Thought Leaders
AI Québec
GILLES SAVARD
DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL -IVADO
Moteur d’innovation, les données sont au cœur de la transformation numérique qui s’impose partout. Liées à plusieurs technologies numériques habilitantes arrivant à maturité dont, l’infonuagique, l’internet des objets, le 5G, le 3D, la réalité augmentée, la robotique, etc., ces données et leur valorisation par l’analytique sont les véritables activateurs de...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
JOEL GIBBARD AND SAMANTHA PAYNE
MBE CEO & MBE COO, OPEN BIONICS
Here at Open Bionics we build medical devices that enhance the human body. Our goal is to democratise the prosthetics industry and make it accessible so that every individual can feel empowered to reach their goals. It’s critical that the future of robotics evolves with purpose. I believe companies who...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
KRISTINA NOELL
ANACOSTIA BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Progress isn’t just a metric; it’s a mindset. I envision a world where art is at the heart of innovation, powering inclusive economic growth and nurturing a vibrant, diverse, and connected society. My journey has been fueled by a lifelong commitment to learning—both through formal education and the invaluable experiences...
INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada
DR. RAMESH VENKAT
DIRECTOR, DAVID SOBEY RETAILING CENTRE
INNOVATION IN THE RETAIL SECTOR The retail sector has undergone a significant transformation in the past decade, especially in the post-pandemic era. The major drivers of change have been new technologies, such as AI, changing consumer behaviour, and external shocks such as supply chain disruptions and inflation. The retail sector...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
JAMES O’HAGAN
FOUNDER & CEO, THE ACADEMY OF ESPORTS
Would you be so quick to shut off your child’s video game system if you knew that it could be a portal to a scholarship at an international university or a career in a billion-dollar industry? What about if it led to a reduction in your child’s anxiety, better connections...
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
Eric Simone
CEO and CO-FOUNDER
EARLY INTERNET – SAN FRANCISCO, CA (1994 – 2003)As a kid in the early 80’s when I was obsessed with my Apple computer, my eyes were opened to the power of software. After an early start at IBM, I became an entrepreneur and moved to San Francisco. While my first...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
DR. ELIZABETH CANNON
OC, AOE, FRSC, FCAE, PRESIDENT EMERITA, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
The energy of our community and the focus not on who you are, but what you can do – and how you can contribute – provided a platform where I knew that hard work would be rewarded. I was not disappointed. I was fortunate to be exposed to the Global...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
MICHELLE SHOGREN
CEO, INNOVATE IN WHAT YOU DO! LLC
With 25+ years in clinical research, Michelle Shogren, CEO of Innovate In What You Do! LLC, started as a patient participant, then journeyed through nursing, clinical trial monitoring, and a significant role at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Her innovation-focused path culminated in founding her own company in 2022. Michelle is dedicated to...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
Howard Lubert
Area President, Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic
Area President, Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic How many times do you need to repeat an exercise before you truly become an expert? According to Malcolm Gladwell in “Outliers: The Story of Success” it takes 10,000 hours and he points to many successful examples of how “The 10,000 Hour Rule” has paid...
INNOVATION Quebec
CHRISTIAN AGBOBLI
VICE-RECTEUR À LA RECHERCHE, À LA CRÉATION ET À LA DIFFUSION
Cette reconnaissance du caractère distinctif du Québec dans différents domaines est le fruit d’un intense labeur qui réunit notamment la recherche universitaire et l’innovation. Fers de lance de l’innovation, les universités ont apporté « une action d’innover » à travers leurs structures de recherche d’envergure. L’innovation est un processus, une...
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™ 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® New Jersey Vol.2
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™ Oeiras
DUARTE AIRES
CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, VECTOR MAIS
When we chose Oeiras to settle in 16 years ago, we aimed to keep up with the innovation and development that this municipality witnessed since the turn of the millennium with the creation of office parks until then never seen in Portugal. Besides offering the perfect conditions for Portuguese and...
INNOVATION Quebec
RICHARD CHÉNIER
CENTECH CEO
The next decade will offer several strategic opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly technological. Several scientific advances, once considered fundamental, are now transiting at lightning speed to real applications. These new applications must act as a catalyst for concrete solutions to meet our climate challenges and improve the quality of...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
We are passionate about innovation in our community
Fernando Dutra, Attorney & Camille A. Wilson, Patent Attorney
We are passionate about innovation in our community and take any opportunity to bring light to its rich tapestry of stories. So, for us, it was a no-brainer to bring the Innovate series to Jacksonville. We were incredibly excited to discover and collect the success stories in the community and...
