Thought Leaders
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
LARS-GÖRAN FRÖJD
FOUNDER & CEO, VIRTUAL MANAGEMENT
An innovative culture is shifting but it must define areas of curiosity that mixes with experience and then you could open your eyes and find the intangible assets that all individuals and organizations have. When we established Virtual Management back in 1995 the knowledge of “virtual” was very limited and...
INNOVATE™ Flanders
JACQUES VANDERMEIREN /ANNICK DE RIDDER
CEO/ PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PORT OF ANTWERP-BRUGES
In a rapidly changing world, with long-term disruptive evolutions, innovation is a powerful response. The ambition of Port of Antwerp-Bruges is to be the world’s first port that reconciles economy, people and climate. We believe in innovation as a lever towards a sustainable future. That is why the focus on...
INNOVATE® Minnesota
Shaye Mandle
President & CEO - The Medical Alley Association
You might say modern healthcare was invented in Medical Alley more than 150 years ago when the Mayo Clinic set the standard for care delivery. The medical device industry was born here with Medtronic’s founding in 1949. When the relationship between payers and providers needed to change, HMOs were invented...
AI Québec
MADELEINE JEAN
DIRECTRICE GÉNÉRALE PAR INTÉRIM,PROMPT
En matière d’intelligence artificielle, le monde de la recherche académique continue d’exceller au Québec. Il nous a donné des figures de renom en recherche opérationnelle, et plus récemment, en apprentissage profond. Nous avons ici des chercheurs qui se distinguent à l’échelle internationale. Des étudiants gradués de partout au monde souhaitent...
INNOVATE™ Flanders
MIEKE VERSTRAETEN
MANAGING DIRECTOR, INDUVER
Mieke Verstraeten is a Managing Director at induver, the sixth-largest independent broker on the Belgian insurance market. She, along with her husband Sjarel De Bondt, is also a second-generation shareholder in the company. induver’s vision for insurance is straightforward: individuals or companies should only take insurance for risks they are...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
ANDREW BATEY
FOUNDER AND CO-CEO, BEATDAPP
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...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
RICK CHRISTIAANSE
CEO, INVEST ALBERTA
Known for a relentless ‘make it happen’ attitude, Alberta is gaining remarkable momentum with investors across the world by proving ourselves right here at home. Tech and finance are flourishing, energy and cleantech are diversifying, agriculture is innovating, and aviation and logistics are reaching new heights. With a track record...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
THE HON. STEVEN MARSHALL MP
MEMBER FOR DUNSTAN
My father was less than impressed with Andy Warhol’s art but as a furniture manufacturer competing against international businesses with much lower input costs he knew his business lived or died on its ability to continually innovate, to improve, to change. I took that lesson to heart and into government...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
BIG LEADERSHIP TEAM
BRISTOL INNOVATORS GROUP
In Spring 2019, two of our team – Charlie Widdows and Rob Sheffield – discussed how to create a network that would focus on innovation across Bristol. They had an intuitive sense that this was needed, but lacked the time and resource to turn the idea into reality. Then in...
