HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“If there was a circle they are the people on the outside and see stuff coming in, they’re not in the centre. They generally don’t play well with others. They’re driven, they’re high risk for sure, they don’t really conform. They like to see. They’re not afraid of new ideas, they’re very afraid of old ideas. They’re generally extroverted. Mavericks kind of put their personality on the line. It’s something hardwired in the DNA that’s very different from other people.”

J’s BIO

J Joly is CEO and Founder of Cinecoup, a disruptive studio model for indie filmmakers to develop, market and produce feature films  National Advisor for the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television which builds a legacy to honour Canada’s remarkable screen talents . He is a Board Member of the Vancouver International Film Festival, an annual Film Festival  Advisor at Merging + Media Conference, Canada’s only marketplace dedicated exclusively to online digital content . J is Advisor at X-Summit. He is also CEO/Founder of Overinteractive Media – DimeRocker, a disruptive digital media studio with a focus on interactive online experience. Previously J was Assistant to Producer for Just for Laughs a Canadian reality show.

WHY J WAS INTERVIEWED

I met J at Dealmaker Media’s Grow Future of Business Conference which brings together startups from all over Canada and the West Coast. 2013 was about the future of innovation, growth and entrepreneurship, curating an environment that brought together technology pioneers, founders, executives, influencers and investors who are passionate about identifying problems worth solving. J was included as it was soon apparent he was disrupting the film industry. J is direct, honest, upfront and very funny.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone who goes against the grain and really doesn’t follow the rules, kind of beats his own drumbeat and goes on his way. For me that’s what a maverick is really.”

ALEX’ BIO

Alex is Co-Founder of Intelligent Change, Luxy Hair, Five Minute Journal, and Productivity Planner. He is a dreamer and a creator. He also runs Dreamers & Creators, a creative agency that allows him to pursue and work on new business ideas. He shares all of his entrepreneurial and life activities with his wife and business partner, Mimi Ikonn. They are also angel investors and have invested in great companies like Calm, Shyp, Sprig, Tradesy, and others.

WHY ALEX WAS INTERVIEWED

Alex was recommended to me by friend and maverick Darren Robson.  Alex is genuine, real, true to himself, grateful and happy with life.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone with gumption who will not give up an idea even when the odds seem to be impossibly high, or there’s immense or universal objection.”

DAVE’S BIO

David Huer is Founder Hubble Project Group.  He is a creative problem solver, synthesizing practical solutions using imaginative “wraparound” thinking.

Until 2007, Dave had a severe stutter, and originally started out in back-office clerking and research. No one wanted him to talk to customers. Despite the stutter, earning $1,000 profit/month for 4 months – selling $6 calendars by learning door-to-door sales technique to overcome shyness; getting into whitewater kayaking, caving and cave rescue to learn risk-taking; learning and practicing industrial design; venturing to practice idea-selling; persuading the BC Premier’s Office to fund SpeechEasy (a $5,500 anti-stuttering hearing-aid); and getting his commerce education.

The grit comes from overcoming personal circumstance, but also from getting into the muck, bootstrapping hard-earned dollars, learning to see a No as a door to a future Yes, and in venturing going to the wire financially 4 times when overcoming obstacles.

WHY DAVID WAS INTERVIEWED

I met David via the Envisioning Labs Meet up and listening to him share his ideas he clearly stood out as a maverick. David is genuinely spatially aware and thinks differently.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone who’s operating in a way that’s not constrained by tradition or the conventional rules.  We’re constrained by the laws of physics, not by the laws made up by tradition and conventional wisdom.”

PABLOS’ BIO

Pablos Holman is a Futurist, inventor and Notorious Hacker.  He works on invention and design projects that assimilate new technologies – making wild ideas a bit more practical and vice versa. He helped create the world’s smallest PC; 3D printers at Makerbot  ; spaceships with Jeff Bezos; artificial intelligence agent systems; and the Hackerbot, a Wi-Fi seeking robot. Currently, Pablos is working for Nathan Myhrvold at the Intellectual Ventures Laboratory  where a wide variety of futuristic invention projects are underway, including a fission reactor powered by nuclear waste; a machine to suppress hurricanes; a system to reverse global warming; and a device that can shoot mosquitoes out of the sky with lasers to help eradicate malaria. He is Founder of Bombsheller a clothing company of the future. We make the one good thing you need, not the ten shitty things you don’t. Everything is manufactured on demand in Seattle, radically changing what is possible.   Pablos is an advisor at Glowforge which is creating a new class of 3D printers that are more useful and delightful than anything you’ve seen. Pablos is a respected and dynamic speaker with an incredible ability to explain complex technology to any audience. He has informed and entertained audiences at world-renowned technology summits including United Nations, the World Economic Forum at Davos, The CIA, TEDx, BIL and DEFCON on invention, innovation and the future of technology.

WHY PABLOS WAS INTERVIEWED

I met Pablos  at Dealmaker Media’s Grow Future of Business Conference which brings together startups from all over Canada and the West Coast. 2013 was about the future of innovation, growth and entrepreneurship, curating an environment that brought together technology pioneers, founders, executives, influencers and investors who are passionate about identifying problems worth solving.  I heard Pablos speak and knew straight away that he would be a man to interview.  Pablos is fun, interesting, knows his stuff and is true to himself.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

 “A maverick is an innovator.  Somebody who don’t just take things for granted.  You know they just don’t do business in the way that we do business.  We do business because there’s a purpose, because we’re driven by something larger than something.  It’s not because making money isn’t a  key thing; it’s making value; make people happy.  If we could just make the world a bit more happy, I would give anything in the world to do that; that’s why I work for LEGO.’’

SOREN’S BIO

Soren Holm is Experience Lead of the LEGO Foundation, Head of Experience LEGO House and Vice President of LEGO Future Labs.  He is part of the team that has made LEGO into the successful company it is today. Soren is a LEGO Lifer, someone who’s here to stay.

WHY SOREN WAS INTERVIEWED

Being an ex-children’s nurse who had taught the significance of play it was essential for me to include a toy company.  I mean who do you interview if not LEGO? And I had read Fast Company’s piece How Lego became the Apple of Toys.  Fortunately Soren had looked me up on LinkedIn and thought “what I was doing sounded pretty cool, like I was trying to learn a different approach to innovation and by interviewing a lot of people around was getting a feel for what’s going on out there and what makes innovation tick, what’s special, what’s unique and so on and that got him intrigued a bit and thought let me have a talk to her.”   So an early morning conversation progressed into a most playful and fun interview.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone who’s committed to bring about change but isn’t afraid of the consequences.”

