Jeff Wong, EY’s Global Chief Innovation Officer and technology enthusiast joins Better Innovation host Jeff Saviano for a fascinating and fluid conversation about the Metaverse. Some predict the Metaverse could soon become a $1 trillion+ industry. Jeff Wong explains the importance of distinguishing between hype and value curves when assessing emerging technology trends. The pair of Jeffs explore helpful definitions of the Metaverse and discuss the current limitations of VR/AR, the alignment to D...
Mar 07, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 5Ep. 5
How will innovative technologies influence the Citizen - State relationship? In this episode, Jeff is joined by Nick Davies, an innovation and technology leader within Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the UK tax authority. Jeff and Nick discuss the role of innovation and advanced tech in the changing economy, perhaps manifested in a new (digital) social contract. Technologies such as AI and blockchain are supercharging the State’s participation in the digital economy. Governments are play...
Feb 17, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 4
In this episode, Jeff is joined by Jeremy Allaire - technologist, internet pioneer, and serial entrepreneur. Jeremy is the founder of Circle, a global financial technology firm enabling a multitude of organizations to harness the power of digital currencies for payments, e-commerce and a wide variety of financial applications. Jeff and Jeremy talk about the fast-moving digital currency revolution, the evolution of money itself, and Web 3.0 ideals to create an open internet of value. Jeremy and C...
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 5Ep. 3
This episode is about the friction we face as innovators. Jeff is joined by David Schonthal, Clinical Professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and co-author of The Human Element: Overcoming the Resistance That Awaits New Ideas. Jeff and David discuss the headwinds that stand in the way of innovation; the four frictions that, unless overcome, will prevent new ideas from succeeding. We’re hard-wired as humans to focus on new product feat...
Nov 16, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 5Ep. 2
As we kick off a new season, Jeff speaks with Rita McGrath, Professor of Management at the Columbia Business School and author of Seeing Around Corners, How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen . Rita has received the #1 achievement award for strategy from the prestigious Thinkers50, and has been consistently named one of the world’s Top 10 management thinkers. Rita shares her unique perspective on how to spot leading trends, what to do about them, and practical tips to align...
Oct 15, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Marcello Estevão, Global Director of Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment at The World Bank knows the importance and impact of public debt management. In this episode, Marcello takes Jeff through the process of debt intervention for national economies, the role of debt in tax policy making, and how emerging technology can materially enhance public finance (including tax) systems. Marcello also offers some insights on economic development as the pandemic recovery continues.
Aug 20, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Susan Garfield, Chief Public Health Officer at EY, believes we’re at the precipice of a transformational moment in health equity, leveraging innovative technology to make a difference in the lives of millions. Jeff and Susan chat about the cascading effect of technology in healthcare, its impact on the democratization of high-quality care, and how the public sector can learn from the pandemic to improve resiliency and the overall quality of healthcare.
Jul 09, 2021•51 min•Season 4Ep. 9
One episode was not enough, so we broke it in two. Here's the second part of Jeff's interview with Dave Duncan. Dave is the author of The Secret Lives of Customers: A Detective Story About Solving the Mystery of Customer Behavior. Through a very engaging parable, Dave dives into what motivates customers across the functional, social, and emotional spectrum, with an emphasis on the important questions you're asking about your customers. Whether your customer is a coffee shop or large enterprise, ...
Jun 28, 2021•35 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Dave Duncan, author of The Secret Lives of Customers: A Detective Story About Solving the Mystery of Customer Behavior, investigates what customers truly care about most. Through a very engaging parable, Dave dives into what motivates customers across the functional, social, and emotional spectrum, with an emphasis on the important questions you're asking about your customers. Whether your customer is a coffee shop or large enterprise, Dave’s principles will help you better align your product or...
Jun 17, 2021•28 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Are you incorporating “digital trust” into your digital transformation efforts? Hank Prybylski breaks down what it means to incorporate mission-critical trust elements into a successful digital transformation endeavor. In his role as Global Vice Chair of Transformation at EY, Hank helps business leaders approach innovation through an emphasis on courage and curiosity, with insights they need to build resiliency – especially important as we emerge from the global pandemic. Jeff and Hank cover a w...
