Canadians Who Innovate - Book Review
by Ricardo Santiago Soto, MBA


RICARDO REVIEWS

Canadians Who Innovate, by Roseann O'Reilly Runte (Simon & Schuster Canada, 2024)



Educator, Roseann O'Reilly Runte, PhD, brings her university leadership and authorship experience to highlight the innovative minds of select Canadians. The author touches on the lives of various innovators, many who began from humble beginnings. Runte begins with innovative ways to do business where charisma enabled working on teams and building them. Throughout the book Runte includes brief descriptions of how innovators previously conducted themselves and learned from mentors before launching them into successful positions of corporate leadership. Roseann reveals the mantras that began it all, among other mindsets and behavior that eventually built their careers in innovation. The author uses research, biographies, and milestones for entries. There are nine parts of technological innovations to the book, from medical devices, quantum, machine learning, engineering, physics and social. Each biography is brief that inspires a path to carving out an innovative life of your own. You will want to add this book to your Extreme Entrepreneurship: Inspiring Life and Business Lessons from Entrepreneurs and Startups around the World (2021), Tough Calls from the Corner Office: Top Business Leaders Reveal Their Career-Defining Moments (2011), Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Global Insights from 24 Leaders (2010).


5 out of 5 stars

Canadians Who Innovate: The Trailblazers and Ideas That Are Changing the World is a compilation of profiles on some of the Canada's most creative minds.

The book focuses on the brilliant people behind the some of the greatest advancements in business, medicine, saving the environment, quantum theory (it's really more interesting than it sounds), machine learning, engineering, physics and social innovation.

Many of these innovators and inventors were immigrants to Canada and now call our country home. It was so empowering to read about the upbringing that laid the foundation for these bright minds to develop life saving vaccines, artificial intelligence and a number of technological advancements.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy. Opinions are my own.

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