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WORLD BIZ MAGAZINE ANNUAL AWARDS - GLOBAL TOP 100 INNOVATION CEOS OF 2021 (51 - 100)
Now in the fourth year, the annual World Biz Magazine CEO Awards celebrates business leaders across the globe that are making major strides in their industries.
The WBM Top 100 Innovation CEO Awards recognizes product, service, functional, strategic, and managerial innovation in companies. The Awards also recognizes individuals showing exceptional commercial insight and market integrity. Sustainability forms a key cornerstone of the Awards and is an integral part of our selection criteria.
This year there were over 40,000 leaders shortlisted for the Awards. There are only 100 CEOs across the world selected to receive this distinction. Winners were selected regardless of the size of company they lead, the most important determining factor being their role in driving innovation within their industry.
Only 0.25% of the shortlisted leaders have been selected by our researchers and independent judges for this recognition. We are honored to share this showcase of our deserving Award Winners with you.
51 - GLENN GONZALES - CEO OF JET IT
Prior to Jet It, Glenn was the Regional Sales Manager for the Eastern United States for Honda Aircraft Company. In this role, Glenn developed and executed a sales, communication, marketing business plan, and strategy to sell Honda’s first venture into aviation, the $5M+ HondaJet. Preceding his efforts with Honda Aircraft Company, Glenn performed a sales support role as an International Demonstration Captain for Gulfstream Aerospace Company.
Glenn began his career in the USAF as a T-38A Instructor Pilot and his military career culminated as an F-15C Flight Commander and 4-Ship Flight Lead. Glenn also participated as an active member of the US Embassy Kyrgyz Republic Country Team.
Glenn has an MBA from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, and a Masters in Aeronautical Sciences from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He completed his undergraduate studies at the US Air Force Academy earning a B.S. degree in Behavioral Sciences with a concentration in Human Factors Engineering.
In the community, Gonzales has served as a spokesman for Make a Wish, founded a military community outreach organization, The 71st Fighter Squadron Iron Foundation, and served as Program Coordinator for the Special Olympics.
52 - MICHAEL GABAY - CEO OF TRIGO
As co-founder and CEO of Trigo, Michael brings more than 15 years of experience to managing teams and cutting edge projects in complex, multidisciplinary environments.
Trigo is a computer vision company that is reshaping the retail experience. Leveraging world-class AI and algorithmics experts, the company's advanced retail automation platform identifies customers' shopping items with exceptional accuracy, creating an entirely seamless checkout process.
Trigo's technology streamlines retail operations, prevents shoplifting, provides invaluable retail insights, and presents new levels of customer engagement within retail environments.
Trigo is a technology company that builds AI-powered infrastructure for retail stores. The world’s leading retailers use our system to provide frictionless shopping and automate operations.
Before founding Trigo, Michael served in elite units of the Israeli Defense Forces' intelligence corps. There he led technology development groups, oversaw hundreds of employees and managed numerous cutting-edge projects.
The future is Trigo: "Our mission is to accelerate the digitization of store spaces"
www.trigo.tech
53 - SOPHIE BOISSARD - CEO OF KORIAN
Sophie Boissard, is a graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA). After having held various positions in the public sector, notably at the State Council, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance, she joined the SNCF group in 2008, where she first created and directed the Gares & Connexions department (management and development of train stations), before moving on in 2014 to oversee SNCF Immobilier.
Between 2012 and 2014, she was also responsible for the SNCF group’s strategy and development. Since 26 January 2016, Sophie Boissard is Chief Executive Officer of Korian. She is also a member of the supervisory board at Allianz SE.
Korian’s strength lies in its European network and the dedication of its 57,500 employees. Korian is unique in the way it delivers compassionate and long-term care services to elderly or vulnerable people, with an emphasis on preserving their independence.
Korian also cares about the quality of life of its residents and employees. Everything Korian does is guided by the Group’s resilient, socially inclusive and sustainable vision.
Korian has more than 850 care facilities and networks in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands and Belgium.
