SDG Disrupter Summit Held In Bermuda
Bermuda Tech Week recently started off with an event that “weaved together a blend of sport, innovation, creativity and community.”
A spokesperson said, “After a three year hiatus of in-person meetings, Bermuda Tech Week started off at an unlikely location that exemplified a shift towards community, culture, and social impact. It was fitting that the event weaved together a blend of sport, innovation, creativity and community, as reflected by the background and vision of event organizer and former Bermuda National Team player Kevin Richards.”
Mr. Richards said, “Our objective for the event was to have meaningful discussions with local leaders in the public and private sector. We leverage the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals [UN SDGs] as a common language that leaders can use to galvanize our community and align around common objectives.
“Once alignment is achieved, we can introduce disruptive technologies and economic models that allow us to build a circular economy rooted in regenerative finance that is tailored to Bermuda’s strengths and builds on decades of established innovations and culture in our society.”
Bermuda Football Association [BFA] President, Mark Wade, opening the discussion with a warm welcome
Beyond Football Roundtable with the local football club presidents and team representatives and in attendance
Beyond Football Thought Leadership Roundtable
The spokesperson said, “Hosted by the Bermuda Football Association, the 40-person thought leadership roundtable focused on the concept of establishing a network of small-scale vertical farms at local football clubs in Bermuda to go beyond football. This initiative aims to have a positive impact on local communities across the island by deploying innovative solutions directly into our communities.
“Local club Presidents were joined by representatives of the Bermuda Government, including Vance Campbell, Minister of Tourism and Cabinet, Dr. Ernest Peets, Former Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, and Drew Pettit, Director of the Environment and Natural Resources. This robust discussion was enhanced by international guests from the US, Europe and Canada who brought global insights and expertise to the discussion.
“The event started with a warm welcome from the BFA, as well as a virtual surprise welcome from international football legend Clarence Seedorf. Mr. Seedorf, representing the Black Impact Foundation, congratulated Bermuda for convening such an influential group, taking the initiative to leverage sport to drive innovation and build a healthy, sustainable future for our community.
“It proved to be an amazing opportunity to engage a group of leaders who are integrated into grassroots initiatives across Bermuda, bringing diverse insights and perspectives on how we can leverage sport to deliver innovative solutions to our community to combat food insecurity, rising healthcare costs and reduce antisocial behavior amongst our youth.
Blue Economy Thought Leadership Roundtable
Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, Walter Roban, sharing his vision for Bermuda’s Blue Economy plan and Natalie Neto, Partner at Walkers, discussing the opportunity for Bermuda to be a global leader for island nations
“Tuesday morning began with the Blue Economy thought leadership roundtable at Ignite Bermuda’s Hub Space. The morning began with Bermuda Asset Management [BAM] sharing their impressive 2022 journey, after traveling to Bahrain, the UAE, New York and London speaking at climate and UN events on how to transform island ecosystems. The Blue Ocean Prosperity Program [BOPP] team then shared a video illustrating the draft plan before Walter H. Roban, Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, spoke to attendees about the vision for Bermuda’s blue economy.
“Attendees then entered into 2-hours of Q&A and discussion focused on how the country can best leverage the 200 square mile economic exclusive zone around the island to build a sustainable blue economy, diversify job prospects and build resilience and sustainability to protect future generations.
Local and international industry experts and thought leaders engaging in progressive dialog at the Healthcare Roundtable discussion
Sol Girouard, CEO of Data Innovation Labs, talks about digital transformation with Dr. Carika Weldon, CEO of CariGenetics at the Healthcare Roundtable discussion
Digital Health Thought Leadership Roundtable
“Networking continued between sessions, until the third and final thought leadership roundtable began, focused on Digital Health Transformation. Hosted by the Bermuda Health Council [BHC], attendees were joined by the Bermuda Hospital Board [BHC], Bermuda First, Argus, BF&M, Data Innovation Labs [DIL], CariGenetics and MAPay, who led the roundtable discussions, showcasing technology solutions that could transform Bermuda’s health system.