INNOVATE® Utah
In early 2016, Instructure launched its Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) Council to “make Instructure an awesome place to work for everyone.” Those were our words for the mission of the Council at the time, and building a workplace where people can thrive and develop in their careers remains a...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
DIRK REYN
CHAIRMAN, FLANDERS BIO
As the chairman of flanders.bio, an ex-CEO of four (4) start-up companies and an investor in the biotech scene in Europe, my heart and soul lie with Biotech. I have seen the Biotech landscape in Flanders grow to the absolute top in Europe. It is not without reason that the...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
Andrew Hsu
President of the College of Charleston
Both society and technology are changing ever more rapidly. Higher education is historically designed to be steady and slow in changing. The conflict caused between slow-moving institutions and a rapidly changing world has become ever more obvious – to the point, for many, that it has reached a definitive inflection...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
ERKI ANI
CHAIRMAN OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD, ESTONIAN CLEANTECH ASSOCIATION AND CO-FOUNDER & CEO, JÄLLE TECHNOLOGIES
The technologies that fall under its umbrella shift over time—new breakthroughs emerge, trends take the podium, and success stories in sector X blind us to what’s happening in sectors Y and Z. It gets even trickier when you realize cleantech isn’t just a sector—it’s a mindset. It’s a commitment to...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
The Hon Peter Malinauskas
Premier of South Australia
They’re all inventions which changed the face of the world. They’re all examples of original and innovative thinking. And they all began as sparks of brilliance in the minds of South Australians. From Sir Howard Florey’s insights into the properties of penicillin and Lancelot de Mole’s development of caterpillar tracks,...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
John Spence
Founder and Chairman - Karma Group
John Spence Founder and Chairman – Karma Group For nearly 30 years I’ve traveled all over the world to help businesses and people be more successful. I’ve worked for top tech companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Motorola, and Apple and have traveled to Palo Alto, Seattle, New York, Boston, Amsterdam,...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
NAVEEN VENKATAPATHI
FOUNDER, WAVICLE DATA SOLUTIONS
LEARNING TO LISTEN WAS KEY TO WAVICLE DATA SOLUTION’SSUCCESS AND THEIR CUSTOMERSWhat we’ve learned as consultants, entrepreneurs, and leaders, is that listening and quickly learning from mistakes are two of the most important skills you can have. As consultants in the technology space, it’s very easy for our clients and...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
Lance Bachmann
Thought Leader Of 1SEO
For a city with a wealth of history behind it, it continues to propel itself forward and arrive at the forefront of innovation. The transformation of both Philadelphia and digital marketing within the 21st century alone is exhilarating, and it shows no signs of slowing down. The ecosystem made up...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
Carlton Robinson
Vice President - Jax Chamber Entrepreneurial Growth Division
After working in financial services for 10 years, I decided to leave and start my own business. I built on my strength of providing quality training and focused the business on building learning-management systems. I spent seven years building systems for small and large companies. An opportunity at the JAX...
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
MARLENE SPALTEN
PRESIDENT & CEO OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF TAMPA BAY
The COVID-19 pandemic affirmed what I’ve long believed: Crisis brings out the best in those who truly care about their community – and philanthropy is the place to turn both for immediate help and long-term resiliency. Philanthropy creates hope for those in need, and it creates a stronger connection between...
AI Québec
ALEXANDRE LE BOUTHILLIER
CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF CORPORATE OFFICER, IMAGIA
We sometimes forget the purpose of our work. In healthcare, the goal to make a positive impact on patients is present every day. This was the goal of the introduction of the first AI system in breast cancer screening… in 1998. Over the past 20 years, and especially with the...
INNOVATE® St. Louis
Emily Lohse Busch
Executive Director – Arch Grants
ST. LOUIS : A PLACE FOR SOLUTIONISTS. St. Louis is a community with deep civic pride. We’re aware of our challenges, but more importantly, we’re aware of our potential. As a person who has spent most of my career in the social sector, I am acutely aware of the role...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
DR. RYAN COMEAU
CEO & CO-FOUNDER, KINETISENSE.
ALBERTA – A PLACE OF OPPORTUNITYAPEX Alberta has had the opportunity to meet with stakeholders from across the province and ask them about their perspectives on the RPAS industry and the potential for the technology to change how we think and work. Here’s a cross-section of their thoughts on the...
INNOVATE® Georgia
JEFF UPHUES
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT DC BLOX INC.
My journey in the technology and data center industry has been shaped by a relentless commitment to tenacity, teamwork, and trust. At DC BLOX, these principles are the driving force behind our approach to the industry. Tenacity has been the cornerstone of our success at DC BLOX. We started as...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
FRANCIS J. GIANTOMASI
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, CSG LAW
Francis J. Giantomasi (Frank), a member of the Executive Committee of CSG Law, plays a critical role in the firm’s Real Estate, Development & Land Use Group. Over the course of his career, Frank has guided clients through a wide variety of planning, zoning and development projects throughout the Garden...
