Thought Leaders
INNOVATE™ Alberta
RICK CHRISTIAANSE
CEO, INVEST ALBERTA
Known for a relentless ‘make it happen’ attitude, Alberta is gaining remarkable momentum with investors across the world by proving ourselves right here at home. Tech and finance are flourishing, energy and cleantech are diversifying, agriculture is innovating, and aviation and logistics are reaching new heights. With a track record...
INNOVATE® Utah
Ivy V. Estabrooke
Phd, Vice President For Government And Community Programs - PolarityTE
The United States has long depended on innovation, technology, and small businesses to maintain economic prosperity and a national security advantage. While much of this economic growth has come out of hubs on the East and West Coasts, Utah has managed to create a non-traditional innovation ecosystem that has resulted...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
JEFF LAFRENZ
CEO, VIZWORX
Innovation is a way of looking at the world around us. It has no geographic limits. It has no age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or culture limits. It applies to every industry, every profession. It is about being curious and not accepting the status quo. It is about asking why...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
DANTE DISPARTE
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER AND HEAD OF GLOBAL POLICY AT CIRCLE
While many people are preoccupied about the potential risks if digital asset innovations succeed, what are the risks if we fail? Billions of people are relegated to the financial shadows because analog financial services have reached a point of diminishing returns, which would be a terrible societal outcome. I advocate...
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
Tom Wallace
Managing Partner for Florida Funders
Early-stage innovation and technology companies are one of the best investment opportunities available today. Florida is at the forefront of a blooming technology landscape and Florida Funders, a hybrid of a venture capital fund and crowd-funding platform that invests in emerging trends, has a passion for growing the next generation...
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...
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™ Ottawa
Claude Brulé
President - Algonquin College
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...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
GUSTAV BUDER
FINTECH FOUNDER, BOARD-LEVEL ADVISOR AND ACTIVE INVESTOR - REGION PARTNER, BYBIT NORDIC
Most people don’t reject new ideas because they’re irrational. They reject them because they’re using the wrong frame. I learned this the hard way. Coming from the payment’s world, I initially looked at Bitcoin like a payment network and asked, “Why is it so slow?” That’s the classic mistake: judging...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
Manik Arora
Arora Engineers, inc
Philadelphia is the birthplace of our country and home to an eclectic mix of historical and modern infrastructure. However, with its rapid development over the years, the number of users is quickly exceeding the original capacity of its built environment. In response to this roadblock, two of our major transportation...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
TOM HAJDU
CEO, DISRUPTER
A little over five years ago, I had the privilege of serving as the Chief Innovator of South Australia, a position through which I could catalyze change. During that time, I spearheaded a pivotal initiative, transforming Adelaide into Australia’s first gigabit city and the first city outside the United States...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
HUBBA KHATOON
REGIONAL INNOVATION DIRECTOR (PRAIRIES), CANADIAN FOOD INNOVATION NETWORK (CFIN)
True innovation isn’t just about expertise and knowledge — it’s about having an unwavering passion to make a difference. Over the past decade, I’ve been fortunate to witness remarkable enthusiasm and drive that Alberta’s entrepreneurs bring to the table. As the Regional Innovation Director for Prairies Canada at the Canadian...
INNOVATION Manitoba
ANDREA LADOUCEUR, PRESIDENT & CEO, BIOSCIENCE ASSOCIATION MANITOBA
Manitoba Has a Bigger Story to Tell We can fall into the cycle of overestimating what we can accomplish in a year while underestimating what we can achieve in five to ten years. Sometimes, the greatest opportunities are “hiding” in plain sight. To make those larger, long-term goals a reality,...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
STUART COOK
CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER, VALLEY NATIONAL BANK
LEVERAGING OUR DIFFERENTIATOR IN THE AGE OF AI – PEOPLEWe are entering a new age of innovation where artificial intelligence will revolutionize the way we work, interact with our customers, and drive business outcomes. It’s going to impact all industries, including banking and financial services. Yet, while everyone rushes up...
INNOVATE™ Flanders
ANNELEEN VANDER ELSTRAETEN
FOUR & FIVE - MANAGING PARTNER
WHY INNOVATORS NEED A NEW BREED OF LAW FIRM When I first started my legal career, founding my own law firm wasn’t even a consideration. I was content working at a top-tier firm, focusing on drafting contracts and managing legal transactions. But everything changed during a business trip to Silicon...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
INDREK TULP
BOARD MEMBER AND HEAD OF THE COMPANY’S APPLIED RESEARCH CENTER, METROSERT.
