About
Capability architect. Innovation strategist. Keynote speaker.
Deana Nannskog is a Swedish capability architect, innovation strategist and keynote speaker focused on organisational capability systems in the AI era. Founder & CEO of Kin Innovation Agency, she helps organisations turn strategic ambition into real capability through Capability Architecture, innovation systems design, and AI-era workforce transformation.
She has led large-scale capability and skills work at Ingka Group (IKEA) across 177,000 employees in 32 countries, developed innovation capability systems aligned with the ISO 56000 family of standards, and spoken at international leadership and HR events including PowerToHR.
Based in Malmö in the south of Sweden, I balance high-stakes innovation with the grounding rhythm of family life. Whether in a boardroom or at an After Work, I believe in conversations that are real, sharp, and move things forward.
Who is Deana Nannskog?
Deana Nannskog is a Swedish capability architect, innovation strategist and keynote speaker focused on organisational capability systems in the AI era. She is Founder and CEO of Kin Innovation Agency, and has led large-scale capability and skills work at Ingka Group (IKEA) across 177,000 employees in 32 countries.
Her work spans Capability Architecture, innovation capability, skills-based workforce transformation, and ISO 56000-aligned innovation management systems. She works across business, academia and public sector, and speaks at international leadership and HR conferences.
Why this work matters to me
I have spent most of my career at the boundary between strategy and people - watching well-designed plans fail not because of bad intent, but because the organisation was never built to execute them. I have seen this in large-scale scientific facilities, in global retail transformation at IKEA, and in innovation systems across sectors.
The pattern is always the same. Business, people and technology are managed according to different logics. Strategy gets fragmented. Transformation becomes activity. The capability to actually deliver value never fully emerges.
Capability Architecture is my answer to that pattern. It is a discipline for designing what an organisation must become able to do - and the conditions that make it possible to repeat that ability under changing circumstances. Through Kin Innovation Agency, this is the work I do with leaders and organisations navigating AI-era transformation, skills strategy and innovation capability.
Speaking and advisory
Alongside advisory work, Deana speaks at international leadership, HR and innovation events. Her keynotes cover Capability Architecture, AI-era transformation, skills-based organisations and innovation capability. She is available for keynotes, panels, masterclasses and executive sessions in English and Swedish.
Her PowerToHR keynote was described as "intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking" - a talk that left the audience "with no doubt over what needs to change."
Cross-sector depth
My background spans large-scale scientific facilities (ESS, CERN), global corporate transformation at Ingka Group (IKEA), and academic research and strategic development at Lund University. I have navigated the tensions between public mandates, commercial imperatives and scientific rigour across more than two decades.
This breadth allows me to see the patterns that are invisible when functions work separately - and to build the shared language that makes execution possible across them.
Side project
Autonomous AI agents, with a human lens
I am building a hobby project where I design a "dream team" of autonomous AI agents grounded in social psychology and IO psychology theory and best practice. I explore how collaboration, roles, trust, decision-making, and feedback loops can be translated into agent behaviour and workflows.
Reach out to compare notesHow I work with stakeholders
I build trust without needing formal authority. I listen for what isn't being said, respect the constraints of your reality, and help you negotiate the trade-offs that others avoid. My approach is always to leave the system stronger and more capable than I found it.
Professional Experience
Global Talent & Skills Leader | People & Culture
Ingka Group (IKEA) | 2021–Present
Leading the development of a global Skills Framework for 177,000+ employees across 32 countries. Established a common language for capability, mobility, and future readiness. Responsible for integrating skills intelligence into strategic workforce planning and talent development.
Project Portfolio Manager | Strategic Development
Lund University | 2012–2021
Responsible for strategic project portfolios accelerating innovation in collaboration with industry and society. Managed partnerships in future technologies, including AI, ML, and Robotics, bridging the gap between advanced research infrastructure and industrial application.
Project Manager | Commissioned Education
Lund University | 2005–2012
Led long-term international development programs focusing on educational reform and organizational development. Managed complex stakeholder environments including universities, ministries, and municipalities to drive sustainable change.
Academic Background
Master of Science in Organizational Learning
Lund University | 2018
Thesis: Sustainable Lifelong Learning for Professionals in Knowledge-Intensive Large-Scale Companies
Magister in Social Psychology
Lund University | 1994
Focus on group dynamics, social behaviour, and decision-making processes.
Deana holds a master's degree in Education, with a focus on organisational learning, strengthening her work at the intersection of capability building, skills transformation and organisational development.
Selected Certifications & Professional Development
Change, Leadership & Facilitation
Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner
Prosci. Issued 2023.
Facilitation. Preparing for Facilitating (Basic)
IKEA. Completed 2025.
Emotional and Social Intelligence
University of California, Davis. Completed 2023.
Strategy, Execution & Decision-making
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Malmö University. 2016.
Managing Project Stakeholders
Project Management Institute (PMI®). Completed 2024.
Skills
Selected Projects
AI & ML for Industry and Society
Project Lead | Lund University
Led a Vinnova-funded pilot (2018-2022) to map competence needs and develop AI/ML education for professionals. Bridged the gap between academic research and industrial application.
Nordic Particle Accelerator Project
Project Lead | Lund University
Led a pan-European collaboration between CERN, ESS, MAX IV and universities to secure European expertise in accelerator science.
Sustainable Urban Transport
Programme Lead | Lund University
Coordinated a policy and learning programme focused on urban transport as a lever for sustainable development.
Deana Nannskog in brief
Deana Nannskog is a Swedish-American strategist, keynote speaker and founder of Kin Innovation Agency, based in Malmö, Sweden. Her work focuses on Capability Architecture, AI-era organisational capability, innovation capability, skills transformation and the future of work.
She helps leaders translate strategic ambition into the organisational capabilities needed to act, adapt and create value in complex environments. Her perspective connects business strategy, people, work, technology and value creation.
Deana has held global leadership roles in skills, reskilling and organisational capability development at Ingka/IKEA, and is now transitioning fully into her work through Kin Innovation Agency, where she works with leaders, teams and organisations on capability-driven transformation, innovation systems and human-centred AI adoption.
Core topics associated with Deana Nannskog include Capability Architecture, AI transformation, innovation capability, skills-based organisations, future of work, organisational learning, human and AI collaboration, ISO 56000 innovation management and strategic capability building.