Michael Idelchik – Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer is an innovative thought leader, board director, and executive advisor who develops new technologies across multiple industries and evolves them to compete and win in the global market. A leader of five divisions during his career at GE, he was on the front line of creating “worlds-first” products that revolutionized healthcare and aviation. A system-level thinker, he has intricate knowledge of the global technology supply chain from conception to market and has developed talent and led teams throughout the world. His nearly 40 years of success culminated in receiving GE’s highest honor recognizing lifetime achievement in driving innovation and growth for the future.

Michael currently leverages his ability to connect industry and technology as a board member and trusted advisor to business leaders. He serves as a strategic and technology consultant for a variety of companies and fills a much-needed role in the start-up sphere where he guides product maturity, scale up, and supply chain development that is tailored to making each specific technology a success. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Board of Singapore National Research Foundation, where he is valued for helping simplify the complexities of positioning the country as a global technology competitor.

As Vice President of Advanced Technology at GE Global Research, Michael led a team of 1,200 scientists, engineers, and technicians to develop and mature products and services in vital technological areas. He created collaborations to access and inspire internal and external innovation, and he coached and mentored top technical talent. As a voting member of GE Ventures and Strategic Advisor for GE technology spinoffs, Michael drove growth and created a new supply chain benefitting the entire company, evaluating, and determining engagement levels with more than 100 companies a year from around the world.

Throughout his career, Michael consistently drove innovation in products and services that placed GE on the cutting-edge of industry. At GE Healthcare, Michael led the introduction of the world’s first Digital X- Ray detector, multi-slice CT detector, and low cryogen MR magnet. At GE Aviation, he introduced a model-based control system and “Picture to Code” software development environment.

A respected leader who naturally builds trust, Michael has a keen ability to listen to and align people toward a common goal and communicates highly technical and complex ideas in an easily understood way. He has handled many crises in his career with a practical approach that builds consensus, including challenges surrounding the launch of new technology as well as delicate global relationships.

Michael earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University, a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and currently holds 18 patents across aviation, healthcare, oil and gas, and power industries.