54 - RAYMOND LIN - CEO OF CLPS INC.
Mr. Raymond Ming Hui Lin is the CEO and Director of CLPS. Mr. Lin joined CLPS in February 2009 as CEO. From January 2008 to January 2009, Mr. Lin was business consultant of VanceInfo, a Beijing-based IT solutions and software development company. Prior to VanceInfo's acquisition of A-IT Software (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mr. Lin acted as general manager from April 2002 to December 2007.
Mr. Lin is an IT outsourcing service veteran with a deep understanding of IT talent acquisition, training, development and service delivery. He has developed and pioneered the first training programs for mainframe and VisionPLUS (a credit card processing solution) in China, which has made CLPS one of the largest mainframe resource powerhouses and the VisionPLUS project team in Greater China. In 2015, Mr. Lin became the MSE senior advisor in Fudan University, Shanghai.
CLPS is a NASDAQ-listed and global information technology, consulting and solutions service provider focused on delivering services to global institutions in banking, insurance and the financial sectors, both in China and globally. CLPS is dedicated to providing a full range of services and solutions across technology needs in finance. In recent years, we maintain one of the largest IBM mainframe teams and the largest VisionPLUS team in China.
55 - JONATHAN MEDVED - CEO OF OURCROWD
Jonathan Medved is a serial entrepreneur and according to the Washington Post (2007) “one of Israel’s leading high-tech venture capitalists.” In the 2008 NY Times Supplement “Israel at 60" Medved was named one of the top 10 most influential Americans who have impacted Israel.
Medved is the founder and CEO of OurCrowd, the world’s largest equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors which has raised more than $1B for over 170 companies since its launch in February 2013. Bloomberg Businessweek said that OurCrowd “has blown up the exclusivity around tech fundraising” and The Jerusalem Post added that “It has taken OurCrowd only a matter of months to become one of Israel’s most active funds.”
TheStreet.com said that OurCrowd is “Crowdfunding for Real Investors.” Prior to OurCrowd, Medved was the co-founder and CEO of Vringo (Nasdaq:VRNG) and the co-founder and General Partner of Israel Seed Partners, with $262M under management.
OurCrowd is a global venture investing platform that empowers institutions and individuals to invest and engage in emerging companies. The most active venture investor in Israel, OurCrowd vets and selects companies, invests its capital, and provides its network with unparalleled access to co-invest and contribute connections, talent and deal flow.
56 - TEAGUE EGAN - CEO OF ENERGYX
Teague Egan is the Founder and CEO of EnergyX, responsible for all aspects of building the company into the world leader in renewable energy technologies.
Teague’s background is one of serial entrepreneurship, investing, inventing, and philanthropy and he has been investing in public sector energy assets and sustainable technologies since 2013. Lithium demand is already high and is growing year on year. Over the next 10-20 years, lithium will be the most important natural resource in the world. As our society transitions to a fully sustainable future, EnergyX will tackle the hardest problems for the production of lithium and many aspects of energy storage.
Prior to EnergyX, he started businesses in entertainment, music, and sports, and is also the inventor of energyDNA – a patented multi-component graphene textile fiber technology. Teague founded Innovation Factory VC, a fund focused on tech, life sciences, real estate, and consumer products in 2012. Most of his philanthropic efforts are associated with the Thomas E. Smith Foundation. He is the co-founder of Dance For Paralysis, The Reality Ride Challenge, and The Kindness Project. Teague is an alumnus of University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and went on to complete the Executive Program in exponential technology at Singularity University.
57 - ROBERT A. ECKEL - CEO OF AWARE, INC.
Robert A. Eckel has been Aware’s Chief Executive Officer and President since September 2019.
