The York Leadership Roundtable event series connects senior business executives and community leaders in York Region with York University's researchers and senior administrators. Through the roundtable format, participants identify and generate ways to build upon their scientific and social innovation while sharing resources by forming research partnerships.

YorkRegion.com covered the most recent event May 6:

Great minds may think alike, but at a York University round table Tuesday night, there was no shortage of ideas about how technology can improve business and social services in York Region.

“There’s something magical that happens when you’re provoked to think,” York Leadership Roundtable chairperson Don Cousens said.

The former Markham mayor welcomed about 50 attendees with business, human services and academic backgrounds, including York Region District School Board Director of Education Ken Thurston and York University President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri.

Shoukri talked of the potential in York Region, particularly in Markham where a combination of information technology and health technologies and a group of creative-minded people are creating an innovation centre for medical devices.

Anthony Gallo addressed the crowd assembled in York’s new Research Tower first.

“The Web is about sharing. Participating in how things are shared, from a business perspective, is crucial,” the Open Text vice-president of social media said.

Communities are no longer just physical neighbourhoods, but groups formed around common ideas, he said.

United Way of York Region CEO Daniele Zanotti agreed. “We are brothers separated at birth,” Zanotti said. “The key message is very similar, about community and the need for us to work collaboratively.”

He pointed to the five Welcome Centres opening in the region – one-stop shops for immigrant services – as an example of collaboration when United Way combined its knowledge with research from York and resources from York Region and upper levels of government.

The event was one in a series hosted by the University dating back to 2008. Each roundtable aims to give researchers, community leaders and executives a chance to dialogue about a particular theme.

The complete article is available on York Region.com.

Republished courtesy of YFile– York University’s daily e-bulletin.