Thought Leaders

INNOVATION Quebec

LAYLA NASR

CEO, MAKILA AI

En Amérique du Nord comme en Europe, la collaboration entre le milieu de la recherche scientifique et le milieu de la pratique professionnelle contribue au développement d’un savoir essentiel et bénéfique pour l’ensemble de la société. En matière de technologies et notamment en ce qui concerne l’intelligence artificielle, la diversité...

INNOVATION Quebec

CHRISTIAN AGBOBLI

Vice-Recteur à la Recherche, à la création et à la diffusion

This recognition of Quebec’s distinctive character in various fields is the outcome of a committed effort involving university research and innovation. Universities have spearheaded innovation through their large-scale research structures. Innovation is a process, an approach and a result that provides a new and different character to our ways of...

INNOVATE® Minnesota

Mouli Venkatesan

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® New Jersey Vol.2

KELLY BROZYNA

CEO-STATE DIRECTOR, AMERICA’S SBDC NEW JERSEY

New Jersey is an amazing, dynamic, and engaging state with a beautiful tapestry of people, landscapes, and industries. Having lived in several states nationwide, I can truly attest to New Jersey’s brilliance in spirit and ingenuity. It is synonymous and a bit foretelling that NJ was the first state to...

INNOVATE® Nashville

DJ KREAL

FOUNDER AT JAILCORE

Be Your Own Boss Growing up, my dad always told me to be an entrepreneur — to “be your own boss.” He believed in taking charge of your own destiny, and that message stuck. His belief carried me through Clemson University, where I majored in marketing and minored in entrepreneurship....

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

THERESA A LYONS

FOUNDER, LYONS & ASSOCIATES, P.C.

A LEGACY IN THE MAKINGOur clients are the heartbeat of our existence. They remind us why we chose this path. They are the reason we fight, innovate, and care. We carry their battles as if they were our own because, in truth, they are. The discipline of law falls under...

INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3

Tom Wallace

Tom Wallace – Managing Partner for Florida Funders

Managing Partner for Florida Funders

Early-stage innovation and technology companies are one of the best investment opportunities available today. Florida is at the forefront of a blooming technology landscape and Florida Funders, a hybrid of a venture capital fund and crowd-funding platform that invests in emerging trends, has a passion for growing the next generation...

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® New Jersey Vol.2

MICHAEL ROSE

FOUNDER OF VIGNETIC, PERMEVO AND TKTKONNECT

The global talent market is a pressing concern that affects organizations and economies worldwide. According to a survey conducted by ManpowerGroup, 69% of employers reported difficulty in finding skilled workers in 2022. This shortage has been attributed to various factors, including demographic shifts, skills gaps, and the rapid pace of...

VOICES of the Future

FABIOLA EYHOLZER

HUMANIZING WORK

In my conversation with Fabiola Eyholzer, co-founder and CEO of Just Leading Solutions, I was struck by her remarkable insights and profound understanding of human resources in today’s fastevolving corporate landscape. Fabiola, who hails from a picturesque Swiss mountain town, brings a unique blend of analytical acumen and deep empathy...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

Christopher M Wolfington

Christopher M Wolfington - Automating Peace Of Mind For The Modern Healthcare Consumer

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...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

JAYSHREE NAIDOO

JAYSHREE NAIDOO

CEO, YIEDI

Just over two decades ago I sat in a university lecture hall while pursuing an E Commerce course and we were introduced to our guest speaker for the day, she worked at a large bank, just like me, but her title fascinated me, she was called a “futurist”. Her main...

INNOVATE® South Florida

BETH WAGMEISTER

CEO, WAG - WORKPLACE ACCESSIBILITY GROUP

BREAKING BARRIERS: HOW THE WAG EMPOWERS BUSINESSES TO CREATE INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS Accessibility as a Catalyst for Innovation In the United States, the employment disparity between deaf and hearing individuals highlights a significant accessibility gap. According to the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC), only 48% of deaf individuals aged...

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® Jacksonville

Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.

Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.

