How can we leverage a tsunami of data to design and build cities of the future? How can we harness the human potential of our cities, and build the infrastructure necessary to evolve as a truly connected society? How does technology create inclusivity and enrich the cultural fabric of our dynamic city centers?  Today on futurescapes we have the pleasure of exploring these questions with Sara Diamond, President OCAD University, alongside Lance Bialas, Director of SAP Canada’s Ideation Centre. Dr. Diamond will share some of the learnings from her Data Visualization lab and Strategic Foresights program at OCAD, while Lance will offer a number of new business models that are emerging from this movement. We’ll look at open data, the next evolution of visualization and city planning. 

The SAP analytics team predicted the Pittsburgh Penguins would win the cup in 2017 with 90% certainty. They also predicted two of the NCAA final four teams, as well as the UNC Tar Heels as the winner. On this episode, join our insider team as we discuss how big data is now table stakes for professional sports teams wanting to bring home a championship. How is data changing player performance, recruitment and wellbeing? How is it changing the fabric of our franchises and beloved professional leagues? We cover success stories from the NHL, NBA, German Football League and Women’s Tennis Association to learn how they are leveraging data on the court, ice and field to take their sports to an entirely new level. Don't be surprised if you learn a thing or two about implementing a data strategy at your company as well!

How can technology enable more inclusive hiring practices and processes? How can the public sector leverage technology to drive these innovations forward and bridge the skills gap? The gig economy is here and it's changing how the labour market works. In this epidsode we explore How to Hack the Skills Gap with Lance Bialas, Director of SAP Canada's Ideation Centre and Tamara Balan, a smart city visionary from CivicAction. With a projected IT skills gaps of nearly 200K jobs across Canada by 2019, we discuss whether employment matchmaking technology can help to solve Canada’s labour market challenges. Learn about the smart city hacks being implemented today to harness the depth of human potential in our cities. Will you witness the end of the resume in your lifetime? We hope so!

What does Prince have to do with North America’s solar resurgence? Are you curious how blockchain technology might change your utilities bill? Or when you’ll have solar on your rooftop? In this episode we explore the massive transformation of Utilities from smart homes and prosumers, to renewable energy trends and how existing producers are changing foundational business models. Join Emily Kirsch (CEO, Powerhouse), Tom Raftery (SAP Global IOT Evangelist) and Cathy Tough as we breakdown how Canadian utilities need to be on the journey to becoming digital, consumer-centric in their service delivery and embrace technologies such as IoT, automation, blockchain and machine learning. 

How did David Segal overhaul the 5,000 year old tea industry? Listen in as he takes us through his entrepreneurial journey, delving into brand experience, growth at scale, and navigating digital, social and retail waters. David is also founder of the newly minted Mad Radish salad chain. We'll cover everything from creating a digital retail experience, to building company culture and creating memorable customer experiences. Listen in to hear tips and tricks from David on how to bust through retail mediocrity, how he has combined loyalty programs with corporate responsibility and how he is leveraging technology to change food systems for good. 

How can we leverage a tsunami of data to design and build cities of the future? How can we harness the human potential of our cities, and build the infrastructure necessary to evolve as a truly connected society? How does technology create inclusivity and enrich the cultural fabric of our dynamic city centers?  Today on futurescapes we have the pleasure of exploring these questions with Sara Diamond, President OCAD University, alongside Lance Bialas, Director of SAP Canada’s Ideation Centre. Dr. Diamond will share some of the learnings from her Data Visualization lab and Strategic Foresights program at OCAD, while Lance will offer a number of new business models that are emerging from this movement. We’ll look at open data, the next evolution of visualization and city planning. 

What does singing in the shower, candy coated spinach and old world maps tell us about innovation? Today on Futurescapes we have some of the best and brightest innovation gurus from the Canadian landscape on the show: Zahra Ebrahim, Co-leader at Doblin Canada, Hamoon Ekhtiari, Director, Strategy and Innovation at Telus, Greg Judelman, Chief Design Officer at The Moment and Kirsten Sutton, VP & Managing Director at SAP Labs Canada. We’ll discuss how they ignite a culture of innovation in their organizations. By 2027, 75% of S&P 500 firms will be replaced by more technologically savvy companies. Companies undergoing digital transformation need to look within, and intentionally create the conditions for a culture of innovation to emerge across the organization.

Is Canada falling behind its peers on the global digital stage? In 2016, IDC research found that 63% of Canadian companies were “digital laggards"". In 2017, our study revealed that only 38% of Canadian enterprises were implementing digital strategies, while 50% were still in planning mode. Still a long way to go. In this episode, I get to chat with Tony Olvet, Group Vice President, from IDC Canada, and Sam Masri, Head of Industry Value Engineering at SAP Canada, as they pick through our freshly-released report and discuss what it means for Canadian businesses. We’ll explore what digital transformation looks like in Canada today and discuss which Canadian industries are on the fast track to digital with case studies from the City of Toronto, ALDO and Maple Leaf Foods.
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In this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with Alex Tapscott, co-author of the best selling book Blockchain Revolution. Alex is a Globally recognized thought-leader, advocate, speaker and writer focused on the impact of emerging technologies on business, society and government. 

I also have the pleasure of having Kris Hansen on the show, SAP Canada’s in-house financial services guru, speaking about our recent Blockchain transaction in partnership with ATB bank in Alberta, Reisebank in Germany and Ripple. 

Alex covers the wide ranging implications of blockchain technology on business and society, while Kris takes a deep dive into how to roll up your sleeves and get it done on the ground floor.