Thought Leaders
INNOVATE™ Ottawa
Gérard Métrailler
Executive Vice President Of Global Products - Corel Corporation
WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF USER-FOCUSED SOFTWARE Gérard Métrailler has made Ottawa his home since moving from Europe in 2006. Today he is Corel Corporation’s Executive Vice President of Global Products, where he is responsible for developing and maintaining worldwide product strategy, management, and marketing across major software brands such...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
CHRISTOPHER J. PALADINO
PRESIDENT, DEVCO
Mr. Paladino has served as President of the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO) since 1994. Under his leadership, DEVCO has developed 8.3 million square feet in residential, commercial, academic, and institutional development projects valued at $3.5 billion. By establishing unique public-private partnerships, Mr. Paladino has successfully completed numerous projects to...
INNOVATE® Seattle
LAURA RUDERMAN
CEO, TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE
One of the most pressing challenges is the need for an educated workforce, particularly amid a changing understanding of what that means. Over the last 20 years, creating that workforce centered on STEM fields and getting a bachelor’s degree. It is time to move beyond the “hard hats vs. high...
INNOVATE® Miami
Johanna Mikkola
Founder & CEO - Wyncode
Johanna Mikkola, Founder & CEO, Wyncode No product, service, or experience can be built, marketed, or executed without the use of technology. Today, every industry is a technology industry. Even Domino’s Pizza calls itself “a tech company that sells pizza.” Our opportunities for employment reflect this fact. At the...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
Paul O’Collins
Head Of Innovation, Business West
Innovation means different things to different people. For me it’s not about petri dishes and lab coats, it’s about the process through which great ideas are turned into tangible, measurable value. It’s an iterative process. It’s not just about having the idea, but about taking the necessary practical steps to...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
MARK KORTHUIS
PRESIDENT AND CEO, GLENROSE HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
The Glenrose Hospital Foundation plays a pivotal role in supporting Canada’s largest comprehensive tertiary rehabilitation hospital, supporting patients of all ages who require complex rehabilitative care. The need for innovation in rehabilitation healthcare has never been greater, given the significant percentage of Canadians with disabilities, the surge in demand for...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
KEVIN B. MAHONEY
CEO, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA HEALTH SYSTEM
Philadelphia is a city that understands beginnings. As one of the oldest in the nation and the birthplace of independence, it is a place of ideas and possibilities. Just blocks from the Pennsylvania State House, where the founders gathered to imagine a new republic, another American institution was already taking...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
JADE ALBERTS
FOUNDER, PEER GUIDANCE
Being an entrepreneur can be very lonely at times, that is why I am such an advocate for mental wellness. I have talked to many entrepreneurs that had no one to turn to, and if they did, it would have made a difference. I am no expert in this mental...
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...
INNOVATE™ Kitchener Waterloo
RUTH CASSELMAN
CEO, ACCELERATOR CENTRE
Before I became the CEO of the Accelerator Centre, before I joined the board of the Golden Triangle Angel Network (GTAN), I was a founder. I co-founded Alert Labs with a simple but ambitious goal: to help buildings save water, operate more efficiently, and reduce risk through smart technology. Like...
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...
Global Innovation Spotlight
DR. JOE PEREZ
SENIOR SYSTEMS ANALYST, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER
BALANCING ART AND SCIENCE: THE POWER OF DATA STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS INTELLIGENCEAs a seasoned thought leader in the realm of data analytics and business intelligence, I am passionate about communicating the innovative role of data storytelling in effectively communicating data-driven insights. While different perspectives exist on its nature, some viewing...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
PROFESSOR IAN WHITE
VICE-CHANCELLOR AND PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF BATH
Innovation and collaboration will always be essential to power progress in our societies and I think are a crucial part of what universities in particular can offer in partnership with others. This is especially important now as we begin to recover from Covid-19, and I have been pleased to play...
INNOVATE® Detroit
BONNIE FAHOOME
CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DESIGN CORE DETROIT
Detroit has been an epicenter of innovation for well over a century, leading the world in mass manufacturing, music and industrial design. In 1920, for example, Detroit police officer William Potts was credited with inventing the four-way and three-colored traffic light, a standard still used today for regulating traffic flow...
INNOVATE® St. Louis
Jay King
CEO - Simploy
St. Louis was born of innovation, and the city has always been shaped by the pioneer mentality. Since its founding in 1764 by Pierre Laclede as an outpost on the Mississippi River, St. Louis has been a place where entrepreneurs and thinkers gather. Innovation in the city began with Laclede’s...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
MAJA VUJINOVIC
FOUNDER, OGROUP LLC
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....
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
KATARINA GOSPIC
CO-FOUNDER, EDSVÄRD
FROM STRAWBERRIES TO THE STATES One of my first memories from when I was about 4-years old is about strawberries. I used to close my eyes and imagined one, then another. This little thought experiment was something I became obsessed with. I wanted to be like Lucky Luke, faster than...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
DR. TERRY ROCK
PRESIDENT AND CEO - PLATFORM CALGARY
In 1988 Calgary hosted the Olympic Winter Games. For sixteen days in February, the rest of the world was introduced to a small prairie city that would continue punching above its weight for years to come. We still hold the remnants of those Olympic Games, but today we have new...
INNOVATE® Nashville
ROD MCDANIEL
CEO OF S3 RECYCLING SOLUTIONS
My goal as a leader is to create a company culture that is focused on people first. While it has been an incredible honor to be nationally recognized as an executive (for instance, winning the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Southeast Award), I find that I have true fulfillment when...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
DI WILSON
CEO INTEGER/HOTSPOT
I have always connected with people. I love their inherent curiosity; I love the idea of collective thought, and I thrive on the energy I get from engaging with people across all facets of life. From my early days at Grey Advertising, through my founding role at Pod Communications, and...
VOICES of the Future
DORIE CLARK
PURPOSE IN THE TUNNEL
In the heart of America’s corporate hustle, where ambition beats faster than a Wall Street trader’s pulse, Dorie Clark is a beacon of foresight and inspiration. This moment isn’t just a conversation; it is a masterclass in future-flung vision, delivered by a woman who’s cracked the code on thriving in...
INNOVATE® Nashville
MATT FORBUSH
FOUNDER OF ZIGY
Zigy was born out of the simple yet often overlooked truth that a business’s success lives or dies at the frontline. While executives may set the strategy, it’s the employees at the counter, on the floor, or behind the wheel who determine whether customers return, sales grow, and brands thrive....
VOICES of the Future
DR. ROD BERGER
NARRATIVES AT THE NEXUS
Dr. Rod Berger is the consummate storyteller. As a narrative mad scientist myself, I am but an amateur in the presence of Dr. Berger’s awe-inspiring talent. His views illuminate the corridors of tomorrow through the prism of today’s stories with foresight and wisdom. “My passion for storytelling began many years...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
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...
Gérard Métrailler
Executive Vice President Of Global Products - Corel Corporation
WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF USER-FOCUSED SOFTWARE Gérard Métrailler has made Ottawa his home since moving from Europe in 2006. Today he is Corel Corporation’s Executive Vice President of Global Products, where he is responsible for developing and maintaining worldwide product strategy, management, and marketing across major software brands such...
CHRISTOPHER J. PALADINO
PRESIDENT, DEVCO
Mr. Paladino has served as President of the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO) since 1994. Under his leadership, DEVCO has developed 8.3 million square feet in residential, commercial, academic, and institutional development projects valued at $3.5 billion. By establishing unique public-private partnerships, Mr. Paladino has successfully completed numerous projects to...
LAURA RUDERMAN
CEO, TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE
One of the most pressing challenges is the need for an educated workforce, particularly amid a changing understanding of what that means. Over the last 20 years, creating that workforce centered on STEM fields and getting a bachelor’s degree. It is time to move beyond the “hard hats vs. high...
Johanna Mikkola
Founder & CEO - Wyncode
Johanna Mikkola, Founder & CEO, Wyncode No product, service, or experience can be built, marketed, or executed without the use of technology. Today, every industry is a technology industry. Even Domino’s Pizza calls itself “a tech company that sells pizza.” Our opportunities for employment reflect this fact. At the...
Paul O’Collins
Head Of Innovation, Business West
Innovation means different things to different people. For me it’s not about petri dishes and lab coats, it’s about the process through which great ideas are turned into tangible, measurable value. It’s an iterative process. It’s not just about having the idea, but about taking the necessary practical steps to...
MARK KORTHUIS
PRESIDENT AND CEO, GLENROSE HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
The Glenrose Hospital Foundation plays a pivotal role in supporting Canada’s largest comprehensive tertiary rehabilitation hospital, supporting patients of all ages who require complex rehabilitative care. The need for innovation in rehabilitation healthcare has never been greater, given the significant percentage of Canadians with disabilities, the surge in demand for...
