Thought Leaders

INNOVATE® Nashville

SAMUEL “BO” BARTHOLOMEW

SAMUEL “BO” BARTHOLOMEW

CEO, EVIDENCECARE

There is more access to information and opinions than ever before in history. With this historic access, you’d think there’d be more visibility to leaders making a difference in the world. Instead, we have more talking heads, self-proclaimed experts, and self-promoted leaders competing for our attention over the airwaves. So...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

MARTIN MOKGWARE

MARTIN MOKGWARE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BOTSWANA COMMUNICATIONS REGULATORY AUTHORITY

What does innovation mean to you?Innovation simply means new ways of doing things and bringing in new ideas or improving what already exists to solve challenges brought about by new ways of living. Overtime, the word Innovation is commonly associated with technology for the simple reason that modern life is...

INNOVATE® Gainesville

Lauren Poe

Lauren Poe

Mayor - City of Gainesville

The City of Gainesville is a unique and opportune place, characterized by its commitment to lively civic spaces, a strong offering of vital public services and opportunities for economic and social resilience for all of our neighbors. Over its rich history this city has grown from a small rural farming...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

Shadae McDaniel

Shadae McDaniel - City Leader

City Leader, All Stars Project of New Jersey

In 2014, I met—and fell in love with—the All Stars Project and its Afterschool Development approach as a new way of engaging poverty. I have always loved to perform—discovering dance as a teenager and growing up poor in Teaneck was a life-changer for me—and I immediately saw the effectiveness of...

INNOVATE® Nashville

MARTY PASLICK

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, HCA HEALTHCARE

Marty Paslick is HCA Healthcare’s chief information officer. He has been with the organization for more than three decades and leads its Information Technology Group (ITG), a team of more than 6,000 colleagues that provide IT strategy and support for HCA Healthcare and its 182 hospitals and more than 2,300...

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® Nashville

GILL WAGNER

Serial Entrepreneur

Over a period of 40 years as an entrepreneur, while building six professional service firms and three nonprofits, I used to network like a madman. As you might imagine, with my hands in several things at once, it was sometimes difficult to answer the question: “So, Gill, what do you...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

Sven Boermeester

Sven Boermeester

Founder/CEO, International Group Publisher - GlobalVillage.World

Sven Boermeester is a global publishing entrepreneur with a career that spans over 20 years with stops in more than 100 countries. He was born in Antwerp, Belgium and grew up in South Africa. After completing his business studies in Cape Town, he opened his first media company and started...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

DARREL FRATER

DARREL FRATER

INVESTMENT ASSOCIATE, VISIBLE HANDS

The record startup fundraising and investment climate of 2021 has slowed considerably as public market valuations for late-stage tech companies have declined drastically, and concerns around rising interest rates have added to VCs’ hesitation for making new investments. Black entrepreneurs, in particular, have been hit hard by this pullback from...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

JILL DE GROOD

DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS, W21C

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...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

MARC CORTHOUT

OPEN MANUFACTURING CAMPUS

The evolution of digital technology and the resulting exponential complexity increase in the products that we use all the time, also affects production technologies deeply and requires close cooperation between many companies, each delivering their unique process technology and modules. At the same time Industry 4.0 and the innovation towards...

Global Innovation Spotlight

VERI OSVALD

VERI OSVALD

CEO OF SMARTHEAD

As CEO of SmartHead, Veri is responsible for fulfilling the vision, strategy, leadership, and sustainable business growth. She has represented SmartHead at the Chivas Venture Competition in Los Angeles and has also attended Accelerator at the University of Oxford. In 2018, Veri was part of the Forbes Top 10 Women...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

DR. NIMA ZIRAKNEJAD – FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NZ TECHNOLOGIES

DR. NIMA ZIRAKNEJAD – FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NZ TECHNOLOGIES

Can we convert high-touch surfaces in such public spaces into safer and more hygienic areas? Research has shown that elevator buttons have caused the spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 taught us that we need to eliminate high-touch surfaces. Through the pandemic, we developed an awareness to remain as hygienic as possible...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

