James Taylor
Keynote Speaker
Award-winning entrepreneur, author and inspiring keynote speaker on a global mission to help people and organizations unlock creative potential, accelerate innovation and build a sustainable future.
James Taylor M.B.A. F.R.S.A. – who started his career managing high profile rock stars – is now an in-demand keynote speaker and internationally recognized leader in creativity, sustainability, innovation and artificial intelligence. For over 20 years, he has been advising CEO’s, entrepreneurs, educators, governments and leaders from Silicon Valley to Dubai on how to design innovative organizations, unlock creative potential and build a sustainable future.
As the host of multiple global summits he has personally interviewed over 750 of the world’s leading creative minds including Silicon Valley tech CEO’s, New York Times bestselling authors, and artificial intelligence pioneers. Hundreds of thousands of people in over 120 countries have learned about creativity and innovation through his online courses, videos, media interviews and keynote speeches.
His clients have included Fortune Global 500 companies, government policy makers, industry associations and he was recently the subject of a 30 minute BBC documentary about his life and work. Companies including Apple, Cisco, Deloitte, Accenture, Caterpillar, UPS, Novartis, EY, Visa, McDonalds, ADNOC and Dell have all brought in James Taylor to inspire and educate through his thought-provoking keynotes and interactive workshops.
James is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (F.R.S.A.) whose Fellows have included global innovators and leaders including President Benjamin Franklin, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Bob Dylan, Adam Smith, Nelson Mandela and Professor Stephen Hawking.
https://www.jamestaylor.me/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameskirktaylor/
Sonali Bloom
Sonali Bloom is an entrepreneur who is passionate about innovation in healthcare and aspires to build products that improve people's lives. Sonali holds a BS in Physics from Yale University and an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School. As CEO of 20/20 Onsite, Sonali leads a passionate team that expands access to vision care by bringing eye care directly to patients with a unique fleet of mobile clinics. 20/20 Onsite launched its primary vision care practice in 2014, and expanded into clinical research in 2020 during the pandemic. 20/20 Onsite is now the leading provider of onsite eye assessments for clinical research, reducing patient friction, increasing diversity in participant pools, accelerating timelines, and enhancing data quality. With over a decade of experience in ophthalmic assessments and patient care, 20/20 Onsite is proud of its commitment to patient-centricity, reflected in a consistent patient Net Promoter Score of 96.
Caroline Casey
Caroline Casey is the businesswoman and activist behind The Valuable 500, the world’s largest CEO collective and business move for disability inclusion.
Casey launched the movement at the World Economic Forum’s Davos Summit in 2019 and since then has signed up 500 multinational organisations with a combined revenue of over $8 trillion, employing 20 million people worldwide to radically transform the business system. The membership includes 36 of the FTSE 100 companies, 46 of the Fortune 500 and 28 of the Nikkei.
As well as her position of President of the IAPB, Caroline also sits on several diversity and inclusion boards to include L’Oréal and Sky and is a much sought-after speaker.
Caroline has received an honorary doctorate as well as multiple awards and accolades for her work as a disability activist.
Dr. Steven J. Ferguson, OD
Founder and Director, Dunes Eye Consultants and Dunes LASIK Center
Dr. Steven J. Ferguson is an accomplished optometric physician with over 30 years of experience specializing in the diagnosis, management and treatment of ocular diseases and visual system disorders. He is fellowship-trained in the clinical care of LASIK, refractive surgery and cataract-correcting technology. He is widely recognized as an industry leader in cutting-edge treatments for ocular surface disease, abnormal tear film and dry eye management.
As the founder and director of Dunes Eye Consultants and Dunes LASIK Center in Dakota Dunes, SD, Dr. Ferguson has established himself as a trusted innovator in patient-focused eye care. His extensive expertise includes a wide range of sub-specialized services including, NewVu presbyopia treatment, development of the Vision after Cataracts Clinic, focused advanced diabetic eye clinic, headache management and neuro-vision therapy with TBI sub-focus, advanced ocular surface disease clinic, medical eye dermatology clinic, medical myopia management, chronic eye disease and high-risk clinical care and investigator- initiated clinical research.