KEVIN B. MAHONEY
CEO, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA HEALTH SYSTEM
Philadelphia is a city that understands beginnings. As one of the oldest in the nation and the birthplace of independence, it is a place of ideas and possibilities. Just blocks from the Pennsylvania State House, where the founders gathered to imagine a new republic, another American institution was already taking...
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...
RUTH CASSELMAN
CEO, ACCELERATOR CENTRE
Before I became the CEO of the Accelerator Centre, before I joined the board of the Golden Triangle Angel Network (GTAN), I was a founder. I co-founded Alert Labs with a simple but ambitious goal: to help buildings save water, operate more efficiently, and reduce risk through smart technology. Like...
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...
DR. JOE PEREZ
SENIOR SYSTEMS ANALYST, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER
BALANCING ART AND SCIENCE: THE POWER OF DATA STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS INTELLIGENCEAs a seasoned thought leader in the realm of data analytics and business intelligence, I am passionate about communicating the innovative role of data storytelling in effectively communicating data-driven insights. While different perspectives exist on its nature, some viewing...
PROFESSOR IAN WHITE
VICE-CHANCELLOR AND PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF BATH
Innovation and collaboration will always be essential to power progress in our societies and I think are a crucial part of what universities in particular can offer in partnership with others. This is especially important now as we begin to recover from Covid-19, and I have been pleased to play...
BONNIE FAHOOME
CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DESIGN CORE DETROIT
Detroit has been an epicenter of innovation for well over a century, leading the world in mass manufacturing, music and industrial design. In 1920, for example, Detroit police officer William Potts was credited with inventing the four-way and three-colored traffic light, a standard still used today for regulating traffic flow...
Jay King
CEO - Simploy
St. Louis was born of innovation, and the city has always been shaped by the pioneer mentality. Since its founding in 1764 by Pierre Laclede as an outpost on the Mississippi River, St. Louis has been a place where entrepreneurs and thinkers gather. Innovation in the city began with Laclede’s...
MAJA VUJINOVIC
FOUNDER, OGROUP LLC
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....
KATARINA GOSPIC
CO-FOUNDER, EDSVÄRD
FROM STRAWBERRIES TO THE STATES One of my first memories from when I was about 4-years old is about strawberries. I used to close my eyes and imagined one, then another. This little thought experiment was something I became obsessed with. I wanted to be like Lucky Luke, faster than...
DR. TERRY ROCK
PRESIDENT AND CEO - PLATFORM CALGARY
In 1988 Calgary hosted the Olympic Winter Games. For sixteen days in February, the rest of the world was introduced to a small prairie city that would continue punching above its weight for years to come. We still hold the remnants of those Olympic Games, but today we have new...
ROD MCDANIEL
CEO OF S3 RECYCLING SOLUTIONS
My goal as a leader is to create a company culture that is focused on people first. While it has been an incredible honor to be nationally recognized as an executive (for instance, winning the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Southeast Award), I find that I have true fulfillment when...
DI WILSON
CEO INTEGER/HOTSPOT
I have always connected with people. I love their inherent curiosity; I love the idea of collective thought, and I thrive on the energy I get from engaging with people across all facets of life. From my early days at Grey Advertising, through my founding role at Pod Communications, and...
DORIE CLARK
PURPOSE IN THE TUNNEL
In the heart of America’s corporate hustle, where ambition beats faster than a Wall Street trader’s pulse, Dorie Clark is a beacon of foresight and inspiration. This moment isn’t just a conversation; it is a masterclass in future-flung vision, delivered by a woman who’s cracked the code on thriving in...
MATT FORBUSH
FOUNDER OF ZIGY
Zigy was born out of the simple yet often overlooked truth that a business’s success lives or dies at the frontline. While executives may set the strategy, it’s the employees at the counter, on the floor, or behind the wheel who determine whether customers return, sales grow, and brands thrive....
DR. ROD BERGER
NARRATIVES AT THE NEXUS
Dr. Rod Berger is the consummate storyteller. As a narrative mad scientist myself, I am but an amateur in the presence of Dr. Berger’s awe-inspiring talent. His views illuminate the corridors of tomorrow through the prism of today’s stories with foresight and wisdom. “My passion for storytelling began many years...
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...