Thought Leaders
INNOVATE™ South Africa
MPUME NGOBESE
CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR, JOE PUBLIC JOHANNESBURG
With digital media usage higher than ever, more than 38 million people in South Africa are active on the internet, and 27-million consume social media content by liking, sharing, posting and commenting on everything from politics and the pandemic, to funnies and pictures of ‘fur babies’. Consumers have so many...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
PIETER DE VILLIERS
CO-FOUNDER & CEO, CLICKATELL AND CHAIRMAN OF SIMODISA
Whilst the majority of public sector efforts and incentives are aimed at job creation within South Africa, high growth technology entrepreneurs will be quick to point out that the skills gap is a bigger issue than the jobs gap. As a result, several high growth entrepreneurs and technology leaders across...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
AMIR ELION
THINK BIG LEADERS - CEO, INNOVATION AND AI ADVISOR, SPEAKER
Many years ago, when I was facilitating internal innovation workshops at Motorola, word got out, and executives would ask me to run “The Innovation Workshop” for their teams. I told them that I don’t have an innovation workshop, and that they should tell me what they aiming to achieve, and...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
TRAVIS OBERG
DIRECTOR OF DESIGN, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PROPERTIES GROUP
In a rapidly changing world, where the boundaries of what is possible continue to expand, the essence of innovation lies at the heart of progress. It is not confined to sterile laboratories or academic institutions; rather, it thrives in vibrant communities where collaboration, creativity, and a sense of place converge....
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™ 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® Blockchain
TRINIDAD HERMIDA, FOUNDER
THE HERMIDA COMPANY
Parents and guardians, hear me! You play an essential role in developing and guiding our youth/young adults of this generation and the generations to come. I know this is not rocket science or new information, but I wanted to be as blatant as possible with my intentions for the next...
INNOVATION Quebec
MARIE CLAUDE LAGACÉ
DIRECTRICE PRINCIPALE, INNOVATION ET TRANSFORMATION SOCIALE
Plus jeune, j’adorais tous les jeux, du hockey bottine avec mon frère jusqu’au jeu d’échecs avec mon père. J’avais une certaine aversion pour l’ennuyant Monopoly, qui prenait invariablement fin lorsqu’une personne (habituellement ma sœur) provoquait la faillite des autres. Pas de tueur à démasquer, pas d’épique bataille navale, de dessins...
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™ Alberta
JILL DE GROOD
DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS, W21C
Health and health care is something that impacts every single one of us, whether we want it to or not. In Alberta, we have seen tremendous developments in how health care is delivered and in the availability of innovative solutions to better manage care. At the same time, it feels...
Global Innovation Spotlight
LAUREN S MOORES
PHD DIGITAL INNOVATION LEADER, TEACHING FELLOW AT HARVARD BUSINESS ANALYTICS PROGRAM, USA FOR UNHCR
Digital transformation is a 20th century phenomena. As an early adopter of new technologies – and the digital age – I quickly embraced digital data structures and tend to think in data matrices, looking for the data keys to join data and discover new patterns. When I look to create...
INNOVATE® Detroit
LAURA L. CHAVEZ-WAZEERUD-DIN
PRESIDENT AND CEO, SOUTHWEST DETROIT BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
Innovation isn’t just about technology or groundbreaking inventions; it’s about fostering environments where communities thrive, cultures converge, and everyone has a seat at the table. As President and CEO of the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA), I have the privilege of leading an organization that has been a cornerstone of...
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
Terri Willingham
Executive Director of the Foundation for Community Driven Innovation
I think the word “innovation” is overused. Not that I don’t appreciate or value interesting ideas, but I think many things touted as innovative today are simply refurbished old ideas or mid-to-late 20th century concepts clothed in the early21st century parlance of so-called influencers. I think we need to be...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
KÄDI RISTKOK
CEO, ESTONIAN CLEANTECH ASSOCIATION
The past decade has seen a lot of shifts in the world and this is also inherent in the cleantech sector. Cleantech is no longer defined solely by its sustainability goals; it is positioning itself as a foundational driver of resilience, autonomy, and transformation across industries. Clean technologies emerging in...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
FLAVIA TATA NARDINI
CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, FLEET SPACE TECHNOLOGIES
TRANSFORMING INDUSTRIES. CHANGING THE WORLD.Australia’s vast natural resources have made it a global economic powerhouse. But with worldwide demand for minerals soaring, and finding new sources is becoming ever more complex and costly, our nation’s biggest industry urgently needs a radical new approach. One potential solution is seismic imaging. The...
