Thought Leaders
INNOVATE® Miami
Johanna Mikkola
Founder & CEO - Wyncode
Johanna Mikkola, Founder & CEO, Wyncode No product, service, or experience can be built, marketed, or executed without the use of technology. Today, every industry is a technology industry. Even Domino’s Pizza calls itself “a tech company that sells pizza.” Our opportunities for employment reflect this fact. At the...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
Professor Hugh Brady
Vice-Chancellor And President, University Of Bristol
Innovation is the application of creative solutions to real-world problems – a basic maxim, and one that perhaps obscures the more complex processes that underpin its subject. In reality, innovation can require patient investment in both fundamental and applied research, cross-discipline and cross-sector collaboration, risk-taking, iteration, trust, vision and civic...
INNOVATIONS in Pharmaceutical Development®
Paulo Teixeira
General Manager, Pfizer Portugal
We are living unique times as the result of an unprecedented global health crisis, not only at a corporate level, in which we redefined priorities and innovated the way we work, but in all aspects of our lives. Social distancing became part of our routine and, for the first time...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
MR. OSCAR FIORINOTTO
FOUNDER & CEO, SUPASHOCK ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
FOSTERING A CULTURE OF LEADERS AND INNOVATIONI was fortunate to have an ambitious father who embedded leadership heavily into my life. I feel it is important for any leader to have a mentor, and this is the reason we focus so heavily on mentorship at Supashock. A mentor is someone...
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
Akshay Sabhikhi, CEO and Matt Sanchez, Founder & CTO
CognitiveScale
CognitiveScale The next frontier: Building AI systems you can trust Today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has grabbed a foothold in the enterprise and is poised to become as ubiquitous as the internet – touching every aspect of our lives. From detecting and impacting climate change to advancements in disease diagnosis to aiding...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
WYGROUP
SHAPED BY CURIOSITY
For the last 20 years, WYgroup has been one of the top leading players in digital marketing, technology, and creativity services in Portugal. We are currently the largest independent group for Marketing and Customer Experience Services in Portugal, with a collaborative framework of 7 companies that – together – can...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
Fred Niemans
PRESIDENT, WORLD TRADE CENTER ANTWERP
It’s not the strongest species that survives, nor is it the most intelligent one. It’s the species that has the ability to cope with drastic changes. That’s Darwinism in a nutshell. His ‘survival of the fittest’… also applies to the corporate ecosystem. Agility reduces fragility: the companies and organisations that...
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
ALEX SHAHRESTANI
PROMISE LEGAL
Among attorneys, tech enthusiasts are in short supply. Most legal tech headlines don’t sound like news at all – a judge who doesn’t understand Zoom, a law firm that finally accepts credit card payments, a “new” tool that automates invoicing. Y’all, this is 2022. Why is the bar for legal...
INNOVATE® Miami
Dr. Susan Amat
CEO & Founder - VentureHive
To a lot of people, innovation is a very fuzzy word. Sometimes it’s used to describe any kind of change, and I think it’s dangerous when we don’t take the time to define and put metrics to it to have clarity. You have to know when you’ve achieved the intended...
INNOVATE® Phoenix
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™ Alberta
MARK KORTHUIS
PRESIDENT AND CEO, GLENROSE HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
The Glenrose Hospital Foundation plays a pivotal role in supporting Canada’s largest comprehensive tertiary rehabilitation hospital, supporting patients of all ages who require complex rehabilitative care. The need for innovation in rehabilitation healthcare has never been greater, given the significant percentage of Canadians with disabilities, the surge in demand for...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
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™ Bengaluru
Revathy Ashok
Angel Investor, Adviser & Co-founder of Strategy Garage
With an increasing number of startups looking to scale up, we spoke to angel investor and advisor Revathy Ashok about what investors look for. Ashok is one of the early members of the Indian Angel Network and co-founder of Strategy Garage, a boutique advisory for startups & SMEs, and says...
INNOVATE® Houston
DR. ANDRE THOMAS
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE LIVE LAB, DEPARTMENT OF VISUALIZATION, TEXAS A&M
DR. ANDRE THOMAS,FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE LIVE LAB, DEPARTMENT OF VISUALIZATION, TEXAS A&M Education is ripe for disruption. Society’s been told – and accepted – that the textbook is holy and contains all knowledge. We also accept that a professor standing in front of 200 students in a classroom...
VOICES of the Future
DR. SAEED AL DHAHERI
FUTURES ENVISIONED
In a future where tradition weaves seamlessly with innovation, my dialogue with Dr. Saeed Al Dhaheri unfolds, rich in insight and vision. This isn’t just an exchange of ideas; it’s a deep dive into the life of a visionary committed to guiding us through the complexities of tomorrow. As the...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
WELCOME TO INNOVATE TORONTO
MAYOR JOHN TORY
From within these pages you will be introduced to many of the visionaries and innovators who call our city home and are changing the world through work and research being done at some of our world renowned institutions such as MaRS Discovery District, the University of Toronto, and University Health...
