Thought Leaders
VOICES of the Future
KUSHAL SHAH
ETHICS, INNOVATION, AND IMPACT
When talking with Kushal Shah, the Managing Director of e& capital, I am struck by the depth and range of his experiences. Kushal, a man whose life journey began in the serenity of Nairobi, Kenya, opened our conversation with a profound reflection on his roots. “I was born and brought...
INNOVATIONS in Pharmaceutical Development®
ROBERT SALCEDO
FOUNDER AND CEO, OCYONBIO GENE AND CELL THERAPY
Robert Salcedo was born in the Dominican Republic on August 26,1964. When he was ten years old, his family decided to immigrate to the United States in search of better opportunities. At an early age Robert understood the need of medicine accessibility for everyone regardless of social status or race....
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
PROFESSOR SIMON LUCEY
DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR MACHINE LEARNING (AIML), THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
Not only does Adelaide offer a great lifestyle and work-life balance for families, but in my field—artificial intelligence (AI)— the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) helps position the city as a global leader in research and innovation excellence. I’ve had the privilege of visiting many of the leading AI...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
Rui Pedro Almeida
Chair Of The British-Portuguese Chamber Of Commerce
We have worked with both the Portuguese and British Government, local municipalities and several institutions to find solutions and seek out opportunities to local, regional and global challenges and to support the private sector. Our primary mission is to promote bilateral trade and business opportunities between Portugal and the UK...
INNOVATION Quebec
FRANÇOIS GAGNON
DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL ET CHEF DE LA DIRECTION, ÉCOLE DE TECHNOLOGIE SUPÉRIEURE (ÉTS)
J’ai fait mes débuts comme professeur à l’École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) en 1991. Au cours de mon parcours en enseignement, en bâtissant ma carrière en recherche et, depuis 2019, en tant que directeur général de l’ÉTS, j’ai pu apprécier à quel point notre établissement a su s’imposer comme un...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
NICK ADDISON
CEO, ADELAIDE OVAL STADIUM MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
Whether in technology, the cost of goods and wages, contracts, regulatory variations, social and environmental change – the list is endless. However, in my opinion, changes in expectations is the most important dynamic. A business staying abreast of things on paper but deaf to a shift in mood from its...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
BONISWA PEZISA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MEDIOLOGY
Creativity, in the context of advertising and marketing, is and always has been a driving force for me. Being exposed to the power that brands can have on humanity and their collective behaviour has reinforced my ambition to always be a force-for-good, and leave a positive dent on the planet....
INNOVATE® South Carolina
DR. NIKKI HONEYCUTT
DIRECTOR, DANIEL MORGAN TECHNOLOGY CENTER
Career Centers: The New Workforce Suppliers I want you to imagine standing at the edge of a river. On one side are thousands of students—bright-eyed, full of energy, buzzing with ideas and untapped skills. On the other side are industries—manufacturing, healthcare, transportation—calling out for skilled workers, desperate for fresh talent...
Global Innovation Spotlight
DR. JOE PEREZ
SENIOR SYSTEMS ANALYST, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER
BALANCING ART AND SCIENCE: THE POWER OF DATA STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS INTELLIGENCEAs a seasoned thought leader in the realm of data analytics and business intelligence, I am passionate about communicating the innovative role of data storytelling in effectively communicating data-driven insights. While different perspectives exist on its nature, some viewing...