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™ Bristol & Bath
Andy Salmon
Professor, Pro-Vice- Chancellor External
‘THOUSANDS HAVE LIVED WITHOUT LOVE, NOT ONE WITHOUT WATER.’ (W.H. Auden, First Things First) As someone whose life has been spent on the innovative interface between education and the creative industries, I have always been fascinated by the relationships between what we need and what we want – ‘love’ or...
INNOVATE® Seattle
DAN LEVITAN
MAVERON - CO-FOUNDER AND GENERAL PARTNER
The potential of capitalism lies in its ability to empower consumers and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. At Maveron, we advocate for a different kind of capitalism—one in which economic profit isn’t the only goal. Instead, we ascribe to a capitalism of compassion, where our values are intertwined...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
THE HON. STEVEN MARSHALL MP
MEMBER FOR DUNSTAN
My father was less than impressed with Andy Warhol’s art but as a furniture manufacturer competing against international businesses with much lower input costs he knew his business lived or died on its ability to continually innovate, to improve, to change. I took that lesson to heart and into government...
INNOVATION Quebec
GILLES DÉRY
PRÉSIDENT-DIRECTOR GENERAL, CQRDA
The idea of contributing to Quebec’s development is why I’m involved in the fast-paced world of innovation. It’s also the way to ensure an essential approach to our collective ambitions, in order to become a hub in several cutting-edge innovation sectors, notably aluminum. To this end, I am a fierce...
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
ERIC R. POLINS
MANAGING PARTNER
Businesses have focused on traditional methods of communications and marketing to spread their message to their customers. But those models have shifted and the pace at which communications is now delivered has accelerated to break-neck speeds. It’s easy for a company’s message to get lost amid all the chatter that...
INNOVATE® Nashville
CHIP CRUNK
CEO OF RJ YOUNG
My journey with RJ Young began while I was still a student at Ole Miss, working alongside my father and learning the business from the ground up. Back then, Nashville was a very different city – still rooted in tradition, but the seeds of change were beginning to sprout. Today,...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
Jim Stallings
CEO - PS27 Ventures
What is your vision for startup culture in Jacksonville? I believe Jax will become a first-tier city for entrepreneurs. We’re well on our way, there’s tremendous momentum and interest. We have all of the basics in place. We’ve been gifted a great natural environment that is a great place to...
MPUME NGOBESE
CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR, JOE PUBLIC JOHANNESBURG
With digital media usage higher than ever, more than 38 million people in South Africa are active on the internet, and 27-million consume social media content by liking, sharing, posting and commenting on everything from politics and the pandemic, to funnies and pictures of ‘fur babies’. Consumers have so many...
PIETER DE VILLIERS
CO-FOUNDER & CEO, CLICKATELL AND CHAIRMAN OF SIMODISA
Whilst the majority of public sector efforts and incentives are aimed at job creation within South Africa, high growth technology entrepreneurs will be quick to point out that the skills gap is a bigger issue than the jobs gap. As a result, several high growth entrepreneurs and technology leaders across...
AMIR ELION
THINK BIG LEADERS - CEO, INNOVATION AND AI ADVISOR, SPEAKER
Many years ago, when I was facilitating internal innovation workshops at Motorola, word got out, and executives would ask me to run “The Innovation Workshop” for their teams. I told them that I don’t have an innovation workshop, and that they should tell me what they aiming to achieve, and...
TRAVIS OBERG
DIRECTOR OF DESIGN, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PROPERTIES GROUP
In a rapidly changing world, where the boundaries of what is possible continue to expand, the essence of innovation lies at the heart of progress. It is not confined to sterile laboratories or academic institutions; rather, it thrives in vibrant communities where collaboration, creativity, and a sense of place converge....
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...
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...
TRINIDAD HERMIDA, FOUNDER
THE HERMIDA COMPANY
Parents and guardians, hear me! You play an essential role in developing and guiding our youth/young adults of this generation and the generations to come. I know this is not rocket science or new information, but I wanted to be as blatant as possible with my intentions for the next...
MARIE CLAUDE LAGACÉ
DIRECTRICE PRINCIPALE, INNOVATION ET TRANSFORMATION SOCIALE
Plus jeune, j’adorais tous les jeux, du hockey bottine avec mon frère jusqu’au jeu d’échecs avec mon père. J’avais une certaine aversion pour l’ennuyant Monopoly, qui prenait invariablement fin lorsqu’une personne (habituellement ma sœur) provoquait la faillite des autres. Pas de tueur à démasquer, pas d’épique bataille navale, de dessins...