WALTER EEVERS

WALTER EEVERS

VITO - DIRECTOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

WALTER EEVERS DIRECTOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, VITO And when we speak of sustainability, VITO is the key player in this arena. With about 1,000 employees, VITO is an independent Flemish research organization with top researchers working on cleantech and sustainable development. Antwerp is a place where innovation is also massively...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

JEFF LAFRENZ

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™ Adelaide

SAJAN PETER

MANAGING DIRECTOR, OPTUS BUSINESS CENTRE – ADELAIDE NORTH

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...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

Joel B. Bruckman

Joel B. Bruckman

Attorney - Freeborn & Peters LLP

I support innovators by providing them with a comprehensive approach to data privacy and cybersecurity to both protect them and free them to function at full capacity. This includes providing clients with: i) a clear understanding of the data privacy laws and regulations applicable to their businesses; ii) guidance in...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

Chris Carrillo

CEO of MetroMLS

Milwaukee is rapidly emerging as a technology hub, with real estate tech playing a key role. Leading the way is Metro Multiple Listing Service,which has transformed from a traditional listing database into a tech-driven powerhouse, reshaping how homes are bought and sold in Wisconsin. Founded in 1962 as a printed...

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® Phoenix

Joan Koerber-Walker

Joan Koerber-Walker

President & CEO - Arizona Bioindustry Association, Inc. (AZBio)

Arizona is home to one of the fastest growing life science sectors in the country. The Greater Phoenix Area is at the center of the action and holds the greatest concentration of life science and healthcare innovators in the state. Health innovations are born as discoveries, are shaped, tested, and...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

RAQUEL FORTUNATO

RAQUEL FORTUNATO

GENIBET, CEO

I joined GenIbet Biopharmaceuticals in 2006, as a Project Manager, shortly after its creation as a spin-off company from iBET, a private nonprofit research organization in Biotechnology and Life Sciences. We were going, as I remember being told by iBET founder and then CEO Prof. Manuel Carrondo, to leverage iBET...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

TAURIQ KERAAN

TAURIQ KERAAN

CEO, TYMEBANK

One of the questions I’m often asked as TymeBank CEO is “How can digital banks enable people to improve their financial wellbeing?” In other words, how can we remake the banking system, so it works for the people we serve, and not just for banks? In my experience there are...

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...

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...

SAMUEL “BO” BARTHOLOMEW

SAMUEL “BO” BARTHOLOMEW

CEO, EVIDENCECARE

There is more access to information and opinions than ever before in history. With this historic access, you’d think there’d be more visibility to leaders making a difference in the world. Instead, we have more talking heads, self-proclaimed experts, and self-promoted leaders competing for our attention over the airwaves. So...

MARTIN MOKGWARE

MARTIN MOKGWARE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BOTSWANA COMMUNICATIONS REGULATORY AUTHORITY

What does innovation mean to you?Innovation simply means new ways of doing things and bringing in new ideas or improving what already exists to solve challenges brought about by new ways of living. Overtime, the word Innovation is commonly associated with technology for the simple reason that modern life is...

Lauren Poe

Lauren Poe

Mayor - City of Gainesville

The City of Gainesville is a unique and opportune place, characterized by its commitment to lively civic spaces, a strong offering of vital public services and opportunities for economic and social resilience for all of our neighbors. Over its rich history this city has grown from a small rural farming...

Shadae McDaniel

Shadae McDaniel - City Leader

City Leader, All Stars Project of New Jersey

In 2014, I met—and fell in love with—the All Stars Project and its Afterschool Development approach as a new way of engaging poverty. I have always loved to perform—discovering dance as a teenager and growing up poor in Teaneck was a life-changer for me—and I immediately saw the effectiveness of...

MARTY PASLICK

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, HCA HEALTHCARE

Marty Paslick is HCA Healthcare’s chief information officer. He has been with the organization for more than three decades and leads its Information Technology Group (ITG), a team of more than 6,000 colleagues that provide IT strategy and support for HCA Healthcare and its 182 hospitals and more than 2,300...

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...

GILL WAGNER

Serial Entrepreneur

Over a period of 40 years as an entrepreneur, while building six professional service firms and three nonprofits, I used to network like a madman. As you might imagine, with my hands in several things at once, it was sometimes difficult to answer the question: “So, Gill, what do you...

