Thought Leaders
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
DAVID RYAN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SA WATER
At its heart, innovation is a simple concept: to bring to life new ideas that deliver value and benefits. We all live in the realm of ideas, and from small ideas can come big changes. In my experience, people working on the frontline play a leading role in generating ideas...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
DR. FIONA KERR
CEO AND FOUNDER, THE NEUROTECH INSTITUTE
With expertise in engineering, the cognitive sciences, and anthropology, I delight in looking at innovation from both a technological and a human perspective, and am fascinated by the intricacies of the process, and how two aspects greatly impact its scope and quality. One is the benefit of deeply understanding the...
INNOVATE® Minnesota
Angie Conley
CEO - Abilitech
In my days at Medtronic, I remember Bill George used to say (as a lighthearted dig at General Mills), “We’re not selling Cheerios; we’ve got soul.” We all laughed, but even today I find it relevant in thinking about the importance of a mission. A mission-centered culture gives employees purpose,...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
JOE VOLPE
CO-FOUNDER, CESCAPHE
As the co-founder of Cescaphe, I never set out to disrupt the hospitality and events industry, I set out to create an experience I couldn’t find elsewhere. When we launched Cescaphe, the traditional wedding and event model was fragmented, making for an unpleasant client experience, when it should be a...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
STUART CULLUM
PRESIDENT, RED DEER POLYTECHNIC
Over the course of my career, I have been a teacher, a farmer, a business analyst, an investor, and an applied research and academic leader. I’ve come to understand that the problems and opportunities in our world are highly complex; they are multi-faceted and require multi-disciplinary responses. No single expert,...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
TIGE SAVAGE
MANAGING PARTNER OF REVOLUTION VENTURES AND CO-FOUNDER OF REVOLUTION
I’ve been fortunate to partner with brilliant startup leaders during my career, and it’s often the companies that require the most grit that are the most rewarding experiences. The pursuit of great challenges is also something I look for in my personal life. I recently sailed – backwards – around...
INNOVATE® Nashville
JAMES CROWE
FOUNDER, VANDERBILT VACCINE CENTER
I am a physician and a scientist, and I study the human immune system. When I was a senior medical student training to be a physician, I worked for several months as a pediatrician in a rural hospital in East Africa. The work was challenging to me, because of the...
INNOVATE® Minnesota
Mouli Venkatesan
Senior Vice President & CIO - Optumhealth & Enterprise Clinical Technology
Innovation means constantly learning from experiences of the past and using those as guideposts and insights to invent a better future—in this case, to make the health care system serve everyone better. Innovation can mean many things. I look at Innovation using a lens of small “i” and BIG “I”...
INNOVATE® Gainesville
Christine E. Schmidt
J. Crayton Pruitt Family Chair & Department Chair Of Biomedical Engineering - University Of Florida
One of the most important jobs of any leader is to create a vision for what they want to accomplish and to implement a realistic plan to realize that vision. It was fundamentally important to me in executing my vision to identify what voices were not being heard and to...
INNOVATE® San Diego Vol.1
Jenn Foster
CEO - Elite Online Publishing
We often hear about the groundbreaking moment that inspires people, but for me, it was a series of moments that guided me. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit; it runs in my blood. My grandfather and father were wonderful examples of leadership and the freedom that owning a company brings....
INNOVATE® Northern Virginia
BRUCE CASWELL, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MAXIMUS
BRUCE CASWELL, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MAXIMUS That belief has been a common thread throughout my career. I feel it more now than ever because the gap between what’s possible and what is often delivered is still too wide. Today’s expectations are shaped by the commercial world – instant,...
INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada
OWEN SAGNESS
CEO, DIGITAL NOVA SCOTIA (DNS)
Introduction The digital sector is experiencing an unprecedented demand for skilled professionals, creating a significant talent gap. Traditional education pathways alone are no longer sufficient to meet this demand. In early2024, Digital Nova Scotia surveyed our members and produced the2024 Digital Nova Scotia Workforce Survey. This survey highlights a promising...
INNOVATION Quebec
GILLES DÉRY
PRÉSIDENT-DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL, CQRDA
L’idée de contribuer à l’épanouissement du Québec est la raison pour laquelle je m’implique dans le monde passionnant de l’innovation. Cette implication est, selon moi, la voie pour assurer une approche incontournable et essentielle à nos ambitions collectives, afin de devenir une plaque tournante dans plusieurs secteurs de pointe de...
