Thought Leaders
INNOVATE® Miami
Mitchell Kaplan
Founder - BOOKS & BOOKS
“What I do isn’t just about selling books—it’s about creating spaces and events that bring authors and audiences together.” I was in college when I first imagined opening a bookstore. I had discovered that at the center of most literary movements of the twentieth century, a bookstore was involved. In...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
ASH POURNOURI
FOUNDER BRILLIANT MINDS, AVICII, NORDIC ANGELS, SUPER HUMAN NETWORK
I’ve always believed that opportunity isn’t what you have – it’s what you use. And most people never scratch the surface of their own. We wait. We overthink. We hesitate. We look around for someone to tell us that we’re ready, that we’ve earned it, that we’re allowed to go....
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
GARY CONKRIGHT
CO-FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN AND CEO
A visionary serial entrepreneur, physIQ co-founder, Chairman and CEO Gary Conkright has a passion for taking game-changing technology from the laboratory to the commercial marketplace to solve important problems. A University of Chicago MBA and Purdue Aeronautical Engineer, Gary previously served as the founding CEO and Chairman of SmartSignal (acquired...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
CLEMENT TSANG
MANAGING DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIA
As of the writing of this article in October 2021, the Twitch Influencer payment hack was making its way through the metaverse, enabling a comparison between the compensation that influencers and broadcast anchors enjoy, and the relative engagement they have with theiraudiences and the business models that underpin their ecosystems...
INNOVATION Quebec
KATHY MALAS
Associate to the President & Chief Executive Officer, Pole of Innovation
Associate to the President & Chief Executive Officer, Pole of Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and Projects in Health, Executive Office, CHUM Member of the Board of Directors, Conseil de l’innovation du Québec (CIQ). Member of the Board of Directors, Health Innovation District. Health Professional Researcher, Innovation Hub Axis, CRCHUM. Associate Professor,...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
FABIENNE VERBEEK
CEO, GLOBAL NEW AUTOMATION (GNA)
If you had said this to me 10 years ago, I might have laughed it off. But today, I am upgrading my company, watching it grow, and taking on new challenges. There is a passion in me that may not have been there before, which is why I’m giving back...
INNOVATE® Orlando
Thad Seymour
PhD, Interim President | Vice President for Partnerships and Chief Innovation Officer - University o
As Interim President, Vice President for Partnerships and Chief Innovation Officer at UCF, Thad Seymour is helping to implement an aggressive 20-year plan for the university, including overseeing the new UCF Downtown campus at Creative Village in the heart of Orlando. In addition to his multiple entrepreneurial ventures, Seymour helped...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
ROGÉRIO COLAÇO
DEAN, INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TÉCNICO
At Instituto Superior Técnico we believe that although we cannot do more than the bigger ones, although we cannot do better than the best ones, we could be at least as big as the bigger ones and as best as the best ones. And we also believe that we can...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
SANDRA SÄRAV-TAMMUS
DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL FOR ECONOMY AND INNOVATION, REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA
When people around the world hear of Estonia today, they think of a nation where nearly every government service is accessible online, where starting a company can take just minutes, and where seamless digital interactions are simply the way of life. But this transformation did not happen overnight. It is...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
IN TRIBUTE: DR. EMMA C. CHAPPELL
FOUNDER, UNITED BANK OF PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia’s financial history includes many influential leaders, yet few reshaped the city’s banking landscape with the determination shown by Dr. Emma C. Chappell. Through persistence and vision, she helped open new pathways to capital for entrepreneurs, homeowners, and families who had long struggled to gain access through traditional financial institutions....
INNOVATE® Seattle
LAURA RUDERMAN
CEO, TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE
One of the most pressing challenges is the need for an educated workforce, particularly amid a changing understanding of what that means. Over the last 20 years, creating that workforce centered on STEM fields and getting a bachelor’s degree. It is time to move beyond the “hard hats vs. high...
INNOVATE® Georgia
RICH STINSON
SOUTHWIRE - PRESIDENT & CEO
The promise of an all-electric future in North America is here. We’re experiencing a shift from an oil, coal, and gas-based economy to an electrified one. Electric vehicles, data centers, renewables, and other factors are accelerating demand. Society today wants and assumes that everything that can be electric probably will...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
BRIAN HARSTINE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ACQUIRE
Nearly every socio-economic sector is asking more questions, new questions, and challenging the way they have been doing just about everything, all the way down to their own personal finances and investment decisions. I came across an observation recently; when mass groups of people increase their awareness and knowledge of...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
Neil Douglas
Director, Viper Innovations
When we started our company in 2007, one of the first questions we had to ask ourselves, was where is the best place to be located? The client base for our products and services was international and so our selection did not have to be governed by the location of...
