Resume / CV

Michael Motet Hansen

Smart City Researcher · Entrepreneur · Innovation Facilitator

30+Years in tech
3Active ventures
110+Entrepreneurs mentored
5Publications

Summary

Sustainable Smart City researcher and technology strategist with over 30 years of experience across public and private sectors in Europe and Asia. Entrepreneur with hands-on design thinking, engineering, and digital transformation skills. PhD in Integrated Science from Thammasat University, with research focused on citizen engagement and value propositions in Smart City projects. Currently Partner at ref.team and Adjunct Lecturer at James Cook University Singapore.

Experience

Sep 2023 – Present
Singapore
ref.team
Partner
Advisory engagement for businesses and research organisations. Innovation tools and workshops — AI awareness programmes and design thinking facilitation — helping clients reach their next competitive level.
Mar 2018 – Present
Singapore
James Cook University Singapore
Adjunct Lecturer — Business Innovation · Lean UX · Agile Project Management
  • Teaches Business Innovation, Lean UX and Design Thinking, and Agile Project Management.
  • Delivers hands-on workshops using Design Sprint and SCRUM methodologies.
  • Mentors students in lean start-up practices, cloud development, and entrepreneurial thinking.
  • Plans and co-manages the cross-subject Design Sprint held every three months.
Feb 2016 – Present
Singapore
VizNeo
Principal Consultant (Oct 2021–Present) · Digital Transformation Consultant (2016–2021)
  • Leading Innovation advisory, PMO, and Technology strategy for a Smart Venue — vendor evaluation, data-centric strategy, and community engagement design.
  • Advised 5 businesses on Digital Transformation and DevOps/cloud migration strategy.
  • Delivered a restructuring strategy for a business in Myanmar with a projected 35% improvement.
  • Mentored approximately 110 entrepreneurs across Southeast Asia.
  • Authored and delivered a 3-week SCRUM training programme at SMU Singapore.
Jan 2020 – Jun 2025
Bangkok
Thammasat University
PhD Researcher — Smart City Innovation
  • Research on Smart City projects in Singapore — engaged Smart Nation team and suppliers, evaluated citizen perceptions and value propositions through surveys and interviews.
  • Research on Smart City projects in Thailand — citizen participation, collaboration with government, IoT and Digital Payment innovation.
  • Methods: Design Thinking, Lean UX, Data Science analytics, Python, statistical packages.
Apr 2017 – Present
Singapore
WineDragons
Founder
Wine community platform for Asia — pairing producers, sommeliers, and curious drinkers. Building a Sommelier rule engine for personalised wine recommendations. winedragons.asia →
Sep 2013 – Dec 2015
Singapore · Japan
Pitney Bowes
Senior Solutions Architect · Regional Product Manager (Japan)
  • Managed pricing, product launch, solution innovation, and pre-sales planning across 5 countries in Asia.
  • Directed 3 teams of 4–15 staff across ASEAN in business development, presales, and software development.
  • Reduced operational costs by 60% through process optimisation.
  • Led internal innovation team producing two proofs of concept with 40% reduction in manufacturing cost.
Aug 2008 – Sep 2011
Mauritius
SWTEAMS LTD
Principal Consultant · Executive Managing Director
Grew the company to 30 staff. Key deliveries: Business Process Management solution for Tourism Authority of Mauritius (reducing license processing from 3 months to 3 weeks); green appliance rebate platform for Sustainability Victoria, Australia.
Jul 2004 – Aug 2008
Denmark
M-ITC LTD
Founder · Executive Managing Director
Built an IT consulting firm with up to 30 employees, focused on the Danish public sector. Key clients: Copenhagen Business School (student management solution), Danish Commerce and Companies Agency (digital signature module for government portal).

Earlier Career

IT Practice
Senior IT Consultant — global container pricing solution for Maersk
2002–2004
Viscon A/S
Senior Software Engineering Consultant — AI-based interactive education platform for military (WEU)
2001–2002
VIGILANTe / Neupart
Cyber Security Consultant — penetration testing and vulnerability tooling
2000–2001
DCDM / Accenture
IT Consultant — OpenTV platform, financial and hotel sector projects (Mauritius)
1999–2000
CRI A/S · Motorola · Andersen Consulting
System Engineer — defence, air traffic control, banking, satellite TV systems
1995–2001
Norand A/S
Software Developer — one of the first handheld touchscreen computers (route planning, invoicing)
1994
Pipetronix Inc.
R&D Engineer — magnetic field sensors for Oil & Gas pipeline corrosion detection (Toronto)
1993–1994
Niels Bohr Institute · University of Copenhagen
Research Assistant — particle measurement modules; installation at CERN, Switzerland
1988–1989

Education

Thammasat University, Thailand
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) — Integrated Science · Smart City innovation, citizen engagement, digital transformation
2020 – 2025
James Cook University Singapore
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
2015 – 2016
DTU — Technical University of Denmark
BSc. Electronic Engineering

Research & Publications

ORCID · 0000-0001-7645-5958 →
Loading publications from ORCID…

Skills

Leadership Strategic visionDigital transformationC-level advisoryPMOInnovation facilitation
Research Design ThinkingLean UXGV Design SprintData ScienceStatistical analysisSmart Cities
Engineering PythonCloud architectureDevOpsAI/MLIoTSystems architecture
Delivery SCRUMAgile PMOPre-salesProduct managementDesign Thinking

Languages & Certifications

Languages
Danish — Native
English — Full Professional
French — Full Professional
Certifications
Quantitative Methods · Greening the Economy: Sustainable Cities · Power BI · Smarter Cities: Using Data to Drive Urban Innovation · Introduction to Digital Twins

Get in touch

Open to research collaborations, advisory roles, and consulting engagements.