Mr. Eckel also serves on the board of directors for the International Biometrics + Identity Association (IBIA), as a strategic advisory board member of Evolv Technology, and as a consultant for Digimarc Corporation. Over his distinguished career, he has held many positions of note within the biometric and identity space, including: Regional President and Chief Executive Officer of IDEMIA’s NORAM Identity & Security division from 2017 to 2018; President and Chief Executive Officer of MorphoTrust USA, LLC from 2011 to 2017; Executive Vice President and President of the Secure Credentialing Division of L-1 Identity Solutions Company from 2008-2011; and President of the Identity Systems division of Digimarc Corporation from 2005 to 2008. Mr. Eckel has received his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California Los Angeles, and his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Connecticut.
"My passion has always been to build and lead companies that enable people to experience the life they deserve through technology. Aware is just such a company, with a purpose to Bring Biometrics to Life™ and an aspiration to create a world where you Own your identity™."
58 - BRANDON NEWMAN - CEO OF XEVANT
Brandon Newman has a dynamic, 30-year leadership career spearheading several health technology businesses with an emphasis on growth, revenue, and operational excellence.
He has run many high-growth environments, including start-ups, turnarounds, and $1B+ dollar businesses. As a serial entrepreneur, he has a proven record of founding new businesses and advancing them through growth and acquisition, merger, or roll-up including ScripPoint, Veridian, and AviaraMD.
Since co-founding Xevant in 2017, an innovative business intelligence company delivering client optimization solutions that create value for its customers in the payer, consulting and PBM markets, Brandon has led a diverse team of employees spanning 3 continents comprising data and software, sales and marketing, account management, and operations. He has proven to be a driving force for vision, new market strategy, revenue growth, technology development, and partner alliances.
Xevant is entirely focused on bringing meaningful value and delivering solutions and services to payers, PBMs, TPAs, consultants, and brokers. Xevant delivers highly-functional and customized solutions to our clients to better navigate and compete in a complex and changing market.
59 - JULIE CANE - CEO OF DEMOCRACY INVESTMENTS
Julie Cane is co-founder and CEO of Democracy Investments, an asset manager and index provider focused on shifting capital flows toward democracies.
Her 20+ year background in financial services includes developing market leading innovations at Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab Advisor Services, SEI Investments and Autodesk Ventures. In 2002, Julie developed the Wells Fargo Private Bank’s first high net worth and segmentation strategies resulting in more than a 100% increase in the division’s profits during the next three years. At SEI Investments, she launched and marketed eleven new mutual funds and led the conversion of $500 million in common trust funds to private-label public mutual funds.
Julie began her career as a U.S. Naval Aviator flying the SH-3 Sea King helicopter. Julie is the Chairman of the Board of Swords to Plowshares, a nonprofit helping 3,000+ military veterans, and she currently serves as a Captain in the California State Guard supporting the 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Field. She holds a BA from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA. The Democracy International Fund incentivizes democracy by influencing capital flows in financial markets. Our international equity portfolio is similar to other international equity index products, except it is weighted toward democracy and away from authoritarianism.
60 - APU PAVITHRAN - CEO OF MITSOGO
Apu Pavithran is the founder and CEO of Hexnode UEM, a unified endpoint management solution designed to simplify device management in the workplace.
Hexnode is the culmination of Mr. Pavithran's passion for entrepreneurship coupled with an interest in enterprise security. A firm believer in sharing the wealth of knowledge, he often tries to take a little time off to meet with young entrepreneurs to lend an ear to their queries and give some pointers.
Mr. Pavithran has been recognized in the IT management community as a consultant, speaker, thought leader and a firm advocate of IT governance and Information security management. He has been highlighted by media including Forbes tech council, Entrepreneur India, Security Boulevard, Security Magazine, Vator News, and Your Story.
Hexnode, the Enterprise software division of Mitsogo Inc. was founded on a mission to build the future of business mobility around intelligent tools that simplify the way people work. Hexnode's award-winning UEM has now empowered organizations in over 100 countries with a centralized platform for enterprise-wide device, app, content, identity and threat management. Hexnode is now fueling the transformation to a seamless ecosystem of connected tools.