LUKE’S BIO

Luke Hemment is a DJ and Musician. ‘As long as I’m still here, it’s very hard to write my own bio, if I’m ‘creative’ and/or ‘open-minded’ then I’ll always learn, always grow, and thus ‘what I do’ or have done constantly changes. I am a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend, a lover, a neighbour, a DJ, an enthusiast yes just an enthusiast, if I like it and I feel aligned with the vibrational frequency, I too sing on that frequency. You can’t define feelings with words, they were here before, you can’t describe you ‘being’ it has to be experienced, that’s why we are all so wonderful, all powerful and unique’.  He is a member of For Boarders By Boarders a non-profit skate, snow, music, art and media community.

WHY LUKE WAS INTERVIEWED

I have known Luke for a number of years and from the conversations and from what I knew about him recognised he would be a good fit for this project. Luke is interesting, humble and brave.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Mavericks are thought leaders and visionaries, those that are driven to truly change the world and it may not be in a big capacity, but it may be in their capacity, their environments, their immediate communities, their networks, how they are sharing their gifts in a profound way that’s making a difference in other people’s lives.”

PAUL’S BIO

Paul Wulf Helman is CEO/Founder/President of soulfirexp.com that educate, inspires, empowers and evolves humanity through the gift of growth. He is a location independent lifestyle entrepreneur who loves to travel, to connect with thought leaders, like-minded game changers, mavericks who think differently and take action every day to their success. Paul is also Jedi of Awesomeness for Mindvalley playing a key role in business development and an Ambassador for www.theincitement.com

WHY PAUL WAS INTERVIEWED

I met Paul at a Get Real meet up he was running and listening to him speak realised he thinks differently and asked to interview him. Paul is alternate, driven and fun.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“This is a tricky one. I think traditionally a maverick is somebody that takes gambles however I think there’s a difference between somebody that takes gambles and somebody that takes calculated risks. And I would say I don’t gamble. A gamble is a choice of A or B and you’ve got no inclination of what the outcome is gonna be. Personally I would say that’s foolhardy not a maverick. I think the traditional definition of a maverick is if it’s left or right, up or down, it doesn’t really matter. I’m just gonna go with whatever way I feel. I think that a business maverick is or should perhaps be defined as someone who is very comfortable with risk, in actual fact, they flourish on risk. They love being in the environment. It makes them feel alive. It makes them feel decisive and being in that kind of environment I’m able to make decisions based on assertions that I’ve got internally, so whether it’s experiences I’ve built up in the past or whether I’m looking at it alternatively, some level of inclination is that I’m gonna have to take a sort of calculated risk. And the extent to which I do act that obviously is how big a maverick I am.”

LOGAN’S BIO

Logan Hall is Co-founder and CMO at Movebubble, a disrupter in the property rental space.

Logan has always had a hard time going along with the status quo and has found more solace in mischief and play than toeing the line. From being expelled as a school kid when he was 17 to still being found skating with his homies on a Friday evening after work at 33. He understands business is merely socialising with a purpose, and so believes his leadership role is about finding and uniting people on a common path with a singular goal and in helping them achieve their own personal goals. A self-confessed learning addict he builds a culture that is geared toward personal and organisational learning, freedom to fail, and take risks. In short, Logan likes trouble and will go find it where he can – both professionally and personally. He really does believe that life is a gradual release from ignorance and is happy so long as he is less ignorant today than he was yesterday!

WHY LOGAN WAS INTERVIEWED

Logan and I met via Linked In as he found my profile intriguing. Logan is fun, aware, driven, and likes being challenged.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“A maverick is not just a rebel. You know you can rebel against a lot of things, but I think a maverick is maybe thinking more unconventionally. There’s this whole thing that comes from The Matrix, that movie, it’s been used in lots of other things about how everything you’ve been told is a lie, and like that you have to go and find your own truth and that’s fine but I think it’s a little bit simplistic. Because not everything you were told is a lie. Like someone told you to look both ways when you cross the street when you were a kid, that’s probably a good thing right. If your dentist tells you should brush your teeth and floss so right. So the challenge in life essentially is figuring out OK what is true and what is a lie? What is my truth? So that’s what a maverick does. It’s not just rebelling against everything. It’s let me be a bit more intelligent here but then when I find out OK what is it that I want to do, what is it that I’m trying to achieve and how can I work with others to make that happen, that’s when things get interesting.”

CHRIS’ BIO

Chris Guillebeau is Founder of a movement called The Art of Conformity . He is a writer, entrepreneur, and world traveller. Over the past five years he has visited every country in the world (193/193), documenting the quest on his blog. His recent books, The Happiness of Pursuit and The $100 Startup, were New York Times bestsellers. He is also author of Born for This and Side Hustle.

Chris produces and hosts the World Domination Summit (WDS),a gathering of thousands of remarkable people that takes place each summer in Portland.

WHY CHRIS WAS INTERVIEWED

I had come across Chris’ adventures via his blog and The Art of Non Conformity. As the Business Mavericks are non conformers I thought it was kind of essential to include Chris. I asked him in a room full of people when he was doing a book signing and he said yes. Chris is fun, interesting, knowledgeable, open, wide and diverse.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Somebody who does what their gut tells them to do, even if it’s not necessarily the easy or the popular choice.”

PAMELA’S BIO

Pamela Grossman is Director of Visual Trends at Getty Images.   She is also an independent curator, writer, and teacher of magical practice and history.  She is the creator of Phantasmaphile, a blog that specializes in art with an esoteric or fantastical bent.

WHY PAMELA WAS INTERVIEWED

I came across Getty Images Lean In Collection, a library of images devoted to the powerful depiction of women, girls and the people who support them. Jointly curated by Getty Images and LeanIn.Org – the women’s empowerment nonprofit founded by Sheryl Sandberg.  The collection features over 2,500 images of female leadership in contemporary work and life.  I contacted Pamela and asked to interview her. Pamela is direct, genuine, and I like that she only spends her time on things that are meaningful and inspiring.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Somebody who creates something in the world that didn’t exist before and this is a very difficult thing to do. It takes a lot of confidence, a lot of self belief, a lot of courage and a little bit of craziness to think you can create something in the world that didn’t exist before, to me that’s a true maverick.”

