Thought Leaders
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
CHRISTOPHER J. PALADINO
PRESIDENT, DEVCO
Mr. Paladino has served as President of the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO) since 1994. Under his leadership, DEVCO has developed 8.3 million square feet in residential, commercial, academic, and institutional development projects valued at $3.5 billion. By establishing unique public-private partnerships, Mr. Paladino has successfully completed numerous projects to...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
CLAUDIA DE MOOR
HR & FINANCE MANAGER, VOSSCHEMIE BENELUX & V-SURE
HR & FINANCE MANAGER, VOSSCHEMIE BENELUX & V-SURE Get to know your neighbour – entrepreneur and get out. I’ m active in Voka Lokaal Netland, Lier4business, JOL (youth entrepreneurship Lier) and I also do voluntary work. The region of Lier supports entrepreneurship and we like to support this with interesting...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
ANTONIO MARTINS DA COSTA
PRESIDENT, AMCHAM PORTUGAL
Innovation is what drives economic development and social welfare. Societies are made of citizens, corporations and States, who need a permanent culture of innovation for two main reasons: its own survival, if a society misses the competitive race for progress there is a risk of stagnation, irrelevance and sometimes disappearance;...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
MICHAEL E. ZWICK
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH
Research, discoveries, innovations, and solutions define the Rutgers research enterprise. That is why my vision, and the mission of the Rutgers Office for Research, is to support the research, scholarship, and creative endeavors of all Rutgers faculty. Since joining Rutgers as the Senior Vice President for Research in 2021, I...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
SCOTT MAZO
FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, UNIVERSITY PLACE ASSOCIATES
Since most people spend nearly 90% of their lives indoors, it raises a simple question: should the places where we work really be treated as commodities? I’ve never believed they should. The environments where people spend their days shape how they think, collaborate, and perform. Buildings should reflect that reality....
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
MATTHEW UNGER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Have you ever experienced the sinking feeling of discovering that your identity or credit card information has been stolen? I have. As a technologist, this experience led me on a personal journey to create new standards of trust, security, accountability, and privacy for every individual, every business, every transaction. While...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
LISA ERICSSON
FOUNDER & HEAD, KTH INNOVATION
Universities are creative melting pots, where people from all over the world gather to advance knowledge and tackle big problems. As head of KTH Innovation, the entrepreneurship hub at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, I get to witness this firsthand, every day. Since the start in 2007, my team and...
VOICES of the Future
BRETT KING
THE FUTURE OF BANKING
Brett King stands as a beacon of innovation and foresight. His journey, a blend of passion for technology and a keen eye for the ever evolving financial landscape, positions him uniquely as a leading voice in the realm of digital banking and fintech. Delving into his insights, Brett’s narrative reveals...
INNOVATE® Seattle
EMER DOOLEY
PHD, MBA, CREATIVE DESTRUCTION LAB (CDL), UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON.
Yet only a small fraction of these ideas, inventions, and potentially game-changing solutions ever make it off campus. Institutions likethe University of Washington have a responsibility to help more of them make it out into the world. Human health, the environment, theeconomy, and society depend on it. In this spirit,...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
YUNG WU
CEO, MaRS
It’s invaluable to work at a place that never stops innovating — especially in the face of a generational pandemic. From the outset of the emergency, MaRS has remained open at reduced capacity to help in the fight. Public health workers testing COVID-19 cases day and night; hospitals using our...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
ISABEL KEULEN
CEO, SSE VENTURES & SSE BUSINESS LAB
THE NORDIC’S LEADING STARTUP HUB! I believe that SSE Business Lab’s success in fostering unicorns and groundbreaking companies isn’t coincidental. It’s the result of a carefully designed ecosystem where ambition meets mentorship and capital is intertwined with experience. At the core is a powerful alumni network. Unlike many ecosystems where...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
Marco Costa
Chief Operating Officer International, Talkdesk
When Talkdesk came into existence there was no contact centre entirely hosted in the cloud. We were game changers and that is what we aim to continue to be and do. We do not rest on our laurels and continue to lead, build the future of contact centres and set...
INNOVATION Quebec
PREFACE BY MURIELLE LABERGE
RECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF QUÉBEC EN OUTAOUAIS
Innovation is intrinsically linked to the constant quest for improvement. It requires a creative and agile mindset to come to fruition. It is this mindset that drives individuals seeking to improve well-being and create a better world to dedicate themselves to social innovations based on human values such as solidarity,...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
LUIS RODRIGUEZ
MANAGING DIRECTOR, ACCENTURE STRATEGY IN AFRICA
Demystifying innovation is trying to break it into what we see are the building blocks of getting from creating ideas to realising the value of innovation. There are three parts to it, and these are not necessarily sequential – ideating and shaping, designing and killing ideas and lastly scaling. Many...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
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® New Jersey Vol.2
Dr. Susan Cole
President - Montclair State University
New Jersey has long been a destination for talented and ambitious people from all over the world. Its highly diverse population is a rich opportunity for employers, and Montclair State University plays a robust role in providing that population with an excellent higher education in a wide range of fields,...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
MIKE ABEL
FOUNDING PARTNER: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, M&C SAATCHI GROUP SOUTH AFRICA
Innovation for innovation sake has absolutely no purpose. It requires direction. It needs to convey a message, inspire curiosity, drive real change, shape the future, and influence action. It must have meaning. Combine this with entrepreneurship, and suddenly the world moves forward. Innovation thrives when curious and imaginative people ask...
