A better life for patients

Combining leadership with computer science, neuroscience, physics and robotics

#Meettheleader Session with Tej Tadi, founder and CEO of Mindmaze, YGL 2015

We were privileged to meet a true thought passion-driven leader: Tej Tadi, founder and CEO of Mindmaze. The company brings together computer science, neuroscience, physics and robotics to enhance the quality of life of brain trauma survivors. Tej became a Young Global Leader earlier this year for his innovative, groundbreaking work and contribution to society.

The day of our meeting was special.  August 19th followed an intensive and inspiring #ShapersACM week and this #MeetTheLeader session was also attended by the curators who were still in town. After an exciting ACM where the Global Shapers community had an opportunity to exchange ideas, the audience was particularly eager to learn about new innovations.

Tej’s path and life can be a true inspiration for all of us. While he was working on his PhD in neuroscience at the EPFL, he witnessed first-hand that the methods used to treat patients suffering from brain traumatism, particularly those who had experienced a stroke, were not advanced and mostly based on the qualitative observation of the treating doctor during his visit rather than quantitative data and continuous monitoring of the patient. Likewise, available treatments were very limited and therefore patients’ recovery was, in many cases, compromised by this lack of medical options. He started thinking about creative ways to combine engineering and healthcare to address these problems.

This out of the box thinking was very much needed. Indeed, cerebrovascular accidents or Strokes are a global socio-economic problem. About 15 million people suffer strokes every year, which translates into a stroke every 45 seconds. Because of the challenges related to modern society and changing behavioral patterns, there has been a 180% increase in the stroke rate in recent years, and strokes now affect people as young as 30 years old – in some cases even 16 years old. Cerebrovascular accidents represent a huge financial burden as well: the U.S. and Western Europe alone spend about 100 billion in stroke care every year.

In 2011, Tej founded MindMaze with the intent to design and develop novel applications in Neuro-Rehabilitation, Game training & Interfaces. In particular, MindMaze’s devices use virtual reality, brain imaging and gaming technologies to retrain the brain of stroke victims and help them regain motor functions. The company recently caused a stir with the introduction of the industry’s first thought-powered, augmented reality and motion capture Neuro-Rehabilitation system. Basically, by monitoring the patient’s brain signals the devices are capable of translating the thought into an animation on the screen. In other words, the system tricks the brain into believing it’s functioning properly which helps the recovery of damaged cerebral regions.

This technology’s field of application can also be scaled up. Because of this symbiosis between augmented reality and the patient brain and thought, there are possibilities it can also help people who suffered spinal cord injuries, limb amputations and many other conditions.

During our meeting, Tej also shared some insights on his experience on starting a business and more generally on the Swiss start-up ecosystem. “It doesn’t take experience to have an idea, but it does take experience to take this idea to the market,” he said, highlighting that the journey from developing the first device and getting it to patients was quite long and complicated. This is why Tej encouraged everyone to not be afraid of making mistakes and to learn from them as much as possible; “If you want to start something the time is now; if you want to fail something, the time is also now!”.

In 2014, MindMaze was confirmed among the TOP 100 Best Swiss startups. The future priorities for Tej include making the devices more affordable and available in emerging markets. He stressed that time is very important for them: “For every day we ‘waste’ someone is not getting the device that can help improve their lives”.

If you’d like to learn more about Tej’s work and the devices produced by MindMaze visit their website MindMaze.com or follow MindMaze on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo credit: Geneva Hub

Women in leadership

On May 8th the Geneva Shapers met with two leaders of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): Helen Alderson - Director of financial resources and logistics - and Carla Mardini – Head of External Resources.

Over the past months, growing humanitarian needs (Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Israel and the Occupied Territories, South Sudan, Central African Republic, just to name a few) have led the ICRC to set operational objectives of an unprecedented magnitude. The ICRC faces operational challenges in conducting humanitarian action that it cannot address on its own. It must look across sectors to tackle some of these crucial issues, particularly in the corporate, entrepreneurship and innovation communities. At the heart of these rapid changes are two women, Helen Alderson and Carla Mardini, who are leading the institution in uncharted waters. Geneva Shapers, together with visiting shapers from Jeddah and Erbil hubs, discussed how to better #ShapeTheWorld with these two inspiring leaders. As Helen Alderson suggested “We need more young people to lead and take important decisions”.

We also took the opportunity to conduct a short interview (transcript below) with them on taking up leadership positions, their role models, and advice they would give to the younger generations.

