AI strategist. Product and Innovation builder. Ex-Amazon. Helping leaders turn AI into real business value.

I’m Amir Elion, an AI strategist and innovation builder with 25 years of operator experience. I help executive and product teams make AI actually useful, grounded in building real things rather than hype.

From 2020 to 2023 I led the Digital Innovation Program for Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the Nordics, where I shared Amazon’s Working Backwards methodology with enterprises across the region – Novo Nordisk, Volvo Group, KONE, Danske Bank, DNB, Husqvarna, Assa Abloy, Stora Enso, and others. Before AWS, I held senior innovation, training, and product roles at Motorola and Teva, directed product teams at two startups in learning technology and VR/AR, and worked as a strategy and innovation consultant. Across that career I have trained more than 25,000 leaders.

Today I’m the founder and senior advisor at Think Big Leaders and co-founder of Global Green Action Day. My work spans AI strategy, Working Backwards innovation, and executive AI enablement – with recent speaking and consulting for Assa Abloy, Adobe, Johnson & Johnson, AT&T, Booking.com, Knowit, and Orkla. I’m also AI Thematic Lead at Innovationsledarna, the Swedish Innovation Leaders Association, and was featured as a thought leader in the Innovate Stockholm book (Innovations of the World, 2026).

Too many innovation efforts fail for the same reason: they start with a solution and go looking for a problem. Working Backwards flips that. Not hype, not fear, just grounded in building real things. I love helping teams through this type of thinking.

What I speak and advise on

I am a keynote speaker and expert author on innovation methods, tools, and technologies. I have created online courses with thousands of students worldwide, and regularly speak at international conferences, executive summits, and private C-level sessions.

Highlights include guest lectures and talks on:

• Working Backwards with AI – the Amazon innovation engine, applied to the AI era
• AI Agents – Executive Perspectives – what every business leader should be doing right now
• AI Product Innovation – product-building in the AI era, applicable to every industry
• Business Value with AI – boosting productivity, creating new value, driving disruption
• Innovate like Amazon – stories from an AWS Innovation Program Leader

And some of the places I have spoken in include:

• Tech Arena 2026
• Sweden’s Innovation Leaders Association
• AWS Summit Executive Track and Public Sector Track
• Stockholm Tech Show
• Kalmar TechHeads
• Innovation Pioneers AI Masterclass at Elements, Epicenter
• Stockholm School of Economics
• Tel Aviv University Business School
• Holon Institute of Technology

I lead the AI Thematic Group at Sweden’s Innovation Leaders Association and have served as a mentor there for several years. Earlier in my career, I was part of the steering committee for Israel’s national learning and development conference, and chaired the event in 2013.

Certifications

• AWS Solutions Architect Associate
• AWS Certified AI Practitioner (Early Adopter)
• Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals

Testimonials

• “Amir worked with us to establish an AI Playbook for our 3,000+ employees. His ability to blend strategic AI insight with our company culture was remarkable.” — Johan Ribberklint, CEO, Knowit Cloud & Code
• “Participating in Amir Elion’s AI Masterclass was a transformative experience. The most impactful AI training I have attended.” — Fredrik Thuresson, Director Consulting Expert, CGI
• “Amir explains Generative AI in an inspiring and accessible way. He guided our management group through AI strategy work that gave us clarity, confidence, and a concrete action plan.” — Liselott Litzell, Innovation & Product Development Manager, Orkla Wound Care