Recognizing an individual's long-term contribution to innovation in the longevity ecosystem
Mary Furlong, founder and CEO of Mary Furlong & Associates (MFA) and executive producer of What's Next Longevity Summit events, has been named the first recipient of the Aging2.0 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award, presented by CEOC as part of the annual OPTIMIZE Awards program, honors individuals who have made a positive impact on the aging space.
"We are thrilled to honor Mary as the inaugural recipient of the Aging2.0 Lifetime Achievement Award," said Tammy York Day, president and CEO of CEOC and Aging2.0. "This gives us a chance to showcase Mary's unparalleled dedication to those within the aging space, with a career spanning more than 40 years. Mary has made an indelible impact on industry, innovators and individuals, and we can think of no one more deserving."
Mary is one of the original innovators in the aging space. She created MFA to develop and support businesses in the nascent age tech space. A successful serial entrepreneur, Mary founded SeniorNet.org and ThirdAge Media prior to MFA's launch. For 20 years, Mary has produced the industry-leading What's Next Longevity Venture Summit, and now also produces the What's Next Longevity Innovation Summit and two longevity market podcasts.
Author of Turning Silver into Gold, How to Profit in the Boomer Market and The MFA Longevity Market Report, Mary has been recognized by the American Society on Aging, Fortune and Time, and was named one of the top 100 Women in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. She is an advisor to the Ziegler Link-Age Fund, CABHI and numerous start-up companies in addition to her private client practice. Mary is also the Dean's Executive Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University.
"Mary Furlong has been an inspiration to both start-ups and established organizations in the category now known as AgeTech – long before it had a name or its significance in the lives of older adults was understood," noted Laurie Orlov, industry analyst and founder of Aging and Health Technology Watch.
"I am honored to be recognized for the first Aging2.0 Lifetime Achievement Award, especially because it comes from my peers in the aging space," said Furlong. "When we started talking about the longevity economy, it wasn't seen as a meaningful market. Today, this intersection of aging, technology and investment is a vibrant $8.3 trillion market."
As Furlong looks at the future of the longevity economy she sees three key initiatives including: Building communities to combat loneliness based on the recent U.S. Surgeon General's report; understanding the dissonances of aging and building better pipelines and delivery systems for innovative solutions; and focusing on the care economy's need for more workers and improved workplace benefits to support consistent staffing. "If we can move forward on these key challenges, we can look to an even brighter future," she added.
The Aging2.0 Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented on September 27 at the Optimize conference (September 27-28 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville).
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