Thought Leaders

INNOVATE® Detroit

PHILIP KAFKA

PRESIDENT AT PRINCE CONCEPTS

My company, Prince Concepts, is a real estate development studio, laboratory and office based in Core City, Detroit. We acquire, develop, own and manage land and building projects. The studio works to express personal experience, philosophy and belief through built work. The laboratory tinkers – seeking truth and developing precision....

VOICES of the Future

DR. MARIAM MATAR

A LEGACY OF HEALING

Connecting with hearts and humanity is the motivation behind ‘Voices of the Future.’ When meeting people as authentic, deep, insightful, and purposeful as Dr. Mariam Matar, our conversation can project her voice into the future – and the hearts of many more people. While she describes herself as a proud...

INNOVATION Quebec

RICHARD CHÉNIER

DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DU CENTECH

La prochaine décennie offrira plusieurs opportunités stratégiques à saisir en matière d’entrepreneuriat et d’innovation, particulièrement technologique. Plusieurs avancées scientifiques, jadis considérées comme fondamentales, transitent en effet actuellement à une vitesse fulgurante vers des applications réelles. Ces nouvelles applications se doivent d’agir comme catalyseur de solutions concrètes pour répondre à nos...

INNOVATE® Detroit

MICHAEL HEALANDER

AIRSPACE LINK, INC - PRESIDENT AND CEO

As we look to the skies, we’re witnessing a revolution in mobility that will transform our communities for the better. Drones are no longer just cool gadgets or military tools – they’re becoming powerful forces for good that can make our lives safer, easier, and more eco-friendly. At Airspace Link,...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

JACQUES VANDERMEIREN

CEO, PORT OF ANTWERP / ANNICK DE RIDDER, PORT VICE MAYOR, PORT OF ANTWERP

Jacques Vandermeiren is CEO of Port of Antwerp since 2017. He is an active board member of the digital platform NxtPort, Kunsthuis Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and the Belgian coffee brand Vascobelo. He is also cofounder and Chairman of the sustainability platform The Shift. Annick De Ridder is chair of the...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

DR. SARAH LUBIK

CHARLES CHANG INSTITUTE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP @ SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Innovation policy around the world puts massive emphasis on the importance of increasing entrepreneurship for economic, and more recently, social impact. In many cases, there is a fairly narrow focus on digital tech-based startups, “tech”- style entrepreneurs, and programming to increase the number of people who act like them. This...

INNOVATION Quebec

RÉMI QUIRION

SCIENTIFIQUE EN CHEF DU QUÉBEC

RÉMI QUIRION, SCIENTIFIQUE EN CHEF DU QUÉBEC, LUC SIROIS, INNOVATEUR EN CHEF DU QUÉBEC, SYLVIE PINSONNAULT, PREMIÈRE VICE-PRÉSIDENTE, STRATÉGIES, INNOVATION ET DÉVELOPPEMENT DURABLE. En ouverture du Sommet des accélérateurs, organisé par le Mouvement des accélérateurs d’innovation du Québec, Rémi Quirion, scientifique en chef du Québec, Luc Sirois, Innovateur en chef...

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

Sacha Mirzoeff

Head Of Channel 4 Bristol

he human instinct to tell stories can be traced back millennia. From paintings on cave walls, to families huddled around campfires, to bingeable boxsets, storytelling is a thread woven deep into the fabric of human experience and often helps set our moral boundaries. The possibility of changing the way that...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

BEN KERFORD

STRATEGIC EXECUTIVE AT 7RIVERS

Innovation is often misunderstood as a pursuit of the latest technology, but in reality, it’s about solving meaningful problems in new ways. It’s about leveraging data, AI, and strategic thinking to drive real business value. Throughout my career, from consulting to leading 7Rivers, I’ve focused on not just embracing change...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

PROFESSOR TOM HAJDU

DIRECTOR, SIA FURLER INSTITUTE AND CHAIR OF CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

As the inaugural director of the Sia Furler Institute and the Chair of Creative Technologies at the University of Adelaide, I have been privileged to be a co-founder of the Art Intelligence Agency — a first-of its-kind convergence of creativity and machine learning. Creativity: The Core CompetencyIn recent years, there...

VOICES of the Future

DR. USAMA FAYYAD

NAVIGATING THE AI HORIZON

In the riveting expanse of technological advancements, few minds have pierced the veil of the future as incisively as Dr. Usama Fayyad. My conversation with him was nothing short of a voyage into the realms of possibility, a journey through the labyrinth of artificial intelligence (AI) and its seismic impact...

