Thought Leaders
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
EVA-CARIN BANKA JOHNSON
EXPLORATION LEADER FOR IKEA INSIGHT AS EXTERNAL CONSULTANT
By studying the environment and seeing the full context—what people do, how they do it, and why – it creates a solid foundation for new ideas. But facts and research alone are not enough. True innovation also requires empathy for the user—the drive that keeps you going until you find...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
ANKUR D. MAHAJAN
CO-FOUNDER, PULP SHRED
My wife inscribed this quote on a plaque for me as a gift. The profundity, yet the simplicity, of the message hits home for me. It also puts into perspective my priorities in life. We all have our fears and blinders. Sometimes we may get swayed by things that are...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
STEFAN SEEGER
VICE PRESIDENT AND PLANT MANAGER, ZF GRAY COURT
Since the inception of the Gray Court facility in Laurens County in 2012, ZF and the State of South Carolina have been a winning combination that has benefitted South Carolina citizens, state and local governments, the ZF Group, and all of our employees at our Gray Court, Charleston and Duncan....
INNOVATE™ Estonia
TÕNU ESKO & MIHKEL TAMMO
VICE RECTOR FOR DEVELOPMENT & HEAD OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The development of research-intensive entrepreneurship in Estonia requires much more than researchers’ good ideas. How can we overcome systemic challenges and find opportunities to transfer research-based solutions from universities into business? The worlds of research and entrepreneurship do not always align. Only around 10% of the population is said to...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
CHRIS KERR
VICE PRESIDENT HOME AND DISTRIBUTION, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC
A new era of residential energy management is emerging in Australia in response to rising energy prices and environmental concerns. Driven by ‘prosumers’, so named as they both produce and consume resources, including energy, this emerging market has the potential to reshape homes of the future and it has already...
INNOVATE® St. Louis
John G. Gatewood
CFP®, CLU®, President & Founder - Gatewood Wealth Management
When his military pension wasn’t enough to support our family, my father went into life insurance. He realized no one was coordinating all of the separate aspects of families’ financial planning. The Glass Steagall Act was still in effect, and it kept all financial companies separate; insurance was separate from...
INNOVATE™ Ottawa
Claude Brulé
President - Algonquin College
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...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
JO CLOSE
DIRECTOR OF THE ADELAIDE INTERMEDIARY PROGRAM, MTPCONNECT
Innovation – turning a great idea into a new, accessible product or service – never occurs in isolation. It needs collaboration which is sparked by connection. In health and medical innovation, we talk about the globally connected ecosystem because ours is a global endeavour that requires collegial bright minds, significant...
INNOVATE® Phoenix
Justin Gray
CEO - LeadMD
Introduction Justin Gray is a serial entrepreneur, who has launched four multi-million dollar companies, become a recognized speaker and been published over 350 times throughout his career. Justin is the CEO and founder of LeadMD, a role he’s held for the past ten years. He also co-founded PaidSuite, a SaaS...
INNOVATE® Georgia
LEVI PERKINS
CEO, HANNIBAL AI
When in the shadows of giants, we assume the path to success is to stand on their shoulders. But in the world of technology, I’ve found that it’s not enough to just stand tall; we must also be nimble, ready to jump to the next giant as the ground shifts...
INNOVATION Quebec
KATHY MALAS
Associate to the President & Chief Executive Officer, Pole of Innovation
Associate to the President & Chief Executive Officer, Pole of Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and Projects in Health, Executive Office, CHUM Member of the Board of Directors, Conseil de l’innovation du Québec (CIQ). Member of the Board of Directors, Health Innovation District. Health Professional Researcher, Innovation Hub Axis, CRCHUM. Associate Professor,...
INNOVATE® San Diego Vol.1
It is no coincidence that Seqster was born in San Diego, a city with an underdog culture where small startups transform into large enterprises that address giant markets. Perfect weather drives innovation—always sunny, 72 degrees, and 70 miles of beaches. Perhaps the combination of unique culture and weather has drawn...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
Professor Hugh Brady
Vice-Chancellor And President, University Of Bristol
Innovation is the application of creative solutions to real-world problems – a basic maxim, and one that perhaps obscures the more complex processes that underpin its subject. In reality, innovation can require patient investment in both fundamental and applied research, cross-discipline and cross-sector collaboration, risk-taking, iteration, trust, vision and civic...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
NWABISA MAYEMA
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR, BRANSON CENTRE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP, SOUTH AFRICA
We as a society cannot decouple our prosperity from our development. What we can’t do is decouple our prosperity from the challenges that we face. Those two go hand-in-hand. We simply can’t be prosperous without tackling certain challenges. Business can be and is a force for good. And in South...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
NICOLAS GILOT
FOUNDER & CEO, ULTRA
Taking gaming and flipping it on its head with the use of blockchain technology was no small feat. Luckily, Nicolas Gilot and David Hanson, CO-CEOs of Ultra, have a strong background in the games industry and the innovative spark that made dreams come true for gamers and game developers around...
INNOVATE® Maryland
JIM KYUNG SOO LIEW, PH.D.
