Álvaro Fernández, named as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, is a recognized Brain Health pioneer, keynote speaker and author. For more than 15 years he has led SharpBrains, an independent research firm tracking applied neuroscience and gathering hundreds of scientists, experts, technologists, and practitioners. He has also been quoted by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Reuters, and Associated Press, among others.
Álvaro is the Editor-in-chief of seminal market reports on Brain Health and Innovation and co-authored the influential discussion paper Empowering 8 Billion Minds: Enabling Better Mental Health for All via the Ethical Adoption of Technologies published in the National Academy of Medicine. To help engage a variety of audiences he co-authored the acclaimed books The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness and Cómo Invertir en su Cerebro, translated into multiple languages.
Prior to his work at the frontier of applied neuroscience and mental wellness, Álvaro worked at consulting firm McKinsey & Company, helped Bertelsmann launch one of the first online bookstores in Europe. Additionally, he launched a learning platform at Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, and participated in the turnaround of corporate e-learning company Docent/ SumTotal Systems.
Furthermore, Álvaro has enjoyed serving in several Global Future Councils by the World Economic Forum, in the Global Teacher Prize Academy run by the Varkey Foundation, and in the Global Advisory Board of SEK Education Group, among others.
Besides that background, he holds an MBA and MA in Education from Stanford University and a BA in Economics from Universidad de Deusto.
He is native from Spain, and is an avid skier (alpine and cross-country), tennis player, non-fiction readers, and traveler. Having lived 24 years in the US between the Bay Area, Washington, DC and Boca Raton he and his family recently moved to Madrid, Spain. Born in Bilbao, in the Basque Country, Álvaro is a dual citizen of Spain and the US, and fluent in Spanish and English.
Empowering Minds: Leveraging Brain Science to Unlock Potential in the AI/ Cognitive Era
How can we enhance our core mental capacities to innovate and to thrive in today’s complex and rapidly-changing society and workplace? What can we do to invest in our most precious resource –our human brain– and boost individual and collective resilience? Discover the practical applications of emerging research on brain functioning and neuroplasticity, and learn how everyone can become a lifelong “mental athlete” ready to face professional and personal challenges in the AI/ Cognitive Age.
Brain Health in 2030: Navigating Neuroplasticity and the Digital Health Market
Brain Health and Mental Health are rapidly-evolving marketplaces, and executives and pioneers should be aware of the far-reaching impact this transformation will have in the near future. Alvaro Fernandez, the CEO of the leading independent market research firm SharpBrains — tracking health and wellness applications of brain science — will discuss the latest market data and forecasts on how digital platforms will revolutionize brain health by 2030. Participants will discover and brainstorm how the growing mainstream demand for “brain fitness” is creating a significant demand and opportunity for web-based, mobile and biometrics-based technology to assess, monitor and enhance cognition and brain functioning.
