Thought Leaders

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.

Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.

Chief Executive Officer - Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA)

Innovation is at the heart of everything I do as the CEO of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), and something I expect my teams to integrate into all their initiatives. Being innovative means being bold—taking risks and toppling the traditional ways we’ve operated as providers of public transportation. My industry...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

Chuck Nees

Chuck Nees

Managing Partner - Braswell Nees Group

Don’t just Invent. Innovate! New Jersey has a rich history of inventions – the first steam locomotive, baseball, radar, Bell Labs & Thomas Edison’s anything… Each has proven the test of time as inventions, but how many companies survived the commercial challenges of the S-curve? That time when the novelty,...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

Dedicated to the Memory of Edward Cohen

Contributed by Mario M. Casabona, Commissioner Emeritus NJ CS&T

When pioneering educator and entrepreneurial advocate, Edward Cohen passed away in 2019, the State of New Jersey lost a veritable lion of education and technological entrepreneurship. Over 30 years ago, Cohen understood that to revitalize the State’s flagging economy, a fuse had to be lit forging the sectors of higher...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

JENS DOLK

CEO, AN INNOVATOR OF THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY, K-MÄRKT AB

I’ve never been afraid of weird ideas. In fact, that’s kind of the point with K-märkt. When we started, we didn’t just want to run a great restaurant – we wanted to challenge the entire way restaurants operate. Why? Because if we’re going to make food more sustainable, we can’t...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

FABIENNE VERBEEK

FABIENNE VERBEEK

CEO, GLOBAL NEW AUTOMATION (GNA)

If you had said this to me 10 years ago, I might have laughed it off. But today, I am upgrading my company, watching it grow, and taking on new challenges. There is a passion in me that may not have been there before, which is why I’m giving back...

INNOVATE® Phoenix

Adham Ghazali

Adham Ghazali

CEO and Co-Founder - Imagry

Introduction With offices in both the U.S. and Israel, Imagry is an autonomous vehicle platform developer that is dedicated to pioneering the future of this technology. By pushing the limits of artificial intelligence and computer vision, Imagry’s mapless autonomous driving platform eliminates the need for the time-consuming HD mapping process....

INNOVATE® Phoenix

Todd Sanders

President & CEO - Greater Phoenix Chamber

Todd Sanders President & CEO – Greater Phoenix Chamber Every morning, as the sun rises above the mountains and the early morning city lights glitter with flashes of orange, we all wake up with a new chance—a fresh opportunity. Each sunrise in Phoenix, Arizona is the start of a new...

VOICES of the Future

MARISA PEER

THE POWER OF ENOUGH

As I sit with Marisa Peer, I feel a sense of awe. Her groundbreaking work in Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) not only transforms lives but also reshapes the narrative around mental health and well-being for the future. My conversation with Marisa is a profound privilege. An award-winning therapist with a...

INNOVATION Quebec

LAYLA NASR

CEO, MAKILA AI

In both North America and Europe, collaboration between the communities of scientific research and professional practice plays a pivotal role in the advancement of knowledge that benefits society at large. When it comes to technologies, especially artificial intelligence, the diversity of skills and the wealth of knowledge from research communities...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

PROFESSOR SIMON LUCEY

DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR MACHINE LEARNING (AIML), THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

Not only does Adelaide offer a great lifestyle and work-life balance for families, but in my field—artificial intelligence (AI)— the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) helps position the city as a global leader in research and innovation excellence. I’ve had the privilege of visiting many of the leading AI...