STEPHEN’S BIO

Stephen Greene is the CEO and a co-founder of RockCorps, a pro-social production company and global youth movement.  RockCorps introduces people to a lifelong relationship with civic engagement by using the power of music to inspire volunteering. RockCorps produces large-scale pop, rock and hip-hop concerts, distributing tickets exclusively to volunteers, who commit four hours of their time at a RockCorps community project in their area.  Through music, RockCorps is ‘Moving a Generation to Change the World’. With RockCorps, Stephen has delivered social engagement platforms in 10 countries around the world; including 50 volunteer-exclusive concerts, featuring music artists such as Pharrell, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, Rihanna and over 100 more. His unique experience combined with a deep understanding of and passion for social action and youth engagement also enables him to provide strategic counsel to a wide range of organisations across the public, not-for-profit and private sectors.

In November 2012, Stephen was appointed by UK Prime Minister, David Cameron to be the founding chair of the National Citizen Service (to date over 130,000 graduates). As the CEO of RockCorps, Stephen brings a wealth of experience in unlocking the power of young people and connecting them to opportunities to do good in their communities.”

Stephen Greene is also a trustee of the Do-it Trust, Good Gym, The Fowler Center and has been an advisor to War Child UK.

WHY STEPHEN WAS INTERVIEWED

Stephen was introduced to me by Shilen Patel of Independents United who I had interviewed. Soon as I looked up Rockcorps I knew Stephen was a solid fit. Stephen is a visionary, believer who is limitless and true to himself.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“I just think right back to Top Gun. The movie Top Gun – Maverick…people who kind of go against the grain, a little bit wild maybe, but seem to come out on top. So I don’t know if there’s really another term that defines that definition or encapsulates that definition better.”

WHY AMAL WAS INTERVIEWED

Amal spoke at Tedx SFU and I just knew I wanted to interview him. The Business Maverick project commenced with him as he was interview #1. Amal is able to make connections, passionate about technology and is purpose driven.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Cowboy films and Top Gun.  People who perhaps are doing things in a slightly dangerous and naughty way, maybe outside the law.”

IVO’S BIO

Ivo Gormley  is the Founder of GoodGym, a growing movement of runners who run to do good.  Previously, Ivo consulted and advised on user participation for technology startups and public services in the UK and US. Ivo directed the documentary film Us Now, an exploration of participatory culture. The film has been broadcast around the world, including Channel 4 in the UK, translated into 24 languages and watched by millions online. He has presented his work to governments worldwide including the French National Assembly, The Hague, the European Union, The Houses of Parliament (UK) and Washington DC.

WHY IVO WAS INTERVIEWED

GoodGym had come into my radar a few years before commencing the project and I recalled how it was a completely different approach to fitness hence contacted Ivo for an interview.  Ivo is a quiet maverick, alternate, geeky, nerdy and more maverick than he thinks he is.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone who is still a little bit wild and crazy and is willing to do things that are different yet still able to play in the same stable as the other horses.”

TARRY’S BIO

Tarry Giannokos is Co-Creator/Founder of Revolver Coffee. Revolver is about two things: Coffee, and the experience that should go with it. Their coffee program is simple, but precise. All drinks are made fresh to order – after you order it, never before – from a rotating menu of our favourite coffees from world class roasters around North America. It’s quite simple: We order what we like, and we don’t order what we don’t. We like being consistent, so we measure and weigh every variable there is, until there isn’t. And we like details, of which coffee is but one of many in a finely tuned life. But it’s such an important one, isn’t it?

WHY TARRY WAS INTERVIEWED

I met Tarry when his son Chris Giannakos [Director of Revolver Coffee] was giving a talk; Enjoy Your Coffee at Tedx SFU. I started talking to Tarry, met him for coffee – realized he was a maverick and asked to interview him. Tarry is fun and unique and see’s things differently.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“A person that wants to change the world.”

JUAN’S BIO

Juan Pablo Gaviria is Founder/CEO [Chief Entertainment Officer] of 360digital. He wanted to be a Doctor, he retired from the university. He wanted to be an anthropologist, he retired from the university. After acting in a couple of plays, and working for over 15 years in the TV industry as Creator, Director and Producer, Juan Pablo was still looking for what he wants to do in life. Maybe he will do a little bit of everything. He’s already planted a tree, wrote a book, had 2 children, got married, divorced and remarried (the same woman). He’s raced cars, on motorcycles, in a rally-raid, flown a helicopter, landed a plane, shot a gun, crashed a car, fell off the bike, broke a bone, invented TV programs, directed actors, produced big prime-time reality shows (survivor, the X factor), soap operas, series, met celebrities, appeared in the newspaper, on magazines, and been interviewed on radio and TV. After years of work, he managed to have a super job with assistant, driver and an office with a view. He resigned from this job! He bought the mega car of my dreams, but after he resigned had to sell it to fulfill another dream … it seems it’s never enough.

Juan Pablo wrote a book, “Colombia in 20 Days,” a photographic journey in a motorbike trough Colombia, it’s on the iBookstore (free). He’s also preparing for his first photo exhibition on a series about water. He works as a creative and production advisor in different companies and has started a new company dedicated to creating digital content 360 Digital Co, launching their first app, Write it Versus: The Pen is Mightier than the Sword to the app store and release Motto Dots, the first purpose-driven social network.

WHY JUAN WAS INTERVIEWED

Juan Pablo was recommended to me by Oscar Malpica of Envisioning Labs. Juan is determined, rounded, fun and purpose-driven.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“I was a kid the first time I was introduced to the word.  Maverick was Top Gun, That come’s up probably a lot, and then I’m a big surfer.  There’s a big wave that happens an hour or so outside San Francisco called Mavericks.  So a Maverick would be similar to what a rebel would be; doing things in a different way.  I kind of grew up being ‘a rebel’ in my family.  I’m doing things differently.  I don’t think there’s really a difference between right or wrong, just a way that you feel is the way to do it, whether it’s business or whether it’s sports, or whatever it is.”

JAMIE’S BIO

Jamie Garratt is CEO & Founder of Idea Rebel, a Strategic Digital Marketing Agency driven by Technology and Design.

