Thought Leaders
INNOVATE™ Alberta
LING Y. HUANG
PRESIDENT & CEO, TECHNOLOGY NORTH CORPORATION
Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.” — Tom Freston The term ‘innovation’ often evokes visions of rockets bound for Mars, self-driving cars, or the alluring promise of fusion energy. Yet to me, innovation is as crucial in our daily lives...
INNOVATE® Orlando
MEGHAN WOLFGRAM
CEO OF SWIFTPAWS
Any founder can recall times when they’ve been faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, and know the experience of truly questioning themselves and their idea. In these moments, I’ve found two things in my personal startup journey that keeps me pushing forward. The first is an unwavering belief in my business....
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
VICTOR HOSKINS
PRESIDENT & CEO, FAIRFAX COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Embracing the fast-paced technological transformation before us, we know that innovation is not just about having the brightest ideas or the most advanced technology. It is about cultivating an ecosystem where transformative ideas can flourish and where technology meets skilled hands and minds prepared to wield it. Fairfax County is...
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
Gillan Taddune
Banyan Water, President & CEO
Gillan Taddune is the Chief Executive Officer of Banyan Water. She believes that technology solutions are the most effective way to address critical natural resource issues and has dedicated her career to realizing that vision. Gillan came to Banyan with the belief that water scarcity is a growing global concern...
VOICES of the Future
DR. MARK ESPOSITO
BEYOND THE HORIZON
Dr. Mark Esposito is a luminary at the intersection of economics, strategy, and the future. In our conversation, he unfolds our future, offering an insightful exploration into the themes of technological transformation, human-centric systems, and the architecture of tomorrow’s global systems. As a distinguished figure in the discourse of the...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
JUDITH SHEFT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CSIT
Jump Into New Jersey’s Innovation EcosystemAcross the globe, countries are seeking to harness the power of the invention to innovation pipeline to drive economic growth and address a wide range of societal issues including national security, health, inequity, education, and environmental challenges. It is estimated that 85% of a country’s...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
JAMES KEIRSTEAD
CO-CHAIR, EDMONTON REGIONAL INNOVATION NETWORK (ERIN)
INNOVATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND CREATIVITYExperience has taught me that innovation is not just about creating something new, it also includes making improvements to existing products or systems. It is about taking a creative approach to problem solving and producing solutions that are unique, interesting, and useful. Innovation and entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
Pedro Rodrigues
Director-General, Desafio Global – Events And Activation Experience And Go Live – Digital Events
This “Life of Events” that I chose and am very proud of is in no way a normal life. A professional in this area is not just a service provider. I sincerely believe that most of us view each event as nothing less than a mission that transcends schedules, other...
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® New Jersey Vol.2
JINPIN YING
PRESIDENT CYBERMED
The future of healthcare is undergoing a transformative revolution, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and an increasing commitment to greater equity across patient populations. From the time that CyberMed was established, one of the prevailing issues that we are focusing on is how the technology can address...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
STEVE SASHIHARA
FOUNDER AND CEO, PRINCETON CONSULTANTS
Innovating by OptimizingIn 1980 I founded Princeton Consultants based on the thesis that optimization could improve business decision making. Princeton University, from which I’d just graduated, and Bell Labs were pioneers in the academic study of optimization algorithms. “Optimization” gets used in many contexts. I define it as, “a decision-...
INNOVATE® Nashville
David Vulcano
Angel Investor
People are often surprised when they find out “Music City” is not just mega-music companies. In fact, the business ecosystem is very diversified in national and global business, and the greater Nashville area has many home-grown companies as well. The city is fertile soil for startup companies; many of our...
INNOVATION Quebec
CHRISTIAN AGBOBLI
Vice-Recteur à la Recherche, à la création et à la diffusion
This recognition of Quebec’s distinctive character in various fields is the outcome of a committed effort involving university research and innovation. Universities have spearheaded innovation through their large-scale research structures. Innovation is a process, an approach and a result that provides a new and different character to our ways of...
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
ERIC CARTER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT FAST PATHWAY INC
As practicing physicians and frontline workers, my business partner and I were amazed to discover communications between surgical teams and the patient’s family members were not as frequent as they should be. While it can be difficult to communicate with the patient’s family during surgery, because the surgical team is...
AI Québec
PHILIPPE MOLARET
DIRECTEUR TECHNIQUE CHEZ THALES
Elle vise l’accroissement des capacités opérationnelles dans plusieurs secteurs d’application tels que la santé, la sécurité, ou le transport. L’agent intelligent que nous développons n’est pas qu’un ‘simple’ double numérique. L’Agent couvre trois fonctionnalités; 1) une veille permanente sur la situation opérationnelle dans son cadre d’emploi et dont il informe...