INNOVATE™ Flanders
MIEKE VERSTRAETEN
MANAGING DIRECTOR, INDUVER
Mieke Verstraeten is a Managing Director at induver, the sixth-largest independent broker on the Belgian insurance market. She, along with her husband Sjarel De Bondt, is also a second-generation shareholder in the company. induver’s vision for insurance is straightforward: individuals or companies should only take insurance for risks they are...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
Christine Schyvinck
President And CEO, Shure Incorporated
Business leaders choose different paths that eventually lead them to their present positions. Each individual journey can provide unique perspectives for unlocking success at their organizations. I’m proud of the path I chose, because it enabled me to immerse myself in the vision established by our Company’s founder, S.N. Shure,...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
SEEMA ALEXANDER
PRESIDENT & CO-FOUNDER, VIRGENT AI
We are amid society’s most unprecedented era of technological innovation – the next industrial revolution driven by the mainstream adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). For CEOs, founders, and organization leaders, this period surpasses the advent and rise of the internet. New business categories will emerge, while many companies that resist...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
OLIVER VÄÄRTNÕU
CYBERNETICA AS - CEO
At Cybernetica AS, we believe that technology is not just a tool; it is a force that shapes the future. We don’t simply build systems—we pioneer a philosophy rooted in cybernetics, the art of guiding and adapting systems. Inspired by the Greek word kybernētēs, meaning “steersman” or “governor,” we actively...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
ALI A. HOUSHMAND
PRESIDENT, ROWAN UNIVERSITY
WORDS OF WISDOMI’m a dreamer. I dream big. The ability to imagine a better reality helped transform my own life and, later, an entire institution. Yet, it requires a willingness to do something different, perhaps even radical. From my own experience, I can say that everything starts with education, whether...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
LINDA MACLACHLAN
FOUNDER, CHAIRPERSON AND PAMELA DIAZ, CEO, PRESIDENT - ENTARA
“Resilience” is a common word heard among the cyber security and IT crowd. Solution providers boast of tools that your business can employ to stay ahead of the pack – because, after all, it’s not the entire herd that’s taken down by a lone predator, but the slowest member. At...
INNOVATE™ Montréal
Catherine Mounier
Vice-Rectrice à la Recherche, à la Création et à la Diffusion | Vice-President Research - UNIVERSITÉ
English: UQAM joined the university landscape in 1969 and quickly distinguished itself through its commitment to serving society. Fostering entrepreneurship and social impact innovation, the University believes in the concerted ability of social actors to bring about change in response to issues as they arise. Building knowledge together Like many...
INNOVATE® Utah
Clint Betts
Executive Director - Silicon Slopes
Growing up, I spent countless hours throwing a baseball as hard as I could against the side of our family’s cinder block garage. If a better way of spending time existed, the world did a great job of keeping it secret. I thought “cinder block ball” was the official pastime...
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
Shane Needham
In marketing, the Engagement Economy is defined as the competition for the valuable attention and cognitive bandwidth of a target audience. It’s a very real and valuable asset that is becoming more complex and harder to attain with each passing year. But, this is not the Engagement Economy I’m talking...
INNOVATE® Houston
DR. ANDRE THOMAS
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE LIVE LAB, DEPARTMENT OF VISUALIZATION, TEXAS A&M
DR. ANDRE THOMAS,FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE LIVE LAB, DEPARTMENT OF VISUALIZATION, TEXAS A&M Education is ripe for disruption. Society’s been told – and accepted – that the textbook is holy and contains all knowledge. We also accept that a professor standing in front of 200 students in a classroom...
INNOVATION Quebec
LE RÉSEAU DES CCTT
MOT DE MICHEL LESAGE, PRÉSIDENT-DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DU RÉSEAU DES CCTT
Innover, c’est se donner la capacité, en tant qu’organisation, d’être au-devant du peloton. Cette position privilégiée nous permet d’exercer une force de traction positive dans notre milieu. Il s’agit d’une force rassemblant les acteurs d’une industrie vers un but commun. Une force de collaboratio indispensable au déploiement et au rayonnement...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
LING Y. HUANG
PRESIDENT & CEO, TECHNOLOGY NORTH CORPORATION
Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.” — Tom Freston The term ‘innovation’ often evokes visions of rockets bound for Mars, self-driving cars, or the alluring promise of fusion energy. Yet to me, innovation is as crucial in our daily lives...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
CAROL ANNE HILTON
MBA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, INDIGENOMICS INSTITUTE
I am the CEO and Founder of the Indigenomics Institute and the Global Center of Indigenomics. I am of Nuu chah nulth descent from the Hesquiaht Nation on Vancouver Island. In leading the establishment of a line of thought called #indigenomics- growing from a single word to an entire movement...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
DR. SIMIN CAI
CEO, GO!FOTON
FINDING THE ADDED DIMENSION“Innovation begins with the perception of a previously unnoticed additional dimension in a given frame of reference. It results from grasping a property of the status quo that’s been missed, and then following through on this changed awareness to implement either a solution to a problem or...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
JASON VANDEBOOM
FOUNDER AND CEO, ACTIVECAMPAIGN
Building and investing in a differentiated customer experience used to be thought of as a nice to have but not a critical item. When it made it into the business plan or the balance sheet it did so as a necessary cost of sale – a cost you’d look to...