Long before work-life integration became a buzzword, Jamie’s entrepreneurial zeal was informed by his passions away from work. He started a wakeboard school; had a top 40 hit with his band – and started Idea Rebel with foundational client, Quiksilver – combining his lifelong love for surfing with his passion for digital design, development and engagement. Since then, Jamie has been the fire behind Idea Rebel’s output for clients like EA, Bell Media, BMW and Aritzia.

WHY JAMIE WAS INTERVIEWED

I came across Jamie as he was voted 40 Under 40 in BC Business Magazine. When I saw his company was called Idea Rebel and read more about him I knew Jamie would be a great fit for the Business Mavericks project.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“I’ve a very subjective take on that because I don’t believe there are any such things as mavericks. I just believe there are people who see the future in ways that other people don’t. And ironically people who get called mavericks are often the most sensible, down to earth, straight-forward going people. In fact, their perceived maverickness is simply the fact that other people haven’t caught up yet.”

CINDY’S BIO

Cindy Gallop is Founder and CEO of IfWeRanTheWorld a radically simple web-meets-world platform designed to turn good intentions into action; one microaction at a time and Founder of MakeLoveNotPorn a non judgemental open forum that encourages everyone to decide for themselves what they like doing because there is no ‘norm.’ Cindy is Board Advisor at Behance, the world’s leading platform for creative professionals across all industries to showcase and discover creative work  and Founder at Cindy Gallop LLC consulting for clients and brands who want to change the game in their particular sector. She does radical, innovative, groundbreaking, transformative; she doesn’t do status quo. She likes to blow shit up and is the Michael Bay of business.

WHY CINDY WAS INTERVIEWED

I read about Cindy and how she was the Michael Bay of Business after she was recommended by another maverick Nik Badminton.  Once Cindy read details of the project she was very happy to be interviewed. Cindy is focused, direct, purpose-driven and blunt in a good way.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone who is a bit of a renegade, who flies by the seat of his pants a little bit, but is going after something that they believe in a little bit.   Maverick is THE Top Gun, I mean like he’s the guy who was just a little bit out of normalcy, but gets it done.”

MATT’S BIO

Matt Friesen is Co-Founder and CEO of Wantering a better way to search, discover and shop online. Matt is a part-time entrepreneur and full time dreamer. A self taught engineer turned entrepreneur. 3 startups. 3 exits. Ready for the next adventure. Previously he was Board Member of the Enspire Foundation Compassionate Community Builders! Co-Founder of Just the bill the easiest way to manage your expenses and Founder of Thirdi Software and Volunteer Advisor to Junior Achievement of British Columbia is the world’s largest NGO dedicated to educating young people about business.

WHY MATT WAS INTERVIEWED

Matt was recommended to me by Mark Busse Co-Founder and Principal at Industrial Brand who I had already interviewed.  Matt is open to learning, responsive, and comfortable with being in a new space.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone who has a James Garner air about them. James Garner was the original maverick on television. And I always thought as a child when I watched that show that a maverick was a good thing to be. Garner defined the concept of maverick. So a maverick is a gambler right? A maverick is charming. A maverick is sometimes doing extraordinary things in order to get what they want. So you know it’s not a bad archetype – the original maverick. “

GREGG’S BIO

Gregg Fraley is Founder of Gregg Fraley Innovation, bringing the creative edge to innovation. He is a serial entrepreneur and international expert in creative problem solving and innovation process providing consultancy to larger corporations.

Gregg’s creative streak extends into the arts. He’s an illustrator, one-time professional photographer, and his top-selling business book takes the form of a novel: Jack’s Notebook rightly earns its place on many MBA syllabuses. As an improvisational actor, Gregg cracked comedy’s toughest city, Chicago, where he performed with Players Workshop of Second City and trained with Improv Olympics.  The Innovise Guys and Save My Life Please troops continue to perform in Chicago.

Innovation Excellence named Gregg one of the Top 40 Innovation Bloggers in 2012 through to 2015.

WHY GREGG WAS INTERVIEWED

Gregg was recommended to me by Andy Wilkins of Perspective who led the Creative Problem Solving and Delivering Innovation modules for the Masters in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership and was my Advisor for the Business Mavericks project. Gregg is arty, creative, innovative and down to earth.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“A maverick is following their intuition without worry of the consequences.”

MARK’S BIO

Mark Fowlestone is Owner and Founding Partner of Multiply Agency.  Mark (or to be precise – Dr. Fowlestone) holds a recently awarded doctorate with research specialisms around branding, brand storytelling and organisational culture.  His career spans advertising (WPP – Ogilvy Group), integrated marketing as MD of KLP Euro RSCG (part of the worldwide HAVAS Group).  He is also a fully fledged creative capability, planning, and New Product Development facilitator and in his spare time a lover of the sweet science.

WHY MARK WAS INTERVIEWED

Mark was recommended and introduced to me by Chris Barez Brown of Upping Your Elvis [who I had interviewed].   He told Mark I was ‘chuffing great, doing some research into mavericks and he had felt richer for being interviewed’.  Mark is funny and passionate.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone who makes an attempt at doing something groundbreaking or traditional successfully; successful meaning the group around him is engaged.  It might not be masses, but there’s a compelling reason for a group of people to be attracted to what the maverick is doing, such that they can build on early successes with it.”

CHRIS’ BIO

Chris Forrest is Innovation Project Manager in Doblin’s Toronto, Canada office.  Doblin is the innovation arm of Deloitte which believes that change is inevitable and increasing at an exponential rate so works with you to move beyond this seemingly chaotic landscape and seize the opportunities available.  Chris specializes in leading large-scale innovation transformation programs, working with clients to define their innovation strategy, build capabilities and conceive their breakthrough innovation concepts.  As a member of Deloitte Canada’s Innovation Program, Chris worked on establishing an innovation ecosystem and foresight function for the firm, developing thought leadership on disruptive forces impacting professional services, building design thinking capabilities and inspiring the development of new innovation systems and services.

