Join Thinkers in Residence Allyson Hewitt and Ilse Treurnicht of Toronto’s MaRS Discovery District for an interactive Q&A style conversation about South Australia, place, purpose and impact.

Let’s answer some of SA’s most burning questions like:

What do great innovation precincts look like?
Is corporate social responsibility ever going to be serious business?
How do we close the gender investment gap?
How can we create the conditions for local start up’s to solve some of South Australia’s most entrenched social issues?

(Submit your burning question’s here)

Our incredible Thinkers will also be joined by a panel of some of South Australia’s leading industry professionals to discuss how creating a more purposeful economy can deliver the highest levels of social, cultural, environmental and economic impact.

About our Thinkers:

Allyson is the Senior Fellow for social innovation at the highly successful MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, Canada. Previously Allyson served as the Executive Director of Safe Kids Canada at the Toronto Sick Kids Hospital. Allyson has assisted hundreds of social ventures to become economically sustainable and increase their social impact, has initiated and implemented public policy to support social enterprise and has developed a range of social innovation programs at MaRS.

Ilse is the former and founding CEO of MaRS Discovery District. Ilse joined MaRS in early 2005 from her role as president and CEO of Primaxis Technology Ventures, a start-up venture capital fund focused on the advanced technologies sector. MaRS works with partners to catalyze, accelerate, scale and diffuse innovation in the areas of health, energy and environment, finance and commerce, and work and learning. MaRS supports innovators and entrepreneurs building high-impact growth businesses, offering specialized infrastructure as well as access to critical talent, capital and customer networks.

More information on our Thinkers here.

About our MC:

Matthew Wright-Simon - Host, engagement specialist and founder of Ecocreative

Matthew Wright-Simon is the founder of Ecocreative, a pioneering creative consultancy dedicated to ‘engagement for changemakers’, offering services in strategy, facilitation and communications. Matthew also works with Newday Leadership, bringing conferences and workshops to people seeking ‘inspired leadership for the greater good’, a role that flows from roles with TEDxAdelaide and other community and professional networks. Matthew brings a shared experience of social, environmental and economic challenges and opportunities to each project and initiative. This is evident in the energy Matthew brings to events at every scale as a host and presenter, curator, mentor and advocate for the positive impact enabled through human connection.

About our panelists:

Jane Arnott - General Manager, Consulting and Business Services –Community Business Bureau

Jane Arnott has 25 years’ experience working in and with the not for profit sector in community development, policy, grant making, governance and change management. Jane has a background of working in large, sector-support organisations. Jane leads the business consulting team at Community Business Bureau, a not for profit social enterprise that works to build the business capability of not for profit organisations. Jane also chairs the Social Impact Investment Network South Australia.

David Pearson - Executive Director – Don Dunstan Foundation

David Pearson is the Executive Director of the Don Dunstan Foundation – a thought leadership organisation established to inspire action for a fairer world, and to build on the legacy of the late Premier of South Australia, Don Dunstan. The Foundation is currently focused on growing a more purposeful economy through the Thinkers in Residence program, mental health, migration, Aboriginal economic empowerment, and homelessness through the Adelaide Zero Project.

*Stay tuned for updates on more panel members

Presented by: