"YPO Innovation Week" Gathers European Business Leaders Transforming Organizations and Communities Through Innovation

16 May 2016: YPO, the premier network of global business leaders and chief executives, has extended its reach into Europe this week with key events in major European cities, as part of YPO Innovation Week - a series of more than 30 events around the world showcasing disruptive technologies and innovation strategies.

In Madrid, more than 100 CEOs from across 15 countries in Europe concluded a two-day event in exploring innovative business strategies to transform organizations, businesses and communities.

 "Particularly in Europe, business leaders with strategic leadership roles need to be agile and acquire crucial skills to lead and inspire people, including the new millennial generation, in a particularly volatile business environment," said Juan Carlos Fouz, CEO of IZO System and event chair of EuroKonnect, who led the event at Madrid's Google campus. "There is no better way to experience the essence of YPO and the power of the business community than by engaging and collaborating with peers. At EuroKonnect this year, we have introduced an innovative format based on peer-to-peer learning, allowing members to apply these skills to make an impact to their organizations and communities."

Kevin Fallon, CEO of Pivotal Innovation, Inc. and YPO Innovation Week chair, highlighted the significance of the events at this critical time in Europe. "As European economies continue to slowly grow to 2008 pre-crisis levels, scaling up innovation will be key to Europe's future recovery," said Fallon. "Members of YPO in Europe have gathered this week in a series of virtual as well as physical events in innovation hubs to share their experiences, impacting thousands of companies and leveraging the knowledge of the YPO global community."

In London, the theme of the interactive session focused on innovation in finance and raising capital, with members learning from industry experts on cutting-edge innovation in finance and private equity while being hosted at the NASDAQ Stock Market at the Woolgate Exchange. A panel discussion featured Luke Lang, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Crowdcube, the world's leading investment crowdfunding platform; Modwenna Rees-Mogg, co-founder of Crowdrating, CEO of Angel News and executive chairman of The Pluralists Club; Colin Hodges, head of investor operations at Ratesetter; and YPO member Erik Fairbairn, CEO of POD.

In another interactive workshop in Amsterdam, members applied global paradigm shifts led by resources from THNK, the school of creative leadership, in an effort to accelerate the development of creative leaders to catalyze innovative solutions to the world's societal challenges.

YPO Innovation Week began in Sydney, Australia, with a special welcome message from Malcolm Turnbull, Australia's prime minister, followed by events in innovation hotspots around the world, including Toronto, Tokyo, Madrid, London and Silicon Valley. In addition to attending in-person events, members and their companies were able to participate virtually across many platforms, including live streaming, global conference calls, "idea jams" as well live two-way video broadcast discussions with YPO member innovators like YPO member Rich Riley, CEO of Shazam.

The final event of YPO Innovation Week took place in New York, where YPO members participated in the NASDAQ Closing Bell ceremony.

###

ABOUT YPO

YPO is the premier chief executive leadership organization in the world, representing a global community of leaders committed to the shared mission of becoming "Better Leaders Through Lifelong Learning and Idea Exchange." YPO today provides more than 24,000 members in more than 130 countries with access to extraordinary educational resources, alliances with leading institutions, and specialized networks designed to support their business, community and personal leadership. Altogether, YPO member-run companies employ more than 15 million people around the world and generate USD6 trillion in annual revenues. For more information, visit www.ypo.org.

Contact:

YPO
Linda Fisk
Office: +1.972.629.7305 (United States)
Mobile: [phone]
[e-mail]

---

This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Young Presidents’ Organization, Inc. via Globenewswire

HUG#2012695