Wellness visionaries honored for achievements in leadership and innovation.
MIAMI, FL – The Global Wellness Summit (GWS), the foremost gathering of international leaders in multitrillion-dollar global wellness economy, today announced details about the individuals who took top honors in four award categories announced during the 2020 GWS, an annual event that is recognized as the leading conference on the business of wellness. In this unique year, winners received their honors during the Summit’s first-ever hybrid conference, which connected in-person delegates at The Breakers Palm Beach with hundreds of virtual attendees over three days of the Summit.
Videos of each award presentation can be viewed via the 2020 Global Wellness Summit ON DEMAND package, which features all 73 main-stage keynotes, interviews, and panels with world experts on the future of wellness. In addition, ON DEMAND subscribers receive access to the Global Wellness Institute’s new research report, “Defining the Mental Wellness Economy.”
The Debra Simon Award for Leader in Furthering Mental Wellness was presented to Lynne and Victor Brick by Susie Ellis, chair and CEO, Global Wellness Summit, on behalf of Lauren Wright (featured image). The Bricks were honored for creating the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation, honoring Victor’s brother John, who suffered from mental illness for many years. The Foundation’s mission is to fund and promote evidence-based research on how healthy lifestyle choices – such as exercise, nutrition and mind-body practices – benefit mental health. The Debra Simon Family Foundation sponsors the award.
After receiving a standing ovation from delegates at the 14th annual GWS, Victor Brick said, “My brother's passing was tragic at the time (and) I never cried so hard in my life. But…if his life is an agent for change, then it was a successful life. And I have a feeling that this is how we're going to look at the pandemic and the coronavirus, as an agent for change.”
The Global Wellness Award – Leading Woman in Wellness, was presented to Veronica Schreibeis Smith, a pioneer in the wellness architecture movement and founder of Vera Iconica Architecture, by GWS Chief Creative Officer and Executive Director Nancy Davis. The award honors a woman who is making an extraordinary contribution in any of the wellness sectors, whether as an entrepreneur or a health and wellness champion. Schreibeis Smith was recognized for designs that are in complete harmony with nature, along with the aesthetic, science and technology that makes her an industry leader. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts sponsored the award.
Accepting her award, she said, “Being recognized for the impact we want to have on the industry is an incredible honor and brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for all of the support that you have given to me. This is such an amazing community.”
The Inaugural Global Wellness Summit Prize for Innovation was awarded to Amai Proteins, an Israel-based innovator focused on fixing the global food system one protein at a time. The competition entries were reviewed by an impressive panel of international CEOs, business leaders and venture capitalists in the wellness space. Amai’s innovation, Sweet Designer Proteins sugar substitutes – a healthy sustainable alternative to sugar – faced stiff competition with 84 companies from all sectors of wellness responding to the inaugural “Call for Wellness Innovations” competition and a dozen making the impressive finalists list. The competition was sponsored by WellTech1, a wellness fund and innovation hub in Tel Aviv.
Accepting the award from Amir Alroy, WellTech1 co-founder, Dr. Ilan Samish said, “The competition was challenging, and I am humbled by this vote of confidence.”
Shark Tank of Wellness Global Student Competition. Krysta Silva, from Atlanta, Georgia’s Savannah College of Art and Design, took first place honors ($5,000) for her allergy sensing fork, Samii. The runners up each received $2,500 and were Balazs Csatlos, from Hungary’s University of Pannonia, for the Sleeping Beauty sleep mask, a new high-tech solution for getting a good night’s sleep, and Liam James Campbell, also from the Savannah College of Art and Design, for Melo, a multifunctional pregnancy pillow to enhance sleep/rest.
The Shark Tank of Wellness awards were presented by Frank Pitsikalis, founder and CEO of ResortSuite (Canada), on behalf of fellow judges Julia Sutton, COO, Exhale Enterprises, and Karen Campbell, business development consultant at Chiva-Som (Thailand). Silva’s innovation uses nanotechnology and the cellulose nanocrystals inside the fork to attract the allergenic proteins and detect them. The app then notifies the user that the food is not safe to eat, saving time, money, and a potential trip to the emergency room.
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