61 - RUSSELL HANCOCK - CEO OF JOINT VENTURE SILICON VALLEY
Russell Hancock is President & CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a position he has held since 2003. In this role Dr. Hancock is best described variously: as a civic leader, community gatherer, institution builder, social entrepreneur, and outspoken advocate for regionalism.
Since taking the helm of Joint Venture he has quadrupled the size of the organization; assembled a potent board filled with mayors, CEOs and university presidents; built strategic partnerships; recruited a highly talented staff; and launched initiatives that are delivering measurable results to the region. Russell is also the founder of the annual State of the Valley conference, a “town hall” meeting attracting more than 1,500 leaders for a day spent in dialogue and discussion about the Valley’s challenges and opportunities. The conference features the release of Joint Venture’s Silicon Valley Index, a document now receiving national and international attention.
Educated at Harvard in the field of government, Russell received a Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University where he currently teaches in the Public Policy Program. Fluent in Japanese, Russell returned to Stanford in 2000 to become the inaugural director of the Shorenstein Forum for Asia-Pacific Studies, a gathering place for ranking officials, senior executives, journalists, and scholars.
62 - MICHEL SPAGNOL - CEO OF NOVASEP
Michel Spagnol joined Novasep in June 2013 as CEO. He was appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board in March 2014.
Holding a PhD from Stanford University (USA), he has worked in Europe, UK, India and the USA in various executive positions including R&D, sales, marketing and global business management.
“Novasep’s differentiation to win business will always be the quality of our services, the passion of our teams supported by high added value technologies. We want to become a leader in all our markets, more agile, more transparent and we are aiming for nothing less than excellence to serving our customers."
Novasep is a leading provider of services in the field of molecule production and purification for the life science industries, based on an unrivalled pool of specialized and differentiating technologies, and on fully committed teams.
Novasep is established in Europe, Asia and North America and is constantly expanding its presence to better serve its customers. Novasep aims to be a highly respected, and an innovative partner providing life sciences solutions for patients in all its market segments through the passion of its people and the excellence of its processes.
63 - JEAN MARIE RAYMOND - CEO OF PHARMACTIVE
Jean Marie Raymond studied marketing and information technology at the University of Wolverhampton and an Executive MBA at the Instituto de Empresas (IE) in Madrid. His professional career comprises nearly twenty years in the field of botanical and natural ingredients for food supplements. In 2006, he was awarded the National Top Sales Award by Actualidad Económica Magazine (Spain).
Jean Marie is the founder of Pharmactive Biotech Products, SL (2009). It is a pioneering biotechnology company that produces high-quality saffron extract for mood, anxiety, stress, and sleep support. Currently, Pharmactive has more than 40 employees, with 7 clinical trials and several scientific publications, and produces the highest-quality extracts.
Pharmactive Biotech Products, S.L. is a privately-owned Spanish company that develops, and manufactures differentiated natural ingredients supported by scientific evidence. Pharmactive makes these innovative ingredients available to other companies in the Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical and Veterinary Industries for marketing/distribution.
Quality is one of the fundamental pillars on which Pharmactive is based. Its products undergo rigorous quality controls at all stages of development, from crops to final product, ensuring full traceability of ingredients.
64 - SIMON YENCKEN - CEO OF FANPLAYR
Simon Yencken has had a lengthy career as an entrepreneur, investor and corporate executive.
Simon co-founded Fanplayr and has held the role of Chief Executive Officer since 2012. Additionally, Simon has been a Non-Executive Board Member of Damstra Technologies, an Australian-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of an enterprise protection platform to a global array of industry segments since 2019.
Simon also served 10 years as a Board Member of Aconex Limited including 3 as Chairman, a provider of cloud-based collaboration software which went public on the ASX, and subsequently acquired by Oracle in 2018 for approximately US $1.2 billion. Simon is also an active investor in other start-up technology companies including Blackbird VC, Matrak Industries, Moda Operandi, and Dokio.
Fanplayr's mission is to make ‘behavioral data actionable’. Its breakthrough approach consists in analyzing site traffic and providing intelligence and real time segmentation to improve and personalize every interaction with users.
Fanplayr’s patented ‘Segmentation as a Service’ provides a powerful real-time segmentation engine across the enterprise to multiple data bases & applications.
65 - JESSICA BILLINGSLEY - CEO OF AKERNA
Jessica Billingsley serves as Akerna’s Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair. She is an accomplished innovator, executive, and board member in public and private international technology with over 20 years of experience.
She co-founded MJ Freeway in 2010, where she served as President until April 2018, and later as the CEO until MJ Freeway was acquired by MTech to form Akerna. Shortly after, as CEO, Jessica led Akerna to become the first cannabis technology company listed on Nasdaq. Akerna provides the most comprehensive technology ecosystem for cannabis operators, governments, and brands, from seed-to-sale, providing transparency along virtually every piece of the supply chain.
Akerna is the first cannabis software company to be listed on a major U.S. exchange. Since that time, Akerna has continued to grow and evolve, focusing on key acquisitions of technology companies specifically designed to support the cannabis industry.
Through its growing family of brands, Akerna connects data points across the global cannabis supply chain to create one of the world’s most transparent and accountable consumer packaged goods supply chains on a global scale. Akerna believes connected data and information will modernize and propel the cannabis industry forward.
66 - CHRIS ADAMS - CEO OF PARK PLACE
As President and CEO of Park Place Technologies, Chris Adams is an architect of leadership, innovation and change.
Park Place is the world’s largest post-warranty data center organization, with operations in 154 countries, supporting more than 21,000 customers.
Prior to becoming CEO, Chris’s most recent role was President and Chief Operating Officer for Park Place, where he oversaw global operations, Information & Technology, new product development, international expansion, finance and all Mergers & Acquisitions activity. During his 15 years at Park Place, Chris has served in a wide range of leadership positions across operations and finance, impacting all areas of Park Place. Chris drove the M&A strategy, orchestrating 18 acquisitions since 2016 and growing Park Place from a North American to a Global organization. Under his stewardship, Park Place has grown from fewer than 100 employees to a global employer that counts over 2,200 people in its family.
Chris received his BBA in Accounting from the University of Toledo and his MBA in Entrepreneurship from Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. He was a winner of the Crain’s Cleveland 40 Under Forty award in 2011, the Crain’s COO of the Year award in 2016 and the Smart Business Dealmakers Award in 2018.
67 - PAUL K. WOTTON - CEO OF OBSIDIAN THERAPEUTICS
Dr. Paul K. Wotton is Obsidian’s Chief Executive Officer, bringing significant experience spanning scientific research, product development and corporate growth gained over a thirty-year career.
Dr. Wotton most recently served as the Founding President and CEO of Sigilon Therapeutics, Inc. Prior to Sigilon, Dr. Wotton served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Ocata Therapeutics until its acquisition by Astellas Pharma where he was also Co-Chairman of the Office of Integration.
In previous roles, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Antares Pharma as well as Chief Executive Officer of Topigen Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Wotton is a named inventor on numerous patents and was the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Regional (NJ) Winner Life Sciences in 2014. He serves on the Boards of Directors of Vericel Corporation , Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S and Cynata Therapeutics as its Chairman.
Obsidian Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology company pioneering engineered cell and gene therapies to deliver transformative outcomes for patients with intractable diseases. Obsidian’s proprietary cytoDRiVE® technology provides a way to control protein degradation using FDA-approved small molecules, permitting precise control of the timing and level of protein expression.
68 - KOJI TANABE - CEO OF I PEACE INC.
Dr. Koji Tanabe, Ph.D. is the Founder and CEO of I Peace, Inc. Dr Tanabe has been involved in iPSC research since its inception and is the second author of the first ever paper that reported the successful creation of human iPS cells. He studied the mechanism of reprogramming for 7 years in the laboratory of Dr. Shinya Yamanaka.
As a post-doctoral researcher at the laboratory of Dr. Marius Wernig of Stanford University—who succeeded in the world’s first direct reprogramming of skin cells to neurons— Dr. Tanabe’s work focused on the mechanism of direct reprogramming from blood cells to neurons and iPSC reprogramming. He has contributed to numerous iPSC papers and papers on direct reprogramming to neurons.
