Thought Leaders

INNOVATE® Detroit

RYAN LANDAU

FOUNDER AND CEO OF PURPOSE JOBS

There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic brought on an irreversible shift in the recruiting industry. Of course the sudden move to remote work (and for some, the eventual transition back to the office) turned the way startups hire on its head. But there was an even greater shift that...

INNOVATE® Northern Virginia

MILE CORRIGAN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NOBLIS

MILE CORRIGAN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NOBLIS I’ve always been drawn to science and technology – not for what it is, but to solve complex problems that matter. Science and technology both serve as pathways to uncover what’s possible and bring it into reality. Two decades later, those possibilities,...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

DOUGLAS HOLT

MBA, ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, INVESTMENTS, ALBERTA INNOVATES

Innovation. It’s the relentless pursuit of new ideas, challenging the status quo, and shaping a better future. At Alberta Innovates, we believe innovation is key to growing the economy, expanding markets and creating new and better opportunities for Albertans. We are the province’s most comprehensive research and innovation agency, providing...

VOICES of the Future

CARA DE LANGE

THE FUTURE IS SOFTER

In the evolving corporate world, Cara de Lange stands out as a change-maker, TEDx speaker, author of ‘Softer Success,’ host of the Work Reset Revolution podcast, and a burnout researcher, advocating a shift from traditional corporate success to prioritizing employee well being. As the founder of Softer Success, Cara developed...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

REENA SAHNEY

OWNER & FOUNDER, JIVA CONSULTING

Alberta has a rich history of entrepreneurialism originating in the oil and gas industry. From the first discovery of oil around 1900 to the rapid growth starting in the middle of the 20th century, fossil fuels have been the economic engine of the province. With one of the largest reserves...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

LARS-GÖRAN FRÖJD

FOUNDER & CEO, VIRTUAL MANAGEMENT

An innovative culture is shifting but it must define areas of curiosity that mixes with experience and then you could open your eyes and find the intangible assets that all individuals and organizations have. When we established Virtual Management back in 1995 the knowledge of “virtual” was very limited and...

INNOVATE® Nashville

MARIA F. MCLENDON

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER AT FIRST SOUTH FINANCIAL

Every day, I’m reminded that the world of financial services is both exciting and challenging. We live in a time when consumers are flooded with options, yet too often, they’re still unsure where to turn for real guidance and personal connection. In my experience, the three biggest challenges facing our...

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™ Oeiras

Miguel Almeida

Miguel Almeida

General Manager, Cisco Portugal

I always like to say that I guide my life, both personally and professionally, by some principles that I learned in the years I practiced Rugby: respect, teamwork, resilience, discipline and the ability to enjoy, at the end of each day, the fruits of what I did with it. It...

INNOVATE® Detroit

TINA KOZAK

FRANCO - CEO

It’s an amazing time to be a Detroiter. Yes, the city has its fair share of challenges, but its reputation is on the rise. As noted in a recent PR News article about Detroit’s renaissance, “Behind every rehabbed reputation lies really hard work, dedicated individuals and, of course, some strategic...

INNOVATE® San Diego Vol.1

Bob Kain

I’ve been fortunate enough to live a life distinguished by constant progression, from understanding to impacting, particularly in my career. Trained as a physicist, I was fueled by a deep drive to understand some of the most complex “whys” of our world. Quickly I learned that understanding is more satisfying...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

PETER KRUSE

ENTREPRENEUR & INVESTOR

Most people know the statistics: most new businesses can’t pay a market salary and stay profitable within five years. Funding dries up. The idea wasn’t strong enough. There was no real product–market fit. On paper, the odds look discouraging. So why would anyone step into that arena? For me, the...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

JACQUES VANDERMEIREN

CEO, PORT OF ANTWERP / ANNICK DE RIDDER, PORT VICE MAYOR, PORT OF ANTWERP

Jacques Vandermeiren is CEO of Port of Antwerp since 2017. He is an active board member of the digital platform NxtPort, Kunsthuis Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and the Belgian coffee brand Vascobelo. He is also cofounder and Chairman of the sustainability platform The Shift. Annick De Ridder is chair of the...

