The 2021 Corporate Mandate to Activate Talent

The 2021 Corporate Mandate to Activate Talent

This #WebinarWednesdays session is in collaboration with ASPIRE, and will  feature a discussion with Raja AlMazroei, EVP of DIFC FinTech Hive, Katie Lewis, COO at ASPIRE,  Lars Buch, Partner, MENA & Russia, Rainmaking and Michelle Roborg-Sondergaard HR VP at Carlsburg, where the panel will be discussing why is is important now more than ever to provide talent startup reskilling, upskilling and outskilling options. The session will be looking at a few topics such as:

• Challenges/barriers to evolving processes and how can organisations overcome these challenges
• Business benefits: why do this? What are the gains?
• Retaining existing talent and attracting new for continued economic growth

• CSR and SR agendas as well as the role of organizations in today’s communities

Michelle Roborg-Sondergaard, HR VP Michelle has extensive global experience in leading global organizations such as Coca Cola, AstraZeneca, Mondelez int,  LEGO Group and most recently Carlsberg Group. With her strong HR toolbox and broad industry experience, Michelle brings a perspective to the table which is based on different experiences across the full employee life cycle. In particular, the offboarding process and how companies should bring more to the table for impacted employees is an awareness of passion.

Lars Buch, Partner & CEO Rainmaking MENA & Russia: As the CEO of Rainmaking MENA & Russia, Lars is on a mission to scale and grow the MENA & Russian entrepreneurship ecosystem by working with the world's leading corporations in the regions. He aims to support different corporations in developing tangible solutions to their business challenges through sourcing innovation from global and local startups via the various Startupbootcamp programs in both regions. His journey with Rainmaking goes back to 2012, where he first joined Startupbootcamp as Founder of the SBC Mobile-First Accelerator Program. In 2017 he moved to run the Digital Health Program in Berlin, overseeing operations of Healthcare programs in 4 different countries that resulted in accelerating 87 Healthcare startups. He was also leading the Healthcare corporate partners engagement working with industry leaders like Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim, Berlin institute of health and more. His background is in technology- and product development and manufacturing and after more than 10 years working at Nokia, heading Smartphones R&D at Nokia DK when the company ramped down, he headed the incubation program, funding and supporting almost 300 new ex-employee driven companies. He has more than a decade of experience working with startups globally and has spent years in Copenhagen, Berlin and Moscow, establishing new eco-systems, before coming to Dubai. He gets stuff done and believes in a revenue focused, result-oriented mindset. He also served as a board member and advisor of many successful startups around the world, including The Eye Tribe, a Danish eye-control technology company that was acquired by Oculus VR/Facebook in 2016 and a dozen more startups in cybersecurity, AI/Big Data and Digital Healthcare that are about to rock the world.

Katie Lewis, COO ASPIRE: Katie is responsible for driving the ASPIRE operations as it empowers people through its “learn by doing” programme. Prior to ASPIRE, Katie was Programme and Partnerships Director at The Accelerator Network. Joining at its formation she oversaw the development and delivery of 80 accelerator programmes internationally, supporting over 1000 early-stage businesses. Katie has been immersed in early-stage high growth companies since establishing her first successful company at age 16 focused on advertising for the tourism sector.  In her spare time, Katie is also a co-founder of an international network of entrepreneurs, 9others, where over 4,500 entrepreneurs from over 45 cities around the world.