Chief Executive Officer - Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA)

Innovation is at the heart of everything I do as the CEO of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), and something I expect my teams to integrate into all their initiatives. Being innovative means being bold—taking risks and toppling the traditional ways we’ve operated as providers of public transportation. My industry...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

DARREL FRATER

DARREL FRATER

INVESTMENT ASSOCIATE, VISIBLE HANDS

The record startup fundraising and investment climate of 2021 has slowed considerably as public market valuations for late-stage tech companies have declined drastically, and concerns around rising interest rates have added to VCs’ hesitation for making new investments. Black entrepreneurs, in particular, have been hit hard by this pullback from...

INNOVATE® Phoenix

Thiru Thangarthinam

Thiru Thangarthinam: CEO and Founder - MST Solutions

CEO and Founder - MST Solutions

Introduction MST Solutions launched in October 2012. Our headquarters are in Chandler, Ariz., and we have two additional offices in India (Chennai and Trichy). We have 275 employees (75 in Chandler, and 200 in India).  We’re the largest Salesforce partner in Arizona. From 2017 to 2018, we achieved 286% growth...

INNOVATE™ Montréal

Federico Puebla

Desjardin - Become Everyone’s #1 Choice. Be A Socio-Economic Leader. Enrich The Lives Of People And Communities

Directeur Innovation Ouverte - Open Innovation Manager - Mouvement Desjardins

French: ÊTRE PREMIER DANS LE CŒUR DES GENS. DEVENIR UN LEADER SOCIO-ÉCONOMIQUE. ENRICHIR LA VIE DES PERSONNES ET DES COMMUNAUTÉS. VOILÀ, TOUT À LA FOIS, UNE MISSION NOBLE, HUMAINE ET AMBITIEUSE. OUI, NOUS VISONS HAUT. NOUS L’AVONS TOUJOURS FAIT. ET NOUS LE FERONS TOUJOURS PUISQUE NOTRE HISTOIRE EST MARQUÉE DE...

INNOVATE® South Florida

MELISSA MEDINA

CEO & PRESIDENT, eMERGE AMERICAS

Innovation has been a foundational principle I’ve seen throughout my life. As the first-generation daughter of immigrant parents from Cuba, I learned early on from my parents and grandparents how creative, innovative thinking can help me navigate everyday obstacles and unpredictable circumstances. This drive to continuously innovate and think bigger...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

Carole Lamarque

CEO, Founding Partner Of Duval Union Innovative Marketing

Strategic Marketing, launching innovations and new technologies are my passions. I worked as a marketing leader for various companies in competitive markets. It was a privilege to work in these sectors. I look back on my very pleasant and extremely smart colleagues. Many of them supported me and made me...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

DAVID MARCHICK

DEAN, THE KOGOD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY; BA, UC SAN DIEGO (‘88)

DAVID MARCHICK; DEAN, THE KOGOD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY; BA, UC SAN DIEGO (‘88); MA, LBJ SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN (‘90);JD, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY (‘05). When people ask me about the value of business school, I think about it like this: it’s about...

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

MAX BROWN

MAX BROWN

Vice President Horizon 3 Technology

Although the aerospace industry finds itself in unprecedented times, at GKN Aerospace we have much to be excited about. Over the past 12 months we have maintained an important balance, with a firm focus on our short-term priorities in response to the corona virus pandemic, alongside continued support for our...

AI Québec

PROF. ANDREA LODI

PROF. ANDREA LODI

EST PROFESSEUR TITULAIRE EN OPTIMISATION MATHÉMATIQUE À POLYTECHNIQUE MONTRÉAL

À mon arrivée à Montréal en 2015, j’ai trouvé au Québec un environnement des plus stimulants, où la collaboration entre les grands établissements universitaires est non seulement encouragée, mais aussi reconnue comme un moyen de parvenir à une carrière fructueuse. Cela a sans aucun doute été un facteur déterminant dans...