WHY CHRIS WAS INTERVIEWED

Chris was running an Innovation Meetup in Vancouver and we arranged to meet whilst I was visiting prior to my immigrating to Vancouver.  He explained his innovation role within Deloitte and when I commenced interviewing mavericks I recalled our conversation and asked to interview him.  Chris is fun, knowledgeable and down to earth and apparently likes to cook if he has an audience.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“So two possibilities.  So there’s people who know the rules, who understand the playing field and who purposely go out and either ignore them or try to break them.  They feel that those rules, those boundaries, those frameworks are limiting and they get a certain sense of energy, and a certain sense of awareness, a certain sense of self actualization by actually breaking those boundaries.  The second group of people who actually don’t even know there are boundaries.  They’re unaware of the boundaries. Rem Koolhaus is the most accomplished architect living today.  He’s a Dutch guy and his nephew launched a shoe store called United Nude.  And it’s really gorgeous women’s shoes.  They’re all 3D printed and on the window of the store it said ‘We set out to redefine the design of women’s shoes, not because we knew the rules but exactly because we didn’t know the rules.’  So there are people that actually break the rules without even knowing they break the rules.  And they only learn about what those limitations are after they’ve broken the rules.”

LEE’S BIO

Lee Feldman is founder and partner of the THNK School of Creative Leadership. Prior to this, he founded CycleSpace; co-founded and served as Chief Experience Officer of the digital agency Blast Radius (which went multinational 10 years after its beginnings in his apartment); mentored with Rockstart; was CMO of FITMO; and was a design sales consultant for IKEA Business.

The ideas that give Lee the biggest charge are atypical—not solely about communication, but about the power of corporations to drive and benefit from positive social change.

Lee has been recognized with gold and silver Clios and mentions in Communication Arts Design Annuals and Marketing Magazine’s Top 100, and has contributed to numerous global design and awards panels. His mission: Think and do things different and better.

WHY LEE WAS INTERVIEWED

I came across an event on Facebook by the THNK School of Creative Leadership and when I read about Lee I knew I just had to interview him.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“There are different kinds of people in business.  It’s not just business, it’s any kind of organisation in society.  You could talk about this in civil society.  You could talk about this in politics.  You could talk about this in business and academia.  So structures, structures in general.  You have the disruptors, you have people who start up things and then get bored after 5 or 10 years.  You have people who build things that are sort of half-hatched and build them to greatness, and you have people who are just good at keeping an altitude and the mavericks are the people who break the rules, the people who don’t do as they are told, the people who look at something and just instinctively feel I can do this better.”

RICK’S BIO

Rick Falkvinge is a Political Evangelist and Founder of the first Pirate Party and a campaigner for next-generation civil liberties. In particular, he stresses how the copyright industry works with security hawks to erode the parts of Internet that guarantee civil liberties. On this platform, one of privacy and digital rights, his party became the largest in the below-30 demographic in the 2009 European Elections, and his nascent party has now spread to 70 countries. He has been named a Top Global Thinker by Foreign Policy magazine  and shortlisted as one of the world’s most influential people by TIME Magazine.  Previously Rick was Head of Development at Cypak and Release Manager et al at Microsoft.  He is author of Swarmwise: The tactical manual to changing the world and Co Author of The Case for Copyright Reform.

WHY RICK WAS INTERVIEWED

Rick was recommended to me by Lee Feldman of the THNK School of Creative Leadership.  He knew the project having been interviewed.  I researched Rick and knew immediately he was a maverick.  Rick is rounded, driven, aware of his own skills, brave and contributing to make a difference.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone that moves quickly and does not take the same route as the majority does. Someone who is not afraid to create conflict, if they expect that will yield some sort of benefit for the parties. Somebody who’s not afraid to voice their opinion.”

IGOR’S BIO

Igor Faletski is CEO and CoFounder of Mobify.  He is passionate about making mobile commerce simpler, more effective and truly personal. Together with a fantastic team of engineers, designers, data scientists and marketers.  He works on products and services Mobify customers rely on for all their mobile commerce needs.

Today, Mobify is the #1 mobile commerce platform powering Beyond the Rack, Ann Taylor, Crocs, Thinkgeek, Starbucks, Petflow, British Telecom, Expedia, Garmin, Bosch, Siemens, Charles Tyrwhitt, Condé Nast and many more leading retailers around the world.

WHY IGOR WAS INTERVIEWED

I heard Igor speak at Tedx SFU and immediately approached him as he was a good fit for the Business Mavericks project. Igor is genuine and direct.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Somebody who’s probably really passionate about a cause, who is willing to take the risks, who’s going to listen to all the naysayers tell him or her. That it’s absolutely not doable like no way, but go ahead and do it. It’s somebody who’s gonna be persistent and obsessive and it’s somebody who’s probably an expert right? I think they probably know something, they have a deep knowledge about their specific area of interest, you know their area of passion.”

RANA’S BIO

Rana El Kaliouby is Co-Founder and Chief Strategy & Science Officer Affectiva, which bring emotional intelligence to our digital world.  At MIT, Rana spearheaded the applications of emotion-sensing and facial coding. She was recognized by Entrepreneur as one of the “7 Most Powerful Women To Watch In 2014”, inducted into the “Women in Engineering” Hall of Fame, and recipient of Technology Review’s “Top 35 Innovators Under 35” award. Rana holds a Ph.D. from the computer laboratory, University of Cambridge.

Our emotions influence every aspect of our lives — how we learn, how we communicate, how we make decisions. Yet they’re absent from our digital lives; the devices and apps we interact with have no way of knowing how we feel. Rana aims to change that. She demos Affectiva’s emotion recognition technology that reads your facial expressions and matches them to corresponding emotions. This emotion AI platform has big implications, she says, and could change not just how we interact with machines — but with each other as more of our interactions take place online.

Rana is Ad Age’s “40 under 40,” Recipient of Smithsonian magazine’s 2015 American Ingenuity Award for Technology and will be WIRED’s 2016 Next List: The 25 Geniuses Who Are Creating The Future of Business.

WHY RANA WAS INTERVIEWED

I came across an article entitled The seven most powerful women to watch in 2014 and immediately connected with Rana as her idea illustrated that she thinks differently. Rana is insightful, empathetic and makes connections between science and emotional intelligence.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone who is thinking outside the box, who is passionate about what they do but has a big picture about what they do and where they are going.  Heading in that direction because they have an end goal that would result in some impact or change. So for me it’s about making a positive impact on the world through the purchasing power of consumers in the West by connecting them to impoverished communities that would thrive because of business opportunity, but they can’t succeed without that connection to the customers/consumers that have money to purchase the products that they would be making through the business opportunities that I give them.”