KUSHAL SHAH
ETHICS, INNOVATION, AND IMPACT
When talking with Kushal Shah, the Managing Director of e& capital, I am struck by the depth and range of his experiences. Kushal, a man whose life journey began in the serenity of Nairobi, Kenya, opened our conversation with a profound reflection on his roots. “I was born and brought...
ROBERT SALCEDO
FOUNDER AND CEO, OCYONBIO GENE AND CELL THERAPY
Robert Salcedo was born in the Dominican Republic on August 26,1964. When he was ten years old, his family decided to immigrate to the United States in search of better opportunities. At an early age Robert understood the need of medicine accessibility for everyone regardless of social status or race....
PROFESSOR SIMON LUCEY
DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR MACHINE LEARNING (AIML), THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
Not only does Adelaide offer a great lifestyle and work-life balance for families, but in my field—artificial intelligence (AI)— the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) helps position the city as a global leader in research and innovation excellence. I’ve had the privilege of visiting many of the leading AI...
Rui Pedro Almeida
Chair Of The British-Portuguese Chamber Of Commerce
We have worked with both the Portuguese and British Government, local municipalities and several institutions to find solutions and seek out opportunities to local, regional and global challenges and to support the private sector. Our primary mission is to promote bilateral trade and business opportunities between Portugal and the UK...
FRANÇOIS GAGNON
DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL ET CHEF DE LA DIRECTION, ÉCOLE DE TECHNOLOGIE SUPÉRIEURE (ÉTS)
J’ai fait mes débuts comme professeur à l’École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) en 1991. Au cours de mon parcours en enseignement, en bâtissant ma carrière en recherche et, depuis 2019, en tant que directeur général de l’ÉTS, j’ai pu apprécier à quel point notre établissement a su s’imposer comme un...
NICK ADDISON
CEO, ADELAIDE OVAL STADIUM MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
Whether in technology, the cost of goods and wages, contracts, regulatory variations, social and environmental change – the list is endless. However, in my opinion, changes in expectations is the most important dynamic. A business staying abreast of things on paper but deaf to a shift in mood from its...
BONISWA PEZISA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MEDIOLOGY
Creativity, in the context of advertising and marketing, is and always has been a driving force for me. Being exposed to the power that brands can have on humanity and their collective behaviour has reinforced my ambition to always be a force-for-good, and leave a positive dent on the planet....
DR. NIKKI HONEYCUTT
DIRECTOR, DANIEL MORGAN TECHNOLOGY CENTER
Career Centers: The New Workforce Suppliers I want you to imagine standing at the edge of a river. On one side are thousands of students—bright-eyed, full of energy, buzzing with ideas and untapped skills. On the other side are industries—manufacturing, healthcare, transportation—calling out for skilled workers, desperate for fresh talent...
DR. JOE PEREZ
SENIOR SYSTEMS ANALYST, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER
BALANCING ART AND SCIENCE: THE POWER OF DATA STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS INTELLIGENCEAs a seasoned thought leader in the realm of data analytics and business intelligence, I am passionate about communicating the innovative role of data storytelling in effectively communicating data-driven insights. While different perspectives exist on its nature, some viewing...
MIEKE VERSTRAETEN
MANAGING DIRECTOR, INDUVER
Mieke Verstraeten is a Managing Director at induver, the sixth-largest independent broker on the Belgian insurance market. She, along with her husband Sjarel De Bondt, is also a second-generation shareholder in the company. induver’s vision for insurance is straightforward: individuals or companies should only take insurance for risks they are...
Christine Schyvinck
President And CEO, Shure Incorporated
Business leaders choose different paths that eventually lead them to their present positions. Each individual journey can provide unique perspectives for unlocking success at their organizations. I’m proud of the path I chose, because it enabled me to immerse myself in the vision established by our Company’s founder, S.N. Shure,...