INNOVATE® St. Louis

Brandon Dempsey

Brandon Dempsey

Husband, Father, Adventurer, Entrepreneur, Author, Professor, & Global non-profit leader - Gobrandgo!

Brandon spends his time traveling the world from the back of a BMW motorcycle and adventuring with his family. When he’s not adventuring, you will find him running a marketing agency that serves mid market manufacturing companies, working with high school kids exploring entrepreneurship, teaching marketing strategy courses at Washington...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

STEVEN COLLENS

STEVEN COLLENS

CEO, MATTER

I’ve been the chief executive officer at MATTER — the global healthcare innovation hub headquartered in Chicago — since it was founded in 2015. Over the last five years, one of the most interesting dynamics we’ve observed — coming both from entrepreneurs developing novel technologies, as well as from large...

VOICES of the Future

DORIE CLARK

PURPOSE IN THE TUNNEL

In the heart of America’s corporate hustle, where ambition beats faster than a Wall Street trader’s pulse, Dorie Clark is a beacon of foresight and inspiration. This moment isn’t just a conversation; it is a masterclass in future-flung vision, delivered by a woman who’s cracked the code on thriving in...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

THE HON. DR. SUSAN CLOSE

MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AND SPACE INDUSTRIES

South Australia is an innovative, collaborative and forward-thinking state with defence and space manufacturing at the heart of our emerging high-tech economy. Home to a critical mass of defence industry, cutting-edge research and education institutions as well as world-class infrastructure, precincts and advanced manufacturing capability, South Australia is firmly established...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

DR. DOUG MATTHEUS

DOUG M. CONSULTANCY

Innovation will not take place without some sort of Reinvention – a changing state,...

VOICES of the Future

FABIOLA EYHOLZER

HUMANIZING WORK

In my conversation with Fabiola Eyholzer, co-founder and CEO of Just Leading Solutions, I was struck by her remarkable insights and profound understanding of human resources in today’s fastevolving corporate landscape. Fabiola, who hails from a picturesque Swiss mountain town, brings a unique blend of analytical acumen and deep empathy...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

MIKE SHARMAN

RETROVIRAL

Every brand has its genesis as a challenger. Forbes details how a business lifecycle evolves from startup, to growth; it then progresses to its maturity phase, and finally, is faced with the crossroads labeled ‘renewal’ or ‘decline’. B R A N D A L I S M is a phrase...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

JOAO ARAUJO

JOÃO ARAÚJO

COUNTRY DIRECTOR, THALES

Railways has been my constant obsession in the last 30 years, after I assumed the role of developing the Railway business in Portugal. As a fresh Engineer from IST, I started my career at Alcatel as telecoms engineer. Soon my commercial attitude and aptitude drove me to new challenges with...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

XIMENA VALLE

AIA LEED AP, FOUNDING PRINCIPAL, FIFTEEN ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN

Two hundred and fifty years ago, Philadelphia became the birthplace of a radical idea: systems can be redesigned, and when they are, societies and economies flourish. As our City marks this milestone and stands as America’s first World Heritage City, we are again at an inflection point. Industries are navigating...

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

Professor Hugh Brady

Professor Hugh Brady

Vice-Chancellor And President, University Of Bristol

Innovation is the application of creative solutions to real-world problems – a basic maxim, and one that perhaps obscures the more complex processes that underpin its subject. In reality, innovation can require patient investment in both fundamental and applied research, cross-discipline and cross-sector collaboration, risk-taking, iteration, trust, vision and civic...

INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3

ED BUCKLEY

ED BUCKLEY

PhD, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, PEERFIT

I grew up as a military kid and was taught the value of discipline and structure really early on in life. I went to the University of Florida on a scholarship from the Navy ROTC program (#gogators) and went on to earn my Master’s in Public Health and a Ph.D....

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

KEISHA HOWARD

KEISHA HOWARD

FOUNDER, SUGAR GAMERS

Pursuing your dreamsThe gaming industry faces a stumbling block. Playing (and making) games isn’t the only goal of the industry. The gaming industry is Big Business with entrenched systems, processes, and structures. Today’s gaming space inspires and connects people in more ways than ever before and has the power to...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

BEN BAKER

FOUNDER, BEN BAKER STUDIOS

“Mr. President, it’s great to see you today; here is the plan.” Those are words I have spoken to the past five American Presidents and many other world leaders as a photographer trusted to create iconic images that will stand the test of time. How did a kid from a...