VOICES of the Future

ARUNA NARAYANAN

REDEFINING SUSTAINABILITY FOR TOMORROW

Sustainability is a loaded – and vague – term nowadays. What is sustainability, and what does its impact mean for the future? Aruna Narayanan breaks down the barriers to understanding and decodes its complexities, while her insights serve as a guiding light of hope. This podcast was not just a...

LAYLA NASR

CEO, MAKILA AI

En Amérique du Nord comme en Europe, la collaboration entre le milieu de la recherche scientifique et le milieu de la pratique professionnelle contribue au développement d’un savoir essentiel et bénéfique pour l’ensemble de la société. En matière de technologies et notamment en ce qui concerne l’intelligence artificielle, la diversité...

CHRISTIAN AGBOBLI

Vice-Recteur à la Recherche, à la création et à la diffusion

This recognition of Quebec’s distinctive character in various fields is the outcome of a committed effort involving university research and innovation. Universities have spearheaded innovation through their large-scale research structures. Innovation is a process, an approach and a result that provides a new and different character to our ways of...

Mouli Venkatesan

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”...

KELLY BROZYNA

CEO-STATE DIRECTOR, AMERICA’S SBDC NEW JERSEY

New Jersey is an amazing, dynamic, and engaging state with a beautiful tapestry of people, landscapes, and industries. Having lived in several states nationwide, I can truly attest to New Jersey’s brilliance in spirit and ingenuity. It is synonymous and a bit foretelling that NJ was the first state to...

DJ KREAL

FOUNDER AT JAILCORE

Be Your Own Boss Growing up, my dad always told me to be an entrepreneur — to “be your own boss.” He believed in taking charge of your own destiny, and that message stuck. His belief carried me through Clemson University, where I majored in marketing and minored in entrepreneurship....

THERESA A LYONS

FOUNDER, LYONS & ASSOCIATES, P.C.

A LEGACY IN THE MAKINGOur clients are the heartbeat of our existence. They remind us why we chose this path. They are the reason we fight, innovate, and care. We carry their battles as if they were our own because, in truth, they are. The discipline of law falls under...

Tom Wallace

Tom Wallace – Managing Partner for Florida Funders

Managing Partner for Florida Funders

Early-stage innovation and technology companies are one of the best investment opportunities available today. Florida is at the forefront of a blooming technology landscape and Florida Funders, a hybrid of a venture capital fund and crowd-funding platform that invests in emerging trends, has a passion for growing the next generation...

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...

MICHAEL ROSE

FOUNDER OF VIGNETIC, PERMEVO AND TKTKONNECT

The global talent market is a pressing concern that affects organizations and economies worldwide. According to a survey conducted by ManpowerGroup, 69% of employers reported difficulty in finding skilled workers in 2022. This shortage has been attributed to various factors, including demographic shifts, skills gaps, and the rapid pace of...

FABIOLA EYHOLZER

HUMANIZING WORK

In my conversation with Fabiola Eyholzer, co-founder and CEO of Just Leading Solutions, I was struck by her remarkable insights and profound understanding of human resources in today’s fastevolving corporate landscape. Fabiola, who hails from a picturesque Swiss mountain town, brings a unique blend of analytical acumen and deep empathy...

Christopher M Wolfington

Christopher M Wolfington - Automating Peace Of Mind For The Modern Healthcare Consumer

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...

JAYSHREE NAIDOO

JAYSHREE NAIDOO

CEO, YIEDI

Just over two decades ago I sat in a university lecture hall while pursuing an E Commerce course and we were introduced to our guest speaker for the day, she worked at a large bank, just like me, but her title fascinated me, she was called a “futurist”. Her main...

BETH WAGMEISTER

CEO, WAG - WORKPLACE ACCESSIBILITY GROUP

BREAKING BARRIERS: HOW THE WAG EMPOWERS BUSINESSES TO CREATE INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS Accessibility as a Catalyst for Innovation In the United States, the employment disparity between deaf and hearing individuals highlights a significant accessibility gap. According to the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC), only 48% of deaf individuals aged...

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...

Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.

Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.