Dr. Ferguson’s distinguished career includes founding one of the largest solo optometric practices in the United States and serves as lead optometrist as well as medical director of Dunes Lasik. He has been honored with numerous awards, including Minnesota’s first “Young Optometrist of the Year” and service recognition from the North Central States Conference. A sought-after speaker and author, Dr. Ferguson has contributed extensively to vision-medical journals and presented at premier vision-medical conferences, including ASCRS.
In addition to his clinical achievements, Dr. Ferguson has been a key opinion leader (KOL) for leading companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Sight Sciences, and Olympic Ophthalmics. He was an alpha investigator for eyeBrain Medical and continues to serve as the top vertical advisor for Percept Corporation. He founded and is CEO of AVTRMed, Inc. where he directs integrating cutting-edge AI-backed technologies into reducing the burden of administrative eye care delivery.
Dr. Ferguson’s dedication to innovation and excellence continues to shape the field of optometry, making him a leading voice in advancing vision care worldwide.
Nick Jankel
Nick Jankel is a Cambridge-educated, globally influential, and internationally recognized thought leader, futurist, and keynote speaker for ambitious organizations including Google, Intel, Smucker’s, Diageo, LEGO, Kellogg’s, Walgreens, Merck, No.10 Downing Street, and McCormick & Co. Nick is a highly experienced and purpose-led professional speaker at the very top of his game. He speaks on how next-level leadership, human-centric transformation, and breakthrough innovation can—and must—be leveraged to shape a successful future of business and society in an increasingly complex, disrupted, and digital world. As an innovation guru, Nick worked on the global launch of Xbox, helped catalyze the most successful TV show in history, and developed the concept of mobile “apps” years before the iPhone and App Store were launched. He has gone on to help build 100,000+ transformational leaders, advise C-Suite execs and national governments, and lecture at Yale, UC Berkeley, and Oxford. He has appeared in The Times, The Economist, and at Aspen Ideas Festival and has been a master coach on two global TV shows.
https://www.nickjankel.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickjankel/
Purti Kanodia
Purti is the Senior Director of Strategy and Innovation at National Vision, leading initiatives in eyecare services and technology innovation. With a career spanning primary care at Crossover Health, pharmaceuticals at Genentech, and consulting at Slalom Consulting, she has a comprehensive understanding of digital health and the broader healthcare ecosystem. Her expertise spans SaaS solutions, remote monitoring applications, and AI/ML based clinical decision support products, particularly in Ophthalmology and Oncology. Purti holds an M.S. in Biotechnology from Georgetown University. She enjoys leading diverse teams and is dedicated to advancing healthcare through technology and user-centered design to enhance patient outcomes and drive business growth.
Paul M. Karpecki, OD, FAAO
Dr. Paul Karpecki received his doctor of optometry degree from Indiana University and completed a Fellowship in Medical Cornea in Kansas City in affiliation with the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and the University of Kansas. He currently serves as Director of Cornea and External Disease for the Kentucky Eye Institute in Lexington Ky., running the largest, advanced, referral only, ocular surface disease clinic in the U.S.
Dr. Karpecki is a full Associate Professor at the Kentucky College of Optometry at theUniversity of Pikeville. He has served on the International Task Force for Dry Eye Disease that included the top 25 dry eye experts in the world, the TFOS DEWS II Diagnostic Methodology Sub-Committee and co-chaired the previous 2 and upcoming TFOS Symposia.