If I had to distil my years in science, innovation and entrepreneurship into a single lesson, it would be this: real progress happens at the intersection of curiosity and practical need. My journey — from analysing heavy metals in water samples as a young chemist to establishing Estonia’s Applied Research...
INNOVATE® Georgia
MATHEW WITTE
ORTEC AMERICAS - CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER
Innovation. Optimization. Transformation. Those three words describe my unwavering passion for driving change at some of the biggest manufacturers and distributors across the globe. At ORTEC, we are not just in the business of providing advanced analytics and optimization – we are in the business of shaping the future, empowering...
INNOVATE® Nashville
RUSS BLATTNER
CHAIRMAN & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT SUPERWISE®
“Innovation in AI is not just about technology—it’s about trust. Without transparency, there is no adoption. Forrester, Gartner, and IDC emphasize that AI governance and accountability are now enterprise imperatives. Companies that ignore explainability will face declining adoption and increased regulatory scrutiny.” Innovation in AI is happening at a breakneck...
VOICES of the Future
ERIK ANDERSON
BLUEPRINT FOR A COMPASSIONATE FUTURE
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...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
ADRIAN TISATO
DIRECTOR, WRP LEGAL & ADVISORY
Adrian Tisato is a commercial lawyer with expertise in public administration and innovation, and decades of leadership in the arts, music, and film. When car manufacturing closed in Adelaide, he dedicated himself to working with the private sector and the State Government to open up new economic opportunities through innovation....
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
Brian Kornfield
Synapse - Building The Community, One Connection At A Time
Over the last year, I have been asked time and time again about my story: where I came from and why nobody knew my name. While the long answer involves transitioning from life as a rocket scientist to the President of Synapse (a 501c3 working to connect and organize the...
INNOVATE® Nashville
KEVIN JONES
CEO, CELERO
Historically, electronic payments solutions have been delivered by most banks as a secondary offering – often living in the bowels of the bank’s basements or tucked away into treasury as a secondary offering. Frankly, the early evolution of the payments landscape caused such posturing. Electronic payments and deposits were miniscule...
INNOVATION Quebec
FRANTZ SAINTELLEMY
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, CHANCELLOR AND CHAIR OF THE BOARD, UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL
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...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
FRANCIS J. GIANTOMASI
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, CSG LAW
Francis J. Giantomasi (Frank), a member of the Executive Committee of CSG Law, plays a critical role in the firm’s Real Estate, Development & Land Use Group. Over the course of his career, Frank has guided clients through a wide variety of planning, zoning and development projects throughout the Garden...
RICK CHRISTIAANSE
CEO, INVEST ALBERTA
Known for a relentless ‘make it happen’ attitude, Alberta is gaining remarkable momentum with investors across the world by proving ourselves right here at home. Tech and finance are flourishing, energy and cleantech are diversifying, agriculture is innovating, and aviation and logistics are reaching new heights. With a track record...
Ivy V. Estabrooke
Phd, Vice President For Government And Community Programs - PolarityTE
The United States has long depended on innovation, technology, and small businesses to maintain economic prosperity and a national security advantage. While much of this economic growth has come out of hubs on the East and West Coasts, Utah has managed to create a non-traditional innovation ecosystem that has resulted...
JEFF LAFRENZ
CEO, VIZWORX
Innovation is a way of looking at the world around us. It has no geographic limits. It has no age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or culture limits. It applies to every industry, every profession. It is about being curious and not accepting the status quo. It is about asking why...
DANTE DISPARTE
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER AND HEAD OF GLOBAL POLICY AT CIRCLE
While many people are preoccupied about the potential risks if digital asset innovations succeed, what are the risks if we fail? Billions of people are relegated to the financial shadows because analog financial services have reached a point of diminishing returns, which would be a terrible societal outcome. I advocate...
Tom Wallace
Managing Partner for Florida Funders
Early-stage innovation and technology companies are one of the best investment opportunities available today. Florida is at the forefront of a blooming technology landscape and Florida Funders, a hybrid of a venture capital fund and crowd-funding platform that invests in emerging trends, has a passion for growing the next generation...
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...
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...
Claude Brulé
President - Algonquin College
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...
GUSTAV BUDER
FINTECH FOUNDER, BOARD-LEVEL ADVISOR AND ACTIVE INVESTOR - REGION PARTNER, BYBIT NORDIC
Most people don’t reject new ideas because they’re irrational. They reject them because they’re using the wrong frame. I learned this the hard way. Coming from the payment’s world, I initially looked at Bitcoin like a payment network and asked, “Why is it so slow?” That’s the classic mistake: judging...