Chief Executive Officer - Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA)

Innovation is at the heart of everything I do as the CEO of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), and something I expect my teams to integrate into all their initiatives. Being innovative means being bold—taking risks and toppling the traditional ways we’ve operated as providers of public transportation. My industry...

DARREL FRATER

DARREL FRATER

INVESTMENT ASSOCIATE, VISIBLE HANDS

The record startup fundraising and investment climate of 2021 has slowed considerably as public market valuations for late-stage tech companies have declined drastically, and concerns around rising interest rates have added to VCs’ hesitation for making new investments. Black entrepreneurs, in particular, have been hit hard by this pullback from...

Thiru Thangarthinam

Thiru Thangarthinam: CEO and Founder - MST Solutions

CEO and Founder - MST Solutions

Introduction MST Solutions launched in October 2012. Our headquarters are in Chandler, Ariz., and we have two additional offices in India (Chennai and Trichy). We have 275 employees (75 in Chandler, and 200 in India).  We’re the largest Salesforce partner in Arizona. From 2017 to 2018, we achieved 286% growth...

Federico Puebla

Desjardin - Become Everyone’s #1 Choice. Be A Socio-Economic Leader. Enrich The Lives Of People And Communities

Directeur Innovation Ouverte - Open Innovation Manager - Mouvement Desjardins

French: ÊTRE PREMIER DANS LE CŒUR DES GENS. DEVENIR UN LEADER SOCIO-ÉCONOMIQUE. ENRICHIR LA VIE DES PERSONNES ET DES COMMUNAUTÉS. VOILÀ, TOUT À LA FOIS, UNE MISSION NOBLE, HUMAINE ET AMBITIEUSE. OUI, NOUS VISONS HAUT. NOUS L’AVONS TOUJOURS FAIT. ET NOUS LE FERONS TOUJOURS PUISQUE NOTRE HISTOIRE EST MARQUÉE DE...

MELISSA MEDINA

CEO & PRESIDENT, eMERGE AMERICAS

Innovation has been a foundational principle I’ve seen throughout my life. As the first-generation daughter of immigrant parents from Cuba, I learned early on from my parents and grandparents how creative, innovative thinking can help me navigate everyday obstacles and unpredictable circumstances. This drive to continuously innovate and think bigger...

Carole Lamarque

CEO, Founding Partner Of Duval Union Innovative Marketing

Strategic Marketing, launching innovations and new technologies are my passions. I worked as a marketing leader for various companies in competitive markets. It was a privilege to work in these sectors. I look back on my very pleasant and extremely smart colleagues. Many of them supported me and made me...

DAVID MARCHICK

DEAN, THE KOGOD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY; BA, UC SAN DIEGO (‘88)

DAVID MARCHICK; DEAN, THE KOGOD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY; BA, UC SAN DIEGO (‘88); MA, LBJ SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN (‘90);JD, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY (‘05). When people ask me about the value of business school, I think about it like this: it’s about...

MAX BROWN

MAX BROWN

Vice President Horizon 3 Technology

Although the aerospace industry finds itself in unprecedented times, at GKN Aerospace we have much to be excited about. Over the past 12 months we have maintained an important balance, with a firm focus on our short-term priorities in response to the corona virus pandemic, alongside continued support for our...

PROF. ANDREA LODI

PROF. ANDREA LODI

EST PROFESSEUR TITULAIRE EN OPTIMISATION MATHÉMATIQUE À POLYTECHNIQUE MONTRÉAL

À mon arrivée à Montréal en 2015, j’ai trouvé au Québec un environnement des plus stimulants, où la collaboration entre les grands établissements universitaires est non seulement encouragée, mais aussi reconnue comme un moyen de parvenir à une carrière fructueuse. Cela a sans aucun doute été un facteur déterminant dans...

ARUNA NARAYANAN

REDEFINING SUSTAINABILITY FOR TOMORROW

Sustainability is a loaded – and vague – term nowadays. What is sustainability, and what does its impact mean for the future? Aruna Narayanan breaks down the barriers to understanding and decodes its complexities, while her insights serve as a guiding light of hope. This podcast was not just a...

INNOVATE® Ecosystems