speaker photo

Alistair Croll (Host) (he/him)

Co-founder & Chair, FWD50

Alistair makes early-stage companies improve their go-to-market strategies, and works with some of the world’s largest firms on business model innovation. He also helps governments understand the impact of technology on society, ethics, and resiliency.

As an entrepreneur, Alistair co-founded Coradiant; the Year One Labs accelerator; and a variety of other startups. He has also launched and chaired some of the world’s leading conferences on emerging technology, including Startupfest, Strata, Cloud Connect, FWD50, Bitnorth, Scaletech, and more.

Alistair is the author of four books on technology and entrepreneurship, including the best-selling Lean Analytics, which has been translated into eight languages and is in its tenth printing in China. He speaks internationally on topics such as data science, innovation, scaling startups, digital government, AI, and applying critical thinking to technology. A graduate of Dalhousie University, he has also been a visiting executive on data science and critical thinking at Harvard Business School.

Sessions

Getting our Groove Back: How to start a movement for digital transformation

November 3, 2023  2:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Government spending on consultants has been making the news. There are reports of big consulting firms sending junior employees into companies armed with templates and platitudes, while all the while, no one understands what problem they are meant to be solving. See more.

Channeling your inner salmon

November 6, 2023  2:00 PM – 2:25 PM
Salmon live in the sea, but must travel hundreds of miles upstream to spawn. They're incredible jumpers, leaping tirelessly out of the water to climb rapids in the face of incredible hardship. See more.

Tackling tech-debt for a cyber-resilient Canada

November 6, 2023  2:50 PM – 3:15 PM
As organizations continue their digital transformations, they are challenged with tech debt. When legacy technologies linger, the complexity, support costs, and security risks increase, and systems become more vulnerable to cyber attacks. See more.

That's a wrap for the morning!

November 6, 2023  4:55 PM – 5:00 PM
Find out what's in store for your afternoon. See more.

Coming soon!

November 6, 2023  5:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Why Societies Fail, and What To Do About It

November 7, 2023  2:00 PM – 2:25 PM
As every society confronts issues stemming from growth (such as theft or taxation or defense) it creates new layers to deal with it (such as a judicial system, or revenue assessors, or armies) which further increase its costs—a pattern Joseph Tainter has tracked across several civilizations. See more.

How should governments approach Generative AI?

November 7, 2023  2:50 PM – 3:15 PM
We know that government entities are committed to doing what matters and making a positive impact for your communities. But the challenges you face in achieving your mission are complex. See more.

In conversation with VMWare

November 7, 2023  4:05 PM – 3:30 PM
Details coming soon. See more.

Canada's Digital Ambition: A conversation with Catherine Luelo

November 7, 2023  4:30 PM – 4:55 PM
Details coming soon See more.

That's a wrap for the morning!

November 7, 2023  4:55 PM – 5:00 PM
Find out what's in store for your afternoon. See more.

Welcome back!

November 8, 2023  3:00 PM – 2:15 PM
Join host Alistair Croll as we kick off the third and final day of FWD50! See more.

AI, government, and the path to an augmented public sector

November 8, 2023  3:40 PM – 4:05 PM
In this fireside chat, Google's Sam Sebastian talks about the remarkable advances that generative AI has made in recent months See more.

That's a wrap for the morning!

November 8, 2023  4:55 PM – 5:00 PM
Find out what's in store for your afternoon. See more.

That's a wrap!

November 8, 2023  9:45 PM – 10:00 PM
We did it, 3 jam-packed days! Thank you so much for joining us! Don't forget, we want to hear from you, so please make sure you fill out the survey that's coming your way! See more.
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