Pierre Larouche

Pierre Larouche - Penser l’innovation | Innovation In Context

Penser l’innovation | Innovation In Context

  French: On entend souvent dire que nous vivons dans une époque sans précédent, ce qui justifierait de ne pas se préoccuper de l’histoire. L’innovation, dit-on, a atteint un rythme tel qu’elle propulse nos sociétés vers l’inconnu, vers un monde qui ne ressemble en rien à celui où les générations...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

MICHAEL E. ZWICK

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH

Research, discoveries, innovations, and solutions define the Rutgers research enterprise. That is why my vision, and the mission of the Rutgers Office for Research, is to support the research, scholarship, and creative endeavors of all Rutgers faculty. Since joining Rutgers as the Senior Vice President for Research in 2021, I...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

Dr. Susan Cole

Dr. Susan Cole

President - Montclair State University

New Jersey has long been a destination for talented and ambitious people from all over the world. Its highly diverse population is a rich opportunity for employers, and Montclair State University plays a robust role in providing that population with an excellent higher education in a wide range of fields,...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

TOMMY KNAPP

TOMMY KNAPP

PRESIDENT ESPORTS DIVISION, OPTIMA SPORTS GROUP

After making the plunge into the ecosystem myself, in 2017, I found myself telling people this everywhere I went. Whether it was at an industry breakout conference at DreamHack, as a panelist on a YouTuber Zoom discussion, on a college campus speaking to Sports Management students or just in daily...

VOICES of the Future

DR. CORRIE BLOCK

COACHING SUCCESS

In a world yearning for guidance, Dr. Corrie Block emerges as a lighthouse of hope and transformation. Our conversation, steeped in the urgency of our era, unveils a brilliant mind and a visionary heart. As we delve into his insights, it becomes clear that Dr. Block doesn’t just see the...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

MIK ALLA

MIKE ALLAN

PRESIDENT & CEO, ROUTEIQUE™

Fostering a Culture of Innovation at Routeique™The core of our approach to innovation at Routeique™ is that we see ourselves as problem-solvers rather than service or technology providers. Whether it’s warehouse layouts or inefficiencies in last-mile delivery, our philosophy is that it’s essential to look at issues from new perspectives,...

INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2

Darin Brannan

ClearDATA - Darin Brannan

CEO & Co-Founder

When Darin Brannan co-founded hyper-growth startup ClearDATA in 2011, his mission was clear. He wanted to form a company that would make healthcare better, every single day. His vision to drive the mission was to modernize and protect Healthcare IT by building a state-of-the-art healthcare software platform and services to...

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...

INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3

DENNIS SCHMITT

DENNIS SCHMITT

NUROTECH CORP - FOUNDER & CEO

It is hard for me to accept being a visionary leader, as it is difficult for me to reconcile where I am now, with where I was 15 years ago. I didn’t envision a future where I’m the CEO/Founder of a multi-million dollar Biotech company on the precipice to lead...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

ROGÉRIO COLAÇO

ROGÉRIO COLAÇO

DEAN, INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TÉCNICO

At Instituto Superior Técnico we believe that although we cannot do more than the bigger ones, although we cannot do better than the best ones, we could be at least as big as the bigger ones and as best as the best ones. And we also believe that we can...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

MIKE JOUBERT

MIKE JOUBERT

FOUNDER, BILLYBO GROUP

As a changemaker with over 35 years’ experience, I believe innovation is a critical tool to address a deeper human need to be better for a greater good. The culmination of a rewarding career has led me to creating the Billybo Group, a human-centred solutions collective. To help make a...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

RONNY VAN BROEKHOVEN

RONNY VAN BROEKHOVEN

SITE MANAGER, AGC GLASS EUROPE MOL PLANT

I am a civil engineer electronic by training. In 1997 I joined AGC Mol (then still Glaverbel) a glass manufacturer at walking distance from my home. At first I managed the general services such as plan maintenance, purchasing, miscellaneous projects and evolved to site manager of the Mol plant in...

INNOVATE® Miami

Jaret L. Davis

What has made Miami such a great environment for growing a startup culture is its strong entrepreneurial ethos and the lack of restrictions. It’s the kind of place where if you have an idea, no one is going to tell you it can’t be done. Over the last 20 years,...

INNOVATE® Minnesota

Dan Atkins

Dan Atkins

President - MinneAnalytics - Chief Community Entanglement Particle, Optum

Dan Atkins President, MinneAnalytics – Chief Community Entanglement Particle, Optum I can’t explain the principle of quantum entanglement as well as a physicist could, but I believe in its application to the concept of community engagement nevertheless. There’s a way that two particles, separated by immense distance, can become entangled...

Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.

Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.

Chief Executive Officer - Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA)

Innovation is at the heart of everything I do as the CEO of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), and something I expect my teams to integrate into all their initiatives. Being innovative means being bold—taking risks and toppling the traditional ways we’ve operated as providers of public transportation. My industry...

Chuck Nees

Chuck Nees

Managing Partner - Braswell Nees Group

Don’t just Invent. Innovate! New Jersey has a rich history of inventions – the first steam locomotive, baseball, radar, Bell Labs & Thomas Edison’s anything… Each has proven the test of time as inventions, but how many companies survived the commercial challenges of the S-curve? That time when the novelty,...

Dedicated to the Memory of Edward Cohen

Contributed by Mario M. Casabona, Commissioner Emeritus NJ CS&T

When pioneering educator and entrepreneurial advocate, Edward Cohen passed away in 2019, the State of New Jersey lost a veritable lion of education and technological entrepreneurship. Over 30 years ago, Cohen understood that to revitalize the State’s flagging economy, a fuse had to be lit forging the sectors of higher...

JENS DOLK

CEO, AN INNOVATOR OF THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY, K-MÄRKT AB

I’ve never been afraid of weird ideas. In fact, that’s kind of the point with K-märkt. When we started, we didn’t just want to run a great restaurant – we wanted to challenge the entire way restaurants operate. Why? Because if we’re going to make food more sustainable, we can’t...

FABIENNE VERBEEK

FABIENNE VERBEEK

CEO, GLOBAL NEW AUTOMATION (GNA)

If you had said this to me 10 years ago, I might have laughed it off. But today, I am upgrading my company, watching it grow, and taking on new challenges. There is a passion in me that may not have been there before, which is why I’m giving back...

Adham Ghazali

Adham Ghazali

CEO and Co-Founder - Imagry

Introduction With offices in both the U.S. and Israel, Imagry is an autonomous vehicle platform developer that is dedicated to pioneering the future of this technology. By pushing the limits of artificial intelligence and computer vision, Imagry’s mapless autonomous driving platform eliminates the need for the time-consuming HD mapping process....

Todd Sanders

President & CEO - Greater Phoenix Chamber

Todd Sanders President & CEO – Greater Phoenix Chamber Every morning, as the sun rises above the mountains and the early morning city lights glitter with flashes of orange, we all wake up with a new chance—a fresh opportunity. Each sunrise in Phoenix, Arizona is the start of a new...

MARISA PEER

THE POWER OF ENOUGH

As I sit with Marisa Peer, I feel a sense of awe. Her groundbreaking work in Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) not only transforms lives but also reshapes the narrative around mental health and well-being for the future. My conversation with Marisa is a profound privilege. An award-winning therapist with a...

LAYLA NASR

CEO, MAKILA AI

In both North America and Europe, collaboration between the communities of scientific research and professional practice plays a pivotal role in the advancement of knowledge that benefits society at large. When it comes to technologies, especially artificial intelligence, the diversity of skills and the wealth of knowledge from research communities...

PROFESSOR SIMON LUCEY

DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR MACHINE LEARNING (AIML), THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

Not only does Adelaide offer a great lifestyle and work-life balance for families, but in my field—artificial intelligence (AI)— the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) helps position the city as a global leader in research and innovation excellence. I’ve had the privilege of visiting many of the leading AI...

Pierre Larouche

Pierre Larouche - Penser l’innovation | Innovation In Context

Penser l’innovation | Innovation In Context

  French: On entend souvent dire que nous vivons dans une époque sans précédent, ce qui justifierait de ne pas se préoccuper de l’histoire. L’innovation, dit-on, a atteint un rythme tel qu’elle propulse nos sociétés vers l’inconnu, vers un monde qui ne ressemble en rien à celui où les générations...