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...
JILL DE GROOD
DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS, W21C
Health and health care is something that impacts every single one of us, whether we want it to or not. In Alberta, we have seen tremendous developments in how health care is delivered and in the availability of innovative solutions to better manage care. At the same time, it feels...
LAUREN S MOORES
PHD DIGITAL INNOVATION LEADER, TEACHING FELLOW AT HARVARD BUSINESS ANALYTICS PROGRAM, USA FOR UNHCR
Digital transformation is a 20th century phenomena. As an early adopter of new technologies – and the digital age – I quickly embraced digital data structures and tend to think in data matrices, looking for the data keys to join data and discover new patterns. When I look to create...
LAURA L. CHAVEZ-WAZEERUD-DIN
PRESIDENT AND CEO, SOUTHWEST DETROIT BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
Innovation isn’t just about technology or groundbreaking inventions; it’s about fostering environments where communities thrive, cultures converge, and everyone has a seat at the table. As President and CEO of the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA), I have the privilege of leading an organization that has been a cornerstone of...
Terri Willingham
Executive Director of the Foundation for Community Driven Innovation
I think the word “innovation” is overused. Not that I don’t appreciate or value interesting ideas, but I think many things touted as innovative today are simply refurbished old ideas or mid-to-late 20th century concepts clothed in the early21st century parlance of so-called influencers. I think we need to be...
KÄDI RISTKOK
CEO, ESTONIAN CLEANTECH ASSOCIATION
The past decade has seen a lot of shifts in the world and this is also inherent in the cleantech sector. Cleantech is no longer defined solely by its sustainability goals; it is positioning itself as a foundational driver of resilience, autonomy, and transformation across industries. Clean technologies emerging in...
FLAVIA TATA NARDINI
CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, FLEET SPACE TECHNOLOGIES
TRANSFORMING INDUSTRIES. CHANGING THE WORLD.Australia’s vast natural resources have made it a global economic powerhouse. But with worldwide demand for minerals soaring, and finding new sources is becoming ever more complex and costly, our nation’s biggest industry urgently needs a radical new approach. One potential solution is seismic imaging. The...
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...
Andy Salmon
Professor, Pro-Vice- Chancellor External
‘THOUSANDS HAVE LIVED WITHOUT LOVE, NOT ONE WITHOUT WATER.’ (W.H. Auden, First Things First) As someone whose life has been spent on the innovative interface between education and the creative industries, I have always been fascinated by the relationships between what we need and what we want – ‘love’ or...
DAN LEVITAN
MAVERON - CO-FOUNDER AND GENERAL PARTNER
The potential of capitalism lies in its ability to empower consumers and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. At Maveron, we advocate for a different kind of capitalism—one in which economic profit isn’t the only goal. Instead, we ascribe to a capitalism of compassion, where our values are intertwined...
THE HON. STEVEN MARSHALL MP
MEMBER FOR DUNSTAN
My father was less than impressed with Andy Warhol’s art but as a furniture manufacturer competing against international businesses with much lower input costs he knew his business lived or died on its ability to continually innovate, to improve, to change. I took that lesson to heart and into government...
GILLES DÉRY
PRÉSIDENT-DIRECTOR GENERAL, CQRDA
The idea of contributing to Quebec’s development is why I’m involved in the fast-paced world of innovation. It’s also the way to ensure an essential approach to our collective ambitions, in order to become a hub in several cutting-edge innovation sectors, notably aluminum. To this end, I am a fierce...
ERIC R. POLINS
MANAGING PARTNER
Businesses have focused on traditional methods of communications and marketing to spread their message to their customers. But those models have shifted and the pace at which communications is now delivered has accelerated to break-neck speeds. It’s easy for a company’s message to get lost amid all the chatter that...
CHIP CRUNK
CEO OF RJ YOUNG
My journey with RJ Young began while I was still a student at Ole Miss, working alongside my father and learning the business from the ground up. Back then, Nashville was a very different city – still rooted in tradition, but the seeds of change were beginning to sprout. Today,...
Jim Stallings
CEO - PS27 Ventures
What is your vision for startup culture in Jacksonville? I believe Jax will become a first-tier city for entrepreneurs. We’re well on our way, there’s tremendous momentum and interest. We have all of the basics in place. We’ve been gifted a great natural environment that is a great place to...