PHILIP KAFKA

PRESIDENT AT PRINCE CONCEPTS

My company, Prince Concepts, is a real estate development studio, laboratory and office based in Core City, Detroit. We acquire, develop, own and manage land and building projects. The studio works to express personal experience, philosophy and belief through built work. The laboratory tinkers – seeking truth and developing precision....

DR. MARIAM MATAR

A LEGACY OF HEALING

Connecting with hearts and humanity is the motivation behind ‘Voices of the Future.’ When meeting people as authentic, deep, insightful, and purposeful as Dr. Mariam Matar, our conversation can project her voice into the future – and the hearts of many more people. While she describes herself as a proud...

RICHARD CHÉNIER

DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DU CENTECH

La prochaine décennie offrira plusieurs opportunités stratégiques à saisir en matière d’entrepreneuriat et d’innovation, particulièrement technologique. Plusieurs avancées scientifiques, jadis considérées comme fondamentales, transitent en effet actuellement à une vitesse fulgurante vers des applications réelles. Ces nouvelles applications se doivent d’agir comme catalyseur de solutions concrètes pour répondre à nos...

MICHAEL HEALANDER

AIRSPACE LINK, INC - PRESIDENT AND CEO

As we look to the skies, we’re witnessing a revolution in mobility that will transform our communities for the better. Drones are no longer just cool gadgets or military tools – they’re becoming powerful forces for good that can make our lives safer, easier, and more eco-friendly. At Airspace Link,...

JACQUES VANDERMEIREN

CEO, PORT OF ANTWERP / ANNICK DE RIDDER, PORT VICE MAYOR, PORT OF ANTWERP

Jacques Vandermeiren is CEO of Port of Antwerp since 2017. He is an active board member of the digital platform NxtPort, Kunsthuis Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and the Belgian coffee brand Vascobelo. He is also cofounder and Chairman of the sustainability platform The Shift. Annick De Ridder is chair of the...

DR. SARAH LUBIK

CHARLES CHANG INSTITUTE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP @ SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Innovation policy around the world puts massive emphasis on the importance of increasing entrepreneurship for economic, and more recently, social impact. In many cases, there is a fairly narrow focus on digital tech-based startups, “tech”- style entrepreneurs, and programming to increase the number of people who act like them. This...

RÉMI QUIRION

SCIENTIFIQUE EN CHEF DU QUÉBEC

RÉMI QUIRION, SCIENTIFIQUE EN CHEF DU QUÉBEC, LUC SIROIS, INNOVATEUR EN CHEF DU QUÉBEC, SYLVIE PINSONNAULT, PREMIÈRE VICE-PRÉSIDENTE, STRATÉGIES, INNOVATION ET DÉVELOPPEMENT DURABLE. En ouverture du Sommet des accélérateurs, organisé par le Mouvement des accélérateurs d’innovation du Québec, Rémi Quirion, scientifique en chef du Québec, Luc Sirois, Innovateur en chef...

Sacha Mirzoeff

Head Of Channel 4 Bristol

he human instinct to tell stories can be traced back millennia. From paintings on cave walls, to families huddled around campfires, to bingeable boxsets, storytelling is a thread woven deep into the fabric of human experience and often helps set our moral boundaries. The possibility of changing the way that...

BEN KERFORD

STRATEGIC EXECUTIVE AT 7RIVERS

Innovation is often misunderstood as a pursuit of the latest technology, but in reality, it’s about solving meaningful problems in new ways. It’s about leveraging data, AI, and strategic thinking to drive real business value. Throughout my career, from consulting to leading 7Rivers, I’ve focused on not just embracing change...

PROFESSOR TOM HAJDU

DIRECTOR, SIA FURLER INSTITUTE AND CHAIR OF CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

As the inaugural director of the Sia Furler Institute and the Chair of Creative Technologies at the University of Adelaide, I have been privileged to be a co-founder of the Art Intelligence Agency — a first-of its-kind convergence of creativity and machine learning. Creativity: The Core CompetencyIn recent years, there...

DR. USAMA FAYYAD

NAVIGATING THE AI HORIZON

In the riveting expanse of technological advancements, few minds have pierced the veil of the future as incisively as Dr. Usama Fayyad. My conversation with him was nothing short of a voyage into the realms of possibility, a journey through the labyrinth of artificial intelligence (AI) and its seismic impact...

