Award Winner
Michelle Cochrane, Interac
Culture of Innovation

Michelle Cochrane is Innovation Lead at Interac, Canada's interbank network connecting financial institutions and enabling secure digital payments. Her work focuses on embedding innovation into everyday operations across the organization. In 2025, Michelle received the Innovation Strategy award in the Culture of Innovation category, recognizing her approach to making creativity routine rather than rare.

Special Achievement

Innovation Strategy Award Winner Michelle Cochrane

The Innovation Strategy Awards, part of Future Festival World Summit 2025, honored leaders who've built repeatable systems for turning ideas into results. Winners were selected from inspiring conversations with some of the world's most renowned innovators.

Michelle's tactic of an Internal Incubator Program allows Interac to coach employees from raw concept to boardroom pitch. This approach has sparked 150+ ideas and multiple live pilots, embedding innovation into the day-to-day. Read the full interview to learn how Michelle and her team put this into practice.

For more on our Innovation Strategy Awards and how your organization can enter to be nominated, visit InnovationStrategy.com.

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