Chief Strategy Officer Roundtable: Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technologies, and a Special Event in Partnership with NYU
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Download a copy of member takeaways for Day 1
Click Here to DownloadNew technologies will change how we approach strategy.
There are multitude of technologies, both emerging and maturing, that will have a significant impact on corporate strategy. On March 2 and 3, 2023, the Outthinker Strategy Network will convene heads of strategy to explore how emerging technologies will impact strategy – both from the standpoint of the strategy role itself as well as organizational opportunities and practical actions that leverage this new technology to create new business, products, competitive advantages, and growth.
(March 2) Michael Schrage of MIT will lead a hands on workshop on how recent advances in artificial intelligence (such as ChatGPT) will impact industry, organizations, and how strategy executives can be prepared to compete in the future and leverage this technology to improve how they perform their duties.
(March 2) Erica Orange of The Future Hunters will present and lead a roundtable discussion about how socio-political trends, tech advancement, and people/talent will collide to change the way we work. She will offer tools and frameworks to help individuals map out key capabilities, competencies, and build their own strategic roadmap for the future.
(March 3) In partnership with NYU, the members will have an immersive experience with emerging technologies related to the metaverse including AR, VR, and blockchain technologies. Hear from panels and engage in discussion about the current state of the art, what the future holds, and where it can fit into your strategy. NYU will give advance access to yet to be published research and benchmarking tools that participants will have the opportunity to use and engage with.
Agenda – March 2, 2023
New York City
| Time | Activity |
| 11:00am-11:30am | Check in |
| 11:30am-12:45pm | Lunch and networking |
| 12:45pm-1:00pm | Announcements and welcome |
| 1:00pm-3:00pm | AI & Strategy Workshop with Michael Schrage of MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy |
| 3:00pm-3:30pm | Break and networking |
| 3:30-5:00pm | “Reimagination in a Time of Change” Roundtable with Erica Orange, VP & COO of the Future Hunters |
| 5:00pm-5:15pm | Closing Remarks |
| 5:15pm-6:00pm | Reception and networking |
Agenda – March 3, 2023
New York City
| Time | Activity |
| 8:00am-9:00am | Reception/Breakfast |
| 9:00am-10:15am | Framing the Metaverse – Strategy and Workshop – Marc Beckman |
| 10:15am-10:45am | Coffee Break |
| 10:45am-11:15am | Immersive Web 3.0 experience |
| 11:15am-12:15pm | Panel – Visualizing Possibilities –conversation with OSN members |
| 12:15pm-12:45pm | NYU Metaverse Index Introduction – Vanja Bogicevic |
| 12:45am-2:00pm | Lunch and networking |
*Final agendas are being finalized and subject to change
Artificial Intelligence Workshop for Chief Strategy Officers with MIT’s Michael Schrage and Patrick Hebron (March 2)
Download a copy of member takeaways for Session 1
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Michael Schrage
Visiting Fellow in the Imperial College Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Researcher at MIT
Michael Schrage
A research fellow with MIT Sloan School's Initiative on the Digital Economy, Michael Schrage’s research, writing and advisory work focuses on the ‘behavioral economics’ of models, prototypes and metrics as strategic resources for managing ‘innovation risk’ and ‘CLV’ - customer lifetime value -opportunity. He is author of award-winning ’The Innovator’s Hypothesis’ [MIT Press 2014], ‘Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become?’ [Harvard Business Review Press 2012] and ‘Serious Play’ [Harvard Business Review Press 2000]. His most recent MIT Press book, ‘Recommendation Engines,’ was published Fall 2020 as part of its ‘Essential Knowledge’ series. He runs design workshops and executive education programs on innovation, experimentation and ’strategic measurement' for global organizations and start-ups alike.