INNOVATION Quebec
RICHARD CHÉNIER
DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DU CENTECH
La prochaine décennie offrira plusieurs opportunités stratégiques à saisir en matière d’entrepreneuriat et d’innovation, particulièrement technologique. Plusieurs avancées scientifiques, jadis considérées comme fondamentales, transitent en effet actuellement à une vitesse fulgurante vers des applications réelles. Ces nouvelles applications se doivent d’agir comme catalyseur de solutions concrètes pour répondre à nos...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
NERMA ALBERTORIO BARNÉS
CO-FOUNDER CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURS
Puerto Rico, the unincorporated US territory, has been the focus of the public eye due to a very controversial bankruptcy, escalating debt, a category 5 hurricane, and one of the lowest economies in the United States. However, Puerto Rico has a lot to offer, and much work needs to be...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
BOB QUINN
PRESIDENT & CEO AT SOUTH CAROLINA RESEARCH AUTHORITY (SCRA)
South Carolina is small, but mighty. It is a relatively small state, but it has a mighty innovation ecosystem. I encourage any entrepreneur, researcher, or investor to choose South Carolina as a place to develop and grow innovation. I’m incredibly proud of what’s being created and nurtured in this state,...
INNOVATE® Northern Virginia
CRAIG CHASON
LEADER & PARTNER, PILLSBURY’S NORTHERN VIRGINIA CORPORATE GROUP
When people talk about innovation, they often focus on the breakthrough idea or the individual who disrupted an industry. While those moments capture headlines, I believe innovation truly begins with cultivating a dynamic business community – one that brings together curious minds who might not otherwise cross paths. You want...
INNOVATE® Detroit
LAURA L. CHAVEZ-WAZEERUD-DIN
PRESIDENT AND CEO, SOUTHWEST DETROIT BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
Innovation isn’t just about technology or groundbreaking inventions; it’s about fostering environments where communities thrive, cultures converge, and everyone has a seat at the table. As President and CEO of the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA), I have the privilege of leading an organization that has been a cornerstone of...
INNOVATE® Miami
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™ 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...
CHRISTOPHER J. PALADINO
PRESIDENT, DEVCO
Mr. Paladino has served as President of the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO) since 1994. Under his leadership, DEVCO has developed 8.3 million square feet in residential, commercial, academic, and institutional development projects valued at $3.5 billion. By establishing unique public-private partnerships, Mr. Paladino has successfully completed numerous projects to...
CLAUDIA DE MOOR
HR & FINANCE MANAGER, VOSSCHEMIE BENELUX & V-SURE
HR & FINANCE MANAGER, VOSSCHEMIE BENELUX & V-SURE Get to know your neighbour – entrepreneur and get out. I’ m active in Voka Lokaal Netland, Lier4business, JOL (youth entrepreneurship Lier) and I also do voluntary work. The region of Lier supports entrepreneurship and we like to support this with interesting...
ANTONIO MARTINS DA COSTA
PRESIDENT, AMCHAM PORTUGAL
Innovation is what drives economic development and social welfare. Societies are made of citizens, corporations and States, who need a permanent culture of innovation for two main reasons: its own survival, if a society misses the competitive race for progress there is a risk of stagnation, irrelevance and sometimes disappearance;...
MICHAEL E. ZWICK
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH
Research, discoveries, innovations, and solutions define the Rutgers research enterprise. That is why my vision, and the mission of the Rutgers Office for Research, is to support the research, scholarship, and creative endeavors of all Rutgers faculty. Since joining Rutgers as the Senior Vice President for Research in 2021, I...
SCOTT MAZO
FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, UNIVERSITY PLACE ASSOCIATES
Since most people spend nearly 90% of their lives indoors, it raises a simple question: should the places where we work really be treated as commodities? I’ve never believed they should. The environments where people spend their days shape how they think, collaborate, and perform. Buildings should reflect that reality....
MATTHEW UNGER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Have you ever experienced the sinking feeling of discovering that your identity or credit card information has been stolen? I have. As a technologist, this experience led me on a personal journey to create new standards of trust, security, accountability, and privacy for every individual, every business, every transaction. While...
LISA ERICSSON
FOUNDER & HEAD, KTH INNOVATION
Universities are creative melting pots, where people from all over the world gather to advance knowledge and tackle big problems. As head of KTH Innovation, the entrepreneurship hub at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, I get to witness this firsthand, every day. Since the start in 2007, my team and...