Manik Arora
Arora Engineers, inc
Philadelphia is the birthplace of our country and home to an eclectic mix of historical and modern infrastructure. However, with its rapid development over the years, the number of users is quickly exceeding the original capacity of its built environment. In response to this roadblock, two of our major transportation...
TOM HAJDU
CEO, DISRUPTER
A little over five years ago, I had the privilege of serving as the Chief Innovator of South Australia, a position through which I could catalyze change. During that time, I spearheaded a pivotal initiative, transforming Adelaide into Australia’s first gigabit city and the first city outside the United States...
HUBBA KHATOON
REGIONAL INNOVATION DIRECTOR (PRAIRIES), CANADIAN FOOD INNOVATION NETWORK (CFIN)
True innovation isn’t just about expertise and knowledge — it’s about having an unwavering passion to make a difference. Over the past decade, I’ve been fortunate to witness remarkable enthusiasm and drive that Alberta’s entrepreneurs bring to the table. As the Regional Innovation Director for Prairies Canada at the Canadian...
ANDREA LADOUCEUR, PRESIDENT & CEO, BIOSCIENCE ASSOCIATION MANITOBA
Manitoba Has a Bigger Story to Tell We can fall into the cycle of overestimating what we can accomplish in a year while underestimating what we can achieve in five to ten years. Sometimes, the greatest opportunities are “hiding” in plain sight. To make those larger, long-term goals a reality,...
STUART COOK
CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER, VALLEY NATIONAL BANK
LEVERAGING OUR DIFFERENTIATOR IN THE AGE OF AI – PEOPLEWe are entering a new age of innovation where artificial intelligence will revolutionize the way we work, interact with our customers, and drive business outcomes. It’s going to impact all industries, including banking and financial services. Yet, while everyone rushes up...
ANNELEEN VANDER ELSTRAETEN
FOUR & FIVE - MANAGING PARTNER
WHY INNOVATORS NEED A NEW BREED OF LAW FIRM When I first started my legal career, founding my own law firm wasn’t even a consideration. I was content working at a top-tier firm, focusing on drafting contracts and managing legal transactions. But everything changed during a business trip to Silicon...
INDREK TULP
BOARD MEMBER AND HEAD OF THE COMPANY’S APPLIED RESEARCH CENTER, METROSERT.
If I had to distil my years in science, innovation and entrepreneurship into a single lesson, it would be this: real progress happens at the intersection of curiosity and practical need. My journey — from analysing heavy metals in water samples as a young chemist to establishing Estonia’s Applied Research...
MATHEW WITTE
ORTEC AMERICAS - CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER
Innovation. Optimization. Transformation. Those three words describe my unwavering passion for driving change at some of the biggest manufacturers and distributors across the globe. At ORTEC, we are not just in the business of providing advanced analytics and optimization – we are in the business of shaping the future, empowering...
RUSS BLATTNER
CHAIRMAN & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT SUPERWISE®
“Innovation in AI is not just about technology—it’s about trust. Without transparency, there is no adoption. Forrester, Gartner, and IDC emphasize that AI governance and accountability are now enterprise imperatives. Companies that ignore explainability will face declining adoption and increased regulatory scrutiny.” Innovation in AI is happening at a breakneck...
ERIK ANDERSON
BLUEPRINT FOR A COMPASSIONATE FUTURE
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...
ADRIAN TISATO
DIRECTOR, WRP LEGAL & ADVISORY
Adrian Tisato is a commercial lawyer with expertise in public administration and innovation, and decades of leadership in the arts, music, and film. When car manufacturing closed in Adelaide, he dedicated himself to working with the private sector and the State Government to open up new economic opportunities through innovation....
Brian Kornfield
Synapse - Building The Community, One Connection At A Time
Over the last year, I have been asked time and time again about my story: where I came from and why nobody knew my name. While the long answer involves transitioning from life as a rocket scientist to the President of Synapse (a 501c3 working to connect and organize the...
KEVIN JONES
CEO, CELERO
Historically, electronic payments solutions have been delivered by most banks as a secondary offering – often living in the bowels of the bank’s basements or tucked away into treasury as a secondary offering. Frankly, the early evolution of the payments landscape caused such posturing. Electronic payments and deposits were miniscule...
FRANTZ SAINTELLEMY
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, CHANCELLOR AND CHAIR OF THE BOARD, UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL
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...
FRANCIS J. GIANTOMASI
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, CSG LAW
Francis J. Giantomasi (Frank), a member of the Executive Committee of CSG Law, plays a critical role in the firm’s Real Estate, Development & Land Use Group. Over the course of his career, Frank has guided clients through a wide variety of planning, zoning and development projects throughout the Garden...