Thought Leaders

Innovation means different things to different people. For me it’s not about petri dishes and lab coats, it’s about the process through which great ideas are turned into tangible, measurable value. It’s an iterative process. It’s not just about having the idea, but about taking the necessary practical steps to...

When people hear the word “quality,” they often picture someone in a lab coat with a clipboard inspecting products on a production line. But quality isn’t a department—it’s a mindset. It’s a culture. It’s an expectation. And it should be embedded into everything we do. Quality is about doing it...

In my journey as a sustainability expert and innovation leader, I’ve come to see a powerful synergy between these two fields. Working across both sustainability and innovation allows us to turn today’s challenges into opportunities, creating solutions that benefit people, communities, and ecosystems alike. Above all, innovation and sustainability must...

  Claude Brulé, President – Algonquin College When Claude Brulé was appointed Algonquin College’s ninth president in mid-2019 he quickly embarked on an innovation agenda to establish experiential, personalized learning as the institution’s guiding educational principle for the future. “We know the people who walk through our doors, both physically...

Fostering a Culture of Innovation at Routeique™The core of our approach to innovation at Routeique™ is that we see ourselves as problem-solvers rather than service or technology providers. Whether it’s warehouse layouts or inefficiencies in last-mile delivery, our philosophy is that it’s essential to look at issues from new perspectives,...

We are living in the midst of a transportation revolution. When we look around, we can see fundamental changes in how people move around cities and towns across the world. In the San Diego region you can feel it every day. Everywhere you look people are driving electric cars, reducing...

Beata Mońka is a visionary entrepreneur whose experiences and opinions, explores the nuances life’s work has been a beacon of creativity, connectivity, and transformative leadership. Our conversation, set against the backdrop of a series celebrating the most influential minds of our time, unfolds as a symphony of ideas and insights...

WHY INNOVATION STARTS WITH PEOPLE, NOT PRESSURE For most of my career, I’ve worked at the intersection of technology, business, and culture. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few decades, it’s this: real innovation doesn’t start with tools, processes, or pressure. It starts with people. Since...

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...

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape defined by innovation and disruption, a growing number of seasoned corporate executives are embracing a paradigm shift, leaving behind the comfort of their executive roles to embark on the exhilarating journey of entrepreneurship. This transition represents more than a mere career change; it embodies...

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...

A new era of residential energy management is emerging in Australia in response to rising energy prices and environmental concerns. Driven by ‘prosumers’, so named as they both produce and consume resources, including energy, this emerging market has the potential to reshape homes of the future and it has already...

Jeanne Glass Founder & CEO, Virtualz Computing StartUp Draws on Minnesota’s Legacy of Tech InnovationAlthough several of my family members and friends worked at Honeywell, Sperry-Univac, Unisys, and Control Data, until founding VirtualZ, I didn’t have a full appreciation for the contributions of Minnesotans in creating the computer industry. Now...

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...

Silvia Lenaerts has always been a pioneer. She was the first chemist to achieve a PhD at IMEC. She founded a company on gas sensors, as well as the Bioscience Engineering department and her research group. Currently, she is full professor and vice-rector Valorisation & Development at the Universiteit Antwerpen....

Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) was created by Botswana Government with the specific mandate of entrepreneurship and enterprise development. LEA mandate extends to growing of exports and also assisting with establishing linkages between SMEs and big businesses that are crucial not only in growing SME market share but also in the...

As a Native Texan, my family has stretched back either 5 or 7 generations (depending on which parent I ask). While the early years of my life were split between San Antonio and Dallas, it wasn’t until I moved to the Texas Capital of Austin where I discovered the meaning...

Shamit Patel is the CEO of Alpha Nodus, developer of the Gravity Healthcare system, a revolutionary tracking system that reduces patient wait times, improves physician practice workflow and productivity, and protects revenue. He has 15 years of wireless startup experience, exits with acquisitions by Intel, Qualcomm & Alereon, and was...

Here at Open Bionics we build medical devices that enhance the human body. Our goal is to democratise the prosthetics industry and make it accessible so that every individual can feel empowered to reach their goals. It’s critical that the future of robotics evolves with purpose. I believe companies who...

Introduction The digital sector is experiencing an unprecedented demand for skilled professionals, creating a significant talent gap. Traditional education pathways alone are no longer sufficient to meet this demand. In early2024, Digital Nova Scotia surveyed our members and produced the2024 Digital Nova Scotia Workforce Survey. This survey highlights a promising...

EARLY INTERNET – SAN FRANCISCO, CA (1994 – 2003)As a kid in the early 80’s when I was obsessed with my Apple computer, my eyes were opened to the power of software. After an early start at IBM, I became an entrepreneur and moved to San Francisco. While my first...

Chef Satish Arora’s five decades at the Taj Group bring not just a legacy of culinary excellence but a treasure trove of wisdom, encapsulating the essence of a life devoted to passion, perseverance, and innovation. During our conversation, it becomes evident that his words serve as a compass for younger...

Dr. Mike Sinel is a luminary in medicine and health innovation, and his vision of the future embraces the spirit of togetherness and scientific exploration. Our conversation looks at the realities of medicine and longevity. A seasoned physician, a dedicated professor, a keen biohacker, and a dynamic entrepreneur — these...

At Instituto Superior Técnico we believe that although we cannot do more than the bigger ones, although we cannot do better than the best ones, we could be at least as big as the bigger ones and as best as the best ones. And we also believe that we can...