SEEMA ALEXANDER
PRESIDENT & CO-FOUNDER, VIRGENT AI
We are amid society’s most unprecedented era of technological innovation – the next industrial revolution driven by the mainstream adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). For CEOs, founders, and organization leaders, this period surpasses the advent and rise of the internet. New business categories will emerge, while many companies that resist...
OLIVER VÄÄRTNÕU
CYBERNETICA AS - CEO
At Cybernetica AS, we believe that technology is not just a tool; it is a force that shapes the future. We don’t simply build systems—we pioneer a philosophy rooted in cybernetics, the art of guiding and adapting systems. Inspired by the Greek word kybernētēs, meaning “steersman” or “governor,” we actively...
ALI A. HOUSHMAND
PRESIDENT, ROWAN UNIVERSITY
WORDS OF WISDOMI’m a dreamer. I dream big. The ability to imagine a better reality helped transform my own life and, later, an entire institution. Yet, it requires a willingness to do something different, perhaps even radical. From my own experience, I can say that everything starts with education, whether...
LINDA MACLACHLAN
FOUNDER, CHAIRPERSON AND PAMELA DIAZ, CEO, PRESIDENT - ENTARA
“Resilience” is a common word heard among the cyber security and IT crowd. Solution providers boast of tools that your business can employ to stay ahead of the pack – because, after all, it’s not the entire herd that’s taken down by a lone predator, but the slowest member. At...
Catherine Mounier
Vice-Rectrice à la Recherche, à la Création et à la Diffusion | Vice-President Research - UNIVERSITÉ
English: UQAM joined the university landscape in 1969 and quickly distinguished itself through its commitment to serving society. Fostering entrepreneurship and social impact innovation, the University believes in the concerted ability of social actors to bring about change in response to issues as they arise. Building knowledge together Like many...
Clint Betts
Executive Director - Silicon Slopes
Growing up, I spent countless hours throwing a baseball as hard as I could against the side of our family’s cinder block garage. If a better way of spending time existed, the world did a great job of keeping it secret. I thought “cinder block ball” was the official pastime...
Shane Needham
In marketing, the Engagement Economy is defined as the competition for the valuable attention and cognitive bandwidth of a target audience. It’s a very real and valuable asset that is becoming more complex and harder to attain with each passing year. But, this is not the Engagement Economy I’m talking...
DR. ANDRE THOMAS
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE LIVE LAB, DEPARTMENT OF VISUALIZATION, TEXAS A&M
DR. ANDRE THOMAS,FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE LIVE LAB, DEPARTMENT OF VISUALIZATION, TEXAS A&M Education is ripe for disruption. Society’s been told – and accepted – that the textbook is holy and contains all knowledge. We also accept that a professor standing in front of 200 students in a classroom...
LE RÉSEAU DES CCTT
MOT DE MICHEL LESAGE, PRÉSIDENT-DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DU RÉSEAU DES CCTT
Innover, c’est se donner la capacité, en tant qu’organisation, d’être au-devant du peloton. Cette position privilégiée nous permet d’exercer une force de traction positive dans notre milieu. Il s’agit d’une force rassemblant les acteurs d’une industrie vers un but commun. Une force de collaboratio indispensable au déploiement et au rayonnement...
LING Y. HUANG
PRESIDENT & CEO, TECHNOLOGY NORTH CORPORATION
Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.” — Tom Freston The term ‘innovation’ often evokes visions of rockets bound for Mars, self-driving cars, or the alluring promise of fusion energy. Yet to me, innovation is as crucial in our daily lives...
CAROL ANNE HILTON
MBA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, INDIGENOMICS INSTITUTE
I am the CEO and Founder of the Indigenomics Institute and the Global Center of Indigenomics. I am of Nuu chah nulth descent from the Hesquiaht Nation on Vancouver Island. In leading the establishment of a line of thought called #indigenomics- growing from a single word to an entire movement...
DR. SIMIN CAI
CEO, GO!FOTON
FINDING THE ADDED DIMENSION“Innovation begins with the perception of a previously unnoticed additional dimension in a given frame of reference. It results from grasping a property of the status quo that’s been missed, and then following through on this changed awareness to implement either a solution to a problem or...