BOLD SOLUTIONS
New Ideas, Bold Solutions, and Exploration.
This is what The Future of Innovation is.
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The Future of Innovation Conference is an annual RBC Leadership conference, hosted by the J Herbert Smith Centre, that sparks new conversations about cutting-edge solutions for problems that are persistent throughout Canada and the world.
About J Herbert Smith Centre
The J Herbert Smith Centre for Technology Management and Entrepreneurship (JHSC) was founded in 1988 to cultivate new ideas, creative thinking, and an entrepreneurial spirit for careers in the ever-changing world of technology. Over the past 35 years, JHSC has aided countless startups to move from ideation to early startup and equipped them with the skills they need to apply their expertise in a business environment.
Keynote Speaker
Systems-Thinking
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JAMES STAUCH
James Stauch is a social innovation and systems change educator and sense-maker based in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. He serves as Co-chair of the Banff Systems Summit and as Complex Systems Strategist with ATCO’s SpaceLab, and is a Visiting Fellow at the Skoll Centre, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
James was the founding Executive Director of the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University, where he developed social innovation, leadership, systems-focused, and futures-oriented learning programs for undergraduate students and the broader community.
James has also been a foundation executive and philanthropy consultant, which included designing and managing Arctic and Northern programming with the Gordon Foundation. His most recent publication is The 55 Minutes: An Atlas to Navigate Problems, Reveal Systems, and Ask Beautiful Questions in a Radically Shifting World (2025).
Understanding problems: Systems-Thinking for Social Impact & Entrepreneurship
Discover how systems-thinking provides a powerful lens to understand complexity, identify leverage points, and design more effective solutions. This keynote will explore why this approach is essential for social initiatives and entrepreneurship, highlighting its role in creating sustainable, scalable impact.
Panel Discussion on Systems-Thinking with panelists
Dr. Alexis McGill, Dr. Jules Maitland, Dr. Kush Bubbar, and James Stauch as the facilitator
Systems-Thinking in Action
Hear from researchers, innovators, and social entrepreneurs who are applying systems-thinking to their projects and organizations. This discussion will offer real-world examples of how this approach drives meaningful change and unlocks new opportunities.
Dr. ALEXIS (ALI) McGILL
Dr. Alexis (Ali) McGill is an Assistant Professor at the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Nursing and holds the Hon. Joan Kingston Research Chair in Health Innovation. She directs the Health Systems Lab, where her research applies a systems thinking methodology, the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM), to gain an enhanced understanding of complex health and social care processes and to redesign services for equity-deserving populations.
In 2024, she conducted a FRAM study that identified systemic challenges and opportunities for moving the siloed process of refugee care delivery toward a more integrated model of care. This work led to the design of the Refugee Integrated Care Clinic, which she is now leading through an implementation and evaluation study as a new care pathway in primary care for refugees.
In addition to her academic role, Dr. McGill continues to practice one day per week as a Nurse Practitioner at the Fredericton Downtown Community Health Centre.
Dr. JULES MAITLAND
Dr. Jules Maitland is the founder and Managing Director of  All In Research & Innovation Inc., a public service design and social change agency. An experienced researcher, designer, and strategic thinker, she connects the dots between people, problems, and possibilities to identify opportunities for social impact.
She has a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Glasgow and a multidisciplinary background in nursing, human-computer interaction, digital health, and social innovation.
She moved to Canada in 2009 to join the National Research Council's People-Centred Technologies Group, before transitioning to industry. She is the co-founder of Civic Tech Fredericton, a member of the Atlantic Social Impact Exchange Advisory Committee, and has supported public sector innovation initiatives in Canada, the UAE, and the UK. 
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Dr. KUSH BUBBAR
Kush Bubbar, Ph.D., P.Eng is a systems engineering professional and Associate Professor at the University of New Brunswick. He is the founder and director of the System-Level Model Development Engineering Lab (Sys-MoDEL), a lab with a unique strategic focus on applying systems methodologies (from systems-thinking to modelling and simulation, to systems design ) in practical and collaborative ways.
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Over the course of his career, Kush has worked with iconic Canadian tech companies BlackBerry and SCIEX on innovative development projects, helping to apply systems approaches into tools for solving complex problems in biomed, mobility, energy, and emerging technologies. At Sys-MoDEL, his team partners with industry, government, and community organizations to co-create value: uncovering leverage points in complex systems, accelerating innovation cycles through advanced modelling and simulation, and guiding the design of resilient, high-performance solutions.
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What distinguishes Kush’s perspective is his commitment to linking systems theory with practice to deliver tangible benefits to collaborators. This pragmatic orientation makes him a strong contributor to conversations about how systems-thinking can shape the future of innovation in Canada and beyond
Keynote Speaker
AI Integration and Systems-Thinking
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MATT SYMES
Matt Symes is the CEO and founding partner of Symplicity Designs. He has guided 600+ private and public-sector organizations through strategic transformation, unlocking over $1B in profitable growth and helping Symplicity earn and sustain B-Corp certification—with impact that places the firm among the global top decile for the triple bottom line. As a serial company builder, he has started, acquired, and scaled a diversified portfolio—from a specialty coffee roastery to professional services—giving him credibility that most consultants can only reference.
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He is the AI Entrepreneur-in-Residence at UNB’s J Herbert Smith Centre (JHSC), a transformation strategist, and an AI-first organizational architect.
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Matt’s point of view is direct: AI is no longer an IT project; it’s a management discipline. Since 2023, he and the Symplicity team have introduced practical AI to more than 300 organizational leaders. Their deeper deployments have produced millions of dollars in unlocked productivity and capacity by redesigning workflows, compressing cycle times, and instrumenting decisions with data. His playbook blends leadership behaviors, change mechanics, and hands-on systems integration so teams can ship value on Monday—not someday.