INNOVATE® Nashville
CHIP CRUNK
CEO OF RJ YOUNG
My journey with RJ Young began while I was still a student at Ole Miss, working alongside my father and learning the business from the ground up. Back then, Nashville was a very different city – still rooted in tradition, but the seeds of change were beginning to sprout. Today,...
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™ Atlantic Canada
DORIS GRANT
CEO, LIFE SCIENCES NOVA SCOTIA
As the CEO of Life Sciences Nova Scotia, I have the privilege of witnessing firsthand the creativity, resilience, and vision of the people and companies driving change in the life sciences sector. From pioneering healthcare solutions to cutting-edge biotechnology developments, the Atlantic region is making a profound impact both locally...
VOICES of the Future
ERIK ALMQVIST
FOUNDER AND CEO, SENSE STRATEGY, & OWNER ALMQVIST FAMILY OFFICE
LEGACY OF INNOVATION Two of the most well-known rules in the global ICT industry are “For every ten percent increase in broadband penetration there is a 1 percent increase in GDP”, and “For every doubling of broadband speed, there is a 0.3 percent increase in GDP”. Both were devised by...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
KALEV KALLEMETS
CEO, FERMI ENERGIA
THE COURAGE TO BUILD THE FUTURE When we started Fermi Energia in 2019, there were a handful of nuclear experts in Estonia, but not nearly enough for a nuclear power plant. There was no law to regulate nuclear energy. No political support. No clear understanding of which technology to choose,...
INNOVATE® Nashville
LARISSA MARSHALL
DIRECTOR OF PRACTICE INNOVATION AT POLSINELLI
Innovation in the legal industry can often feel counter-intuitive. After all, law is built on precedent, on looking backward to go forward. A cornerstone of the profession is to manage risk and reduce uncertainty, adding additional tension to innovation and experimentation. And yet, the legal industry finds itself amid some...
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® Tampa Bay Vol.3
ERIC CARTER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT FAST PATHWAY INC
As practicing physicians and frontline workers, my business partner and I were amazed to discover communications between surgical teams and the patient’s family members were not as frequent as they should be. While it can be difficult to communicate with the patient’s family during surgery, because the surgical team is...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
GREG JOHANSEN
MANAGING DIRECTOR & CEO, AUSHEALTH
Since our formation, I have been constantly motivated by the impact that medical research can have on our community. It’s a challenging field, and it requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and perseverance – sometimes years in the making – but the positive results we see makes it all...
VOICES of the Future
DR. MARIAM MATAR
A LEGACY OF HEALING
Connecting with hearts and humanity is the motivation behind ‘Voices of the Future.’ When meeting people as authentic, deep, insightful, and purposeful as Dr. Mariam Matar, our conversation can project her voice into the future – and the hearts of many more people. While she describes herself as a proud...
Mitchell Kaplan
Founder - BOOKS & BOOKS
“What I do isn’t just about selling books—it’s about creating spaces and events that bring authors and audiences together.” I was in college when I first imagined opening a bookstore. I had discovered that at the center of most literary movements of the twentieth century, a bookstore was involved. In...
ASH POURNOURI
FOUNDER BRILLIANT MINDS, AVICII, NORDIC ANGELS, SUPER HUMAN NETWORK
I’ve always believed that opportunity isn’t what you have – it’s what you use. And most people never scratch the surface of their own. We wait. We overthink. We hesitate. We look around for someone to tell us that we’re ready, that we’ve earned it, that we’re allowed to go....
GARY CONKRIGHT
CO-FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN AND CEO
A visionary serial entrepreneur, physIQ co-founder, Chairman and CEO Gary Conkright has a passion for taking game-changing technology from the laboratory to the commercial marketplace to solve important problems. A University of Chicago MBA and Purdue Aeronautical Engineer, Gary previously served as the founding CEO and Chairman of SmartSignal (acquired...
CLEMENT TSANG
MANAGING DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIA
As of the writing of this article in October 2021, the Twitch Influencer payment hack was making its way through the metaverse, enabling a comparison between the compensation that influencers and broadcast anchors enjoy, and the relative engagement they have with theiraudiences and the business models that underpin their ecosystems...
KATHY MALAS
Associate to the President & Chief Executive Officer, Pole of Innovation
Associate to the President & Chief Executive Officer, Pole of Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and Projects in Health, Executive Office, CHUM Member of the Board of Directors, Conseil de l’innovation du Québec (CIQ). Member of the Board of Directors, Health Innovation District. Health Professional Researcher, Innovation Hub Axis, CRCHUM. Associate Professor,...
Thad Seymour
PhD, Interim President | Vice President for Partnerships and Chief Innovation Officer - University o
As Interim President, Vice President for Partnerships and Chief Innovation Officer at UCF, Thad Seymour is helping to implement an aggressive 20-year plan for the university, including overseeing the new UCF Downtown campus at Creative Village in the heart of Orlando. In addition to his multiple entrepreneurial ventures, Seymour helped...
