EMW/L44 Team Interview: Peter Poolsaar

How long have you been part of the L44 team?

I joined the Latitude 44 Team in December 2018 as the idea was being formulated as an extension to last year’s successful Music Week. I was already participating in the Latitude 59 event in Tallinn Estonia and it was a great opportunity to help bring the 2 events together.

Estonia has been actively embracing technology and advanced use of “Digital” in all ways of life in Estonia for the last 20 years to a level we here in North America only dream about. Since my first e-Estonian tech conference in 2014 I have made it my mission to spread the word.

What is your “day job”?

Currently, I am an Innovation and Technology Consultant for my own company (Blue Catalyst) working with start-ups and enterprises on transformation projects.

Previously I held senior leadership positions with Accenture, Ernst & Young, Cap Gemini, IBM, and Brookfield where I lead global enterprises on strategy and delivery of large technology projects in industries including commercial real-estate, telecommunications, financial services, pharmaceuticals, government, and healthcare.

What is your background?

My parents we displaced from Estonia in 1944 and settled in Toronto, I was born in Toronto and raised as an active Estonian in the vibrant local community. I attended Estonian school and Estonian boy scouts and became an active leader in the community.

These days I serve on the board of the Estonian Credit Union and was active on the Toronto Estonian House board as the community made the bold decision to create the new International Estonian Center (currently under development in downtown Toronto).

I earned my degree in Mechanical Engineering and Management Sciences from the University of Waterloo. An early job with Apple changed my outlook on how technology can not only work well, but can also be intuitive and enjoyable. The importance of providing an outstanding customer experience never left me as I started my career in the early days of the commercial Internet and worked to lead technology driven transformations.

What are you doing for L44?

I am on the core organizing team for the inaugural event and will be leading a session at the November conference.

What excites you about your work?

Working in the innovation space and with start-ups is a high-energy creative endeavour. This keeps things exciting and keeps me on the forefront of technology and business model innovations.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

In the summer I enjoy biking and in the winter I enjoy skiing. Both get me outdoors and keep me active.