Connecting technology, government, and private sectors
Guest: Dan Woynillowicz (principal of a clean energy policy organization)
What is energy and its role in technology, government, and the private sector? That is a question that Dan Woynillowicz tries to answer in his job at Polaris Strategy + Insight. He knows that if companies want a change in government policy to succeed, they need to know how to get the messaging across – and that is where he thrives.
What does it mean to lead an artificial intelligence company? For Louis Dron, CEO of Redwood AI, it means everything – helping his company and workers get grants, fundraising, making sure the technology works, and more. While his team is small, it is also heavily networked with universities, academics, and government agencies. Much like the industry itself, his role requires constant innovation.
When you are a political leadership candidate, it is a “leap of faith” job, according to Iain Black. He is attempting to become the head of the British Columbia Conservative Party, which means building a team he can trust. Because of how money works in such situations, his team is almost completely volunteer-run, from all different personal and business backgrounds. And it requires more than a full-time job – working every day of the week, in all parts of the province.
Can “encourager” be a job? For Joe Roberts, that is how he sees himself in a world full of change and uncertainty. In his Push For Change Foundation, he seeks to better protect kids so they don’t fall through the cracks. And he isn’t just all talk – he draws on his own struggles with being a homelessness youth in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. On top of his foundation, he also does public speaking at conferences, where he uses his empathy to understand how to speak to each audience.
What does it take to be a political leader? For Peter Milobar, it is a constant learning process, running in all different kinds of elections at the local and provincial levels, and growing his team along the way. His dream is to become leader of the Conservative Party of BC and become the premier of British Columbia, which involves listening to and recruiting personnel from all parts of the province.