Dr Hélène Gitchenko

Wild & Cultivated

Senior Innovation & Management Consultant | Human Centered Designer | Psychomotrician therapist

I work across innovation, participatory design, knowledge management, community

projects and embodied wellbeing. I highlight the implicit and explicit operating rules of

individuals, groups and organisations in order to identify the obstacles to achieving their

objectives. My work brings together a background in Complex Systems Engineering,

research, design, innovation management and psychomotricity, with a strong interest in

how people can create meaningful change together.

Innovation & Participatory Design / Project management

I am a senior consultant specialising in innovation management for socially oriented

organisations and participatory design.

I help organisations and communities turn complex challenges into concrete projects,

involving the people concerned in understanding problems, exploring possibilities and

creating practical solutions. My approach is human-centred and systemic: rather than trying

to change everything at once, I look for targeted actions that can create meaningful change

within a wider system.

Knowledge Management

As a senior management consultant, I analyse your organisation to design simple, low-

ressource communication systems and procedures, that help people access the right

information, at the right time, in a form they can immediately use in their work —

without creating unnecessary processes, tools or administrative burden.

Human Centered Systems Design

Exploring how physical environments, human activities, relationships, resources flow and

ecological cycles can work together.

Amongst other projects, since 2023, I’m creating a food forest and therapeutic garden,

conceived as a place for:

∙gentle physical activity and contemplation

∙sensory exploration and art

∙traditional crafts practices

∙transformation of garden produce

∙making and learning together, whatever people's abilities

∙reuse and creative use of materials

∙understanding natural and material life cycles

∙community life through shared productive activities

For me, making things together is a way of making society: creating places where people

can contribute, develop skills, meet others and feel part of something meaningful.

Body, Voice & Wellbeing

I am a French state-certified psychomotrician therapist (2009), exploring the relationship

between body, mind, emotions, creativity and environment.

I use movement, voice, dynamic and still relaxation, sensory exploration and informal

artistic expression as tools for wellbeing, personal development,  rehabilitation and support

for people at all life stages.

This work encourages people to notice habitual patterns, explore alternatives to automatic

responses in a safe environement, reconnect with their spontaneous response, and develop

greater presence, creativity and freedom of choice in everyday life.

Diplomas

∙Certificate in Youth Work with Children and Teenagers – Vulnerable Groups (France –

2005)

∙State Diploma in Psychomotor Therapy - Healthcare Professional (France – 2009)

∙BSc in Rehabilitation Sciences – Neuroplasticity and Cognition (France – 2009)

∙BSc and Master’s (Year 1) in Psychology and Ergonomics (France – 2012)

∙Master’s (Year 2) in Industrial Design and Innovation Management (France – 2013)

∙PhD in Complex Systems Engineering for Organisational Management (France –

2016)

Experiences

Dance & embodied practice — lifelong practice, evolving from performance towards

wellbeing and therapeutic approaches

Residential Youth Camp Leader (summers 2003-2008)

Costume and make-up assistant for theatre productions in various semi-professional shows in

Lyon. (2006–2009)

Creation of immersive real-world environments – large-scale games, treasure hunts,

interactive stories, festive events with animation and performers, etc. (2005–2009)

Clinical research into the benefits of psychomotor therapy for women with stage IV breast

cancer. (2009)

Research into facial expressiveness amongst different patient groups in a hospital setting

(depression, schizophrenia). Fundamental research programm. (2010–2011)

Structured analysis and action plan to tackle psychosocial risks in a french national theatre

(2011)

Design of an inclusive reception desk for the French Employment Agency (2012)

Research on creativity methods - Design and evaluation of prospective creativity methods -

guidelines for increasing creativity at each stage of conception for engineers and designers

(2012)

Research on knowledge management methods in innovative organisation, explicitation of

methods linked with appropriate tool and cognitive processes. Design of organisational

evaluation methods and guidelines for SME. (2013-2016). 

KM consultancy in innovative

SME’s for consulting firm.

Design of the logistics and supply chain for a network of zero-waste entrepreneurs in Lyon

(2017)

Co-director of an industrial research chair – coordination of research and engineers team,

Research and intervention for companies and associations, scientific committee for Laval

Virtual conferences, applied research for industry (knowledge management for innovation),

teaching and projects supervision for Master’s II students, supervision of Doctoral research,

Creation of immersive real-world and virtual environments (project director) – boot camp,

immersive analog creative days, experimental XR environnment, XR prospective projections,

interactive prospective stories, XR biofeedback, XR environnement for designers, etc.

(2017–2018).

Innovation management consultancy for social companies and social entrepreneurs; training

for entrepreneurs (new product development, marketing & innovation marketing); project

development and funding; public-private partnerships; EIC funding, change management;

brand image; creating a product portfolio; etc. (2018–2020)

Culture and strategy director for a German SME - In-house consultancy for SME growth

(from 10 to 30 employees over 1.5 y): participant observation, process stabilisation, definition

and optimisation of material and information flows, stock and production waste management,

continuous improvement, creation of an organisational chart and recruitment plan, salary

scale, decision-making and HR processes, healthy bottom-up corporate culture, ergonomic

design of workspaces, branding and product range, etc. (2020–2022)

Creation of a therapeutic forest garden: from wasteland to a food forest. (since 2023)