“Aquaporin, a publicly listed biotechnology company in Denmark, sent CEO, Matt Boczkowski to Bermuda to engage in the roundtable discussions. Mr. Boczkowski expressed his excitement about deploying world class water filtration technology in a society that has a longstanding water conservation culture with infrastructure for collecting water in every home.
“The healthcare discussion addressed challenges that we face in transitioning to a data driven healthcare ecosystem and Sol Girouard, DIL CEO took a deep dive into how data science and artificial intelligence can help public and private stakeholders integrate with one another to create a dynamic population health ecosystem throughout Bermuda.
“CariGenetics CEO Carika Weldon shared insights on the inherent inequities in our system that stem from a lack of diversity and inclusion from a genetic research perspective and how that leads to problematic drug diagnosis and treatment options for non-caucasian populations locally and around the world.
“The discussion explored multiple technologies that have been developed by Bermuda companies. MAPay’s CEO Michael Dershem shared details of his blockchain technology solution enabling individual ownership of personal health data. This technology can empower people so that they can access their own health data and share it when traveling or changing physicians. He also looked at how digital payments can significantly reduce the cost of health and streamline the reconciliation process for hospitals, insurance companies, doctors and pharmacies.
“This was a passionate and dynamic multiple stakeholder discussion that showed the engagement and enthusiasm that the public and private sector have for pushing our healthcare forward by leveraging technology to bring efficiency to the system.
“It also illustrated the challenges facing insurance companies, the structural challenges facing the hospital and showed that work has already begun within the BHB and BHC to make Bermuda the leading jurisdiction for innovative healthcare deployment across an entire population and throughout society.
“The compelling roundtable discussions were enhanced by a cadre of international guests from the US, Europe and Canada who brought global insights and expertise to the conversation. Three of these delegates were the innovative NFT disrupters from Meta License Plates [MLP], who flew in from Manchester UK, for the occasion.”
Mikey Smith, founder of MLP, said, “Meta License Plates [MLP] was excited to join Bermuda Asset Management, Let’s Disrupt Digital, and others on this important schedule of events, where tech innovators, civic leaders and SDG disruptors came together to share ideas and inspire each other to shape our future. We felt the experience was phenomenal and we were ecstatic to be a part of this year’s launch of the annual SDG Disruptor Summit in beautiful Bermuda.”
Bermuda Innovation & Technology Association [BITA] Cocktails With An Impact
BITA Board members [Left to right: Sol Girouard, Sean Stapley, Kevin Richards, Karamoko Dickens, Darren Wolfberg and Cheryl-Ann Mapp]
BITA cocktail reception attendees showcasing their gifted Flor de Cana rum bottles, comprised of local and international industry experts in their respective fields
The spokesperson said, “The first annual SDG Disrupter Summit concluded with a cocktail reception on Tuesday evening at Ignite presented by MLP, hosted by the Bermuda Innovation & Technology Association [BITA], a new association focused on fostering and promoting an inclusive, robust and competitive technology and innovative ecosystem in Bermuda.
“Overall, the ground-breaking Summit addressed extremely important issues that impact Bermudians of every walk of life. The need for a multi stakeholder approach across the public and private sector was clear and the roundtable format gave attendees the platform to share their views and discuss solutions from local and international experts.”
BITA board member and Blockchain Triangle CEO, Darren Wolfberg, said, “The SDG Disruptor Summit was a great opportunity for different stakeholders to collaborate and share insights on innovative new technologies to solve problems that will impact Blue Economy and Food Resilience.”
The spokesperson said, “Sponsors for the SDG Disrupter Summit included: Bermuda Asset Management, Ignite Bermuda, BITA, Let’s Disrupt Digital, Meta License Plates, Flor de Cana Rum, Ecoverse, CrossTower Bermuda, HLB Bermuda Advisory and Accounting, TechBeach, PennyFly Entertainment, EatUp Events, and Eden Magazine. This annual event will return in October 2023, with a special ocean-focused preview edition on June 8, in support of World Oceans Day.
“For further information on the SDG Disruptor Summit, contact Kevin Richards at krichards@bermudaasset.bm”
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