Currently pioneering work in ‘selvesware’ technologies - he coined the word - Schrage’s design research looks to augment aspects, attributes and talents of productive individuals. Ongoing research efforts also examine the interplay of ’network effects’-driven innovation, such as recommender systems, and human capital creation for the enterprise. His work exploring the future of KPIs, digital ‘performance management’ dashboards and machine learning - in collaboration with Google, McKinsey, Deloitte and the Sloan Management Review – builds on that theme, i.e. what happens when 'essential metrics' become ’software agents.' He is particularly interested in the future co-evolution of ‘expertise,’ ‘advice' and human ‘agency’ as technologies become ‘smarter’ than the people using them.
Patrick Hebron
Vice President of Research & Development Stability AI
Patrick Hebron
As VP of R&D at Stability AI, I will be responsible for leading the development of generative AI technologies including neural architecture advancements, new training mechanisms and dataset creation tools as well as algorithmic aspects of user-facing interaction mechanisms for high-fidelity multimodal communication of user intent. The overall goal of this work is to enable developers and creatives to leverage generative AI in a variety of applied software development, creativity and productivity contexts.
2023 will be a watershed year for enterprise artificial intelligence application in a variety of ways – 1) the purpose of value creation in the form of new products and services and 2) the purpose of enhancing and updating the manner in which corporate strategy is formulated, monitored, and adjusted.
In this session, Michael Schrage of MIT will deliver a roundtable workshop where participants “roll up their sleeves” to understand the possibilities of how corporate strategy officers can leverage AI to create, value, conduct strategy, monitor progress, develop foresight and competitive advantage through their function.
In this interactive workshop, Michael Schrage of MIT and members will:
- Enhance understanding of Generative AI (ChatGPT, Dall-E 2, etc) and its possibilities
- Deepen understanding of Stable Diffusion technology and its possibilities
- Discuss how Generative AI and Stable Diffusion technologies could enhance or challenge the role of the CS
Erica Orange of The Future Hunters OSN Roundtable (March 2)
Erica Orange
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of The Future Hunters
Erica Orange
Erica Orange is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of The Future Hunters, one of the world’s leading futurist consulting firms. She analyzes emerging sociocultural, technological, economic, geopolitical and environmental trends – and identifies the strategic implications (the “So what?”) of those trends for several of the most influential Fortune 500 companies, trade associations and public sector clients. Erica’s ability to spot patterns, think critically, and translate that into actionable strategies is what has made her an asset to clients for over 15 years.
Erica frequently speaks to a wide range of global audiences about the macro trends that are shaping and impacting today’s landscape. She has spoken at TEDx and keynoted over 150 conferences around the world, including across Europe, Latin America and Asia. She has authored numerous industry white papers on a variety of future-focused topics, and has been featured in news outlets including Forbes, NPR, Time, Inc, Yahoo Singapore, WWD, Bloomberg, and CBS This Morning. In 2020, she was named by Forbes as one of the world’s 50 Top Female Futurists.
A key skill high performing strategy executives need to thrive is the capacity to look at the future through a lens of objectivity- unbiased by their individual and organizational skills, expertise, experience, knowledge (or lack of knowledge).
The past decade has seen a transformation of the economy predicated on increasing levels of boundarylessness – whereby time, space, and industries are coming together and becoming more blurred. In this new economy, technologies that deliver Time, Trust, and Truth as a key part of the value proposition are having the greatest rate of success and impact (often enabling new products or businesses set to become the future core of the business).
In this roundtable, Erica Orange of the Future Hunters will present and lead a dialogue with members about:
- Key trends and drivers of the new time, trust, and truth business economy in which we operate
- How AI and automation technologies will disintermediate work and change the unique value propositions offered broadly by human workers as specifically as chief strategy officers
- Generational cohort temporal shrinkage: pace of technological change requires us to group new generational cohorts into 2-3 year spans and how it impacts strategy
- A brief look at disruptive technologies defining the future
- The New Leadership Toolkit, the “trust staircase”, and new organizational culture ways of working.