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His operating experience includes stepping in as COO to help scale a CPG firm from $20M to $155M in revenue, doubling a global IT firm’s revenue (35m to 70m) in less than three years, and has supported systemic performance improvements in education and healthcare. His grandfather was a roofer who started a roofing company and his heart lies with helping small business owners. That breadth informs how he mentors founders and executives: align on a compelling future, make the few hard choices that matter, and build an environment where execution becomes routine.
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An award-winning CEO and award-winning educator, Matt was named Business Leader of the Year by the Halifax Chamber in 2021 for his role in helping the region navigate the Covid-19 pandemic and he has been recognized four times as Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 CEOs (2022–2025). Through keynotes, workshops, and his 12-month Levership™ cohort, he distills what works in the field into pragmatic tools leaders can use immediately to scale—without sacrificing their desired lifestyle.
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Offstage, you’ll find him enjoying his own espresso, logging miles as he works toward seven marathons on seven continents, and living a life of intention and adventure with his partner Emily and their two young daughters. Matt’s a business builder, a curious human, and proud girl dad—committed to showing up with purpose (and not just talking about it).
Panel Discussion on AI Integration and Systems-Thinking with panelists
Scott Everett, Dr. Debasmita Mukherjee, Sam Poirier, Ray Fitzpatrick, and
Matt Symes as the facilitator
Artificial Intelligence in Practice
Move beyond theory to explore how AI can boost productivity, efficiency, and organization in everyday work. This keynote will also connect the dots between AI and systems-thinking, illustrating how both can be combined to solve complex challenges.
AI Applications for Impact
Meet the researchers and entrepreneurs using AI to transform their fields. This panel will showcase practical applications of AI, highlighting innovations at the intersection of technology, social impact, and entrepreneurship, also keeping the broader lens of systems-thinking.
SCOTT EVERETT
Scott Everett is a futurist, entrepreneur, and engineer with a passion for driving innovation and empowering positive change through technology.
As the co-founder of Eigen Innovations, Scott has played a pivotal role in advancing AI-driven solutions for industrial quality control. His background in mechanical engineering and leadership experience as both CTO and CEO have shaped his unique approach to solving complex problems with data-driven strategies.
Currently, Scott leverages his expertise to explore the future of technology and its transformative potential in industries worldwide.
Dr. DEBASMITA MUKHERJEE
Dr. Debasmita Mukherjee is an Assistant Professor at the University of New Brunswick, where she holds a positions in the J Herbert Smith Centre for Technology Management and Entrepreneurship.
Motivated by how human teams collaborate and the potential of working alongside adaptable AI, she is dedicated to creating safe and natural communication frameworks for human-AI interaction in social applications. Her research explores the factors that affect trust between humans and the AI assistants they work with. She focuses on personalizing deep learning models to user behaviors, leveraging affective computing, naturalistic feedback, and explainable AI to foster greater trust and acceptance of social robots in care scenarios. She brings together an interdisciplinary team for design of trustworthy AI systems using sociological, linguistic, and psychological perspectives.
With R&D experience in industry and academia, including a tenure as a Senior Engineer at a multinational corporation, Dr. Mukherjee specializes in designing models for real-world deployment. Her work has been patented, published in prestigious journals, and featured in the media.
SAM POIRIER
Driven by a passion for solving impactful problems, Sam Poirier is an entrepreneur and proud two-time graduate of the University of New Brunswick. With a global perspective shaped by a childhood spent in Scotland, West Africa, and the Middle East, Sam launched his venture, Potential Motors, in 2017. He led the company on a dynamic journey from building its own off-road EV to developing advanced vehicle control software for industry giants like CFMOTO and KTM, securing approximately $14 million in venture capital to fuel its growth.
A graduate of UNB’s Mechatronics Engineering program and the Master's in Technology Management and Entrepreneurship (TME), Sam’s achievements have been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 (2025) and The Globe and Mail's 'Changemakers' list. Passionate about fostering the region's startup ecosystem, Sam serves as an advisor for the J Herbert Smith Centre, sharing insights from his ongoing journey with aspiring entrepreneurs.
RAY FITZPATRICK
Ray Fitzpatrick's dual perspective as a Venture Capitalist and startup CEO makes him a sought-after expert in the entrepreneurial landscape. With extensive experience in due diligence, investor meetings, and investment direction, he offers invaluable insights into what investors seek in promising ventures. Currently he is CEO and Founder of Profitual, a Fintech start-up that delivers financial intelligence to start-ups to better plan and analyze the finances of their business to make better informed decisions.
Agenda
OCTOBER 9
Wu Conference Centre - Chancellor's Room
6 Duffie Dr, Fredericton, NB
12:45 PM | Registration
1:00 PM | Intro and Opening Remarks
1:30 PM | Understanding problems: Systems-Thinking for Social Impact & Entrepreneurship, James Stauch
1:55 PM | Panel Discussion: Systems-Thinking in Action
2:25 PM | Coffee break and Networking
2:55 PM | Keynote: Artificial Intelligence in Practice, Matt Symes
3:35 PM | Panel Discussion: AI Applications for Impact
4:10 PM | Ray Fitzpatrick: Practical AI Application
4:30 PM | H2A Announcement and Closing Remarks
4:50 PM | Networking
Previous Speakers
Speakers Hosted:
Steve Blank
Ann Makosinski
Bibop Gresta
Spencer Boyer
Dr. Sakena Yacoobi
Devesh Bharadwaj
Gaëtan Thomas
Muthu Singaram
Madhu Verma
Allison McCain
Pasumarthy Seshu
Janine Darling
S. R. Mahadeva Prasanna
Sandy Bird
Kevin McCracken
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