INNOVATE® Georgia
AARON HARRIS
GLOBAL CTO AT SAGE
In countless ways, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the often-unsung heroes on the frontlines of the U.S. economy by providing jobs, uplifting communities, and facing the future with optimism and resilience. That’s why I’m so proud that Sage has made such strong commitments on behalf of SMBs to deliver...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
AARON CHIN
CEO, ORGANIKA HEALTH PRODUCTS
What does that mean?Armed with a sincere drive to help people live healthier, Aaron took to innovation. He saw that the health and wellness industry catered to niche markets and specific demographics. “I wanted to disrupt the health industry. So, we invested in innovation to formulate health products that are...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
MARIAM NUSRAT
FOUNDER & CEO OF BRESHNA.IO
Innovation goes beyond creating something new; it’s about making a meaningful difference. My journey, from Pakistan to the World Bank and into the realms of technology and communications, has been driven by this ethos. The turning point was recognizing gaming’s potential as a tool for impactful communication. With a background...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
JANA KRIMPE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CO-FOUNDER, B.EST SOLUTIONS
Digital transformation is often viewed in terms of platforms, applications, or the latest disruptive technology. But these are only surface layers. The true foundation of a digital society is trust and trust begins with secure digital identity. Without it, governments cannot serve effectively, businesses cannot scale confidently, and citizens are...
INNOVATE™ Ottawa
Decades of ups and downs, helping others start companies, starting my own companies (and sometimes failing) has taught me the power of pattern recognition. It is key to both innovation and entrepreneurship because it is also at the core of being an early adopter and a connector. That was how...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
SOFIA STOLBERG
CEO PILOTO 151
THE GENESIS AND EVOLUTION OF PUERTO RICO’S ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM AND WHAT’S NEEDED TO CHARGE AHEADFew people know that in 2010 Puerto Rico pioneered the first multistakeholder entrepreneurship ecosystem project in the world. Led by the Island’s most successful entrepreneurs in partnership with the Department of Economic Development, the Puerto Rico...
INNOVATE® Kansas City
PHIL ABRAHAM
THE VISION OF BRILLIANCY QUANTUM BRANDS
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...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
PROFESSOR TOMMY WHITE
DIRECTOR, VELORIC CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP; SENIOR PROFESSORIAL LECTURER
PROFESSOR TOMMY WHITE, DIRECTOR, VELORIC CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP; SENIOR PROFESSORIAL LECTURER, KOGOD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS; AMERICAN UNIVERSITY (AU)AU/KSB MBA ’95, BA HISTORY & ECONOMICS, UNC-CH ‘86 I often encounter bright minds shackled by a crippling anxiety: the fear of failure. It’s a common thread woven through the fabric of the...
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
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...
VOICES of the Future
BRETT KING
THE FUTURE OF BANKING
Brett King stands as a beacon of innovation and foresight. His journey, a blend of passion for technology and a keen eye for the ever evolving financial landscape, positions him uniquely as a leading voice in the realm of digital banking and fintech. Delving into his insights, Brett’s narrative reveals...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
Christopher M Wolfington
Automating Peace Of Mind For The Modern Healthcare Consumer
Many people think that the healthcare system is broken because hospitals & insurance companies charge too much. The fact is, the market has seen a massive shift in financial responsibility for healthcare costs to the consumer. Combined with increased compliance burdens, the result is a massive spike in consumer out-of-pocket...
DAVID RYAN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SA WATER
At its heart, innovation is a simple concept: to bring to life new ideas that deliver value and benefits. We all live in the realm of ideas, and from small ideas can come big changes. In my experience, people working on the frontline play a leading role in generating ideas...
DR. FIONA KERR
CEO AND FOUNDER, THE NEUROTECH INSTITUTE
With expertise in engineering, the cognitive sciences, and anthropology, I delight in looking at innovation from both a technological and a human perspective, and am fascinated by the intricacies of the process, and how two aspects greatly impact its scope and quality. One is the benefit of deeply understanding the...
Angie Conley
CEO - Abilitech
In my days at Medtronic, I remember Bill George used to say (as a lighthearted dig at General Mills), “We’re not selling Cheerios; we’ve got soul.” We all laughed, but even today I find it relevant in thinking about the importance of a mission. A mission-centered culture gives employees purpose,...
JOE VOLPE
CO-FOUNDER, CESCAPHE
As the co-founder of Cescaphe, I never set out to disrupt the hospitality and events industry, I set out to create an experience I couldn’t find elsewhere. When we launched Cescaphe, the traditional wedding and event model was fragmented, making for an unpleasant client experience, when it should be a...
STUART CULLUM
PRESIDENT, RED DEER POLYTECHNIC
Over the course of my career, I have been a teacher, a farmer, a business analyst, an investor, and an applied research and academic leader. I’ve come to understand that the problems and opportunities in our world are highly complex; they are multi-faceted and require multi-disciplinary responses. No single expert,...
TIGE SAVAGE
MANAGING PARTNER OF REVOLUTION VENTURES AND CO-FOUNDER OF REVOLUTION
I’ve been fortunate to partner with brilliant startup leaders during my career, and it’s often the companies that require the most grit that are the most rewarding experiences. The pursuit of great challenges is also something I look for in my personal life. I recently sailed – backwards – around...
JAMES CROWE
FOUNDER, VANDERBILT VACCINE CENTER
I am a physician and a scientist, and I study the human immune system. When I was a senior medical student training to be a physician, I worked for several months as a pediatrician in a rural hospital in East Africa. The work was challenging to me, because of the...