Brandon Dempsey

Brandon Dempsey

Husband, Father, Adventurer, Entrepreneur, Author, Professor, & Global non-profit leader - Gobrandgo!

Brandon spends his time traveling the world from the back of a BMW motorcycle and adventuring with his family. When he’s not adventuring, you will find him running a marketing agency that serves mid market manufacturing companies, working with high school kids exploring entrepreneurship, teaching marketing strategy courses at Washington...

STEVEN COLLENS

STEVEN COLLENS

CEO, MATTER

I’ve been the chief executive officer at MATTER — the global healthcare innovation hub headquartered in Chicago — since it was founded in 2015. Over the last five years, one of the most interesting dynamics we’ve observed — coming both from entrepreneurs developing novel technologies, as well as from large...

DORIE CLARK

PURPOSE IN THE TUNNEL

In the heart of America’s corporate hustle, where ambition beats faster than a Wall Street trader’s pulse, Dorie Clark is a beacon of foresight and inspiration. This moment isn’t just a conversation; it is a masterclass in future-flung vision, delivered by a woman who’s cracked the code on thriving in...

THE HON. DR. SUSAN CLOSE

MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AND SPACE INDUSTRIES

South Australia is an innovative, collaborative and forward-thinking state with defence and space manufacturing at the heart of our emerging high-tech economy. Home to a critical mass of defence industry, cutting-edge research and education institutions as well as world-class infrastructure, precincts and advanced manufacturing capability, South Australia is firmly established...

DR. DOUG MATTHEUS

DOUG M. CONSULTANCY

Innovation will not take place without some sort of Reinvention – a changing state,...

FABIOLA EYHOLZER

HUMANIZING WORK

In my conversation with Fabiola Eyholzer, co-founder and CEO of Just Leading Solutions, I was struck by her remarkable insights and profound understanding of human resources in today’s fastevolving corporate landscape. Fabiola, who hails from a picturesque Swiss mountain town, brings a unique blend of analytical acumen and deep empathy...

MIKE SHARMAN

RETROVIRAL

Every brand has its genesis as a challenger. Forbes details how a business lifecycle evolves from startup, to growth; it then progresses to its maturity phase, and finally, is faced with the crossroads labeled ‘renewal’ or ‘decline’. B R A N D A L I S M is a phrase...

JOAO ARAUJO

JOÃO ARAÚJO

COUNTRY DIRECTOR, THALES

Railways has been my constant obsession in the last 30 years, after I assumed the role of developing the Railway business in Portugal. As a fresh Engineer from IST, I started my career at Alcatel as telecoms engineer. Soon my commercial attitude and aptitude drove me to new challenges with...

XIMENA VALLE

AIA LEED AP, FOUNDING PRINCIPAL, FIFTEEN ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN

Two hundred and fifty years ago, Philadelphia became the birthplace of a radical idea: systems can be redesigned, and when they are, societies and economies flourish. As our City marks this milestone and stands as America’s first World Heritage City, we are again at an inflection point. Industries are navigating...

Professor Hugh Brady

Professor Hugh Brady

Vice-Chancellor And President, University Of Bristol

Innovation is the application of creative solutions to real-world problems – a basic maxim, and one that perhaps obscures the more complex processes that underpin its subject. In reality, innovation can require patient investment in both fundamental and applied research, cross-discipline and cross-sector collaboration, risk-taking, iteration, trust, vision and civic...

ED BUCKLEY

ED BUCKLEY

PhD, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, PEERFIT

I grew up as a military kid and was taught the value of discipline and structure really early on in life. I went to the University of Florida on a scholarship from the Navy ROTC program (#gogators) and went on to earn my Master’s in Public Health and a Ph.D....

KEISHA HOWARD

KEISHA HOWARD

FOUNDER, SUGAR GAMERS

Pursuing your dreamsThe gaming industry faces a stumbling block. Playing (and making) games isn’t the only goal of the industry. The gaming industry is Big Business with entrenched systems, processes, and structures. Today’s gaming space inspires and connects people in more ways than ever before and has the power to...

BEN BAKER

FOUNDER, BEN BAKER STUDIOS

“Mr. President, it’s great to see you today; here is the plan.” Those are words I have spoken to the past five American Presidents and many other world leaders as a photographer trusted to create iconic images that will stand the test of time. How did a kid from a...

INNOVATE® Ecosystems