KIRSTEN’S BIO

Kirsten Dickerson is Founder and CEO of Raven and Lily, a socially conscious lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering women through design. They currently work to empower at-risk women in Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Cambodia, and the US, creating exclusive, fair trade collections including up-cycled, handmade apparel and accessories that utilize materials such as melted bullet casings and textile remnants.

In addition to providing employment for over a thousand women through fair trade standards, the company strives to empower consumers to make a difference in the world through their purchasing power.

Prior to this Kirsten spent 15 years doing both styling work in the film industry and working alongside global non-profits. Kirsten has traveled extensively to over 30 countries, starting with her studies in Africa and then living in Estonia shortly after the Soviet Union dissolved. The day after graduating from Baylor University, she headed to India to volunteer with Mother Teresa and Compassion International. Creating this brand has allowed her to unify her passions and capitalize her experience in both the humanitarian and fashion worlds. Motivated by a belief that each person is valuable and uniquely created, Kirsten is dedicated to empowering women to discover their full potential. She is passionate about promoting social business models as a means of providing a dignified way to alleviate poverty, especially among at-risk women.

WHY KIRSTEN WAS INTERVIEWED

I came across 10 women+42 bullets+14 hours = something beautiful an article on Upworthy, and knew straight away I wanted to interview Kirsten. Luckily her PR team felt the same way and placed my email on the ‘definitely to do’ pile. In our home she’s simply known as ‘bullet girl.’ Kirsten is kind, humble, driven and inspiring.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Somebody who has an idea and a vision, and the determination to see it through.”

MIKE’S BIO

Mike Dickson is the Founder and CEO of Rainmaker Foundation, a collaborative charity launched in January 2012. Rainmaker’s aims are to ‘inspire generosity’ – and ‘to create a world where what matters most is what we do for others’. The Foundation connects philanthropists and change-makers – ‘Rainmakers’ – to inspirational causes in the UK and globally.  Rainmaker also advises companies on developing effective partnerships with charities, which inspire employees and help to create a more intelligent business. Clients include businesses in Private Equity, hedge funds, retail, banking and airlines.

Mike is the author of the thought leadership book on generosity called Please Take One: One Step Towards A More Generous Life, which was launched at Ted Global to inspire a global movement to encourage generosity.

Mike co-founded the successful children’s charity Whizz-Kidz, which provides mobility equipment for disabled children. Whizz-Kidz is now the largest UK supplier of paediatric mobility aids outside the NHS, and has raised over £75 million to provide equipment for more than 7,500 children and young people.

WHY MIKE WAS INTERVIEWED

I had read Mike’s book Please Take One years ago and had met him when I wanted advise about how to set up a children’s charity. I knew Mike went into companies not to show them how to make money, but to show them how to give it away. Now that’s someone who thinks differently and I approached Mike for an interview. Mike is one of those salt of the earth people who is genuinely humble and a privilege to know.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“I would define a maverick mostly by being disruptive. Always trying to be disruptive and even though they have this big idea, this big vision moving towards something and they know that failing is the most likely option they will still proceed with it anyway simply because this idea is worth failing for.”

DANIEL’S BIO

Daniel de Gruijter is the cofounder and CEO of Incitement; the next-generation social business – powered through inspirational talks – connecting proactive youths, social causes, and sponsors, to contribute to tackling global issues together.

Incitement was founded late 2011 and today its events are being organized in 43 countries. Nominated ‘Most Inspirational Movement’ by FACES Magazine, ‘Fastest Growing Global Movement’ by MasterPeace, listed as a Forbes 30 Under 30 company, and recognized by Richard Branson’s Talent Unleashed Awards 2014, Incitement is slowly but surely becoming one of largest and most influential youth organizations on the planet.

WHY DANIEL WAS INTERVIEWED

Daniel was introduced to me by Paul Helman of Soulfirexp who I had already interviewed and knew the project.  Daniel is driven, passionate, stubborn and really cares.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Somebody that sees things differently. Somebody who is willing to work against the crowd. Somebody who’s not afraid to be told they are wrong and are prepared to have that conversation.”

CHARLES’ BIO

Charles Day is Co Founder of The Lookinglass which helps leaders and their organizations to unlock the economic power of creativity.

He works with many of the world’s most disruptive companies – from global brands to entrepreneurs – and he is an executive coach to some of the world’s most celebrated creative leaders.

Charles is an Adjunct Professor at New York’s Columbia University, where he teaches the art and science of building companies that unlock ‘Profitable Creativity’.  He is also proud to be a board member of PAWS Chicago, one of the world’s most progressive and innovative animal welfare organizations. He and his wife have four dogs – each of which Charles claims was a strategic decision.

WHY CHARLES WAS INTERVIEWED

I came across this article in Fast Company http://www.fastcocreate.com/1683223/the-4-weapons-of-exceptional-creative-leaders. Charles was ‘delighted’ to participate.   Charles is knowledgeable, sees the biggest potential opportunity that others can’t see and is Sherlock Holmesian in his style.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“People that kind of play to a different set of rules, either organizationally or socially and yet are very effective within the wider social context. If you put a maverick next to somebody who isn’t a maverick, then the maverick should outperform them just about any old way you look at them, but they definitely won’t get to whatever solution they’re looking at by the same route as everybody else around them, it will be noticeably different.”

TREVOR’S BIO

Trevor Davis is the Consumer Products Industry Expert, Member of the IBM Academy, Distinguished Engineer and Global Expert New Product Development. Trevor also wrote a chapter entitled Innovation Collaboration Change Future Frontier  in The Future of Innovation.

WHY TREVOR WAS INTERVIEWED

Trevor was a guest speaker on the Delivering Innovation Module of the Masters in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership at Cass Business School London.  I knew he was someone who ‘thinks differently’ from the presentation he gave, and when I decided to commence the maverick project I contacted Trevor directly. Trevor is knowledgeable, keen, fun and a really good example of a maverick who’s been able to successfully work within a big corporation.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone who goes against the grain, and not necessarily at the expense of other people. When people think of a maverick it’s someone who’s always winning, sort of striding out on their own. But you can do that in a more collaborative way, so it’s not necessarily about being an individual, it’s sort of about going in a sort of contrarian perspective.”

BRUCE’S BIO

Bruce Davis is Co Founder and Joint Managing Director at Abundance Generation who offer peer-to-peer investments that are accessible to everyone and offer the chance to match financial returns with ethical values.  Bruce is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Bauman Institute of Leeds University, School of Sociology and Social Policy.