LARS-GÖRAN FRÖJD
FOUNDER & CEO, VIRTUAL MANAGEMENT
An innovative culture is shifting but it must define areas of curiosity that mixes with experience and then you could open your eyes and find the intangible assets that all individuals and organizations have. When we established Virtual Management back in 1995 the knowledge of “virtual” was very limited and...
JACQUES VANDERMEIREN /ANNICK DE RIDDER
CEO/ PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PORT OF ANTWERP-BRUGES
In a rapidly changing world, with long-term disruptive evolutions, innovation is a powerful response. The ambition of Port of Antwerp-Bruges is to be the world’s first port that reconciles economy, people and climate. We believe in innovation as a lever towards a sustainable future. That is why the focus on...
Shaye Mandle
President & CEO - The Medical Alley Association
You might say modern healthcare was invented in Medical Alley more than 150 years ago when the Mayo Clinic set the standard for care delivery. The medical device industry was born here with Medtronic’s founding in 1949. When the relationship between payers and providers needed to change, HMOs were invented...
MADELEINE JEAN
DIRECTRICE GÉNÉRALE PAR INTÉRIM,PROMPT
En matière d’intelligence artificielle, le monde de la recherche académique continue d’exceller au Québec. Il nous a donné des figures de renom en recherche opérationnelle, et plus récemment, en apprentissage profond. Nous avons ici des chercheurs qui se distinguent à l’échelle internationale. Des étudiants gradués de partout au monde souhaitent...
MIEKE VERSTRAETEN
MANAGING DIRECTOR, INDUVER
Mieke Verstraeten is a Managing Director at induver, the sixth-largest independent broker on the Belgian insurance market. She, along with her husband Sjarel De Bondt, is also a second-generation shareholder in the company. induver’s vision for insurance is straightforward: individuals or companies should only take insurance for risks they are...
ANDREW BATEY
FOUNDER AND CO-CEO, BEATDAPP
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...
RICK CHRISTIAANSE
CEO, INVEST ALBERTA
Known for a relentless ‘make it happen’ attitude, Alberta is gaining remarkable momentum with investors across the world by proving ourselves right here at home. Tech and finance are flourishing, energy and cleantech are diversifying, agriculture is innovating, and aviation and logistics are reaching new heights. With a track record...
THE HON. STEVEN MARSHALL MP
MEMBER FOR DUNSTAN
My father was less than impressed with Andy Warhol’s art but as a furniture manufacturer competing against international businesses with much lower input costs he knew his business lived or died on its ability to continually innovate, to improve, to change. I took that lesson to heart and into government...
BIG LEADERSHIP TEAM
BRISTOL INNOVATORS GROUP
In Spring 2019, two of our team – Charlie Widdows and Rob Sheffield – discussed how to create a network that would focus on innovation across Bristol. They had an intuitive sense that this was needed, but lacked the time and resource to turn the idea into reality. Then in...
In early 2016, Instructure launched its Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) Council to “make Instructure an awesome place to work for everyone.” Those were our words for the mission of the Council at the time, and building a workplace where people can thrive and develop in their careers remains a...
DIRK REYN
CHAIRMAN, FLANDERS BIO
As the chairman of flanders.bio, an ex-CEO of four (4) start-up companies and an investor in the biotech scene in Europe, my heart and soul lie with Biotech. I have seen the Biotech landscape in Flanders grow to the absolute top in Europe. It is not without reason that the...
Andrew Hsu
President of the College of Charleston
Both society and technology are changing ever more rapidly. Higher education is historically designed to be steady and slow in changing. The conflict caused between slow-moving institutions and a rapidly changing world has become ever more obvious – to the point, for many, that it has reached a definitive inflection...
