What is your background?

Mr. Raja was among the first group of ThinkBuzan Licensed Instructors and is the very first ThinkBuzan Licensed Instructor in the USA.

Mr. Raja is the President and CEO of Ideation, Inc. Ideation, Inc. is a dynamic firm known for its ability to apply creative and innovative approaches to solve complex problems. Ideation, Inc. is one of the fastest growing small businesses in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and has recently won several, multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts with multiple U.S. federal government agencies.

Mr. Raja began his career at Architectural & Engineering firms where he developed expertise in physical sciences and civil engineering. Seeing ways to streamline and modernize processes; he soon moved into the field of information technology. Later, in positions of Solutions Development Leader, Director of Software Engineering, and Chief Technology Officer, he built and managed new technology teams within three different large companies. While at one of these companies, Mr. Raja invented a new system architecture for a healthcare portal for which he holds two U.S. patents.

Mr. Raja holds a MS degree from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA and a B.Tech degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India. Mr. Raja also currently enrolled in a 3 year Executive Leadership Program at Harvard University.

Why does Mind Mapping inspire you?

Mr. Raja has always been an enthusiastic proponent of creative thinking and has used various meta-cognitive techniques including mind mapping. Mr. Raja met Mr. Tony Buzan, ThinkBuzan President, and Mr. Chris Griffiths, ThinkBuzan CEO, in New York City in 2010 and immediately felt at home with their minds, mind mapping, and the iMindMap software they presented. Soon after attending the demonstrations, registered for the very first ThinkBuzan Licensed Instructor training in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Mr. Raja’s use of mind mapping techniques was instrumental in Ideation, Inc. being able to procure over $30 million in federal government contracts in 2010

Mind Mapping is a simple yet powerful thinking technique that unlocks the potential of the human brain. It is an excellent method to enable generative and creative thinking. The versatility and flexibility of this technique makes it so universal that it can be used to teach corporate board members, software developers, or high school students to think creatively and to think outside of their box. I am truly inspired by Mind Mapping.

How will you use your TLI accreditation?

Mr. Raja has already incorporated mind mapping techniques in strategic planning sessions held both internally with Ideation, Inc., the senior leaders and externally with many of his major clients. Mr. Raja plans to use his TLI accreditation to expand Ideation’s most successful line of business: – training. Mr. Raja has delivered several successful presentations using mind mapping and has been highly sought after to speak at summits and conferences.