Professor Pearson is an internationally respected innovation leader with an outstanding record of achievement and extensive experience across industry, academia, management consulting, government, and science communication. Passionately committed to collaboratively building transformative innovation success, her impacts span discoveries in cancer diagnosis used by pathologists; patents applied in novel confectionery; policy development leading to targeted research support for industry; and championing the establishment of innovation ecosystems via her leadership of DFAT?s innovationXchange and founding the successful Canberra Innovation Network.