INNOVATE® Minnesota

Geoff Martha

Geoff Martha - President & CEO - Medtronic

President & CEO - Medtronic

Geoff Martha President & CEO – Medtronic Millions of Americans are affected by pain and have been prescribed systemic opioids as part of their treatment plan. Whether for chronic or acute pain, prescribing systemic opioids continues, despite the limited evidence on the benefits of long-term systemic opioid therapy and evidence...

INNOVATE® Minnesota

Jeanne Glass

Jeanne Glass

Founder & CEO, VirtualZ Computing

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...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

BRIDGITTE ANDERSON

ICD.D, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE GREATER VANCOUVER BOARD OF TRADE

Bridgitte Anderson ICD.D became the first female President and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade in the 132-year history of the organization in 2019. Her career spans multiple disciplines ranging from business consulting to public policy and communications to journalism. The long-term viability of companies increasingly depends on...

INNOVATION Quebec

CHRISTIAN AGBOBLI

Vice-Recteur à la Recherche, à la création et à la diffusion

This recognition of Quebec’s distinctive character in various fields is the outcome of a committed effort involving university research and innovation. Universities have spearheaded innovation through their large-scale research structures. Innovation is a process, an approach and a result that provides a new and different character to our ways of...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

DORRI MCWHORTER

DORRI MCWHORTER-PRESIDENT & CEO OF YMCA OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO

PRESIDENT & CEO OF YMCA OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO

  People will be studying the global pandemic’s effects on the workplace for decades to come. The trends it accelerated. The inequality it exposed. The countless challenges and opportunities it created. However, there is one thing that is already perfectly clear, and business leaders in every industry across the country...

INNOVATE® Blockchain

SHAUN M. ROWLES

Author, The Money revolution

GOLD RUSHOn January 24th, 1848, Swiss-born Johann Sutter was dismayed by the news that his chief mechanic delivered: Gold had been discovered on the site of Sutter’s sawmill. Most readers are aware that this discovery kicked off the “California Gold Rush,” but few ever hear of Sutter’s immediate reaction: “From...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

James Mutter - Lawyer & Co-Founder - Whiteboard Law

I started focusing on the technology sector in the mid -90s when I joined a large national law firm in Vancouver. Over the span of 25+ years, I have been a lawyer, co-founder of a software company, President of the BC Premier’s Technology Council, CEO of a fintech company, Senior...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

MARTIN K HAESE MBA, ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Entrepreneur, Educator and Advocate | Special Envoy to Singapore and Southeast Asia for Trade

I am fascinated by the common threads of achievement that come to define an individual’s contribution to their chosen field of endeavour. I am equally fascinated by how communities, cites and nations do the same. I now turn that lens onto my own career in a quest to articulate my...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

GIOVANNI MENDEZ

GIOVANNI MENDEZ

CEO, GEO

“PUERTO RICO IS BLOOMING AS A GLOBAL HUB FOR INNOVATION WITH COMPETITIVE TAX INCENTIVES, AND A HIGHLY SKILLED WORKFORCE… THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE ENDLESS.”– GIOVANNI MENDEZ, CEO, GEO Giovanni Méndez Feliciano has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a Juris Doctor. Upon completion of the law degree, Giovanni took the Puerto Rico...

INNOVATE® Miami

Andres Hurtado Rangel

Andres Hurtado Rangel

Founder CEO

The hybrid cloud is a powerful combination of public and private clouds, has revolutionized the way enterprises do business. It enables employees and customers to realize an unparalleled user experience, new business models and substantially enhanced productivity. SynerTechCloud gives you all the benefits of using the Hybrid Cloud by identifying...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

DR THIERRY VANELSLANDER

PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL ECONOMICS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ANTWERP

When I started working at TPR in 1998, transport and logistics was mostly a phenomenon split up according to the modes, not featuring that much public attention, and not that innovative. All that has changed a lot over the past two decades. Multimodality has changed into intermodality and more recently...