BRETT KING
THE FUTURE OF BANKING
Brett King stands as a beacon of innovation and foresight. His journey, a blend of passion for technology and a keen eye for the ever evolving financial landscape, positions him uniquely as a leading voice in the realm of digital banking and fintech. Delving into his insights, Brett’s narrative reveals...
EMER DOOLEY
PHD, MBA, CREATIVE DESTRUCTION LAB (CDL), UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON.
Yet only a small fraction of these ideas, inventions, and potentially game-changing solutions ever make it off campus. Institutions likethe University of Washington have a responsibility to help more of them make it out into the world. Human health, the environment, theeconomy, and society depend on it. In this spirit,...
YUNG WU
CEO, MaRS
It’s invaluable to work at a place that never stops innovating — especially in the face of a generational pandemic. From the outset of the emergency, MaRS has remained open at reduced capacity to help in the fight. Public health workers testing COVID-19 cases day and night; hospitals using our...
ISABEL KEULEN
CEO, SSE VENTURES & SSE BUSINESS LAB
THE NORDIC’S LEADING STARTUP HUB! I believe that SSE Business Lab’s success in fostering unicorns and groundbreaking companies isn’t coincidental. It’s the result of a carefully designed ecosystem where ambition meets mentorship and capital is intertwined with experience. At the core is a powerful alumni network. Unlike many ecosystems where...
Marco Costa
Chief Operating Officer International, Talkdesk
When Talkdesk came into existence there was no contact centre entirely hosted in the cloud. We were game changers and that is what we aim to continue to be and do. We do not rest on our laurels and continue to lead, build the future of contact centres and set...
PREFACE BY MURIELLE LABERGE
RECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF QUÉBEC EN OUTAOUAIS
Innovation is intrinsically linked to the constant quest for improvement. It requires a creative and agile mindset to come to fruition. It is this mindset that drives individuals seeking to improve well-being and create a better world to dedicate themselves to social innovations based on human values such as solidarity,...
LUIS RODRIGUEZ
MANAGING DIRECTOR, ACCENTURE STRATEGY IN AFRICA
Demystifying innovation is trying to break it into what we see are the building blocks of getting from creating ideas to realising the value of innovation. There are three parts to it, and these are not necessarily sequential – ideating and shaping, designing and killing ideas and lastly scaling. Many...
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...
Dr. Susan Cole
President - Montclair State University
New Jersey has long been a destination for talented and ambitious people from all over the world. Its highly diverse population is a rich opportunity for employers, and Montclair State University plays a robust role in providing that population with an excellent higher education in a wide range of fields,...
MIKE ABEL
FOUNDING PARTNER: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, M&C SAATCHI GROUP SOUTH AFRICA
Innovation for innovation sake has absolutely no purpose. It requires direction. It needs to convey a message, inspire curiosity, drive real change, shape the future, and influence action. It must have meaning. Combine this with entrepreneurship, and suddenly the world moves forward. Innovation thrives when curious and imaginative people ask...
RICHARD CHÉNIER
DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DU CENTECH
La prochaine décennie offrira plusieurs opportunités stratégiques à saisir en matière d’entrepreneuriat et d’innovation, particulièrement technologique. Plusieurs avancées scientifiques, jadis considérées comme fondamentales, transitent en effet actuellement à une vitesse fulgurante vers des applications réelles. Ces nouvelles applications se doivent d’agir comme catalyseur de solutions concrètes pour répondre à nos...
NERMA ALBERTORIO BARNÉS
CO-FOUNDER CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURS
Puerto Rico, the unincorporated US territory, has been the focus of the public eye due to a very controversial bankruptcy, escalating debt, a category 5 hurricane, and one of the lowest economies in the United States. However, Puerto Rico has a lot to offer, and much work needs to be...
BOB QUINN
PRESIDENT & CEO AT SOUTH CAROLINA RESEARCH AUTHORITY (SCRA)
South Carolina is small, but mighty. It is a relatively small state, but it has a mighty innovation ecosystem. I encourage any entrepreneur, researcher, or investor to choose South Carolina as a place to develop and grow innovation. I’m incredibly proud of what’s being created and nurtured in this state,...
CRAIG CHASON
LEADER & PARTNER, PILLSBURY’S NORTHERN VIRGINIA CORPORATE GROUP
When people talk about innovation, they often focus on the breakthrough idea or the individual who disrupted an industry. While those moments capture headlines, I believe innovation truly begins with cultivating a dynamic business community – one that brings together curious minds who might not otherwise cross paths. You want...
LAURA L. CHAVEZ-WAZEERUD-DIN
PRESIDENT AND CEO, SOUTHWEST DETROIT BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
Innovation isn’t just about technology or groundbreaking inventions; it’s about fostering environments where communities thrive, cultures converge, and everyone has a seat at the table. As President and CEO of the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA), I have the privilege of leading an organization that has been a cornerstone of...
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...
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...