Mouli Venkatesan
Senior Vice President & CIO - Optumhealth & Enterprise Clinical Technology
Innovation means constantly learning from experiences of the past and using those as guideposts and insights to invent a better future—in this case, to make the health care system serve everyone better. Innovation can mean many things. I look at Innovation using a lens of small “i” and BIG “I”...
Christine E. Schmidt
J. Crayton Pruitt Family Chair & Department Chair Of Biomedical Engineering - University Of Florida
One of the most important jobs of any leader is to create a vision for what they want to accomplish and to implement a realistic plan to realize that vision. It was fundamentally important to me in executing my vision to identify what voices were not being heard and to...
Jenn Foster
CEO - Elite Online Publishing
We often hear about the groundbreaking moment that inspires people, but for me, it was a series of moments that guided me. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit; it runs in my blood. My grandfather and father were wonderful examples of leadership and the freedom that owning a company brings....
BRUCE CASWELL, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MAXIMUS
BRUCE CASWELL, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MAXIMUS That belief has been a common thread throughout my career. I feel it more now than ever because the gap between what’s possible and what is often delivered is still too wide. Today’s expectations are shaped by the commercial world – instant,...
OWEN SAGNESS
CEO, DIGITAL NOVA SCOTIA (DNS)
Introduction The digital sector is experiencing an unprecedented demand for skilled professionals, creating a significant talent gap. Traditional education pathways alone are no longer sufficient to meet this demand. In early2024, Digital Nova Scotia surveyed our members and produced the2024 Digital Nova Scotia Workforce Survey. This survey highlights a promising...
GILLES DÉRY
PRÉSIDENT-DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL, CQRDA
L’idée de contribuer à l’épanouissement du Québec est la raison pour laquelle je m’implique dans le monde passionnant de l’innovation. Cette implication est, selon moi, la voie pour assurer une approche incontournable et essentielle à nos ambitions collectives, afin de devenir une plaque tournante dans plusieurs secteurs de pointe de...
AARON HARRIS
GLOBAL CTO AT SAGE
In countless ways, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the often-unsung heroes on the frontlines of the U.S. economy by providing jobs, uplifting communities, and facing the future with optimism and resilience. That’s why I’m so proud that Sage has made such strong commitments on behalf of SMBs to deliver...
AARON CHIN
CEO, ORGANIKA HEALTH PRODUCTS
What does that mean?Armed with a sincere drive to help people live healthier, Aaron took to innovation. He saw that the health and wellness industry catered to niche markets and specific demographics. “I wanted to disrupt the health industry. So, we invested in innovation to formulate health products that are...
MARIAM NUSRAT
FOUNDER & CEO OF BRESHNA.IO
Innovation goes beyond creating something new; it’s about making a meaningful difference. My journey, from Pakistan to the World Bank and into the realms of technology and communications, has been driven by this ethos. The turning point was recognizing gaming’s potential as a tool for impactful communication. With a background...
JANA KRIMPE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CO-FOUNDER, B.EST SOLUTIONS
Digital transformation is often viewed in terms of platforms, applications, or the latest disruptive technology. But these are only surface layers. The true foundation of a digital society is trust and trust begins with secure digital identity. Without it, governments cannot serve effectively, businesses cannot scale confidently, and citizens are...
SOFIA STOLBERG
CEO PILOTO 151
THE GENESIS AND EVOLUTION OF PUERTO RICO’S ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM AND WHAT’S NEEDED TO CHARGE AHEADFew people know that in 2010 Puerto Rico pioneered the first multistakeholder entrepreneurship ecosystem project in the world. Led by the Island’s most successful entrepreneurs in partnership with the Department of Economic Development, the Puerto Rico...
PHIL ABRAHAM
THE VISION OF BRILLIANCY QUANTUM BRANDS
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...
PROFESSOR TOMMY WHITE
DIRECTOR, VELORIC CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP; SENIOR PROFESSORIAL LECTURER
PROFESSOR TOMMY WHITE, DIRECTOR, VELORIC CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP; SENIOR PROFESSORIAL LECTURER, KOGOD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS; AMERICAN UNIVERSITY (AU)AU/KSB MBA ’95, BA HISTORY & ECONOMICS, UNC-CH ‘86 I often encounter bright minds shackled by a crippling anxiety: the fear of failure. It’s a common thread woven through the fabric of the...
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...
BRETT KING
THE FUTURE OF BANKING
Brett King stands as a beacon of innovation and foresight. His journey, a blend of passion for technology and a keen eye for the ever evolving financial landscape, positions him uniquely as a leading voice in the realm of digital banking and fintech. Delving into his insights, Brett’s narrative reveals...
Christopher M Wolfington
Automating Peace Of Mind For The Modern Healthcare Consumer
Many people think that the healthcare system is broken because hospitals & insurance companies charge too much. The fact is, the market has seen a massive shift in financial responsibility for healthcare costs to the consumer. Combined with increased compliance burdens, the result is a massive spike in consumer out-of-pocket...