If you are building a startup, you need to find a mentor. This panel discussion will talk about the importance of mentorship in the jouney of building startups. The panel will host international mentors Jay Connor and Brian Hayes and will be moderated by Gordon McConnell on January 13 at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry. 

Jay Connor

Joseph “Jay” Connor is the Founder and CEO of Learning Ovations, Inc (LOI). LOI is an ed-tech company delivering research-based SaaS to school districts across North America that uses student assessment to recommend individualized instruction activities for significant improvement in reading across the economic and ethnic spectrum. It is the most extensive discussion available on the leadership art of linking sectors, initiatives, technologies and systems in achieving community solutions.

Jay has 20+ years of experience in senior business management at the multi-billion dollar corporate level. He was a Regional President of ADT Security Systems, where he oversaw a $150 million unit with 1100 employees and offices in 35 communities. He has also been a Group Vice President for Johnson Controls, a $10 billion company. 

Brian Hayes

Founder of Citi's first innovation lab, originally named RDiL (Research, Development, Innovation and Learning) Labs, Enterprise Innovation Advisor (Dublin City University) and Chair GRC Technology Centre. RDiL works with a number of start-up companies who are looking to develop and scale new technologies. 

He was Managing Director at Citibank Europe plc (CEP) from 2000 until the end of 2013, and the architect and founder of Citi's first innovation lab (originally named RDiL) and was also a member of Citi's Global Innovation Council based in NY. He was also  Chairman of the DCU Educational Trust (the funding body for the university) for 8 years. He also chairs a Government funded governance, risk and compliance technology center. He is a member of the US based Keiretsu angel network which funds new ventures.He also lectured on the MIT program for number of years.

Gordon McConnell

As Head of the Entrepreneurship Center in KAUST since 2014, Gordon has grown the activities of the center, including the development of Teaching & Learning programs, startup accelerators such as the HIKMA IP-based and the REVelate corporate innovation program.

Prior to Saudi Arabia, he was the Associate Vice President of Arizona State University’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation Group (EIG) and Principal Investigator of the Center of Excellence in Technology Transfer, and an Assistant Professor of Practice.  

Previously Gordon was Deputy CEO of the DCU Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship in Ireland where he developed new programs such as the Business Innovation Program (accredited) in 2011, and was the founder of the Propeller startup accelerator, as well as a co-founder of two funded start-up companies.

McConnell was awarded the title of Arizona Tech Titan in 2014 by the Arizona Business Journal and an Award for Excellence from KAUST in 2015. 

Register here.