May 24, 2021•52 min•Season 4Ep. 6
In this episode, Jeff is thrilled to speak with Tendayi Viki, PhD, Partner at Strategyzer, and author of Pirates In The Navy: How Innovators Drive Transformation . Jeff and Tendayi dive into the role of the “intrapreneur” within organizations, and the ways in which their ideas and innovations can gain greater traction with key organizational decision-makers. Tendayi talks about how “raising the pirate flag” can lead to great things. But, for innovation to succeed, it often requires layers of buy...
Apr 28, 2021•57 min•Season 4Ep. 5
This week, Jeff sits down with FinTech expert, and friend from Davos, Lawrence Wintermeyer, Co-Chair of Global Digital Finance. They deep-dive into a wide range of topics, including digitization of products and services, and the opportunity for governments to utilize digital currencies for relief in times of crisis. Lawrence was the CEO of Innovate Finance, an NGO established by U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron with the goal of promoting FinTech by openly collaborating with regulators, technolo...
Apr 07, 2021•56 min•Season 4Ep. 4
This week, we’re thrilled to speak with Sandra Ro, CEO of the Global Blockchain Business Council, and one Jeff’s favorite collaborators in the innovative technology community. Sandra’s positive influence in the blockchain community is significantly helping this potent technology flourish and illuminating how people and organizations can improve their resiliency. As we watch digitalization flourish and accelerate at an unprecedented speed fueled by the pandemic, there is an acute need for better ...
Mar 19, 2021•50 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Rumi Morales has seemingly done it all . . . she has worked at traditional financial institutions, advised blockchain startups, and at one point was even a lounge singer! She knows so much about the power of reinventing oneself. Rumi has adopted this unique philosophy of reinvention throughout her career. Over the years she has played the part of a forward-thinking innovator at century-old traditional organizations, while also venture investing in artificial intelligence, deep learning, predicti...
Feb 10, 2021•44 min•Season 4Ep. 2
In this episode, Jeff talks tech governance with Shelia Warren, Head of Blockchain, Data, and Digital Assets at the World Economic Forum. While tech leaders often think that governance hinders innovation, Warren argues that a basic governance framework can help solution developers think more deliberately about their products and build more inclusive experiences for users, which ultimately translates to higher adoption. Warren also posits that good governance practice increases public confidence ...
Dec 09, 2020•52 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Our third season of Better Innovation was like no other. COVID-19 caused us to refocus our strategy; we took our own advice and had a series of ‘innovation pivots’ along the way. This led to a season filled with diverse topics - from artificial intelligence, to technical convergence, and ultimately a deep dive into what it means to innovate during a crisis. In this wrap-up episode, Jeff recaps a season of thought-provoking interviews from a truly memorable group of guests. We introduce emerging ...
Sep 28, 2020•23 min•Season 3Ep. 18
In a few short years, there will likely be 10x as many IoT devices on the planet than humans. We’ve never had more data, but how do we utilize it without compromising privacy? This week, Jeff is joined by Dr. David Bray, inaugural Director of the GeoTech Center with the Atlantic Council. David knows how to innovate in a crisis. He has been on the front lines of the response to 9/11, anthrax attacks, SARS and now COVID-19. These crisis experiences exhibit the importance of data to help solve and ...
Aug 28, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 16
This week, we’re joined for the second time by Steve Blank—innovator, educator and founder of lean start-up theory. Organizations of all types are seeking a return to growth. Steve has applied his lean theory to institutions reemerging from the pandemic; in search of unique ways to accelerate innovation. Steve and his team are running multiple 5-day virtual workshops at Stanford, called ‘Hacking 4 Recovery,’ designed to develop new business models for this new economy emerging. Steve provides pr...
Jul 27, 2020•59 min•Season 3Ep. 15
This week, we’re talking to Pete Newell, retired U.S. Army Colonel, CEO of BMNT (a government consulting/innovation firm), and close collaborator of former guest Steve Blank. Pete has helped entrepreneurs and organizations across the globe apply the innovation lessons he learned in the Army to better perceive when significant – and disruptive - change is near. Now, amidst a global pandemic, those lessons are needed more than ever to respond to the demands of this crisis for a better, safer futur...
Jul 10, 2020•46 min•Season 3Ep. 14
This week, we’re back with the Safe Paths team as Jeff sits down with its founder, MIT Associate Professor Ramesh Raskar. Jeff and Ramesh explore the inspiration for Safe Paths and Ramesh’s vision for establishing Path Check, a nonprofit committed to developing leading technology to slow the spread of COVID-19. Ramesh’s inspiration for the Safe Paths technology stems from his experience at Burning Man in 2017, where he was asked to be on the receiving end of a phone booth experience called “Talk...