ERKI ANI
CHAIRMAN OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD, ESTONIAN CLEANTECH ASSOCIATION AND CO-FOUNDER & CEO, JÄLLE TECHNOLOGIES
The technologies that fall under its umbrella shift over time—new breakthroughs emerge, trends take the podium, and success stories in sector X blind us to what’s happening in sectors Y and Z. It gets even trickier when you realize cleantech isn’t just a sector—it’s a mindset. It’s a commitment to...
The Hon Peter Malinauskas
Premier of South Australia
They’re all inventions which changed the face of the world. They’re all examples of original and innovative thinking. And they all began as sparks of brilliance in the minds of South Australians. From Sir Howard Florey’s insights into the properties of penicillin and Lancelot de Mole’s development of caterpillar tracks,...
John Spence
Founder and Chairman - Karma Group
John Spence Founder and Chairman – Karma Group For nearly 30 years I’ve traveled all over the world to help businesses and people be more successful. I’ve worked for top tech companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Motorola, and Apple and have traveled to Palo Alto, Seattle, New York, Boston, Amsterdam,...
NAVEEN VENKATAPATHI
FOUNDER, WAVICLE DATA SOLUTIONS
LEARNING TO LISTEN WAS KEY TO WAVICLE DATA SOLUTION’SSUCCESS AND THEIR CUSTOMERSWhat we’ve learned as consultants, entrepreneurs, and leaders, is that listening and quickly learning from mistakes are two of the most important skills you can have. As consultants in the technology space, it’s very easy for our clients and...
Lance Bachmann
Thought Leader Of 1SEO
For a city with a wealth of history behind it, it continues to propel itself forward and arrive at the forefront of innovation. The transformation of both Philadelphia and digital marketing within the 21st century alone is exhilarating, and it shows no signs of slowing down. The ecosystem made up...
Carlton Robinson
Vice President - Jax Chamber Entrepreneurial Growth Division
After working in financial services for 10 years, I decided to leave and start my own business. I built on my strength of providing quality training and focused the business on building learning-management systems. I spent seven years building systems for small and large companies. An opportunity at the JAX...
MARLENE SPALTEN
PRESIDENT & CEO OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF TAMPA BAY
The COVID-19 pandemic affirmed what I’ve long believed: Crisis brings out the best in those who truly care about their community – and philanthropy is the place to turn both for immediate help and long-term resiliency. Philanthropy creates hope for those in need, and it creates a stronger connection between...
ALEXANDRE LE BOUTHILLIER
CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF CORPORATE OFFICER, IMAGIA
We sometimes forget the purpose of our work. In healthcare, the goal to make a positive impact on patients is present every day. This was the goal of the introduction of the first AI system in breast cancer screening… in 1998. Over the past 20 years, and especially with the...
Emily Lohse Busch
Executive Director – Arch Grants
ST. LOUIS : A PLACE FOR SOLUTIONISTS. St. Louis is a community with deep civic pride. We’re aware of our challenges, but more importantly, we’re aware of our potential. As a person who has spent most of my career in the social sector, I am acutely aware of the role...
DR. RYAN COMEAU
CEO & CO-FOUNDER, KINETISENSE.
ALBERTA – A PLACE OF OPPORTUNITYAPEX Alberta has had the opportunity to meet with stakeholders from across the province and ask them about their perspectives on the RPAS industry and the potential for the technology to change how we think and work. Here’s a cross-section of their thoughts on the...
JEFF UPHUES
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT DC BLOX INC.
My journey in the technology and data center industry has been shaped by a relentless commitment to tenacity, teamwork, and trust. At DC BLOX, these principles are the driving force behind our approach to the industry. Tenacity has been the cornerstone of our success at DC BLOX. We started as...
FRANCIS J. GIANTOMASI
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, CSG LAW
Francis J. Giantomasi (Frank), a member of the Executive Committee of CSG Law, plays a critical role in the firm’s Real Estate, Development & Land Use Group. Over the course of his career, Frank has guided clients through a wide variety of planning, zoning and development projects throughout the Garden...