Thought Leaders
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
OMID EKHLASI
FOUNDER & CEO, TECHARENA
The Power of Gathering Over ten years ago, Techarena began in a small movie theater in southern Sweden. A group of founders stood on stage to pitch their ideas, full of hope and determination. Only eight people came to watch. It would have been easy to feel discouraged, but something...
Sylvain Coulombe
Associate Vice-Principal, Innovation And Partnerships - McGill University
English: At a time when local and global challenges demand discoveries at the intersections of diverse disciplines, fostering an adaptable, agile and multi-sectorial innovation ecosystem enables universities to lead as social and economic accelerators. To set this vision in motion, McGill has established a dedicated unit, Innovation, and Partnerships (I+P),...
Angela Renick
Owner - A`Vie Events
Angela Renick Owner – A`Vie Events Angela Renick has been planning events in Gainesville for 30 years. She began in 1996 with a part-time wedding coordination business, which has continued to expand over the years. She has planned many events along the way during these years. In 2005, she opened...
INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada
ANNE SPENCE
REGIONAL DIRECTOR, ATLANTIC CANADA, MITACS
We have 16 world-class universities and outstanding community colleges here in Atlantic Canada. Our quality of life is second to none. This region is home to hundreds of welcoming communities, abundant natural resources, an exceptionally strong entrepreneurial spirit –and governments that recognize these innate strengths and invest strategically to support...
INNOVATE® Miami
Alberto Carvalho
Superintendent - Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Innovation in education takes the form of rich, powerful, explosive choice. Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent, Miami-Dade County Public Schools class=”img-responsive”> In education, innovation is about ensuring that today’s students emerge from the educational process with a critical skill set that empowers them to work in diverse teams, enables them to reason...
INNOVATE® Georgia
DAN AMOS
CHAIRMAN AND CEO, AFLAC INCORPORATED
Several years ago, a member of my team asked me a question. “Dan, when is the last time you had a day when you did absolutely nothing that involved Aflac?” Without missing a beat, I said, “When was the pager invented?” The responsibility of my job means I must be...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
ALINA HUANG, CEO, ILLUMINATE UNIVERSE
ALINA HUANG, CEO, ILLUMINATE UNIVERSE
Innovation is the backbone of progress and growth. It is a commitment to continuous learning, a willingness to challenge the status quo, and explore untapped opportunities for development. As the founder of Illuminate Universe, a Canadian organization dedicated to providing top tier business and leadership education, I have dedicated my...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
ROBERT FALCK
FOUNDER, EINRIDE
The road freight industry stands at a defining moment. Once constrained by the limits of diesel and incremental change, the $4.6 trillion global market is now poised for disruption at unprecedented scale. The catalyst is clear: artificial intelligence is rapidly redrawing the boundaries of what is possible in logistics, and...
Virginia Grant
Executive Director - Gainesville Black Professionals
INNOVATE is a verb and it means to make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. It is often thought of as it relates to technology, inventions, manufacturing, and business development. It is less often thought of as it relates to culture, social development, diversity,...
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™ Antwerp Vol.2
JACQUES VANDERMEIREN
CEO, PORT OF ANTWERP / ANNICK DE RIDDER, PORT VICE MAYOR, PORT OF ANTWERP
Jacques Vandermeiren is CEO of Port of Antwerp since 2017. He is an active board member of the digital platform NxtPort, Kunsthuis Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and the Belgian coffee brand Vascobelo. He is also cofounder and Chairman of the sustainability platform The Shift. Annick De Ridder is chair of the...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
THERESA TAYLER
OWNER AND FOUNDER, START ME UP PR
A renowned tech magnate once said, “If I were down to my last dollar, I would spend it on public relations.” Not to talk myself out of a job, but one rarely needs to spend their LAST dollar on PR if they just “keep it real” from day one. Growing...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
AHTI HEINLA
ESTONIAN INNOVATOR BEHIND SKYPE AND STARSHIP ROBOTS
Ahti Heinla is one of Estonia’s most visionary minds – the co-founder of Starship Technologies and formerly the Chief Technical Architect of Skype. His impact on global communication and autonomous technology is immense, yet his story is deeply rooted in Estonia’s culture of curiosity, experimentation, and civic spirit. Heinla wrote...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
Raghwa Gopal
President , CEO - Innovate BC
If you’re reading this book right now, there’s a good chance you already know that: In other words – we’re growing fast, we have challenges to overcome, and the future looks extremely bright. Yet, despite the mounting momentum and optimistic outlook, it’s difficult to pin down exactly what our tech...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
Marvin Rees
Mayor Of Bristol
Bristol is rapidly attracting a reputation as a sustainable, innovative city with a dynamic culture of talent and innovation. With our world-class universities, high-tech sector, digital expertise and infrastructure, we are well-positioned to embrace this reputation, while ensuring the benefits are shared by all. We know the pace of digitisation...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
NJERI WATKINS
BUSINESS LEADER, DATA ANALYST & EDUCATOR
As a Vancouver based Business Leader, Data Analyst and Educator, I am an active contributor in the digital technology ecosystem cultivated by our beautiful global metropolis. In this community rooted in collaborative cross pollination between industry, academia, the public sector and entrepreneurs, the galvanizing force is the desire to build,...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
MIKE ABEL
FOUNDING PARTNER: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, M&C SAATCHI GROUP SOUTH AFRICA
Innovation for innovation sake has absolutely no purpose. It requires direction. It needs to convey a message, inspire curiosity, drive real change, shape the future, and influence action. It must have meaning. Combine this with entrepreneurship, and suddenly the world moves forward. Innovation thrives when curious and imaginative people ask...
