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Australia Is Innovating: YPO Global Innovation Week Launches in Sydney

Announcement posted by ACN Newswire 05 May 2016

SYDNEY - YPO, the premier network of global business leaders and chief executives, is launching YPO Innovation Week with an inaugural event in Sydney, Australia, attended by some of the most innovative executives in Australia who are both leading enterprises today and building companies of the future.

As part of YPO Innovation Week in May, events are taking place across global innovation hot spots, including Silicon Valley, Toronto, Tokyo, London and Amsterdam, with YPO thought leaders exploring new opportunities to accelerate global innovation while leveraging actionable lessons from peers around the world.

"In today's increasingly interconnected and complex world, the global business community plays a key role in collaborating with other stakeholders to create innovations with real positive impact, and nowhere is this more visible than in Australia," said Kevin Fallon, YPO Innovation Week chair and chief executive officer of Pivotal Innovation. "YPO members are at the forefront of leading innovative enterprises in Australia. With the support of world-class researchers and government incentives, they are contributing to improved productivity and job creation."

The founding father of Australian private equity and venture capital, Bill Ferris, will deliver the keynote address, explaining how to take advantage of innovation initiatives in Australia. A panel discussion on innovation growth will include YPO member and Chairman/CEO of Competitive Foods Jack Cowin sharing his insights on successfully scaling businesses. In the afternoon, TED-style "Innovation Growth Talks" will feature lessons from other YPO members including Mike Malone, entrepreneur and founder of iiNet, and Mitch Presnick, founder and former chairman and CEO of Super8 Hotels, regarded as one of the most innovative and successful foreign entrepreneurs in China.

"The fact that Australia has been chosen by YPO to launch this unique global series of events on innovation is a testament of the country's historic position at the forefront of global discoveries. It is also a great opportunity to showcase entrepreneurship in Australia and engage with a global community of business peers," said YPO member and event chair John Poyton, co-founder of Azure Capital Pty Ltd. "From cybersecurity to advancing quantum technology and innovations in agriculture, strong research and innovative work is going on, and the world is starting to take notice." 

The closing event of YPO Innovation Week will take place in New York, where a group of YPO members will participate in the NASDAQ Closing Bell ceremony.

ABOUT YPO

YPO is the premier chief executive leadership organization in the world, representing a global community of leaders committed to the shared mission of becoming "Better Leaders Through Lifelong Learning and Idea Exchange." YPO today provides more than 24,000 members in more than 130 countries with access to extraordinary educational resources, alliances with leading institutions, and specialized networks designed to support their business, community and personal leadership. Altogether, YPO member-run companies employ more than 15 million people around the world and generate USD6 trillion in annual revenues. For more information, visit www.ypo.org.