What advice would you give to someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

Helen Alderson: “When you take up a leadership role for the first time my advice is to spend most of your time listening to be able to diagnose the situation. The first 90 days (Sic. Reference to the best-seller ‘The First 90 days’, on transitions into leadership positions by Harvard professor Michael Watkins) in your new position are crucial and will very much determine your overall success. You need to understand what type of leadership role you are taking, are you in a startup situation, a turnaround, or is it about sustaining success?  Based on that assessment you need to identify a few clear measures that have to be taken.”

Carla Mardini: “Based on my own professional experience having led teams of 25 to 40 people, one of the key issues is knowing who is “on the bus”, i.e., who is on your team. Before you embark on setting out a strategy and making a plan of action, the people you have on your team should be your first priority. Choosing the right people and having people on your team who have competencies you don’t have is crucial.”

Who has inspired you the most and why?

Helen Alderson: “I didn’t have a professional role model until late, but on a personal level it was my father. He was very successful in his professional life as an executive, but also very present in the family as a father. He managed this balance very well and had a great level of integrity in the way he conducted his work. He was also very inspiring to us. On the professional level my first role model was my boss at the World Heart Federation. She was also someone who balanced her personal and professional life very well, managing dual careers and her family. She was also a great motivator and very inspiring to her team. Moreover, she always brought her team, rather than herself, to the front giving them the credit for achievements.”

Carla Mardini: “I have discovered Sheryl Sandberg (sic: COO Facebook), quite late, but am very impressed by her. She has done so much for the younger generation. Her book ‘Lean In’ and the simple things she explains in there are crucial. Women should dare stay in the workforce and not drop out before the question really poses itself. Nowadays women are leaving before they reach the top because they have difficulties managing work life imbalance: we need to make sure they stay longer!”

What advice would you give to your 20-year-old self?

Helen Alderson: “I would do a lot of the things I did, I have very few regrets luckily. However, I would be more aware of the choices I am making and decision I am taking. I would also be more deliberate into taking a stand rather than getting pushed into situations.”

Carla Mardini: “One of the things I would advise is to learn several languages when you are young. I recently hired someone who told me that if you don’t speak 3 or 4 languages, it is hard to survive in the world we live in today. I am Lebanese and we often speak several languages, but I should have learned Chinese when I was younger. Now that I am 39 years old, it is a little late. Languages open up opportunities that are invaluable, and also give you access to a new culture, a new world and that in-itself is very enriching.”

Thanks a lot to Helen and Carla for inspiring the Shapers at the Geneva Hub and beyond. Special thanks to our Shapers Alessandra La Vaccara and Yannick Heiniger for organizing this great #MeetTheLeaders event.

Challenges in Building a fulfilling career

The Geneva Hub hosted its first Meet the Leader session on 19 March. International Women’s Day inspired us to invite female leaders from different sectors and explore the “Challenges in Building a Fulfilling Career.” The event was an open discussion with three successful women of varied backgrounds that spoke about their personal and professional experiences.

The leaders included:

Elissa Golberg, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Canada to the United Nations in Geneva. She has been working in the Canadian diplomatic service since 1996, working on a range of issues, including humanitarian affairs, and served as the Director General of Canada’s Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force and as the Representative of Canada in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Taiba Raim, a teacher of Afghan origin, inspired by her father to improve access to quality education in Afghanistan. Ms Raim is highly motivated to improve the social and human conditions for her fellow citizens in Afghanistan. She is President of the Nai-Qala association that is building schools in Afghanistan to improve access to education.

Zohreh Tabatabai who built a career within the UN system and served as Director of Communications and Public Information at the International Labour Organization for almost ten years before starting her own PR and CRS company called Quince Partners.The discussion was focused on personal experiences from all three leaders ranging from making difficult family and career choices to how to deal with career pressures as a woman. The night was filled with inspiration and an insightful view into the lives of three very successful and diverse women.

Some of the key take-aways from the evening were: 

• Women can have it all, but it is very difficult to have it all, all the time. At some point one element of life will be "limping"- be it career, relationship with your partner or your children.

• The importance both mentorship and sponsorship: emphasis is often put on the importance of mentorship but equally important is sponsorship. The difference is that with sponsorship, the mentor uses his or her influence with senior executives to advocate for the mentee.

• Pick a good life partner and make a choice on whether you want to have children.

• It is important to work horizontally and not only vertically.

After a question and answer period, the session ended by carrying out a group activity of goal setting and sharing tips on goal achievement.

The event was held at the home of Atalanti Moquette.