Thought Leaders

In an era where change is our only constant, one woman has taken it upon herself to guide us through the shifting sands of time: Dr. Risa Ryger, a distinguished clinical psychologist, international speaker, and entrepreneur. She has dedicated her life to helping individuals and organizations navigate the often turbulent...

As a Native Texan, my family has stretched back either 5 or 7 generations (depending on which parent I ask). While the early years of my life were split between San Antonio and Dallas, it wasn’t until I moved to the Texas Capital of Austin where I discovered the meaning...

I joined GenIbet Biopharmaceuticals in 2006, as a Project Manager, shortly after its creation as a spin-off company from iBET, a private nonprofit research organization in Biotechnology and Life Sciences. We were going, as I remember being told by iBET founder and then CEO Prof. Manuel Carrondo, to leverage iBET...

At Edison Partners, we believe that there’s no stronger relationship than the one an investor has with an entrepreneur and the management team. Trust and empathy are the foundations to a successful partnership. There’s a reason for that. Mutual understanding is the prerequisite for a great outcome. You each must...

The government is famous for operating under the philosophy – “If it ain’t broke, fix it till it is”. That may be why we throw millions, even billions of dollars at the same problem every year and get the same results. After being elected to the San Diego County Board...

We are amid society’s most unprecedented era of technological innovation – the next industrial revolution driven by the mainstream adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). For CEOs, founders, and organization leaders, this period surpasses the advent and rise of the internet. New business categories will emerge, while many companies that resist...

My passion for the virtual world began when I was just a boy. I grew up in the ‘80s when classics such as Namco’s Pac-Man and Activision’s Pitfall! were just beginning to inch their way into the public sphere. These video games enraptured the young me. I was diagnosed with...

On joining Phlexglobal in 2007, and becoming immersed in the trial master file (TMF) space, I didn’t imagine that something that seemed to get so little focus (a TMF was really just a paper archive) could turn into such an innovative space. When I started, an eTMF was broadly an...

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...

WORDS OF WISDOMI’m a dreamer. I dream big. The ability to imagine a better reality helped transform my own life and, later, an entire institution. Yet, it requires a willingness to do something different, perhaps even radical. From my own experience, I can say that everything starts with education, whether...

REIMAGINING HIGHER EDUCATION: UNG’s Bold Vision for the Future In an era of unprecedented change, higher education stands at a pivotal crossroads. As thought leaders in this space, we at the University of North Georgia (UNG) are not just adapting to this new landscape—we’re actively shaping it. Our vision is...

Most of my career has been spent working within the visitor economy in some form or other; events, hotels, and venues but for the last 21 years, this has been within Destination Management Organisations (DMOs). There are forms of DMOs across the UK and the world, with all of us...

A NATIVE’S PERSPECTIVEI love Nashville. As a fifth-generation native, Nashville is the only place I’ve ever called home. And while it’s not the town I grew up in, today’s Nashville has certainly kept me engaged and excited. So I’ve continued to choose Nashville as the place to build my family,...

Building a successful esports program requires a comprehensive, 360 plan to fully support all aspects of the industry. Most importantly and often overlooked – community. The gaming and esports community is the foundation of this explosive industry. Each game genre has unique community identities, and you’ll find both variations and...

Area President, Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic How many times do you need to repeat an exercise before you truly become an expert?  According to Malcolm Gladwell in “Outliers: The Story of Success” it takes 10,000 hours and he points to many successful examples of how “The 10,000 Hour Rule” has paid...

Many years ago, when I was facilitating internal innovation workshops at Motorola, word got out, and executives would ask me to run “The Innovation Workshop” for their teams. I told them that I don’t have an innovation workshop, and that they should tell me what they aiming to achieve, and...

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT Downtown Miami is experiencing one of the most dynamic urban reinventions in the world. Less than 10 years ago, Downtown was a 9-to-5 business district, but today businesses are launching and thriving, city streets are populated around-the-clock, parks and cultural venues now occupy land that sat vacant...

Life moves at a whirlwind pace, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s the importance of passion in what we do. From the constant relocations of my childhood to the improvisational challenges of running a kitchen, my journey has been about finding joy in the present and embracing change...

Innovation Increases RelevanceInnovation changes its meaning from person to person; however, I see it as a new or improved method, process, approach, product, strategy, or service that increases impact and value. Innovation helps organizations, products, services, and entire regions stay relevant. As such, communities and regions that promote and grow...

The world is changing rapidly, as are the skills needed to succeed. With the rise of cryptocurrencies, cyber warfare, and artificial intelligence, there is a growing demand for skilled professionals in these areas. However, traditional education systems are not equipped to provide the necessary training for these emerging fields. With...

Austin is boomingAustin is the fastest-growing city in the United States for three years straight and is frequently listed as the best place to live. When asked why Austin has seen so much prosperity over the last 15 years, there is one answer: innovation. Austin InnovationThe focus on innovation in...

Vancouver has the potential – and opportunity – to become a significant player in the global tech ecosystem. For emerging tech hubs like Vancouver, companies must prioritize collaboration and cross-functional effort to compete with established cities like Silicon Valley, San Francisco, New York, and Miami. Beatdapp highlights this opportunity and...

Capital Club Dubai is a hub of innovation and a crucible for visionary minds shaping the future. As I sit across from Hussain Sultan al Junaidy, the Chairman of this illustrious club, his eyes reflect profound optimism and a relentless drive to propel a business club and a global community...

I’m a capitalist with a social conscience. We should be trying to make a difference in other people’s lives so that they can also see the path ahead. Your future can only happen once you start living what you want to be. It is especially true in business as well....