November 07, 2018

“Leveraging blockchain for government, social impact, and enterprise applications” with Kathryn Harrison, Cara LaPointe, and Vanessa Grellet

Blockchain has been pushing the boundaries on what was believed to be the limits of finance, technology, and cyber security. Yet despite its celebrity, most people know relatively little about it, or how it can be used. The French-American Foundation hosted three experts whose work leverages this burgeoning field of research for innovative applications. Kathryn Harrison, Cara LaPointe, and Vanessa Grellet explored the science and uses of blockchain technology for government, social impact, and business, as well as their roles as leaders in this field and the implications of this research for the Franco-American relationship.

Kathryn Harrison (moderator): Kathryn Harrison is a collaborative leader with extensive experience in early stage technology and emerging markets. Known for making complex technology and finance concepts simple to understand, she excels at bridging people, organizations and cultures to deliver exceptional results. Kathryn is currently the Director of Global Offering Management for IBM Blockchain Platform, where she is the executive responsible for conceptualizing, developing and delivering IBM Blockchain software products.

Cara LaPointe (speaker): Dr. Cara LaPointe is a Senior Fellow at the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation at Georgetown University where she works at the intersection of emerging technologies, leadership, policy and ethics. Her expertise areas include blockchain technology as well as autonomous and unmanned systems.

Vanessa Grellet (speaker): Vanessa Grellet is the Executive Director of ConsenSys. She is a Global Executive with over 15 years of expertise in the Financial Services industry and Impact Investing. Prior to Joining ConsenSys she was the CEO of IIH an innovative Wealth Management firm, a key member of PwC’s global wealth management team and served as a corporate strategy executive for the NYSE focusing on M&A.

Click here for information about the annual Cyber Security Conference and the French-American Foundation’s history in the fields of technology and cyber security.

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