INNOVATE® Detroit
NED STAEBLER
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY VP OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TECHTOWN PRESIDENT AND CEO
It’s an exciting time to be in Detroit. In 2024 alone, we’ve seen the restoration of Michigan Central, a century-old train station turned mobility innovation hub; hosted the NFL Draft with record-breaking attendance; and attracted billions of dollars in commercial and public space development. At TechTown, we celebrate all the...
Dr Harry Destecroix
CEO, Unit DX
When Novo Nordisk acquired our company, Ziylo, in a deal potentially worth $800 million, it exceeded our wildest expectations. Four years earlier, in 2014, I was finishing my Ph.D. in Professor Davis’ lab at the University of Bristol. We’d designed a set of molecular ‘sugar switches’ that sense how much...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
MICHAEL MACOLINO
MANAGING DIRECTOR, APAC, SVG VENTURES THRIVE
As an entrepreneur, I have always been passionate about leveraging technology to enhance efficiency across various industries Michael Macolino, Managing Director SVG Ventures Thrive (APAC), Ex-Startup Founder & CTO, Focused on AgriFood Tech commercialisation and eco-system, TEDx Speaker, InDaily 40 under 40. At the age of 21, I started my...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
ROBERT MACKIE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER BIOLYTICAL
The Changing Diagnostics LandscapeWith almost twenty years in the medical diagnostics industry, undoubtedly, one of the biggest impacts we’ve experienced has been COVID-19. From upending business models and shutting down the globe to forcing the world to rethink how we conduct business and even what products we make and how,...
INNOVATION Quebec
FRANÇOIS GAGNON
DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL ET CHEF DE LA DIRECTION, ÉCOLE DE TECHNOLOGIE SUPÉRIEURE (ÉTS)
J’ai fait mes débuts comme professeur à l’École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) en 1991. Au cours de mon parcours en enseignement, en bâtissant ma carrière en recherche et, depuis 2019, en tant que directeur général de l’ÉTS, j’ai pu apprécier à quel point notre établissement a su s’imposer comme un...
AI Québec
YOSHUA BENGIO
FULL PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND OPERATIONS RESEARCH AT UNIVERSITÉ
My first passion will always remain understanding intelligence. This includes the artificial intelligences we are currently developing, but the natural ones as well. In recent years, my thinking about artificial and human intelligence has hinged on AI for social good. How can we ensure that what we do will benefit...
INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada
ALEXANDRA FENTON CAAL
SUPERNOVA AT DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SuperNOVA: Empowering Youth Through STEM Education At SuperNOVA, our mission is empowering youth through educational experiences in STEM that cultivate curiosity and an attitude for lifelong learning. We are committed to ensuring that youth—regardless of their geographic location, socio-economic situation, ability, or gender—can be inspired through STEM. For youth from...
Johanna Mikkola
Founder & CEO - Wyncode
Johanna Mikkola, Founder & CEO, Wyncode No product, service, or experience can be built, marketed, or executed without the use of technology. Today, every industry is a technology industry. Even Domino’s Pizza calls itself “a tech company that sells pizza.” Our opportunities for employment reflect this fact. At the...
Professor Hugh Brady
Vice-Chancellor And President, University Of Bristol
Innovation is the application of creative solutions to real-world problems – a basic maxim, and one that perhaps obscures the more complex processes that underpin its subject. In reality, innovation can require patient investment in both fundamental and applied research, cross-discipline and cross-sector collaboration, risk-taking, iteration, trust, vision and civic...
Paulo Teixeira
General Manager, Pfizer Portugal
We are living unique times as the result of an unprecedented global health crisis, not only at a corporate level, in which we redefined priorities and innovated the way we work, but in all aspects of our lives. Social distancing became part of our routine and, for the first time...
MR. OSCAR FIORINOTTO
FOUNDER & CEO, SUPASHOCK ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
FOSTERING A CULTURE OF LEADERS AND INNOVATIONI was fortunate to have an ambitious father who embedded leadership heavily into my life. I feel it is important for any leader to have a mentor, and this is the reason we focus so heavily on mentorship at Supashock. A mentor is someone...
Akshay Sabhikhi, CEO and Matt Sanchez, Founder & CTO
CognitiveScale
CognitiveScale The next frontier: Building AI systems you can trust Today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has grabbed a foothold in the enterprise and is poised to become as ubiquitous as the internet – touching every aspect of our lives. From detecting and impacting climate change to advancements in disease diagnosis to aiding...
WYGROUP
SHAPED BY CURIOSITY
For the last 20 years, WYgroup has been one of the top leading players in digital marketing, technology, and creativity services in Portugal. We are currently the largest independent group for Marketing and Customer Experience Services in Portugal, with a collaborative framework of 7 companies that – together – can...
Fred Niemans
PRESIDENT, WORLD TRADE CENTER ANTWERP
It’s not the strongest species that survives, nor is it the most intelligent one. It’s the species that has the ability to cope with drastic changes. That’s Darwinism in a nutshell. His ‘survival of the fittest’… also applies to the corporate ecosystem. Agility reduces fragility: the companies and organisations that...