MICHAEL E. ZWICK

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH

Research, discoveries, innovations, and solutions define the Rutgers research enterprise. That is why my vision, and the mission of the Rutgers Office for Research, is to support the research, scholarship, and creative endeavors of all Rutgers faculty. Since joining Rutgers as the Senior Vice President for Research in 2021, I...

Dr. Susan Cole

Dr. Susan Cole

President - Montclair State University

New Jersey has long been a destination for talented and ambitious people from all over the world. Its highly diverse population is a rich opportunity for employers, and Montclair State University plays a robust role in providing that population with an excellent higher education in a wide range of fields,...

TOMMY KNAPP

TOMMY KNAPP

PRESIDENT ESPORTS DIVISION, OPTIMA SPORTS GROUP

After making the plunge into the ecosystem myself, in 2017, I found myself telling people this everywhere I went. Whether it was at an industry breakout conference at DreamHack, as a panelist on a YouTuber Zoom discussion, on a college campus speaking to Sports Management students or just in daily...

DR. CORRIE BLOCK

COACHING SUCCESS

In a world yearning for guidance, Dr. Corrie Block emerges as a lighthouse of hope and transformation. Our conversation, steeped in the urgency of our era, unveils a brilliant mind and a visionary heart. As we delve into his insights, it becomes clear that Dr. Block doesn’t just see the...

MIK ALLA

MIKE ALLAN

PRESIDENT & CEO, ROUTEIQUE™

Fostering a Culture of Innovation at Routeique™The core of our approach to innovation at Routeique™ is that we see ourselves as problem-solvers rather than service or technology providers. Whether it’s warehouse layouts or inefficiencies in last-mile delivery, our philosophy is that it’s essential to look at issues from new perspectives,...

Darin Brannan

ClearDATA - Darin Brannan

CEO & Co-Founder

When Darin Brannan co-founded hyper-growth startup ClearDATA in 2011, his mission was clear. He wanted to form a company that would make healthcare better, every single day. His vision to drive the mission was to modernize and protect Healthcare IT by building a state-of-the-art healthcare software platform and services to...

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...

DENNIS SCHMITT

DENNIS SCHMITT

NUROTECH CORP - FOUNDER & CEO

It is hard for me to accept being a visionary leader, as it is difficult for me to reconcile where I am now, with where I was 15 years ago. I didn’t envision a future where I’m the CEO/Founder of a multi-million dollar Biotech company on the precipice to lead...

ROGÉRIO COLAÇO

ROGÉRIO COLAÇO

DEAN, INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TÉCNICO

At Instituto Superior Técnico we believe that although we cannot do more than the bigger ones, although we cannot do better than the best ones, we could be at least as big as the bigger ones and as best as the best ones. And we also believe that we can...

MIKE JOUBERT

MIKE JOUBERT

FOUNDER, BILLYBO GROUP

As a changemaker with over 35 years’ experience, I believe innovation is a critical tool to address a deeper human need to be better for a greater good. The culmination of a rewarding career has led me to creating the Billybo Group, a human-centred solutions collective. To help make a...

RONNY VAN BROEKHOVEN

RONNY VAN BROEKHOVEN

SITE MANAGER, AGC GLASS EUROPE MOL PLANT

I am a civil engineer electronic by training. In 1997 I joined AGC Mol (then still Glaverbel) a glass manufacturer at walking distance from my home. At first I managed the general services such as plan maintenance, purchasing, miscellaneous projects and evolved to site manager of the Mol plant in...

Jaret L. Davis

What has made Miami such a great environment for growing a startup culture is its strong entrepreneurial ethos and the lack of restrictions. It’s the kind of place where if you have an idea, no one is going to tell you it can’t be done. Over the last 20 years,...

Dan Atkins

Dan Atkins

President - MinneAnalytics - Chief Community Entanglement Particle, Optum

Dan Atkins President, MinneAnalytics – Chief Community Entanglement Particle, Optum I can’t explain the principle of quantum entanglement as well as a physicist could, but I believe in its application to the concept of community engagement nevertheless. There’s a way that two particles, separated by immense distance, can become entangled...

INNOVATE® Ecosystems