8 members of our esteemed selection committee for the Petcare Innovation Summit 'Best In Show' spotlight joined together for a roundtable to share there thought on a number of key themes, including:
Peter AJ van der Made has been at the forefront of computer innovation for 45 years. Mr. van der Made is the inventor of a computer immune system and founded vCIS Technology where he served as CTO and later Chief Scientist when it was acquired by Internet Security Systems and later by IBM. Previously, he founded PolyGraphic Systems, and designed a high resolution, high-speed color Graphics Accelerator board and subsequent chip for 900x1200 IBM PC graphics. Mr. van der Made published a book, Higher Intelligence, which describes the architecture of the brain from a computer science perspective. He is working on a follow-up book that goes deeper into neuromorphic architecture and focusses on the algorithms that are performed in the neocortex. Mr. van der Made designed the first generations of digital neuromorphic devices on which the Akida chip is based between 2004 and 2007, when he applied for a patent on this technology which was subsequently granted. He is actively involved in the design of the next generation of Akida chips and continues his research in advanced neuromorphic architectures.
Robert has over 20 years’ experience across the breadth of the health and fitness sector, both as an operator and a supplier.
He joined the Wexer team through the acquisition of ClubVirtual where, as commercial director, he had both spearheaded growth of the business and developed an in-depth and invaluable understanding of the digital fitness market.
In his current role as Global Head of Business Development at Wexer, Robert leads Wexer’s commercial strategy and speaks with operators on all continents. He is a passionate believer in the brand’s mission: to make world-class exercise accessible to more people by harnessing the power of technology, while simultaneously ensuring traditional facilities remain at the very heart of the fitness experience.
To this end, his partner-centric mindset has seen him support numerous organisations in the health club, hotel and corporate sectors through their journey of digital transformation. His goal: working in collaboration to develop digital strategies to future proof these businesses and safeguard their relevance to today’s digitally savvy fitness consumers.
Prior to his move to ClubVirtual in 2014, Robert’s diverse roles spanned everything from sport manager at DeMIX Fitness in the Netherlands, through sales manager at Fitness First, to senior account manager at the Netherlands-based powerhouse that is the HDD Group.