WHY BRUCE WAS INTERVIEWED

Bruce was a guest speaker on the Delivering Innovation Module of the Masters in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership at Cass Business School, London Bruce shared how the British trust banks for safety reasons and are therefore conservative consumers, what he wanted was to give people a much more transparent, different relationship with their money and that’s why he created Abundance Generation. I thought, ‘SHIT this man is trying to take on the Bank of England,’ I open my notebook and wrote – ‘The man’s a complete maverick.’ Once I had incubated the idea it evolved into Steve Jobs couldn’t be the only human being who thinks differently, so when I commenced the Business Maverick project approached Bruce to interview him as he was the catalyst.  The Business Mavericks project, evolved into The Crazy Ones.org, which in turn evolved into Maverick Wisdom.  None would exist if it were not for Bruce walking into the classroom and sharing his business adventure.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Definitely eccentric. Mavericks are definitely weird to a lot of people, or some percentage of people, but weird doesn’t have the productivity component. So Maverick is like a pioneer of cool. Mavericks pick things then does it and every one’s like WHOA where are they going? And then when they arrive it’s like that’s cool!”

STEVE’S BIO

Steve Curtis is Founder and Chief Vision Officer for Zag Global a consumer products company with the purpose of innovating to enhance the way people enjoy their lives.  Managing Director for Evergreen Capital Corporation a seed stage venture capital firm that invests in, and mentors, entrepreneurs with vision, passion, intelligence and some level of experience. In 2005, Steve was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer for which there was no treatment, cure or survivors past a few years. Steve traveled the world in pursuit of a cure and building a team of top researchers and clinicians from universities, such as Yale, Stanford, and Harvard, he formed the TLC Foundation  He has just written his book: OVERCOMING THE IMPOSSIBLE: From Death-Sentence Diagnosis to the Healing Power of Perception Medicine.

WHY STEVE WAS INTERVIEWED

Steve was introduced to me by Merina Koly who was Manager at the Zend Conscious Lounge and when she heard of my project she felt Steve would be an excellent fit. Steve is spiritual, zen, wide ranging, funny, quirky, driven and mischievous.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone who thinks differently and doesn’t care what other people think.”

MARTY’S BIO

Marty Cooper is an engineer, pioneer and visionary in the wireless industry and is known as the Father of the Cell Phone, for having invented the hand held cell phone. He and his wife Arlene are Co Founders of Dyna LLC which supports and inspires the advancement of insightful, innovative, and relevant technology solutions that benefit society.  Marty has won numerous awards for his work, the latest being ITU50 award in Geneva, Switzerland. The awards recognize individuals that have contributed to improving the lives of world citizens through ICT innovations developed, promoted or implemented by ITU.

WHY MARTY WAS INTERVIEWED

I was thinking who’s invented something that didn’t exist before? I Googled the cell phone and came up with Marty. I contacted him and he was happy to be interviewed. Marty was so down to earth, humble, a gentleman who was interesting and interested. I must also add that Marty has been very respectful, kind, supportive and encouraging towards myself and the project. “I’ve been interviewed by 60 Minutes and Bloomberg but this is the most creative. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Somebody who can receive the spiritual realm. I don’t think anything happens by itself. It’s all divine choreography and whoever’s pulling the strings.  There are certain human beings, artists, writer, musicians, what can hear that voice of the spirit; they have never really disconnected. And I think these are channels that can bring in completely new ideas, that haven’t come from sequential thought or a development of something that was already here. It’s a brand new direction, new way to go, a completely new idea, a new thought.”

TOM’S BIO

Tom Chudleigh is Inventor and Manager at Free Spirit Spheres which brings new ideas from conception to creation and plays with them.  Tom has explored new technologies for living in harmony with the forest. He has designed, engineered and built handcrafted spheres that are suspended like pendants from a web of rope. They occupy a truly unique place in the world while providing a habitat for the un-tamed spirit that exists in us all . Previously Tom was Shore Manager for Continental ME Ltd where he managed the affairs of an offshore seismic survey in foreign countries.

WHY TOM WAS INTERVIEWED

I love adventure, one of which is staying in unusually designed spaces. Whilst Googling this I came across Free Spirit Spheres and bought a stay as a gift for my boyfriend. Once we arrived at the spheres and I met Tom I realised he ‘thinks differently’ about living spaces, and ended up interviewing him in the very sphere we were staying in. Tom is one of the most spiritual, down to earth, humble yet creative people I have met.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Somebody who is viewed by other people in the group to be different in some ways. Whether it’s the way that they behave or the way they think. It’s somebody who’s not following the convention; the normal convention. The easiest way to say, not so much as a maverick, it’s somebody who’s a non-conformist. Somebody who prefers to explore different ways of doing something and different viewpoints.”

DAVID’S BIO

David Chan is Commercial Director of the Peter Drucker Society London.  As part of a team that created the DSL, he assumed executive responsibility for commercial activities including revenue generation, sponsorships etc.  It aims to inspire a shift in management culture that renews the role of enterprise towards a future aligned with societal purpose and true value.

David is also Director, Information Leadership Network at Cass Business School  His expertise is that of being a generalist with a deep understanding of effectively exploiting technology. He is a published writer, commentator, educator and likes to think of himself as a thought leader.

WHY DAVID WAS INTERVIEWED

I came across David via the Drucker Society London and reached out to him for an interview, only to find that he worked at Cass Business School where I was doing my Masters in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“An individual who despite, societal or even closer community norms, takes action, based on their understanding of context, need and maximising good, without getting caught up in tradition or conventional paradigms. A maverick is somebody who does the right thing, even if that might be an unpopular choice.”

MARK’S BIO

Mark Busse is Co-Founder and Principal at Industrial Brand, a brand strategy and marketing communications design consultancy. Fellow and Public Relations Chair for the Society of Graphic Designers Canada.  And Producer and Host of  Creative Mornings, a monthly morning lecture series of creative types.  Mark is also Co-Founder & Writer for Foodist, a collective of like-minded food worshippers. And Citizen Member of the City of Vancouver Engaged City Task Force that examines innovative best practices for civic engagement. Mark is also a Writer for Designedge Canada, the country’s leading media brand for the graphic design industry. And an Advisory Board Member of Vancouver is Awesome, an independent, community-minded media company dedicated to showcasing to residents all of the great things that keep them in Vancouver.  Finally, Mark is an Ordained Dudeist Priest upholding the principles of Dudeism.