RYAN LANDAU

FOUNDER AND CEO OF PURPOSE JOBS

There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic brought on an irreversible shift in the recruiting industry. Of course the sudden move to remote work (and for some, the eventual transition back to the office) turned the way startups hire on its head. But there was an even greater shift that...

MILE CORRIGAN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NOBLIS

MILE CORRIGAN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NOBLIS I’ve always been drawn to science and technology – not for what it is, but to solve complex problems that matter. Science and technology both serve as pathways to uncover what’s possible and bring it into reality. Two decades later, those possibilities,...

DOUGLAS HOLT

MBA, ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, INVESTMENTS, ALBERTA INNOVATES

Innovation. It’s the relentless pursuit of new ideas, challenging the status quo, and shaping a better future. At Alberta Innovates, we believe innovation is key to growing the economy, expanding markets and creating new and better opportunities for Albertans. We are the province’s most comprehensive research and innovation agency, providing...

CARA DE LANGE

THE FUTURE IS SOFTER

In the evolving corporate world, Cara de Lange stands out as a change-maker, TEDx speaker, author of ‘Softer Success,’ host of the Work Reset Revolution podcast, and a burnout researcher, advocating a shift from traditional corporate success to prioritizing employee well being. As the founder of Softer Success, Cara developed...

REENA SAHNEY

OWNER & FOUNDER, JIVA CONSULTING

Alberta has a rich history of entrepreneurialism originating in the oil and gas industry. From the first discovery of oil around 1900 to the rapid growth starting in the middle of the 20th century, fossil fuels have been the economic engine of the province. With one of the largest reserves...

LARS-GÖRAN FRÖJD

FOUNDER & CEO, VIRTUAL MANAGEMENT

An innovative culture is shifting but it must define areas of curiosity that mixes with experience and then you could open your eyes and find the intangible assets that all individuals and organizations have. When we established Virtual Management back in 1995 the knowledge of “virtual” was very limited and...

MARIA F. MCLENDON

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER AT FIRST SOUTH FINANCIAL

Every day, I’m reminded that the world of financial services is both exciting and challenging. We live in a time when consumers are flooded with options, yet too often, they’re still unsure where to turn for real guidance and personal connection. In my experience, the three biggest challenges facing our...

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...

Miguel Almeida

Miguel Almeida

General Manager, Cisco Portugal

I always like to say that I guide my life, both personally and professionally, by some principles that I learned in the years I practiced Rugby: respect, teamwork, resilience, discipline and the ability to enjoy, at the end of each day, the fruits of what I did with it. It...

TINA KOZAK

FRANCO - CEO

It’s an amazing time to be a Detroiter. Yes, the city has its fair share of challenges, but its reputation is on the rise. As noted in a recent PR News article about Detroit’s renaissance, “Behind every rehabbed reputation lies really hard work, dedicated individuals and, of course, some strategic...

Bob Kain

I’ve been fortunate enough to live a life distinguished by constant progression, from understanding to impacting, particularly in my career. Trained as a physicist, I was fueled by a deep drive to understand some of the most complex “whys” of our world. Quickly I learned that understanding is more satisfying...

PETER KRUSE

ENTREPRENEUR & INVESTOR

Most people know the statistics: most new businesses can’t pay a market salary and stay profitable within five years. Funding dries up. The idea wasn’t strong enough. There was no real product–market fit. On paper, the odds look discouraging. So why would anyone step into that arena? For me, the...

JACQUES VANDERMEIREN

CEO, PORT OF ANTWERP / ANNICK DE RIDDER, PORT VICE MAYOR, PORT OF ANTWERP

Jacques Vandermeiren is CEO of Port of Antwerp since 2017. He is an active board member of the digital platform NxtPort, Kunsthuis Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and the Belgian coffee brand Vascobelo. He is also cofounder and Chairman of the sustainability platform The Shift. Annick De Ridder is chair of the...

