Topic: Innovation & Creativity

Ken Kutaragi

Ken Kutaragi is known as “The Father of the PlayStation”. He is an industry legend, and a respected visionary that helped bring about an unparalleled era of growth in the gaming industry. He is the former Chairman and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI), and was the Honorary Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment, until 2011.

As an engineer at Sony, Kutaragi created the SPC700 sound chip for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. Gaming was still regarded as a fad at this time. However, despite a hostile atmosphere to video games, Kutaragi managed to persuade Sony to fund his research into the Super Famicom CD. These efforts resulted in the “PlayStation”, launched in 1994, with Kutaragi as its lead engineer.

The first PlayStation displaced both Nintendo and Sega, to become the most popular console of that era. It sold more than 100 million units, and its successor, the PlayStation 2, went on to become the bestselling console system of all time with 155 million units sold. The commercial success of the PlayStation franchise has made Sony Computer Entertainment the most profitable business division of Sony. Kutaragi was recognised by many financial and technological publications for this success, most notably when he was named one of the “100 most influential people of 2004” in TIME magazine and the “Gutenberg of Video Games”.

The success of the Sony Computer Entertainment division, which Kutaragi led, propelled him into the position of Deputy Executive President from 2003-06, overseeing the launch of the PlayStation 3. In 2006 Kutaragi was promoted to Chairman of SCEI and CEO of the group. He stood down as CEO in 2007, and took up the role of Honorary Chairman of SCEI, which he held until 2011. He has remained at Sony as Senior Technology Advisor, and currently serves as the President and CEO of Cyber AI Entertainment Inc. He also serves on the boards of Kadokawa Group Holdings, Inc., Nojima Corporation, and Rakuten, Inc.

The success and longevity of Playstation is a reflection of the insight, craft, technical prowess and dedication of Kutaragi. He recently was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Game Developers Conference, for his contributions to the world of gaming.

Omer Arbel

Omer Arbel is the co-founder and creative director of lightning company Bocci and one of the world’s leading designers. Omer was born in Jerusalem in 1976, but grew up in Vancouver. He trained and worked as an architect. His first design pieces were characterised by technical intelligence and by pushing the limits of materials. Omer co-founded Bocci in 2005, which has since grown into an internationally recognised and renowned design label specialising in sculptural lighting and large light installations.

Omer's work has received some of the highest honors of contemporary industrial design and has been exhibited by the world’s most important museums, including the Barbican and V&A in London.

Steve Chen

Steve Chen is a Internet entrepreneur who is one of the co-founders and former chief technology officer of YouTube.

In 2005, while an employee at PayPal, Steve and his co-founders came up with a simple, efficient way to share videos online. Less than a year after launching the site, the two had built it into a global phenomenon. Soon after, Google purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion, and Chen continued to lead the platform’s growth.

With Google, Chen oversaw all areas of YouTube’s development, from engineering to product design and site operations. As an engineer, he designed the massive data centers that make the service possible. He also developed features that turned YouTube into a full- fledged social media platform and entertainment hub.

Chen’s personal story is as riveting as his list of professional accomplishments. Born in Taiwan, he moved with his family to suburban Chicago when he was eight years old. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in computer science, he became one of PayPal’s first employees. There he met Hurley and Karim before becoming one of Facebook’s early employees. Having participated in the rise of two internet giants, Chen founded one himself just a few months after joining Facebook, and the rest is history. Recently, in 2019, Chen won an Emmy award for lifetime achievement.

For years, Chen worked with Google Ventures, helping start-ups hone their business models and scale up. Today, Chen lives in Taiwan, where he is focusing on developing the Taiwanese start-up ecosystem.