WHY MARK WAS INTERVIEWED

I had read about Mark and his role in Creative Morning and once I met him realised he saw things differently, and was brave enough to say what he thought. I had wanted to attend Creative Mornings whilst visiting Vancouver and reached out to him, told him I was moving here. He befriended me and became instrumental at the early stages of this project by personally introducing me to other mavericks he knew. Mark is fun, interesting, blunt, kind and wacky.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“That’s an interesting term that gets thrown around a lot in this day and age, especially in business. It’s applied a lot to people who generally step outside the lines and take risks, but also those who trail blaze. It’s got that terminology to the old west, it’s like this guy is doing this or this woman is doing this. Trailblazing and mavericks seem to go hand in hand.”

MARK’S BIO

Mark Brand is CEO of MB Inc a company that pushes the envelope and challenges perspectives by constantly striving to improve the lives of others, while providing opportunities for growth and social change. Mark is also a member of the council at NationSwell, Executive Board Member of The Presidents Group Province of B.C.  Member of the Board of Directors Ted X and the Board Chair for A Better Life Foundation & Charity.

WHY MARK WAS INTERVIEWED

Mark was recommended to me by Mark Busse Co-Founder and Principal at Industrial Brand who I had already interviewed.  Mark is direct, fast-thinking and compassionate.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Somebody that has an idea and is committed to it, even if it goes against common thought and common principles if you will.  They believe it and have a passion in it and they do what’s necessary to drive change and to make people notice.”

DIRK’S BIO

Founder and CEO of UnleashWD, an industry event for wholesalers, distributors, and their channel partners. It is unlike any other event the industry has seen in that it is an industry event with no industry speakers  .  William Taylor, Co-Founder of Fast Company magazine said of Dirk: “Every field has its rabble rousers, change agents, thought leaders-people with the wisdom to understand the past, and the creativity to conjure up a new vision for the future. In the field of wholesale distribution, Dirk Beveridge is that thought leader.” Dirk is author of Innovate, How Successful Distributors Lead Change in Disruptive Times and a number of Dirk Beveridge White Papers.

WHY DIRK WAS INTERVIEWED

I came across  https://hbr.org/2013/04/dont-wait-on-making-change/ and looked up Dirk’s Innovation conference and contacted him. His response,: ‘How cool is this path and journey you are on!  Congratulations!  Very very cool’.  Dirk is interesting, direct, passionate and honest.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“It comes down to a mindset and interestingly most mavericks will recognize another one within probably 10 seconds.  It comes down to the factors of perception of the world around them.  Do you walk down the street and look where you’re going, as in do you pay attention to what’s around you?  Do you pay attention to what’s going past you, the cars, the people, the houses, the architecture, the building, the history?  All those factors that come into enjoying the journey, not just the destination.  I think that’s one of the key things, so often with mavericks it’s down to perception and like the guy who advised me to try cooking spaghetti in orange juice, he was a maverick because he’s just looking at the world and challenging what the preconceptions are.”

LOUIS’ BIO

Louis Barnett is Managing Director Louis Barnett Chocolates Ltd  and Louis Barnett Ltd.  He started his business at 12 years old, albeit being dyslexic & dyspraxic.  Louis is a world Chocolate ambassador, speaker & published author.  He was awarded the Lord Carter award for his outstanding contribution to the food and drinks industry.

WHY LOUIS WAS INTERVIEWED

I read Louis’ letter in the book Dear Entrepreneur – Letters from those that have made it and are making it happen. From this book I contacted a number of potential mavericks. Louis was one of 2 people that responded from all the people I contacted and was more than happy to be interviewed. Louis is interesting, fun and quirky.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Somebody who has a blatant disregard to the rules. Likes to do things their own way. They create more energy and more buzz. And often they have a certain mischievousness about them that just makes them more engaging and fun.”

CHRIS’ BIO

Chris Baréz-Brown is an author, speaker and capability maker. He founded creative leadership consultancy, Upping Your Elvis, to help businesses unleash their creative potential.

Chris’s life mission is to re-awaken our minds, take people off auto-pilot, and engage them in their everyday working lives. Chris loves to shake things up with lots of interaction, energy and hard hitting messages that can easily be incorporated into business and life.

WHY CHRIS WAS INTERVIEWED

Chris was recommended to me by Emma Morley of Trifle Creative and one look at Chris’ website for Upping Your Elvis told me I had to include him. Chris is a funny, quirky, off the planet hippy with a heart of gold.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“Someone who is trying to change the game, who’s trying to excel beyond his own imagination. Someone who’s trying to go against the force and sort of making a difference.”

RATTAN’S BIO

Rattan Bagga is CEO of New World Natural Foods a natural foods manufacturing facility, V.P Marketing at Everland Natural Foods Inc committed to producing the highest quality foods and contributing to local and global community efforts while doing our part to preserve and protect the planet.  General Manager at Jiva Organics a leading distributor of certified organic, kosher, vegetarian and healthy foods and Co-Founder of Yell Canada which empowers the next general of Canadian problem solvers.

Named one of the Top 30 under 30 entrepreneurs in B.C. by  BC Business  magazine in 2014 and one of the Top 20 under 30 entrepreneurs in Canada at  Profit  magazine’s FuEl Awards in 2011, Rattan began his business education at age 16 in Sweet Cherubim. His father felt it was important for him to work as many different jobs as possible to learn the family business.

WHY RATTAN WAS INTERVIEWED

I connected Richard Loat of Sport for Food to Darren Robson of DRAte and MOE Richard connected Darren to Rattan Bagga and Darren connected me to Rattan. Full circle of mavericks. Rattan is challenging convention, brave, and family focused.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A MAVERICK?

“A sensationalist and that’s maybe why I don’t like the phrase.  The people who make the biggest impacts in the world do it very quietly and do it in ways that have huge change.  Look at Richard Branson, he’s a business maverick.  Sure he’s a PR machine, but he still goes back to his office and does good business and quietly gets on with it.  That’s what a maverick is vs. someone that is rocking and rolling around somewhere in a Rolls Royce and money.  It’s that very quiet certainty something’s going to change and that you’ve got the drive to actually make it happen.”