Geoff Martha

Geoff Martha - President & CEO - Medtronic

President & CEO - Medtronic

Geoff Martha President & CEO – Medtronic Millions of Americans are affected by pain and have been prescribed systemic opioids as part of their treatment plan. Whether for chronic or acute pain, prescribing systemic opioids continues, despite the limited evidence on the benefits of long-term systemic opioid therapy and evidence...

Jeanne Glass

Jeanne Glass

Founder & CEO, VirtualZ Computing

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...

BRIDGITTE ANDERSON

ICD.D, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE GREATER VANCOUVER BOARD OF TRADE

Bridgitte Anderson ICD.D became the first female President and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade in the 132-year history of the organization in 2019. Her career spans multiple disciplines ranging from business consulting to public policy and communications to journalism. The long-term viability of companies increasingly depends on...

CHRISTIAN AGBOBLI

Vice-Recteur à la Recherche, à la création et à la diffusion

This recognition of Quebec’s distinctive character in various fields is the outcome of a committed effort involving university research and innovation. Universities have spearheaded innovation through their large-scale research structures. Innovation is a process, an approach and a result that provides a new and different character to our ways of...

DORRI MCWHORTER

DORRI MCWHORTER-PRESIDENT & CEO OF YMCA OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO

PRESIDENT & CEO OF YMCA OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO

  People will be studying the global pandemic’s effects on the workplace for decades to come. The trends it accelerated. The inequality it exposed. The countless challenges and opportunities it created. However, there is one thing that is already perfectly clear, and business leaders in every industry across the country...

SHAUN M. ROWLES

Author, The Money revolution

GOLD RUSHOn January 24th, 1848, Swiss-born Johann Sutter was dismayed by the news that his chief mechanic delivered: Gold had been discovered on the site of Sutter’s sawmill. Most readers are aware that this discovery kicked off the “California Gold Rush,” but few ever hear of Sutter’s immediate reaction: “From...

James Mutter - Lawyer & Co-Founder - Whiteboard Law

I started focusing on the technology sector in the mid -90s when I joined a large national law firm in Vancouver. Over the span of 25+ years, I have been a lawyer, co-founder of a software company, President of the BC Premier’s Technology Council, CEO of a fintech company, Senior...

MARTIN K HAESE MBA, ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Entrepreneur, Educator and Advocate | Special Envoy to Singapore and Southeast Asia for Trade

I am fascinated by the common threads of achievement that come to define an individual’s contribution to their chosen field of endeavour. I am equally fascinated by how communities, cites and nations do the same. I now turn that lens onto my own career in a quest to articulate my...

GIOVANNI MENDEZ

GIOVANNI MENDEZ

CEO, GEO

“PUERTO RICO IS BLOOMING AS A GLOBAL HUB FOR INNOVATION WITH COMPETITIVE TAX INCENTIVES, AND A HIGHLY SKILLED WORKFORCE… THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE ENDLESS.”– GIOVANNI MENDEZ, CEO, GEO Giovanni Méndez Feliciano has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a Juris Doctor. Upon completion of the law degree, Giovanni took the Puerto Rico...

Andres Hurtado Rangel

Andres Hurtado Rangel

Founder CEO

The hybrid cloud is a powerful combination of public and private clouds, has revolutionized the way enterprises do business. It enables employees and customers to realize an unparalleled user experience, new business models and substantially enhanced productivity. SynerTechCloud gives you all the benefits of using the Hybrid Cloud by identifying...

DR THIERRY VANELSLANDER

PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL ECONOMICS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ANTWERP

When I started working at TPR in 1998, transport and logistics was mostly a phenomenon split up according to the modes, not featuring that much public attention, and not that innovative. All that has changed a lot over the past two decades. Multimodality has changed into intermodality and more recently...

INNOVATE® Ecosystems