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
LAKSHMI SHENOY
CEO-EMBARC COLLECTIVE
REFLECTING ON THE CURVEBALLS OF 2020 For Embarc Collective, 2020 was defined as an exercise of turning obstacles into opportunity. In January we launched the final component of our value proposition, our 32,000-square-foot physical space. In doing this, we could finally bring our vision of making Embarc Collective the central...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
JADE ALBERTS
FOUNDER, PEER GUIDANCE
Being an entrepreneur can be very lonely at times, that is why I am such an advocate for mental wellness. I have talked to many entrepreneurs that had no one to turn to, and if they did, it would have made a difference. I am no expert in this mental...
INNOVATE® South Florida
MELISSA MEDINA
CEO & PRESIDENT, eMERGE AMERICAS
Innovation has been a foundational principle I’ve seen throughout my life. As the first-generation daughter of immigrant parents from Cuba, I learned early on from my parents and grandparents how creative, innovative thinking can help me navigate everyday obstacles and unpredictable circumstances. This drive to continuously innovate and think bigger...
INNOVATE® Phoenix
Sethuraman "Panch" Panchanathan
Executive VP and Chief Research and Innovation Officer - ASU
Introduction Perspective on InnovationInnovation is not limited to creating new products or starting new companies. It is a spirit and a mindset that permeates everything that we do. The most intractable challenges we face are not going to be solved by doing what we’ve always done. It is important to...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
DR. TERRY ROCK
PRESIDENT AND CEO - PLATFORM CALGARY
In 1988 Calgary hosted the Olympic Winter Games. For sixteen days in February, the rest of the world was introduced to a small prairie city that would continue punching above its weight for years to come. We still hold the remnants of those Olympic Games, but today we have new...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
Doug Klinger
Founding CEO and a Member of the Board of Directors - Zelis
On a MissionAt Zelis, we are passionate about working to reduce the rising cost of healthcare in America. We are on a mission to help make healthcare more affordable and more understandable for all of us. We partner with healthcare payers and providers to connect consumers with providers; to ensure...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
STEVE PINTO
CEO, NEW REALITY & CTRL ROBOTICS
Jobs are changing and evolving faster than anyone expected and humanity needs to embrace technology to accelerate for the better. People need more tools to upskill themselves out of poverty and away from the jobs robots will take. My vision is to create the tools to upskill humanity faster and...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
DAVID MALLETT
FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, YANUN PROJECT SERVICES
My people have been innovating on South Australian Country for more than 60,000 years. As a proud Ngarrindjeri man from South Australia’s South-East, my ancestors developed smart solutions to support their day to-day survival within the harsh Australian environment. For example, we would salvage small intricate bird bones to make...
GILLES SAVARD
DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL -IVADO
Moteur d’innovation, les données sont au cœur de la transformation numérique qui s’impose partout. Liées à plusieurs technologies numériques habilitantes arrivant à maturité dont, l’infonuagique, l’internet des objets, le 5G, le 3D, la réalité augmentée, la robotique, etc., ces données et leur valorisation par l’analytique sont les véritables activateurs de...
JOEL GIBBARD AND SAMANTHA PAYNE
MBE CEO & MBE COO, OPEN BIONICS
Here at Open Bionics we build medical devices that enhance the human body. Our goal is to democratise the prosthetics industry and make it accessible so that every individual can feel empowered to reach their goals. It’s critical that the future of robotics evolves with purpose. I believe companies who...
KRISTINA NOELL
ANACOSTIA BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Progress isn’t just a metric; it’s a mindset. I envision a world where art is at the heart of innovation, powering inclusive economic growth and nurturing a vibrant, diverse, and connected society. My journey has been fueled by a lifelong commitment to learning—both through formal education and the invaluable experiences...
DR. RAMESH VENKAT
DIRECTOR, DAVID SOBEY RETAILING CENTRE
INNOVATION IN THE RETAIL SECTOR The retail sector has undergone a significant transformation in the past decade, especially in the post-pandemic era. The major drivers of change have been new technologies, such as AI, changing consumer behaviour, and external shocks such as supply chain disruptions and inflation. The retail sector...
JAMES O’HAGAN
FOUNDER & CEO, THE ACADEMY OF ESPORTS
Would you be so quick to shut off your child’s video game system if you knew that it could be a portal to a scholarship at an international university or a career in a billion-dollar industry? What about if it led to a reduction in your child’s anxiety, better connections...