ROGÉRIO COLAÇO
DEAN, INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TÉCNICO
At Instituto Superior Técnico we believe that although we cannot do more than the bigger ones, although we cannot do better than the best ones, we could be at least as big as the bigger ones and as best as the best ones. And we also believe that we can...
SANDRA SÄRAV-TAMMUS
DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL FOR ECONOMY AND INNOVATION, REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA
When people around the world hear of Estonia today, they think of a nation where nearly every government service is accessible online, where starting a company can take just minutes, and where seamless digital interactions are simply the way of life. But this transformation did not happen overnight. It is...
IN TRIBUTE: DR. EMMA C. CHAPPELL
FOUNDER, UNITED BANK OF PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia’s financial history includes many influential leaders, yet few reshaped the city’s banking landscape with the determination shown by Dr. Emma C. Chappell. Through persistence and vision, she helped open new pathways to capital for entrepreneurs, homeowners, and families who had long struggled to gain access through traditional financial institutions....
LAURA RUDERMAN
CEO, TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE
One of the most pressing challenges is the need for an educated workforce, particularly amid a changing understanding of what that means. Over the last 20 years, creating that workforce centered on STEM fields and getting a bachelor’s degree. It is time to move beyond the “hard hats vs. high...
RICH STINSON
SOUTHWIRE - PRESIDENT & CEO
The promise of an all-electric future in North America is here. We’re experiencing a shift from an oil, coal, and gas-based economy to an electrified one. Electric vehicles, data centers, renewables, and other factors are accelerating demand. Society today wants and assumes that everything that can be electric probably will...
BRIAN HARSTINE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ACQUIRE
Nearly every socio-economic sector is asking more questions, new questions, and challenging the way they have been doing just about everything, all the way down to their own personal finances and investment decisions. I came across an observation recently; when mass groups of people increase their awareness and knowledge of...
Neil Douglas
Director, Viper Innovations
When we started our company in 2007, one of the first questions we had to ask ourselves, was where is the best place to be located? The client base for our products and services was international and so our selection did not have to be governed by the location of...
CHIP CRUNK
CEO OF RJ YOUNG
My journey with RJ Young began while I was still a student at Ole Miss, working alongside my father and learning the business from the ground up. Back then, Nashville was a very different city – still rooted in tradition, but the seeds of change were beginning to sprout. Today,...
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...
DORIS GRANT
CEO, LIFE SCIENCES NOVA SCOTIA
As the CEO of Life Sciences Nova Scotia, I have the privilege of witnessing firsthand the creativity, resilience, and vision of the people and companies driving change in the life sciences sector. From pioneering healthcare solutions to cutting-edge biotechnology developments, the Atlantic region is making a profound impact both locally...
ERIK ALMQVIST
FOUNDER AND CEO, SENSE STRATEGY, & OWNER ALMQVIST FAMILY OFFICE
LEGACY OF INNOVATION Two of the most well-known rules in the global ICT industry are “For every ten percent increase in broadband penetration there is a 1 percent increase in GDP”, and “For every doubling of broadband speed, there is a 0.3 percent increase in GDP”. Both were devised by...
KALEV KALLEMETS
CEO, FERMI ENERGIA
THE COURAGE TO BUILD THE FUTURE When we started Fermi Energia in 2019, there were a handful of nuclear experts in Estonia, but not nearly enough for a nuclear power plant. There was no law to regulate nuclear energy. No political support. No clear understanding of which technology to choose,...
LARISSA MARSHALL
DIRECTOR OF PRACTICE INNOVATION AT POLSINELLI
Innovation in the legal industry can often feel counter-intuitive. After all, law is built on precedent, on looking backward to go forward. A cornerstone of the profession is to manage risk and reduce uncertainty, adding additional tension to innovation and experimentation. And yet, the legal industry finds itself amid some...
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...
ERIC CARTER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT FAST PATHWAY INC
As practicing physicians and frontline workers, my business partner and I were amazed to discover communications between surgical teams and the patient’s family members were not as frequent as they should be. While it can be difficult to communicate with the patient’s family during surgery, because the surgical team is...
GREG JOHANSEN
MANAGING DIRECTOR & CEO, AUSHEALTH
Since our formation, I have been constantly motivated by the impact that medical research can have on our community. It’s a challenging field, and it requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and perseverance – sometimes years in the making – but the positive results we see makes it all...
DR. MARIAM MATAR
A LEGACY OF HEALING
Connecting with hearts and humanity is the motivation behind ‘Voices of the Future.’ When meeting people as authentic, deep, insightful, and purposeful as Dr. Mariam Matar, our conversation can project her voice into the future – and the hearts of many more people. While she describes herself as a proud...