SOKAT
Innovation moves in waves, and America stands at the crest of the most consequential one yet – artificial intelligence. The nations and leaders who learn to harness AI’s full potential will define the next century of progress. Fortunately, the United States is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. Our strength...
INNOVATE® Nashville
GILL WAGNER
Serial Entrepreneur
Over a period of 40 years as an entrepreneur, while building six professional service firms and three nonprofits, I used to network like a madman. As you might imagine, with my hands in several things at once, it was sometimes difficult to answer the question: “So, Gill, what do you...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
DAVID MALLETT
FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, YANUN PROJECT SERVICES
My people have been innovating on South Australian Country for more than 60,000 years. As a proud Ngarrindjeri man from South Australia’s South-East, my ancestors developed smart solutions to support their day to-day survival within the harsh Australian environment. For example, we would salvage small intricate bird bones to make...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
DEREK ARMSTRONG
MANAGER OF INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS, PRAIRIES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA (PRAIRIESCAN)
I obviously knew of the proximity to the Rocky Mountains, but I didn’t know about all the wonders such as the Drumheller Valley, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park and Jasper National Park. I also didn’t know that Calgary is the third most diverse major city in Canada. Or that in 2022 it...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
Carlos Guillén Gestoso
President And Professor Of Atlântica - Instituto Universitário
It requires an effective link between the university and the business sector, which encourages higher education institutions to train professionals and what the labour market demands, in order to encourage companies to invest in research and development as a strategic activity to incorporate knowledge and progress. We understand that the...
INNOVATE® Kansas City
NEELIMA PARASKER
FOUNDER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SNAPIT SOLUTIONS
I’ve spent my entrepreneurial career pushing against a simple but powerful reality I witnessed: talent is universal, but awareness of opportunity is not. In a country where innovation fuels our future, we cannot continue leaving untapped potential sitting on the sidelines that happens to be our majority population. The next...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
CLAUDIA DE MOOR
HR & FINANCE MANAGER, VOSSCHEMIE BENELUX & V-SURE
HR & FINANCE MANAGER, VOSSCHEMIE BENELUX & V-SURE Get to know your neighbour – entrepreneur and get out. I’ m active in Voka Lokaal Netland, Lier4business, JOL (youth entrepreneurship Lier) and I also do voluntary work. The region of Lier supports entrepreneurship and we like to support this with interesting...
INNOVATION Quebec
RICHARD CHÉNIER
DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DU CENTECH
La prochaine décennie offrira plusieurs opportunités stratégiques à saisir en matière d’entrepreneuriat et d’innovation, particulièrement technologique. Plusieurs avancées scientifiques, jadis considérées comme fondamentales, transitent en effet actuellement à une vitesse fulgurante vers des applications réelles. Ces nouvelles applications se doivent d’agir comme catalyseur de solutions concrètes pour répondre à nos...
EVA-CARIN BANKA JOHNSON
EXPLORATION LEADER FOR IKEA INSIGHT AS EXTERNAL CONSULTANT
By studying the environment and seeing the full context—what people do, how they do it, and why – it creates a solid foundation for new ideas. But facts and research alone are not enough. True innovation also requires empathy for the user—the drive that keeps you going until you find...
ANKUR D. MAHAJAN
CO-FOUNDER, PULP SHRED
My wife inscribed this quote on a plaque for me as a gift. The profundity, yet the simplicity, of the message hits home for me. It also puts into perspective my priorities in life. We all have our fears and blinders. Sometimes we may get swayed by things that are...
STEFAN SEEGER
VICE PRESIDENT AND PLANT MANAGER, ZF GRAY COURT
Since the inception of the Gray Court facility in Laurens County in 2012, ZF and the State of South Carolina have been a winning combination that has benefitted South Carolina citizens, state and local governments, the ZF Group, and all of our employees at our Gray Court, Charleston and Duncan....
TÕNU ESKO & MIHKEL TAMMO
VICE RECTOR FOR DEVELOPMENT & HEAD OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The development of research-intensive entrepreneurship in Estonia requires much more than researchers’ good ideas. How can we overcome systemic challenges and find opportunities to transfer research-based solutions from universities into business? The worlds of research and entrepreneurship do not always align. Only around 10% of the population is said to...
CHRIS KERR
VICE PRESIDENT HOME AND DISTRIBUTION, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC
A new era of residential energy management is emerging in Australia in response to rising energy prices and environmental concerns. Driven by ‘prosumers’, so named as they both produce and consume resources, including energy, this emerging market has the potential to reshape homes of the future and it has already...
John G. Gatewood
CFP®, CLU®, President & Founder - Gatewood Wealth Management
When his military pension wasn’t enough to support our family, my father went into life insurance. He realized no one was coordinating all of the separate aspects of families’ financial planning. The Glass Steagall Act was still in effect, and it kept all financial companies separate; insurance was separate from...
Claude Brulé
President - Algonquin College
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...