ALEX SHAHRESTANI
PROMISE LEGAL
Among attorneys, tech enthusiasts are in short supply. Most legal tech headlines don’t sound like news at all – a judge who doesn’t understand Zoom, a law firm that finally accepts credit card payments, a “new” tool that automates invoicing. Y’all, this is 2022. Why is the bar for legal...
Dr. Susan Amat
CEO & Founder - VentureHive
To a lot of people, innovation is a very fuzzy word. Sometimes it’s used to describe any kind of change, and I think it’s dangerous when we don’t take the time to define and put metrics to it to have clarity. You have to know when you’ve achieved the intended...
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...
MARK KORTHUIS
PRESIDENT AND CEO, GLENROSE HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
The Glenrose Hospital Foundation plays a pivotal role in supporting Canada’s largest comprehensive tertiary rehabilitation hospital, supporting patients of all ages who require complex rehabilitative care. The need for innovation in rehabilitation healthcare has never been greater, given the significant percentage of Canadians with disabilities, the surge in demand for...
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...
Revathy Ashok
Angel Investor, Adviser & Co-founder of Strategy Garage
With an increasing number of startups looking to scale up, we spoke to angel investor and advisor Revathy Ashok about what investors look for. Ashok is one of the early members of the Indian Angel Network and co-founder of Strategy Garage, a boutique advisory for startups & SMEs, and says...
DR. ANDRE THOMAS
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE LIVE LAB, DEPARTMENT OF VISUALIZATION, TEXAS A&M
DR. ANDRE THOMAS,FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE LIVE LAB, DEPARTMENT OF VISUALIZATION, TEXAS A&M Education is ripe for disruption. Society’s been told – and accepted – that the textbook is holy and contains all knowledge. We also accept that a professor standing in front of 200 students in a classroom...
DR. SAEED AL DHAHERI
FUTURES ENVISIONED
In a future where tradition weaves seamlessly with innovation, my dialogue with Dr. Saeed Al Dhaheri unfolds, rich in insight and vision. This isn’t just an exchange of ideas; it’s a deep dive into the life of a visionary committed to guiding us through the complexities of tomorrow. As the...
WELCOME TO INNOVATE TORONTO
MAYOR JOHN TORY
From within these pages you will be introduced to many of the visionaries and innovators who call our city home and are changing the world through work and research being done at some of our world renowned institutions such as MaRS Discovery District, the University of Toronto, and University Health...
NED STAEBLER
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY VP OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TECHTOWN PRESIDENT AND CEO
It’s an exciting time to be in Detroit. In 2024 alone, we’ve seen the restoration of Michigan Central, a century-old train station turned mobility innovation hub; hosted the NFL Draft with record-breaking attendance; and attracted billions of dollars in commercial and public space development. At TechTown, we celebrate all the...
Dr Harry Destecroix
CEO, Unit DX
When Novo Nordisk acquired our company, Ziylo, in a deal potentially worth $800 million, it exceeded our wildest expectations. Four years earlier, in 2014, I was finishing my Ph.D. in Professor Davis’ lab at the University of Bristol. We’d designed a set of molecular ‘sugar switches’ that sense how much...
MICHAEL MACOLINO
MANAGING DIRECTOR, APAC, SVG VENTURES THRIVE
As an entrepreneur, I have always been passionate about leveraging technology to enhance efficiency across various industries Michael Macolino, Managing Director SVG Ventures Thrive (APAC), Ex-Startup Founder & CTO, Focused on AgriFood Tech commercialisation and eco-system, TEDx Speaker, InDaily 40 under 40. At the age of 21, I started my...
ROBERT MACKIE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER BIOLYTICAL
The Changing Diagnostics LandscapeWith almost twenty years in the medical diagnostics industry, undoubtedly, one of the biggest impacts we’ve experienced has been COVID-19. From upending business models and shutting down the globe to forcing the world to rethink how we conduct business and even what products we make and how,...
FRANÇOIS GAGNON
DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL ET CHEF DE LA DIRECTION, ÉCOLE DE TECHNOLOGIE SUPÉRIEURE (ÉTS)
J’ai fait mes débuts comme professeur à l’École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) en 1991. Au cours de mon parcours en enseignement, en bâtissant ma carrière en recherche et, depuis 2019, en tant que directeur général de l’ÉTS, j’ai pu apprécier à quel point notre établissement a su s’imposer comme un...
YOSHUA BENGIO
FULL PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND OPERATIONS RESEARCH AT UNIVERSITÉ
My first passion will always remain understanding intelligence. This includes the artificial intelligences we are currently developing, but the natural ones as well. In recent years, my thinking about artificial and human intelligence has hinged on AI for social good. How can we ensure that what we do will benefit...
ALEXANDRA FENTON CAAL
SUPERNOVA AT DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SuperNOVA: Empowering Youth Through STEM Education At SuperNOVA, our mission is empowering youth through educational experiences in STEM that cultivate curiosity and an attitude for lifelong learning. We are committed to ensuring that youth—regardless of their geographic location, socio-economic situation, ability, or gender—can be inspired through STEM. For youth from...