Sven Boermeester

Sven Boermeester

Founder/CEO, International Group Publisher - GlobalVillage.World

Sven Boermeester is a global publishing entrepreneur with a career that spans over 20 years with stops in more than 100 countries. He was born in Antwerp, Belgium and grew up in South Africa. After completing his business studies in Cape Town, he opened his first media company and started...

DARREL FRATER

DARREL FRATER

INVESTMENT ASSOCIATE, VISIBLE HANDS

The record startup fundraising and investment climate of 2021 has slowed considerably as public market valuations for late-stage tech companies have declined drastically, and concerns around rising interest rates have added to VCs’ hesitation for making new investments. Black entrepreneurs, in particular, have been hit hard by this pullback from...

JILL DE GROOD

DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS, W21C

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...

MARC CORTHOUT

OPEN MANUFACTURING CAMPUS

The evolution of digital technology and the resulting exponential complexity increase in the products that we use all the time, also affects production technologies deeply and requires close cooperation between many companies, each delivering their unique process technology and modules. At the same time Industry 4.0 and the innovation towards...

VERI OSVALD

VERI OSVALD

CEO OF SMARTHEAD

As CEO of SmartHead, Veri is responsible for fulfilling the vision, strategy, leadership, and sustainable business growth. She has represented SmartHead at the Chivas Venture Competition in Los Angeles and has also attended Accelerator at the University of Oxford. In 2018, Veri was part of the Forbes Top 10 Women...

DR. NIMA ZIRAKNEJAD – FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NZ TECHNOLOGIES

DR. NIMA ZIRAKNEJAD – FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NZ TECHNOLOGIES

Can we convert high-touch surfaces in such public spaces into safer and more hygienic areas? Research has shown that elevator buttons have caused the spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 taught us that we need to eliminate high-touch surfaces. Through the pandemic, we developed an awareness to remain as hygienic as possible...

WALTER EEVERS

WALTER EEVERS

VITO - DIRECTOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

WALTER EEVERS DIRECTOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, VITO And when we speak of sustainability, VITO is the key player in this arena. With about 1,000 employees, VITO is an independent Flemish research organization with top researchers working on cleantech and sustainable development. Antwerp is a place where innovation is also massively...

JEFF LAFRENZ

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...

SAJAN PETER

MANAGING DIRECTOR, OPTUS BUSINESS CENTRE – ADELAIDE NORTH

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...

Joel B. Bruckman

Joel B. Bruckman

Attorney - Freeborn & Peters LLP

I support innovators by providing them with a comprehensive approach to data privacy and cybersecurity to both protect them and free them to function at full capacity. This includes providing clients with: i) a clear understanding of the data privacy laws and regulations applicable to their businesses; ii) guidance in...

Chris Carrillo

CEO of MetroMLS

Milwaukee is rapidly emerging as a technology hub, with real estate tech playing a key role. Leading the way is Metro Multiple Listing Service,which has transformed from a traditional listing database into a tech-driven powerhouse, reshaping how homes are bought and sold in Wisconsin. Founded in 1962 as a printed...

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...

Joan Koerber-Walker

Joan Koerber-Walker

President & CEO - Arizona Bioindustry Association, Inc. (AZBio)

Arizona is home to one of the fastest growing life science sectors in the country. The Greater Phoenix Area is at the center of the action and holds the greatest concentration of life science and healthcare innovators in the state. Health innovations are born as discoveries, are shaped, tested, and...

RAQUEL FORTUNATO

RAQUEL FORTUNATO

GENIBET, CEO

I joined GenIbet Biopharmaceuticals in 2006, as a Project Manager, shortly after its creation as a spin-off company from iBET, a private nonprofit research organization in Biotechnology and Life Sciences. We were going, as I remember being told by iBET founder and then CEO Prof. Manuel Carrondo, to leverage iBET...

TAURIQ KERAAN

TAURIQ KERAAN

CEO, TYMEBANK

One of the questions I’m often asked as TymeBank CEO is “How can digital banks enable people to improve their financial wellbeing?” In other words, how can we remake the banking system, so it works for the people we serve, and not just for banks? In my experience there are...

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...

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® Ecosystems