DR. ELIZABETH CANNON
OC, AOE, FRSC, FCAE, PRESIDENT EMERITA, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
The energy of our community and the focus not on who you are, but what you can do – and how you can contribute – provided a platform where I knew that hard work would be rewarded. I was not disappointed. I was fortunate to be exposed to the Global...
MICHELLE SHOGREN
CEO, INNOVATE IN WHAT YOU DO! LLC
With 25+ years in clinical research, Michelle Shogren, CEO of Innovate In What You Do! LLC, started as a patient participant, then journeyed through nursing, clinical trial monitoring, and a significant role at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Her innovation-focused path culminated in founding her own company in 2022. Michelle is dedicated to...
Howard Lubert
Area President, Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic
Area President, Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic How many times do you need to repeat an exercise before you truly become an expert? According to Malcolm Gladwell in “Outliers: The Story of Success” it takes 10,000 hours and he points to many successful examples of how “The 10,000 Hour Rule” has paid...
CHRISTIAN AGBOBLI
VICE-RECTEUR À LA RECHERCHE, À LA CRÉATION ET À LA DIFFUSION
Cette reconnaissance du caractère distinctif du Québec dans différents domaines est le fruit d’un intense labeur qui réunit notamment la recherche universitaire et l’innovation. Fers de lance de l’innovation, les universités ont apporté « une action d’innover » à travers leurs structures de recherche d’envergure. L’innovation est un processus, une...
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...
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...
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...
DUARTE AIRES
CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, VECTOR MAIS
When we chose Oeiras to settle in 16 years ago, we aimed to keep up with the innovation and development that this municipality witnessed since the turn of the millennium with the creation of office parks until then never seen in Portugal. Besides offering the perfect conditions for Portuguese and...
RICHARD CHÉNIER
CENTECH CEO
The next decade will offer several strategic opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly technological. Several scientific advances, once considered fundamental, are now transiting at lightning speed to real applications. These new applications must act as a catalyst for concrete solutions to meet our climate challenges and improve the quality of...
We are passionate about innovation in our community
Fernando Dutra, Attorney & Camille A. Wilson, Patent Attorney
We are passionate about innovation in our community and take any opportunity to bring light to its rich tapestry of stories. So, for us, it was a no-brainer to bring the Innovate series to Jacksonville. We were incredibly excited to discover and collect the success stories in the community and...
LAKSHMI SHENOY
CEO-EMBARC COLLECTIVE
REFLECTING ON THE CURVEBALLS OF 2020 For Embarc Collective, 2020 was defined as an exercise of turning obstacles into opportunity. In January we launched the final component of our value proposition, our 32,000-square-foot physical space. In doing this, we could finally bring our vision of making Embarc Collective the central...
MELISSA MEDINA
CEO & PRESIDENT, eMERGE AMERICAS
Innovation has been a foundational principle I’ve seen throughout my life. As the first-generation daughter of immigrant parents from Cuba, I learned early on from my parents and grandparents how creative, innovative thinking can help me navigate everyday obstacles and unpredictable circumstances. This drive to continuously innovate and think bigger...
Sethuraman "Panch" Panchanathan
Executive VP and Chief Research and Innovation Officer - ASU
Introduction Perspective on InnovationInnovation is not limited to creating new products or starting new companies. It is a spirit and a mindset that permeates everything that we do. The most intractable challenges we face are not going to be solved by doing what we’ve always done. It is important to...
DR. TERRY ROCK
PRESIDENT AND CEO - PLATFORM CALGARY
In 1988 Calgary hosted the Olympic Winter Games. For sixteen days in February, the rest of the world was introduced to a small prairie city that would continue punching above its weight for years to come. We still hold the remnants of those Olympic Games, but today we have new...
Doug Klinger
Founding CEO and a Member of the Board of Directors - Zelis
On a MissionAt Zelis, we are passionate about working to reduce the rising cost of healthcare in America. We are on a mission to help make healthcare more affordable and more understandable for all of us. We partner with healthcare payers and providers to connect consumers with providers; to ensure...
STEVE PINTO
CEO, NEW REALITY & CTRL ROBOTICS
Jobs are changing and evolving faster than anyone expected and humanity needs to embrace technology to accelerate for the better. People need more tools to upskill themselves out of poverty and away from the jobs robots will take. My vision is to create the tools to upskill humanity faster and...
DAVID MALLETT
FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, YANUN PROJECT SERVICES
My people have been innovating on South Australian Country for more than 60,000 years. As a proud Ngarrindjeri man from South Australia’s South-East, my ancestors developed smart solutions to support their day to-day survival within the harsh Australian environment. For example, we would salvage small intricate bird bones to make...