It was a whirlwind week in Ottawa, May 26-30, meeting prominent CEO’s and venture capitalists at the forefront of technology and business leadership in Canada. There were back-to-back networking sessions coupled with mentorship meetings, a National Ceremony for Ingenious+, and the capstone event: the Governor General's Innovation Awards at Rideau Hall. Amid the flurry of activity, two key reflections stood out for me.
First, the energizing spark created by bringing people together united by problem solving, purpose and passion, is truly inspirational. And second, that anyone, anywhere can be an innovator.
In 2024, I was honoured to receive the Ingenious+ National Award in Entrepreneurship and Technology in the National Innovation Challenge hosted by the Rideau Hall Foundation. Last year I joined the inaugural Ingenious+ Youth Advisory Group, a small group of innovators from across Canada composed of previous winners. We met regularly to improve youth experiences, brainstorming ideas for shaping outreach strategies, and building a connected and supportive community of alumni.
As part of this work, I headed to Ottawa during Canadian Innovation Week alongside three other Ingenious+ Youth Ambassadors from Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland. Our role was to welcome the new Ingenious+ Winners, serve on panel sessions, facilitate ice breaking events, and to help build a community for youth-led innovation.
Problem solving: The motto of Ingenious+ is to “Innovate for Good”. Our team of innovators shared a common purpose and were driven by similar goals. Recognizing the common thread of problem solving in each of our individual projects, we had a new mission – to help expand and create a community of innovators who are passionate about finding solutions. By innovating for impact, we saw how taking action can address such a vast range of issues, from STEAM and health to community, civic and social innovation.
Purpose: Melissa Allen, Executive Director of the League of Innovators, and an angel investor, offered excellent lessons and advice in one of the mentorship sessions. She talked about knowing your “why”. Staying grounded in this sense of purpose helps to focus your efforts, and build momentum even when barriers seem insurmountable.
Passion: Christian Bagg, CEO and founder of Bowhead Reach in Calgary, was a Governor General's Innovation Award Winner from last year. He spoke about his latest innovation, adapting a wheelchair for the aisles of planes, and the ongoing need to keep innovating, adapting and improving what we create. In this way, innovation never ends. There is always a way to make products, processes, people, and places better.
As the events wrapped up, I was given an inscribed copy of “Empathy: Turning Compassion into Action” written by former Governor General of Canada, David Johnston. The book tackles a wide range of current issues from health care and environmental crises to social justice and racism. It highlights the things we can do as individuals, communities, and nations.
One quote from the book resonated deeply with me, underscoring the urgency and importance of our collective persistence for innovating today: “We humans have a slew of problems to think our way through, and the clock is ticking.”
Liam Pope-Lau '27 received international recognition for his invention of LifeHeat, a self-heating survival pack to prevent hypothermia. As incoming club co-head of the Business Leadership Program at SMUS, he looks forward to connecting youth to the broader national innovation and entrepreneurship network across Canada and beyond.
