4 innovation game changers from AtlanticLIVE’s Abu Dhabi summit

AtlanticLIVE,
the events arm of Atlantic
Media, was convinced in Abu Dhabi being the host of
their first international summit What’s
Next Navigating Global Challenges with Innovation
Generation held in the Emirati capital last week.
“We feel that Abu Dhabi is day after day becoming a destination for
most economies and industries, both local and international,” Logan
Elsass,  the Associate Director, Custom Programs
at AtlanticLIVE, told Wamda. “It is a great spot to
found a company or launch a business.”

After already hosting over 200
events throughout the US, talking about innovation throughout
healthcare, technology, education, and other fields, this first
foray into foreign lands proved to be a success. For this summit
Elsass saw the aim as shedding light on the most significant game
changers in transcontinental innovation, and to emphasize the
“innovation generation” concept.

Hosting speakers from over 25
countries, from the fields of education,
media, technology, commerce, as well as
experienced corporations and startups. Elsass was keen to point out
that “there is no specific generation that innovates, but rather a
mentality that surpasses age and educational background.” She
added: “Many think that innovation is reserved for young people and
students. In fact we find people like Fadi Ghandour, founder of
Aramex, are just as innovative.” Everyone agreed on the importance of seeking change, steering away from
old models, and stepping into the unknown – all rules when entering
the innovation game.

And what are the game changers?
Elsass believes that they vary from one field to another; with
probably the most important of them “being ten steps ahead of
everyone else in order to be unique.” 

Some of the biggest game
changers discussed at AtlanticLIVE

Talent, the key to success: Boeing’s board chairman, Jim McNerney, spoke in his
speech about the approach that his company adopts in order to
generate ideas, about the difficulty of developing the good ideas
without being afraid of getting rid of the bad ones. He stressed
the importance of adopting a culture that promotes “ideas from the
bottom of the organization” especially as the goal is “to enhance
the flow of ideas and not the lack thereof”. However, he admitted
that the more the company grows, the more it is bureaucratic,
making it more difficult for employees to get their ideas through.
On the other hand, he emphasized that “innovation is the key to
maintain good talents and the company’s position in the
market.” 

Philippe Forestier, executive vice president of Global Affairs
and Communities at Dassault Systemes, said that hiring brilliant
talents to solve problems, build better cities, and provide better
healthcare and education, was the key. However, companies suffer
from a shortage of talent because education is not keeping up with
the employment trend. 

Meanwhile, Azza Abouzied,
co-director of NYU Abu Dhabi’s
Design Technology Lab, pointed out that the only way to
build successful companies and to make room for innovation is to
choose strong talents with background (whether in education or
experience).

The revolution of online and
conventional education: In order to keep up with the
growing demand of talent, and to address the lack thereof in
markets, most speakers agreed on the need for a revolution in the
educational sector. A number of speakers talked about the
importance of students putting their skills and talents at the top
of their priorities lis.

Fred Moavenzadeh, president of
Masdar
Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi,
stressed that the building of higher education institutions in the
region, and adopting the standards of excellence seen in
prestigious institutions in the US. He said that achieving this
relies on changing educational models, and considered that the
internet should be looked to as a tool that is changing the way
students will learn: “the capabilities of the internet in the
education sector go beyond just making courses available
online.”

Brad Hargreaves, founder of General
Assembly, which offers courses both online and offline,
from web development to business basics, agreed, emphasizing the
importance of offering alternative education that contributes to
the “democratization of technology”. He said that Massive Open
Online Courses (MOOC) did not succeed in changing the existing
educational systems because they faced problems in maintaining
students’ interest and commitment. He stressed that one of the
pillars for the success for e-learning is putting employment at the
heart of educational strategies – the goal is to have graduate
students who are ready to enter the realm of work and ready to
focus on “hands-on learning”.

Mobile is the
future: Terry Kane, Head of Facebook
Travel & Auto Strategies in the MENA
Region, talked about how the world has become more open and
connected, and about how the aim of his department is two fold: to
target users more accurately on, and to allow businesses to better target their fans.
“Brands have become embedded in our DNA,” he said.
He believed that while Facebook is following strict policies with
regard to advertising, it intends to make it more efficient by
focusing on mobile services. He also emphasized that mobile is “the
near future” and pointed out that by 2030, consumed digital content
will outweigh television content in the United
States. 

Cyber security in an
extremely connected world: There is no doubt that cyber
security has become a major priority, especially when recent hacks
have gone beyond just stealing information, and upgraded to the
destruction of the systems where this information is stored. Mahir
Nayfeh, senior VP of Booz Allen Hamilton, said that in reference to
how the game and the identity of the “internet villains” have
changed, “the maturity of online hacks shows that the tools have
changed and developed, and that anyone is now capable of committing
them.” Consequently, companies should adopt a methodological
approach to protect its systems. As Macedonia’s Deputy Minister of
Information Society and Administration, Marta Arsovska-Tomovska
said, every company should have its own cyber security strategy.
The idea was also supported by Nayfeh who added that companies
should determine what important information should be protected,
and assess the risks that they would face should that information
be published. 

Nayef also added that several
biometrics methods have been adopted such as fingerprints in
national identities. Using the example of the “Be responsible
online” campaign which is being held throughout Macedonia’s primary
and secondary schools, Tomovska said that protection needs to start
with a simple awareness. 

Acting as a platform for identifying
change makers and the promotion of innovation, the summit also held
workshops for selected students attending from seven universities
in the region – makers of the future mixing with today’s prominent
figures.