INNOVATE® Georgia
MICHAEL SHANNON
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA - PRESIDENT
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...
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
Shane Needham
In marketing, the Engagement Economy is defined as the competition for the valuable attention and cognitive bandwidth of a target audience. It’s a very real and valuable asset that is becoming more complex and harder to attain with each passing year. But, this is not the Engagement Economy I’m talking...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
MARTIN K HAESE MBA, ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Entrepreneur, Educator and Advocate | Special Envoy to Singapore and Southeast Asia for Trade
I am fascinated by the common threads of achievement that come to define an individual’s contribution to their chosen field of endeavour. I am equally fascinated by how communities, cites and nations do the same. I now turn that lens onto my own career in a quest to articulate my...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
Chaya Pamula
President & Ceo - Pamten
I’ve always believed that, with anything you do in life, it’s important to find your passion. Once you find that passion and set short- and long-term goals, you can transform your dream into a reality. Today’s technology gives us the unique opportunity to find and follow our path in more...
VOICES of the Future
AMNAH AJMAL
LEADING WITH HEART
Amnah Ajmal’s ascent to global corporate leadership is nothing short of riveting. She shines as Mastercard’s Executive Vice President, Market Development, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, covering 80 countries, and embodies the essence of inspiration. This conversation unveils her remarkable path through the ranks, highlighting a relentless pursuit of...
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™ Oeiras
RAQUEL FORTUNATO
GENIBET, CEO
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...
INNOVATION Quebec
SOPHIE D’AMOURS
RECTRICE, UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL
Le mot innovation est utilisé à plusieurs sauces. Il est toutefois clairement défini par le Larousse comme l’« ensemble du processus qui se déroule depuis la naissance d’une idée jusqu’à sa matérialisation ». Au-delà de l’idée, une solution nouvelle doit être utilisée, commercialisée, achetée ou déployée pour être innovante. Dans...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
TRAVIS OBERG
DIRECTOR OF DESIGN, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PROPERTIES GROUP
In a rapidly changing world, where the boundaries of what is possible continue to expand, the essence of innovation lies at the heart of progress. It is not confined to sterile laboratories or academic institutions; rather, it thrives in vibrant communities where collaboration, creativity, and a sense of place converge....
LING Y. HUANG
PRESIDENT & CEO, TECHNOLOGY NORTH CORPORATION
Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.” — Tom Freston The term ‘innovation’ often evokes visions of rockets bound for Mars, self-driving cars, or the alluring promise of fusion energy. Yet to me, innovation is as crucial in our daily lives...
MEGHAN WOLFGRAM
CEO OF SWIFTPAWS
Any founder can recall times when they’ve been faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, and know the experience of truly questioning themselves and their idea. In these moments, I’ve found two things in my personal startup journey that keeps me pushing forward. The first is an unwavering belief in my business....
VICTOR HOSKINS
PRESIDENT & CEO, FAIRFAX COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Embracing the fast-paced technological transformation before us, we know that innovation is not just about having the brightest ideas or the most advanced technology. It is about cultivating an ecosystem where transformative ideas can flourish and where technology meets skilled hands and minds prepared to wield it. Fairfax County is...
Gillan Taddune
Banyan Water, President & CEO
Gillan Taddune is the Chief Executive Officer of Banyan Water. She believes that technology solutions are the most effective way to address critical natural resource issues and has dedicated her career to realizing that vision. Gillan came to Banyan with the belief that water scarcity is a growing global concern...
DR. MARK ESPOSITO
BEYOND THE HORIZON
Dr. Mark Esposito is a luminary at the intersection of economics, strategy, and the future. In our conversation, he unfolds our future, offering an insightful exploration into the themes of technological transformation, human-centric systems, and the architecture of tomorrow’s global systems. As a distinguished figure in the discourse of the...
JUDITH SHEFT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CSIT
Jump Into New Jersey’s Innovation EcosystemAcross the globe, countries are seeking to harness the power of the invention to innovation pipeline to drive economic growth and address a wide range of societal issues including national security, health, inequity, education, and environmental challenges. It is estimated that 85% of a country’s...
JAMES KEIRSTEAD
CO-CHAIR, EDMONTON REGIONAL INNOVATION NETWORK (ERIN)
INNOVATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND CREATIVITYExperience has taught me that innovation is not just about creating something new, it also includes making improvements to existing products or systems. It is about taking a creative approach to problem solving and producing solutions that are unique, interesting, and useful. Innovation and entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand...
