions. We facilitate workshops, host innovation-focused events, and run targeted challenges.

Our team draws from design thinking, experience strategy, and innovation management to guide teams in generating ideas that are both imaginative and actionable. Our role isn't to come up with all the answers—it's to create the structure, conditions, and creative tension that help ideas surface, then support teams in shaping those ideas into real possibilities.

3. Can you share some unique innovation tactics your team relies on?

We've developed three signature approaches:

Interac Studio Experiences: The Studio is our dedicated space for deep work and cross-functional collaboration. Teams come together to tackle complex challenges using structured methods like design thinking, systems mapping, and ideation frameworks. Each experience is designed to spark insight, foster alignment, and unlock breakthrough thinking on everything from product strategy to employee experience.

Innovation Incubator: Our internal incubator empowers employees to bring forward ideas and transform promising concepts into real value. Through a structured, multi-week program, participants receive coaching, tools, and space to validate, prototype, and pitch their solutions. It balances discovering the next big idea with scaling creative confidence across the organization.

Everyday Innovation Campaigns: We run targeted campaigns inviting employees to creatively solve real organizational challenges. One recent campaign focused on employee engagement generated over 150 ideas and led to 10 pilot program proposals. These campaigns normalize innovation as an everyday behavior and demonstrate how ideas from anywhere can evolve into real programs.

4. Do you have any specific rituals for resetting creativity?

Absolutely. We've built intentional rituals to shift mindset, reduce inhibition, and invite playfulness into problem-solving.
Studio Warm-Ups: We begin every workshop with creativity icebreakers—playful exercises with sensory elements that participants don't encounter in daily work. They signal a shift into a different mode of thinking where curiosity and imagination are welcome.

Thematic Experiences: We craft workshops around themes or analogies that feel unique and inspirational. During discovery phases, we might position participants as detectives with an evidence board. Our upcoming Google-style Sprint is themed as Innovation Camp with teams in "Cabins." These narrative shifts make people more open to sharing unexpected ideas.

Studio Takeovers: These are 15-minute micro-learning sessions focused on techniques that encourage creative thinking. In our last takeover, participants drew payment solutions for trade on Mars—fun, silly, and creative work that left the team energized for their next topic.
Collaborative In-Person Work: Our team has embraced the return to office as an opportunity to reconnect. In-person sessions are powerful for resetting creativity, and as a multidisciplinary team, exposure to diverse tools stretches our thinking.

5. How do you identify trends and consumer insights?

Spotting trends is a shared responsibility across Interac—each department plays a role in identifying signals and shaping our understanding.

External Sources: Our Innovation Practice collaborates with Marketing, Strategy, Government Relations, Research, and Client teams to scan platforms like Trend Hunter and CB Insights. We participate in conferences and forums to engage with ecosystem partners and anticipate how patterns across industries might influence our products and customer relationships.

Internal Listening: We view our employees as a powerful insight engine. Through our Hello Innovation platform, engagement campaigns, and Studio sessions, we actively listen for frontline signals—what's not working, what's changing, what unmet needs are emerging. These insights are grounded in our real operating context.

6. Has another industry ever inspired innovation at Interac?

Constantly. Looking beyond our industry is core to our approach.

Our soon-to-launch Internal Innovation Incubator was inspired by how technology companies and startups move quickly, test early, and fail safely. Programs like Adobe Kickbox and Google's Area 120 influenced us with their democratized approach—equipping employees with tools and frameworks to explore ideas. We adapted this model to fit our corporate context.

We also draw inspiration from the entertainment industry's ability to craft immersive, emotionally resonant experiences. Combined with insights from spaces like Deloitte Greenhouse and IBM Garage, these models influenced our Innovation Studio design. By blending creative themes, visual storytelling, and choreographed activities, we create experiences that shift mindsets and deepen engagement.

Looking outside our industry helps us challenge assumptions, spot new models, and reframe what's possible.

7. What makes an innovative culture? How do you create it?

Creating an innovative culture requires intention, investment, and a shared belief that everyone has a role in shaping the future.

We define it as a culture where creativity is encouraged, experimentation is supported, and ideas are given room to grow. It's not just about celebrating big breakthroughs—it's about recognizing everyday innovation: the small, bold acts of problem-solving that improve how we work and deliver value.

We cultivate this through three core principles:

• Democratizing Innovation: Ensuring every employee feels empowered and equipped to contribute ideas


• Making Space for Creativity: Creating intentional environments that invite imaginative thinking


• Normalizing Experimentation: Encouraging teams to test, learn, and iterate without fear of failure

An innovative culture grows when people feel safe to challenge the status quo, supported to try something new, and recognized for thinking differently. Few organizations can say they have a fully funded innovation program integrated into business objectives and run by a cross-functional team of experts. This commitment has helped us build an innovation reputation that extends beyond our walls—within the broader ecosystem, Interac is recognized as an innovation partner.

8. Looking to the future, how will Interac continue leading in innovation?

We believe the future of innovation leadership lies in embedding creativity and experimentation into the fabric of how an organization works—and that's exactly what we're building.

Looking ahead, we're excited about several key initiatives:

• Launching our Corporate Incubator to create a scalable pathway for employees to turn ideas into impact


• Scaling our Innovation Studio experiences to help teams tackle complex challenges with creativity


• Running targeted campaigns on Hello Innovation to surface grassroots ideas


• Investing in training and coaching through our Interac Academy to grow innovation capacity at all levels


• Hosting our first internal Creativity Festival in 2026 as a celebration of creative practice

Beyond our internal culture, we're also a source of innovation leadership within our ecosystem. We distill emerging technologies like digital assets, agentic commerce, and quantum technologies, developing proof of concepts and hosting sessions to explore their potential applications.

Being a leader in innovation means more than having great ideas—it means building the systems, programs, and culture that make innovation possible at scale. That's the future we're designing.