Thought Leaders

With digital media usage higher than ever, more than 38 million people in South Africa are active on the internet, and 27-million consume social media content by liking, sharing, posting and commenting on everything from politics and the pandemic, to funnies and pictures of ‘fur babies’. Consumers have so many...

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...

If I had to distil my years in science, innovation and entrepreneurship into a single lesson, it would be this: real progress happens at the intersection of curiosity and practical need. My journey — from analysing heavy metals in water samples as a young chemist to establishing Estonia’s Applied Research...

Each morning from my desk at Schell Games (pre-pandemic, obviously), I can look through the Station Square windows at the Monongahela River and the skyline of the city of Pittsburgh, which if you’ve never visited is probably one of the most beautiful in America that not everyone knows about. On...

The word innovation is used in many ways. However, it is clearly defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as « the use of new ideas and methods ». Beyond the idea, a new solution must be used, commercialized, purchased or deployed to be innovative. In a world where knowledge evolves at...

I am moved by technology’s capability to impact people’s lives. I saw this power first-hand in Africa and Latin America after recognizing the potential of mobile money systems in the early 2000’s and moving to Africa to help develop these technologies. Mobile payments and mobile money systems changed people’s lives....

Every day, I’m reminded that the world of financial services is both exciting and challenging. We live in a time when consumers are flooded with options, yet too often, they’re still unsure where to turn for real guidance and personal connection. In my experience, the three biggest challenges facing our...

Benoit-Antoine Bacon is President and Vice-Chancellor of Carleton University, an innovative and socially minded institution that is at the forefront of technological and social change for a better future. A Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, he previously served as Vice-President, Academic, at Queen’s University and at Concordia University in his...

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...

CEOs constantly hear noise about competitive “disruption” in their sectors, fueling concerns about their organization’s ability to innovate in an increasingly competitive and agile global market. This creates natural pressure to grow and meet earnings targets—but growth can be slow and expensive. With Open-Innovation and Co-Creation platforms, it doesn’t have...

Just over a year ago, I started my journey in the esports industry as an intern. Fast forward to today, and I am the director of an esports/media company while also leading our newest endeavor – Aquatik Studios. Interestingly, Aquatik is my first job post-college. I made sure to take...

  Claude Brulé, President – Algonquin College When Claude Brulé was appointed Algonquin College’s ninth president in mid-2019 he quickly embarked on an innovation agenda to establish experiential, personalized learning as the institution’s guiding educational principle for the future. “We know the people who walk through our doors, both physically...

As of the writing of this article in October 2021, the Twitch Influencer payment hack was making its way through the metaverse, enabling a comparison between the compensation that influencers and broadcast anchors enjoy, and the relative engagement they have with theiraudiences and the business models that underpin their ecosystems...

From an early age, I was fascinated with the possibility of materializing, through images or objects, what is created by our imagination and which, without the proper communication tools, exists only in our heads: whether to satisfy a need, solve a problem or just because its beauty inspires us. It...

VISIONARY “BRILLIANCY COMPLEXITY SCIENCE METHODOLOGIES” INTEGRATE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI), BLOCKCHAIN, AND QUANTUM TECH TO DELIVER SOLUTIONS THAT ESCAPE TODAY’S LIMITS WITH TOMORROW’S CAPABILITIES In the fast-paced world of frontier technologies, Phil Abraham stands out as a transformative leader, expertly connecting legacy systems with cutting-edge innovations. As the visionary founder of...

As urban populations continue to grow and digital tools expand at warp speed, cities and public agencies around the globe are looking to new technologies to help manage resources in more sustainable and cost-effective ways. The San Diego region is no exception, where public leaders and organizations have made a...

In 2017 the Holden plant shut its doors, an economic powerhouse and driver of manufacturing within the state for over 50 years. It had followed the fate of the Mitsubishi plant by shutting its doors. It was a grim period, and a lot of things had to change across the...

Patent or publish, protect or disseminate… As a scientist in academia, these are questions I am faced with increasing frequency. We often assume that fundamental science and innovation proceed at different speeds, or even in entirely separate environments. After all, is there really space for innovation within the context of...

MONIKA RADCLYFFE – LEADING THE CITY’S TECH CLUSTER GROWTH SETsquared Bristol is the Global No.1 University-led Business Incubator working with the University of Bristol. I have been the Centre Director since 2016, working with over 250 companies, including Bristol Pound, Interactive Scientific, Immersive Labs, YellowDog and Zeetta Networks. Bristol is...

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...

It’s a rare privilege to connect – and connect so deeply – with someone like Hasnae Taleb, a remarkable embodiment of success and inspiration. As I sit down with her, I find myself in awe of her journey, achievements, and vision for the future. “At a young age, we all...

Innovation. It’s the relentless pursuit of new ideas, challenging the status quo, and shaping a better future. At Alberta Innovates, we believe innovation is key to growing the economy, expanding markets and creating new and better opportunities for Albertans. We are the province’s most comprehensive research and innovation agency, providing...

My conversation with Khaled Al Huraimel encapsulates a vision that transcends the present and leaps into a realm of sustainability and innovation. The backdrop is BEEAH Group’s headquarters in Sharjah, UAE, a masterpiece designed by the late Zaha Hadid, embodying the future Khaled envisions where technology, sustainability, and culture intertwine...

Health and health care is something that impacts every single one of us, whether we want it to or not. In Alberta, we have seen tremendous developments in how health care is delivered and in the availability of innovative solutions to better manage care. At the same time, it feels...