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Chief Entrepreneur in Ipswich to guide innovators with bright ideas

Queensland Chief Entrepreneur Leanne Kemp will be in Ipswich on Thursday 29 August talking about innovation, entrepreneurship and the future.

Ms Kemp will be a guest speaker at a series of forums at Ipswich City Council’s innovation hub Fire Station 101 and the USQ Ipswich campus throughout the day.

She has embarked on a regional tour to encourage and inspire local entrepreneurs and innovators of all ages.

She has spent about 21 days on the road for the Building Innovation in the Regions Program, taking part in more than 70 events across 16 regional towns and cities, with Ipswich her penultimate stop.

“This regional program is a great way for me to see the innovations happening around Queensland up close,” said Ms Kemp, who was appointed by the State Government in October 2018.

“It holds critical importance in building, connecting and delivering grass-roots knowledge, programs and ideas across our state. I’m experiencing the realities of the regions; a kaleidoscopic view of innovation in Queensland.

“It’s about understanding the economics of communities, where innovation is the fuel driving regional economic engines forward. The people here are designing jobs for their own future, and in doing so are creating business to support more jobs.”

The Building Innovation in the Regions Program will see the prominent tech entrepreneur host town hall meetings and take part in workshops, roundtables, fireside chats, site visits, school and university visits, and networking events.

Ms Kemp is the founder and CEO of Everledger, a company that uses Blockchain technology to track high value items such as diamonds and art. She sits on the IBM Blockchain Board of Advisors, the World Trade Board’s Sustainable Trade Action Group and the World Economic Forum’s Blockchain Council, and was named one of the World’s Top 50 Women in Tech by Forbes in 2018.

Leanne’s entrepreneurial success – including a background in emerging technologies, business, jewellery and insurance – led to her appointment as the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur, a role to further develop the start-up community, attract investment and support job creation throughout Queensland.

She is the first female entrepreneur to hold the position, following on from Shark Tank guru Steve Baxter and inaugural chief Mark Sowerby.

Ms Kemp told The Courier-Mail this year that gender inequality had not held her back in a tech world dominated by men, “I haven’t allowed it to enter into my thinking or permeate my confidence,” she said.

She encouraged young women to innovate, come up with new ideas and go for it, “challenge the normal, the standard,” she said.

In her role as the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur, an initiative of Advance Queensland, Ms Kemp said she aims to support and showcase Queensland entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses, and foster state-wide innovation by connecting with regional and remote Queensland.

“Queensland has the widest regional spread of innovative entrepreneurship in Australia. More than 60 per cent of Advance Queensland grant recipients are regionally based and 45 per cent of jobs supported by Advance Queensland are through recipients in the regions.

“We have been travelling around throughout August and it’s been exciting and energising to meet with, listen to and understand Queensland’s innovation and entrepreneurial community,” she said.

The Chief Entrepreneur aimed to connect with more than 1800 stakeholders in the regional innovation sector over the course of the Building Innovation in the Regions Program.

Stops on the tour have included Cairns, Wujal Wujal, Yarrabah, Townsville, Mackay, Moranbah, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Maryborough, Biggenden, Cherbourg, Gympie, Toowoomba, Ipswich and Logan.

Ipswich Events 29 August

Entrepreneurship as a career path
Time: 10am – 11.30am
Location: FS101
Speakers, including Leanne Kemp and Nicole Dyson (Future Anything ARIP partner), will discuss:
– Value-add of technology and entrepreneurial skills for jobs of the future
– Economic development of future industry growth and its disruption on jobs
– Entrepreneurial education with value add in social enterprises and schools programs for a sustainable future in our community
– Entrepreneurship as a career path and talks from young entrepreneurs
Register here

Ipswich leaders round table event
Time: 12.00 – 2.00pm
Location: FS101
Leanne Kemp will provide advice and contribute to the discussion.
– Invitation to all Ipswich leader’s to a round table event on how to collaboratively accelerate innovation and growth to maximise wealth creation and transformation of the Ipswich economy
– It is essential for us to hold a strong and sustainable economy to meet the needs of our community now and into the future

FS101 Fire Side with Leanne Kemp
Time: 2.30pm – 4.30pm
Location: FS101
– Fire side chat with Leanne Kemp, who will provide details of her journey, her learnings and failures
– She will speak about her role as the QCE, and what services she can assist with
– Brandon will facilitating the event and ask further questions
– Time will be allocated for a Q&A session afterwards
Register here

Innovation Through Collaboration, Community Innovation Circle (with Leanne Kemp, Anne-Marie Walton and Ipswich Hospital Foundation)
Time: 5pm – 7.30pm
Location: USQ University – Ipswich campus
– Story sharing from Innovative and entrepreneurial speakers from our region aiming for global impact
– Speech from Leanne Kemp on the Importance of collaborative entrepreneurship in Qld and beyond
Register here

 

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