Jun 08, 2020•56 min•Season 3Ep. 13
We’re launching our new miniseries with a bang. In episode 1 of COVID-19 and Crisis Innovation , Jeff is joined by Sienna Leis from the Covid Safe Paths initiative emanating from MIT. Sienna, a graduate student at the Harvard Kennedy School, along with a few hundred volunteers within this Safe Paths movement, have created a solution to help slow the spread of Covid-19. Jeff and a team from EY are supporting the Covid-19 Safe Paths movement with pro bono support to help stop this deadly virus. Si...
May 21, 2020•27 min
Until COVID-19 is behind us, not much else matters. Who’s getting us going again? What will it look like when we do? How can this change the world for better? We have decided to pause our Artificial Intelligence theme for Season 3, and spend the coming months focused on COVID-19 and Crisis Innovation. We’re talking to the people innovating for the next phase of this crisis and beyond; the people who are trying to understand what the future will look like, and innovating to make it a safer and pr...
May 15, 2020•2 min
We’ve all heard of the so-called “sin taxes” on items like cigarettes and soda. When these harmful products become more expensive, consumption naturally decreases. What if we tried the same approach with fossil fuel consumption producing carbon emissions? This special throwback episode features Jeff’s 2016 TEDx talk that was the impetus for Better Innovation , focused on citizen activism and the impact of a carbon tax in British Columbia. The province adopted a carbon tax that cut fossil fuel co...
Mar 05, 2020•19 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Every January, The World Economic Forum holds its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The goal is to improve the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas. As part of our “Davos Talks 2020 ” series, Jeffrey Saviano is bringing us 6 episodes from and inspired by his time in Davos. Government agencies and the private sector once operated in completely different spheres. Today, the public sector is il...
Feb 20, 2020•22 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Every January, The World Economic Forum holds its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The goal is to improve the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas. As part of our “Davos Talks, 2020 ” series, Jeffrey Saviano is bringing us 6 episodes from and inspired by his time in Davos. As new technologies become widely adopted, they’re still controlled by small - and often, biased - groups of stakeholde...
Feb 11, 2020•47 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Every January, The World Economic Forum holds its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The goal is to improve the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas. As part of our “Davos Talks 2020 ” series, Jeffrey Saviano is bringing us 6 episodes from and inspired by his time in Davos. Government agencies across the globe are tackling 21st century problems with outdated systems — and it’s little wonder t...
Feb 06, 2020•57 min•Season 3Ep. 8
This week, we’re back to our regularly scheduled artificial intelligence programming with Navroop Sahdev, economist, futurist, Founder & CEO of the Digital Economist. Navroop is obsessed with complex systems, and the power of technological convergence to make better sense of those complexities. Navroop’s work with complex systems is heavily influenced by the natural laws of biology. Rather than studying the world in artificially created fragments, a better paradigm is to study the complex system...
Jan 17, 2020•46 min•Season 3Ep. 7
We talk to a lot of great minds on this podcast, and we always try to ask each guest what they’re reading. In this special mini-episode, you’ll hear about some of the books that inspire and inform our guests—and hopefully get a few gift ideas for the readers on your list.
Dec 16, 2019•14 min•Season 3Ep. 6
For this episode, we’re going to take a quick break from Season 3’s theme of Artificial Intelligence to bring you something very special. Kate Barton, EY’s Global Vice Chair of Tax, takes over hosting duties. Kate recently attended “The Nantucket Project", where she had the opportunity to interview Phaly Pichota, CEO and Cofounder of Cibus Health and Jessica Orkin, President of SYPartners. The interviews have some great insights on leadership, personal growth, volunteerism, mentoring and if you ...
Dec 04, 2019•27 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Emerging technologies like AI and blockchain have the potential to transform industries and entire economies — so where do governments come in? Jeff breaks it all down with Minister Ivan McKee, the Minister for Trade, Investment, and Innovation in Scotland. Minister McKee plays a critical role in building an inclusive tech ecosystem for the public and private sectors. He and his colleagues have promoted training opportunities, integrated AI into the country’s healthcare and tax systems, and deve...
Nov 14, 2019•37 min•Season 3Ep. 4
