Thought Leaders

ST. LOUIS : A PLACE FOR SOLUTIONISTS. St. Louis is a community with deep civic pride. We’re aware of our challenges, but more importantly, we’re aware of our potential. As a person who has spent most of my career in the social sector, I am acutely aware of the role...

If there’s one leadership skill that’s quietly shaped every success I’ve had, it’s flexibility. Not intelligence. Not experience. The ability to adapt and lead change is what matters most. That mindset has carried me from blue-collar beginnings in Michigan to manufacturing plants in Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, and now Tennessee. I’m...

Quebec is a fertile ground for deep tech entrepreneurship, which relies on knowledge and cutting-edge research, opening up new perspectives in several high-tech fields. These companies push the boundaries of innovation and create innovative solutions that have a profound impact on our society. Quebec’s universities and public research centers play...

We live in an era of rapid disruption where global forces are now demanding our full attention. Emerging economies, geopolitical inflections, health risks, cyber threats, and changing employment prospects are now top of mind. Against this backdrop are digital technologies that are accelerating innovations and transforming industries faster than economies...

One of these cognitive errors is a failure to recognise the impact that outliers have in our increasingly interconnected world. Take for instance, the decision to create the Vitality programme. It is one outlier decision that had, and continues to have, an enormous impact on our entire business. A few...

Our vision statement ensures we will never lose sight of our innovation goal: “New Jersey will reclaim its stature as the Innovation State.” To be sure, New Jersey has a rich history of innovation dating back to our glory days of the 19th and 20th centuries when discoveries made in...

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...

As an entrepreneur, I have always been passionate about leveraging technology to enhance efficiency across various industries Michael Macolino, Managing Director SVG Ventures Thrive (APAC), Ex-Startup Founder & CTO, Focused on AgriFood Tech commercialisation and eco-system, TEDx Speaker, InDaily 40 under 40. At the age of 21, I started my...

This headline accompanied Washington Post nationally-syndicated columnist Neal Peirce’s column on St. Louis, following the completion of our BioBelt Strategy in 2000. Then in 2019, economists from the  Brookings Institution noted that “To succeed in the global economy, cities must invest in what makes them unique.” My now 40+ year...

Nashville’s rise as an innovation hotspot isn’t an accident; it’s the natural next verse in a city built on collaboration, craft and communities that show up for one another. Over the past decade entrepreneurs have turned “Music City” into a Startup City, translating the co-writing rooms and in-the-round sessions that...

Innovation, purpose, and sustainability intertwine to sketch the silhouette of tomorrow. Erik Anderson – a distinguished entrepreneur and executive renowned for his leadership across various sectors – stands at the vanguard, a guiding light illuminating the path to a future replete with promise and potential. His story of purpose-driven leadership...

In 1906, riots broke out in Verviers, Liège, caused by lamplighters protesting the electrification of city lighting. Today, Antwerp is experimenting with smart street lighting using software and smart sensors. This is just one example of how a twenty-first century city is in full digital transition. As alderman for the...

As I approached my retirement from U.S. Special Operations Command in 2014, I decided to keep serving my nation and the wider Special Operations community through the formation of a new professional SOF association – the Global SOF Foundation (GSF). Since 9/11 U.S. special operations forces (SOF) had over doubled...

Mentor and Investor “True tech innovation in India is happening in life sciences, nanoscience, chemistry, mechanical engineering and the like”, says Prof. Vijay Chandru, one of the earliest academics in India to move from an impressive career in academics to highly successful deep science entrepreneurship. “If you look at creativity...

Florida has always been something magnificent. Florida was formed by visionaries that believed it to be a launching pad for not just the future of the State itself, but for the United States as a whole. From Henry Flagler’s dream of a tropical paradise known as Miami, to Walt Disney’s...

Most of my career has been spent working within the visitor economy in some form or other; events, hotels, and venues but for the last 21 years, this has been within Destination Management Organisations (DMOs). There are forms of DMOs across the UK and the world, with all of us...

Prior to Founding AutonoMe William was a local lecturer teaching adults with Learning Disabilities and Autism for a number of years. It was here that he established his passion and began to see the world through the eyes of people with Learning Disabilities. This helped William see how his skills...

INNOVATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND CREATIVITYExperience has taught me that innovation is not just about creating something new, it also includes making improvements to existing products or systems. It is about taking a creative approach to problem solving and producing solutions that are unique, interesting, and useful. Innovation and entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand...

It might be odd to hear this from someone who leads incubation at a university, but not everyone needs to be an entrepreneur and not every startup will succeed. Our success has come as a result of embracing this experience, and how it develops students and innovators. Leveraging startup and...

Deborah German was appointed founding dean of the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in December 2006 following a distinguished career at Duke University, Vanderbilt University, and St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. She has overseen the construction of UCF’s 375,000-square-foot medical school at Lake Nona and is now...

We are seeing a surge in creativity as businesses look for new and innovative ways to stay afloat and emerge from this crisis successfully. Now more than ever your social capital counts. Today’s social climate encourages people to support local small businesses, creating a sense of community among us all....

As a CEO, entrepreneur, private company owner, and public company officer, Dr. Wayne Tamarelli’s 40+ years of experience have encompassed general management, entrepreneurship, new ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and many more. He also has investments in several wine industry businesses. His primary business activity is as a professional venture capital...

How often have you heard something like this: “Australia makes up only 1.3% of global emissions, and therefore why is it so important for Australia to do anything in relation to renewable energy targets and lowering emissions as we are not going to make any difference?” Make no mistake, sitting...

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...