Pedro Rodrigues
Director-General, Desafio Global – Events And Activation Experience And Go Live – Digital Events
This “Life of Events” that I chose and am very proud of is in no way a normal life. A professional in this area is not just a service provider. I sincerely believe that most of us view each event as nothing less than a mission that transcends schedules, other...
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...
JINPIN YING
PRESIDENT CYBERMED
The future of healthcare is undergoing a transformative revolution, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and an increasing commitment to greater equity across patient populations. From the time that CyberMed was established, one of the prevailing issues that we are focusing on is how the technology can address...
STEVE SASHIHARA
FOUNDER AND CEO, PRINCETON CONSULTANTS
Innovating by OptimizingIn 1980 I founded Princeton Consultants based on the thesis that optimization could improve business decision making. Princeton University, from which I’d just graduated, and Bell Labs were pioneers in the academic study of optimization algorithms. “Optimization” gets used in many contexts. I define it as, “a decision-...
David Vulcano
Angel Investor
People are often surprised when they find out “Music City” is not just mega-music companies. In fact, the business ecosystem is very diversified in national and global business, and the greater Nashville area has many home-grown companies as well. The city is fertile soil for startup companies; many of our...
CHRISTIAN AGBOBLI
Vice-Recteur à la Recherche, à la création et à la diffusion
This recognition of Quebec’s distinctive character in various fields is the outcome of a committed effort involving university research and innovation. Universities have spearheaded innovation through their large-scale research structures. Innovation is a process, an approach and a result that provides a new and different character to our ways of...
ERIC CARTER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT FAST PATHWAY INC
As practicing physicians and frontline workers, my business partner and I were amazed to discover communications between surgical teams and the patient’s family members were not as frequent as they should be. While it can be difficult to communicate with the patient’s family during surgery, because the surgical team is...
PHILIPPE MOLARET
DIRECTEUR TECHNIQUE CHEZ THALES
Elle vise l’accroissement des capacités opérationnelles dans plusieurs secteurs d’application tels que la santé, la sécurité, ou le transport. L’agent intelligent que nous développons n’est pas qu’un ‘simple’ double numérique. L’Agent couvre trois fonctionnalités; 1) une veille permanente sur la situation opérationnelle dans son cadre d’emploi et dont il informe...
MICHAEL SHANNON
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA - PRESIDENT
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...
Shane Needham
In marketing, the Engagement Economy is defined as the competition for the valuable attention and cognitive bandwidth of a target audience. It’s a very real and valuable asset that is becoming more complex and harder to attain with each passing year. But, this is not the Engagement Economy I’m talking...
MARTIN K HAESE MBA, ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Entrepreneur, Educator and Advocate | Special Envoy to Singapore and Southeast Asia for Trade
I am fascinated by the common threads of achievement that come to define an individual’s contribution to their chosen field of endeavour. I am equally fascinated by how communities, cites and nations do the same. I now turn that lens onto my own career in a quest to articulate my...
Chaya Pamula
President & Ceo - Pamten
I’ve always believed that, with anything you do in life, it’s important to find your passion. Once you find that passion and set short- and long-term goals, you can transform your dream into a reality. Today’s technology gives us the unique opportunity to find and follow our path in more...
AMNAH AJMAL
LEADING WITH HEART
Amnah Ajmal’s ascent to global corporate leadership is nothing short of riveting. She shines as Mastercard’s Executive Vice President, Market Development, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, covering 80 countries, and embodies the essence of inspiration. This conversation unveils her remarkable path through the ranks, highlighting a relentless pursuit of...
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...
RAQUEL FORTUNATO
GENIBET, CEO
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...
SOPHIE D’AMOURS
RECTRICE, UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL
Le mot innovation est utilisé à plusieurs sauces. Il est toutefois clairement défini par le Larousse comme l’« ensemble du processus qui se déroule depuis la naissance d’une idée jusqu’à sa matérialisation ». Au-delà de l’idée, une solution nouvelle doit être utilisée, commercialisée, achetée ou déployée pour être innovante. Dans...
TRAVIS OBERG
DIRECTOR OF DESIGN, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PROPERTIES GROUP
In a rapidly changing world, where the boundaries of what is possible continue to expand, the essence of innovation lies at the heart of progress. It is not confined to sterile laboratories or academic institutions; rather, it thrives in vibrant communities where collaboration, creativity, and a sense of place converge....