JO CLOSE
DIRECTOR OF THE ADELAIDE INTERMEDIARY PROGRAM, MTPCONNECT
Innovation – turning a great idea into a new, accessible product or service – never occurs in isolation. It needs collaboration which is sparked by connection. In health and medical innovation, we talk about the globally connected ecosystem because ours is a global endeavour that requires collegial bright minds, significant...
Justin Gray
CEO - LeadMD
Introduction Justin Gray is a serial entrepreneur, who has launched four multi-million dollar companies, become a recognized speaker and been published over 350 times throughout his career. Justin is the CEO and founder of LeadMD, a role he’s held for the past ten years. He also co-founded PaidSuite, a SaaS...
KATHY MALAS
Associate to the President & Chief Executive Officer, Pole of Innovation
Associate to the President & Chief Executive Officer, Pole of Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and Projects in Health, Executive Office, CHUM Member of the Board of Directors, Conseil de l’innovation du Québec (CIQ). Member of the Board of Directors, Health Innovation District. Health Professional Researcher, Innovation Hub Axis, CRCHUM. Associate Professor,...
It is no coincidence that Seqster was born in San Diego, a city with an underdog culture where small startups transform into large enterprises that address giant markets. Perfect weather drives innovation—always sunny, 72 degrees, and 70 miles of beaches. Perhaps the combination of unique culture and weather has drawn...
Professor Hugh Brady
Vice-Chancellor And President, University Of Bristol
Innovation is the application of creative solutions to real-world problems – a basic maxim, and one that perhaps obscures the more complex processes that underpin its subject. In reality, innovation can require patient investment in both fundamental and applied research, cross-discipline and cross-sector collaboration, risk-taking, iteration, trust, vision and civic...
NWABISA MAYEMA
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR, BRANSON CENTRE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP, SOUTH AFRICA
We as a society cannot decouple our prosperity from our development. What we can’t do is decouple our prosperity from the challenges that we face. Those two go hand-in-hand. We simply can’t be prosperous without tackling certain challenges. Business can be and is a force for good. And in South...
NICOLAS GILOT
FOUNDER & CEO, ULTRA
Taking gaming and flipping it on its head with the use of blockchain technology was no small feat. Luckily, Nicolas Gilot and David Hanson, CO-CEOs of Ultra, have a strong background in the games industry and the innovative spark that made dreams come true for gamers and game developers around...
JIM KYUNG SOO LIEW, PH.D.
SOKAT
Innovation moves in waves, and America stands at the crest of the most consequential one yet – artificial intelligence. The nations and leaders who learn to harness AI’s full potential will define the next century of progress. Fortunately, the United States is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. Our strength...
GILL WAGNER
Serial Entrepreneur
Over a period of 40 years as an entrepreneur, while building six professional service firms and three nonprofits, I used to network like a madman. As you might imagine, with my hands in several things at once, it was sometimes difficult to answer the question: “So, Gill, what do you...
DAVID MALLETT
FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, YANUN PROJECT SERVICES
My people have been innovating on South Australian Country for more than 60,000 years. As a proud Ngarrindjeri man from South Australia’s South-East, my ancestors developed smart solutions to support their day to-day survival within the harsh Australian environment. For example, we would salvage small intricate bird bones to make...
DEREK ARMSTRONG
MANAGER OF INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS, PRAIRIES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA (PRAIRIESCAN)
I obviously knew of the proximity to the Rocky Mountains, but I didn’t know about all the wonders such as the Drumheller Valley, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park and Jasper National Park. I also didn’t know that Calgary is the third most diverse major city in Canada. Or that in 2022 it...
Carlos Guillén Gestoso
President And Professor Of Atlântica - Instituto Universitário
It requires an effective link between the university and the business sector, which encourages higher education institutions to train professionals and what the labour market demands, in order to encourage companies to invest in research and development as a strategic activity to incorporate knowledge and progress. We understand that the...
NEELIMA PARASKER
FOUNDER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SNAPIT SOLUTIONS
I’ve spent my entrepreneurial career pushing against a simple but powerful reality I witnessed: talent is universal, but awareness of opportunity is not. In a country where innovation fuels our future, we cannot continue leaving untapped potential sitting on the sidelines that happens to be our majority population. The next...
CLAUDIA DE MOOR
HR & FINANCE MANAGER, VOSSCHEMIE BENELUX & V-SURE
HR & FINANCE MANAGER, VOSSCHEMIE BENELUX & V-SURE Get to know your neighbour – entrepreneur and get out. I’ m active in Voka Lokaal Netland, Lier4business, JOL (youth entrepreneurship Lier) and I also do voluntary work. The region of Lier supports entrepreneurship and we like to support this with interesting...
RICHARD CHÉNIER
DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DU CENTECH
La prochaine décennie offrira plusieurs opportunités stratégiques à saisir en matière d’entrepreneuriat et d’innovation, particulièrement technologique. Plusieurs avancées scientifiques, jadis considérées comme fondamentales, transitent en effet actuellement à une vitesse fulgurante vers des applications réelles. Ces nouvelles applications se doivent d’agir comme catalyseur de solutions concrètes pour répondre à nos...