Thought Leaders

Research conducted at Polytechnique, especially our collaborative research, is a fundamental lever for innovation. For more than 50 years, we have been carrying out the majority of technology transfer activities through our many research partnerships with companies of all sizes, and with universities and other organizations worldwide. Through these collaborations,...

The Mechelen-Kempen region is ideally located between the port and the airport and close to the two big metropolises of Brussels and Antwerp. It is a place where it is good to live, work and do business. Where craftsmanship is a brand. The region is booming and many fine and...

What does it take to build a thriving innovation ecosystem? Ask around, and you’ll hear familiar answers: access to capital, incubators, and accelerators, and of course—collaboration. All of these are essential. But at Octane, we’ve discovered a deeper, more powerful driver: Collective Impact. Yes, capital is critical—it’s the price of...

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT Downtown Miami is experiencing one of the most dynamic urban reinventions in the world. Less than 10 years ago, Downtown was a 9-to-5 business district, but today businesses are launching and thriving, city streets are populated around-the-clock, parks and cultural venues now occupy land that sat vacant...

Developing innovation is a dynamic and ongoing process essential for advancing human knowledge, solving critical problems, and driving progress across domains. It requires creativity, strategic thinking, and effective execution to transform new ideas into tangible benefits. Innovation creates opportunities, fuels growth, and drives development across diverse fields, passing the torch...

As urban populations continue to grow and digital tools expand at warp speed, cities and public agencies around the globe are looking to new technologies to help manage resources in more sustainable and cost-effective ways. The San Diego region is no exception, where public leaders and organizations have made a...

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...

For decades, in-store customer experience has been a cornerstone of the competitive battlefield for brands. Creating a successful customer experience instore relies on tangible assets like product displays and brand representatives to ensure that customers are well served with a personalized shopping experience. Now, the disruption of the global pandemic...

I obviously knew of the proximity to the Rocky Mountains, but I didn’t know about all the wonders such as the Drumheller Valley, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park and Jasper National Park. I also didn’t know that Calgary is the third most diverse major city in Canada. Or that in 2022 it...

My late father will always be my original mentor and the embodiment of everything I have wanted to be…a successful doctor and business professional with a limitless heart for caring for others, an unending passion for giving to those less fortunate, and an unbounded love of being a parent. Losing...

He has participated in hundreds of conferences with thousands of early adopters and found that people were very lost in the complexity of investing in this new environment. He founded the first Bitcoin Meetup in Chicago because people needed a trusted guide who could advise them in real-time and connect...

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...

My career in economic development has spanned more than 20 years, and I’ve been honored to serve under five different governors. While they varied in political parties, all shared a common goal: advancing Arizona. Today, under Governor Ducey’s leadership, our state is recognized as a global leader in innovation and...

Innovation Increases RelevanceInnovation changes its meaning from person to person; however, I see it as a new or improved method, process, approach, product, strategy, or service that increases impact and value. Innovation helps organizations, products, services, and entire regions stay relevant. As such, communities and regions that promote and grow...

“The sky is not the limit anymore.” Quite a bold statement, likely to provoke more than a few raised eyebrows or some smug laughter. It is, however, the proud motto and goal of the students that enroll annually in Thomas More’s ICE honours programme, tailored for those students who want...

As a young woman, I had dreams, aspirations and a relentless drive to make my dreams a reality. I landed a job at a startup in my early twenties, and over the next two decades, I witnessed a massive revolution in everything from AI, social media to autonomous vehicles and...

In 1987, David Neff founded Neff Associates, an award-winning, full-service marketing agency. Specializing in branding, advertising, media buying and planning, public relations and social media, Neff Associates services clients across a diverse group of industries including real estate, hospitality, tourism, technology, entertainment, retail, B2B, banking and education. As a results-driven...

Taking gaming and flipping it on its head with the use of blockchain technology was no small feat. Luckily, Nicolas Gilot and David Hanson, CO-CEOs of Ultra, have a strong background in the games industry and the innovative spark that made dreams come true for gamers and game developers around...

Carolyn Porter is CEO of CytoSeek a discovery stage biotech company spun out of Bristol University developing the next generation of cell therapies for treatment of cancer. Carolyn has spent the majority of her career in the biotech sector working in University spin-out biotech companies, in translation of University innovations...

By 2030 , Quebec will witness the emergence of a tidal wave of new skills and therefore new companies in digital intelligence. Technical, professional and scientific profiles will be revisited, merged, transmuted into workforce profiles combining creative genius and advanced techniques that more effectively integrate the benefits of research. The...

GuideWell is driven by our mission to help people and communities achieve better health, which is why our enterprise is not content that today’s health care industry will serve the needs of people tomorrow.   Better health demands better interactions with consumers, deeper knowledge of what health needs are, and...

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...

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...

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...