In 2017-2019, he completed a two-year preceptorship in advanced retinal disease at Retina Associates of Kentucky, one of the top 20 retina practices in the country and has a special interest in uveitis and retina management. He is the Chief Medical Editor for Review of Optometry, Chairs their New Technology and Treatment Conferences and serves on the board of the charitable organization Optometry Giving Sight.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarpecki
Dr. Jeffrey Krall
Dr. Jeffrey Krall values innovation. As a practicing Optometrist, Dr. Jeff’s focus for the last 30 years has centered on providing comprehensive clinical care to the patients he serves. This passion, fueled by being a 4th generation Optometrist, led to the creation and development of Neurolens, and Neurolens Measuring Device diagnostics. Technology designed to help mitigate the debilitating effects of headaches, dry eyes, neck tension, and eye strain. Neurolens is now widely accepted by eye care professionals and used by hundreds of practitioners nationwide.
Dr. Krall earned his Doctor of Optometry Degree from the Illinois College of Optometry and has been a contributor in clinical research and development for Eye Brain Medical, Bausch & Lomb, Shamir, Signet Armorlite, Stereo Optical, Michigan Headache and Neurological Institute and Avera Health. In addition to doing peer review and a clinical study for his alma mater. Dr. Jeff is a frequent lecturer, having given seminars and workshops on headache, fatigue, and ocular disorders to both national and international audiences. He has also written and contributed to numerous clinical publications; and frequently works on-site with colleagues all over the U.S. providing consultation and training.
Dr. Jeff’s love of technology, innovation, and mechanics has paved the way for his favorite pastime, flying. He is an accomplished pilot. He holds commercial, instrument, multi-engine, and rotorcraft ratings. In addition, he is an active certified flight instructor, Licensed A&P Mechanic with inspector Authorization with the FAA. He has built several airplanes and, in 2019, a helicopter. His skills earned him the Reserve Grand Champion Builder award at AirVenture Oshkosh, in 2019.
When on the ground, you will find him working within his community, where he has held numerous leadership positions. Dr. Jeff and his wife Cindy have given of their time in Haiti and continue to contribute to their mission of relief and rebuilding. Spare moments are spent on the lake where he and Cindy enjoy the company of their three grown children.
Dr. Gregory Moore
Gregory Moore, OD, is an ophthalmic consultant to companies that include Alcon, Allergan and Inspire as well as an educator/lecturer, specializing in topics such as remote eye exams and telehealth practices, clinical practice standards and regulatory compliance. Dr. Moore is the founder of Greater Regional Eye Group in South Charleston, W.V., a chain of eye clinics throughout Ballad Health Systems located across 21 hospitals in the Southeast.
Dr. Moore has conducted clinical research at the University of Pikeville College of Optometry focusing on neuro-visual and cognitive rehabilitation following complex traumatic brain injury (TBI). Additionally, he has researched the potential of TBI ophthalmic markers to assist in the infant diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome.
He co-led negotiations related to 2010 legislation on optometric board autonomy, which was adopted in 16 additional states.
Dr. Moore was a member of the West Virginia Board of Optometry from 2005-2013 and president from 2010-2012; a member of the American Optometric Association for 33 years; and a member of the Association of Regulatory Board of Optometry (ARBO) from 2010-2018. He won an Outstanding Service Award from the West Virginia Association of Optometric Physicians in 2010.
Howard B. Purcell, OD, FAAO
Howard Purcell, O.D., F.A.A.O., Diplomate and FNAP has been President and CEO of the New England College of Optometry (NECO) since July 2018. Before assuming his leadership role at NECO, he served as Senior Vice President at Essilor of America and Senior Director at Johnson and Johnson Vision Care. A second generation graduate of the New England College of Optometry, Dr. Purcell also participated in a group optometric practice for eleven years with his father in Miami Beach, FL.
Beginning in June 1991, Dr. Purcell joined the faculty of Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry. During his career at the college, he was a principle in the development of the Department of Cornea and Contact Lenses. Reaching the rank of Associate Professor, Dr. Purcell was responsible for both the didactic and clinical components of the program, serving as the Deputy Dean of the college.
Dr. Purcell is a Diplomate in the Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies Section of the American Academy of Optometry
His energetic and enthusiastic style has made Dr. Purcell a popular lecturer internationally. Purcell’s unique philosophies and practices have often attracted the media to focus attention on current optometric issues and research in the industry.