INNOVATE® Georgia
DAVID HESS
MCG DEAN, AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY
The statistics are startling. Georgia routinely ranks in the top 10 states in the country in terms of population size and growth, yet we continue to rank near the bottom in the number of physicians per capita, at a dismal 41st. Recent data show that roughly 185 Georgians die from...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
STEVEN COLLENS
CEO, MATTER
I’ve been the chief executive officer at MATTER — the global healthcare innovation hub headquartered in Chicago — since it was founded in 2015. Over the last five years, one of the most interesting dynamics we’ve observed — coming both from entrepreneurs developing novel technologies, as well as from large...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
REG JOSEPH
CEO, HEALTH CITIES
I have spent most of my career in health sciences and innovation in both Canada and the United States. As we grapple with the challenges in our health systems across Canada, it is clear to me that while there are several areas that need attention (including policy and new funding...
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® Georgia
DR. RAMNATH K. CHELLAPPA
PROFESSOR OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS & OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
DR. RAMNATH K. CHELLAPPA,PROFESSOR OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS &OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT;ASSOCIATE DEAN & ACADEMIC DIRECTOR,MS IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS. AI, BUSINESS & EMORYAmidst all the technological advances, businesses have been struggling to keep up. From Machine Learning to AI to now Large Language Models, the readiness of organizations to adopt these new techniques...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
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™ 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...
OMID EKHLASI
FOUNDER & CEO, TECHARENA
The Power of Gathering Over ten years ago, Techarena began in a small movie theater in southern Sweden. A group of founders stood on stage to pitch their ideas, full of hope and determination. Only eight people came to watch. It would have been easy to feel discouraged, but something...
Sylvain Coulombe
Associate Vice-Principal, Innovation And Partnerships - McGill University
English: At a time when local and global challenges demand discoveries at the intersections of diverse disciplines, fostering an adaptable, agile and multi-sectorial innovation ecosystem enables universities to lead as social and economic accelerators. To set this vision in motion, McGill has established a dedicated unit, Innovation, and Partnerships (I+P),...
Angela Renick
Owner - A`Vie Events
Angela Renick Owner – A`Vie Events Angela Renick has been planning events in Gainesville for 30 years. She began in 1996 with a part-time wedding coordination business, which has continued to expand over the years. She has planned many events along the way during these years. In 2005, she opened...
ANNE SPENCE
REGIONAL DIRECTOR, ATLANTIC CANADA, MITACS
We have 16 world-class universities and outstanding community colleges here in Atlantic Canada. Our quality of life is second to none. This region is home to hundreds of welcoming communities, abundant natural resources, an exceptionally strong entrepreneurial spirit –and governments that recognize these innate strengths and invest strategically to support...
Alberto Carvalho
Superintendent - Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Innovation in education takes the form of rich, powerful, explosive choice. Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent, Miami-Dade County Public Schools class=”img-responsive”> In education, innovation is about ensuring that today’s students emerge from the educational process with a critical skill set that empowers them to work in diverse teams, enables them to reason...
DAN AMOS
CHAIRMAN AND CEO, AFLAC INCORPORATED
Several years ago, a member of my team asked me a question. “Dan, when is the last time you had a day when you did absolutely nothing that involved Aflac?” Without missing a beat, I said, “When was the pager invented?” The responsibility of my job means I must be...
ALINA HUANG, CEO, ILLUMINATE UNIVERSE
ALINA HUANG, CEO, ILLUMINATE UNIVERSE
Innovation is the backbone of progress and growth. It is a commitment to continuous learning, a willingness to challenge the status quo, and explore untapped opportunities for development. As the founder of Illuminate Universe, a Canadian organization dedicated to providing top tier business and leadership education, I have dedicated my...
ROBERT FALCK
FOUNDER, EINRIDE
The road freight industry stands at a defining moment. Once constrained by the limits of diesel and incremental change, the $4.6 trillion global market is now poised for disruption at unprecedented scale. The catalyst is clear: artificial intelligence is rapidly redrawing the boundaries of what is possible in logistics, and...
Virginia Grant
Executive Director - Gainesville Black Professionals
INNOVATE is a verb and it means to make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. It is often thought of as it relates to technology, inventions, manufacturing, and business development. It is less often thought of as it relates to culture, social development, diversity,...
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-...
JACQUES VANDERMEIREN
CEO, PORT OF ANTWERP / ANNICK DE RIDDER, PORT VICE MAYOR, PORT OF ANTWERP
Jacques Vandermeiren is CEO of Port of Antwerp since 2017. He is an active board member of the digital platform NxtPort, Kunsthuis Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and the Belgian coffee brand Vascobelo. He is also cofounder and Chairman of the sustainability platform The Shift. Annick De Ridder is chair of the...
AHTI HEINLA
ESTONIAN INNOVATOR BEHIND SKYPE AND STARSHIP ROBOTS
Ahti Heinla is one of Estonia’s most visionary minds – the co-founder of Starship Technologies and formerly the Chief Technical Architect of Skype. His impact on global communication and autonomous technology is immense, yet his story is deeply rooted in Estonia’s culture of curiosity, experimentation, and civic spirit. Heinla wrote...
Raghwa Gopal
President , CEO - Innovate BC
If you’re reading this book right now, there’s a good chance you already know that: In other words – we’re growing fast, we have challenges to overcome, and the future looks extremely bright. Yet, despite the mounting momentum and optimistic outlook, it’s difficult to pin down exactly what our tech...
Marvin Rees
Mayor Of Bristol
Bristol is rapidly attracting a reputation as a sustainable, innovative city with a dynamic culture of talent and innovation. With our world-class universities, high-tech sector, digital expertise and infrastructure, we are well-positioned to embrace this reputation, while ensuring the benefits are shared by all. We know the pace of digitisation...
NJERI WATKINS
BUSINESS LEADER, DATA ANALYST & EDUCATOR
As a Vancouver based Business Leader, Data Analyst and Educator, I am an active contributor in the digital technology ecosystem cultivated by our beautiful global metropolis. In this community rooted in collaborative cross pollination between industry, academia, the public sector and entrepreneurs, the galvanizing force is the desire to build,...
MIKE ABEL
FOUNDING PARTNER: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, M&C SAATCHI GROUP SOUTH AFRICA
Innovation for innovation sake has absolutely no purpose. It requires direction. It needs to convey a message, inspire curiosity, drive real change, shape the future, and influence action. It must have meaning. Combine this with entrepreneurship, and suddenly the world moves forward. Innovation thrives when curious and imaginative people ask...
DAVID HESS
MCG DEAN, AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY
The statistics are startling. Georgia routinely ranks in the top 10 states in the country in terms of population size and growth, yet we continue to rank near the bottom in the number of physicians per capita, at a dismal 41st. Recent data show that roughly 185 Georgians die from...
STEVEN COLLENS
CEO, MATTER
I’ve been the chief executive officer at MATTER — the global healthcare innovation hub headquartered in Chicago — since it was founded in 2015. Over the last five years, one of the most interesting dynamics we’ve observed — coming both from entrepreneurs developing novel technologies, as well as from large...
REG JOSEPH
CEO, HEALTH CITIES
I have spent most of my career in health sciences and innovation in both Canada and the United States. As we grapple with the challenges in our health systems across Canada, it is clear to me that while there are several areas that need attention (including policy and new funding...
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...
DR. RAMNATH K. CHELLAPPA
PROFESSOR OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS & OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
DR. RAMNATH K. CHELLAPPA,PROFESSOR OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS &OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT;ASSOCIATE DEAN & ACADEMIC DIRECTOR,MS IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS. AI, BUSINESS & EMORYAmidst all the technological advances, businesses have been struggling to keep up. From Machine Learning to AI to now Large Language Models, the readiness of organizations to adopt these new techniques...
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...
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...