I Peace has succeeded in developing a technology that simplifies the manufacturing process of iPS cells using high biotechnology and automates the manufacturing process of iPS cells using high engineering technology.
In addition, we are also working on automation of factories that produce cells using automation equipment (cell production automation factories) to improve production efficiency and reduce prices. At the cell manufacturing base, we have set up a production system by clinical incubators and obtained permission to manufacture specific cell processed products for the production of clinical grade cells.
69 - MARCELO GONZÁLEZ - CEO OF VERITRAN
Marcelo González serves as the CEO and Co-Founder of Veritran, a global company that speeds up and simplifies the development of digital solutions through its Enterprise Low-Code Platform. Mr. González founded the company in 2005 alongside his business partner with the objective of giving financial institutions the opportunity to develop immersive digital channels easily and quickly, without the need to write a single line of code.
Mr. González has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry promoting digital transformation projects. Initially, he worked in different technological entities dedicated to the financial industry, including as a Sub-Manager of Electronic Banking at a major international bank where he led home banking initiatives and one of the company’s vital internet payment projects. He has a degree in Systems Engineering from the National Technological University of Argentina (UTN) and an MBA from the University of San Andrés.
Veritran has developed innovative and award-winning solutions around the world such as PagoRut - Best Financial Inclusion Project by Celent - for Banco Estado in Chile, Mobile Payment - Most Innovative Company for the Development of Pagomóvil by Netmedia Research - for Banorte in Mexico and BBVA Móvil - Most Innovative Bank in means of payment by Global Finance - for BBVA in Colombia.
70 - TIM MOORE - CEO OF HAVN LIFE
Tim Moore is the former CEO of Green Growth Brands, leading the company from its IPO through to January 2019, reaching a nearly billion dollar market cap.
Prior to that, Mr. Moore had a successful career in packaged goods where he spent 18 years at Clorox, with the last eight serving as president. Before that, he spent seven years at Brita as managing director of the North America foodservice and retail businesses. Mr. Moore joined HAVN Life in 2020 and is now leveraging his past leadership experience in the cannabis industry to create an effective path to success for HAVN Life, whose mission is to use evidence-informed research to unlock human performance and help to define and standardize the future of modern medicine.
HAVN Life is a part of a global community taking an active part in supporting research addressing mental health disorders. Working with Veterans and thought leaders in the military, HAVN Life is developing innovative formulations to support clinical trials addressing PTSD recovery and other trauma related disorders.
We are focused on standardizing extraction of psychoactive compounds, the development of natural health products, and developing innovative mental health treatment to support brain health and enhance the capabilities of the mind.
71 - BJARNI ÁRMANNSSON - CEO OF ICELAND SEAFOOD
Bjarni Ármannsson is the CEO of Iceland Seafood International. A private investor, he is currently the largest shareholder in Iceland seafood international.
Bjarni is a computer engineer from University of Iceland in 1990 and graduated as MBA from IMD in Switzerland in 1996. Bjarni spent a lion share of his career in the banking industry in Iceland, originally as a CEO for Kaupthing a investment and financial service company, later for the Icelandic Investment Bank and as a CEO of Islandsbanki – a leading seafood service provider out of Iceland. He exited the banking sector in spring of 2007. In 2008 he became an Operating Director for Paine and Partners a US based Private equity fund focusing on food and Agri business.
Since 2013 Bjarni has been focusing on his investments and developing them as a long term active industrial owner.
Iceland Seafood is a worldwide sales, processing and marketing group for a variety of frozen, fresh, salted and dried seafood and value added seafood products. We serve all major seafood markets worldwide, where we have depth of expertise and understanding to meet our customers needs, combined with innovative flexible solutions and strategic global distribution. Our headquarters are in Iceland, and we operate 3 divisions with 12 businesses in Europe and North and South Americ