- The Competency Tree visual framework for yourself and the organization
The Metaverse and Emerging Technologies in partnership with the NYU School of Professional Studies Metaverse Collaborative (March 3)
In partnership with NYU School of Professional Studies and their Metaverse Collaborative, Outthinker Strategy Network Members will have the opportunity have an immersive experience with, learn about, problem solve, and engage in deep networking and dialogue about emerging technologies such as the metaverse, AR, VR, and beyond.
- Have an immersive experience with Web 3.0 technologies
- Get first access to new survey results and research into business implications of metatverse technology and the opportunity to benchmark yourself against others and influence new research.
- Learn how technological, talent, and legal environments are adjusting and will change
- Engage with OSN members who are working in this new technology- what is/will be possible, the questions you should be asking, and how you might navigate forward.
Outthinker Strategy Network Attendees
Adam Zalisk
Adam Zalisk leads Amplify’s corporate strategy team. Before taking on his current role, Adam led non-profit partnerships, operations, implementation, and product teams at Amplify, including serving as chief operating officer for Amplify’s K–5 literacy portfolio. Before joining Amplify, Adam served as senior advisor and led innovation at the Harlem Children’s Zone, and was a founding member of Booz & Company’s North American education practice.
Alok Agrawal
Alok K. Agrawal is an executive with over fifteen years of finance experience in industrial and technology companies. He is proficient in developing and executing organic and inorganic strategies, grounded by experience running a P&L and performing operations turnarounds. He has substantial international exposure, including long-term assignments in Europe and Asia.
Alok is currently the Chief Strategy Officer at Celestica, a $6 billion services company focused on the industrial and technology markets. He is a member of a seven-person Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and reports directly to the CEO.
He recently held leadership positions with global responsibility for strategy and corporate development at Federal-Mogul and Meritor, both multi-billion dollar automotive suppliers. Previously, Alok worked in Johnson Controls' automotive businesses (now Adient) leading strategy development and executing transformation projects, including the turnaround of the interiors business. His assignments included 18 months in China with the Yanfeng Automotive Interiors joint venture and ownership of a $100 million product line P&L.
Earlier, he worked at Kearney as a consultant, primarily on growth strategy and product management engagements. Alok began his career as a powertrain engineer at Ford Motor Company. He received his M.S. and B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and his M.B.A. in strategy and finance from the Ross School of Business.
Alpa Sutaria
Andrew Cone
Andrew Cone currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer of the Whitney Museum of American Art. In this role, he leads short- and long‐term institutional planning, priority‐setting, and change management. He also oversees the Whitney’s Research & Analysis department, the museum's centralized resource for data analysis and audience insights.
Over the past five years, working closely with senior management and the Board of Directors, Andrew has developed and executed plans to operationalize and finance the core recommendations of the Whitney’s 2017 Strategic Plan. Select projects include overseeing the drafting the Whitney’s first Equity & Inclusion Plan and first Values Statement; architecting the Whitney’s first holistic digital strategy; building out audience growth and diversification plans, including structuring the Whitney’s Spanish-English bilingual initiative and launching the Whitney’s market research program; advising earned revenue lines of business on growth opportunities; researching and writing the Whitney’s artist compensation philosophy and fee schedule; fielding and analyzing the Whitney’s first all staff surveys; providing quantitative analysis for the Whitney’s Collection Strategic Plan; and supporting COVID-recovery financial planning. Collaborating with colleagues across the entire Museum, he is responsible for continually assessing and calibrating these and other strategic priorities.
Outside of the Whitney, Andrew regularly speaks on a broad range of topics, addressing both opportunities and challenges facing the arts and culture sector today, including at the Center for Curatorial Leadership. He has partnered with external organizations on research and thought leadership, most recently with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and has served on grants and awards juries, most recently for the Joyce Foundation. He has also undertaken pro bono consulting for other nonprofits, including The Latin American Film Center and CUE Art Foundation. Andrew is currently participating in the 2022-2024 cohort of FutureMuseum, an international research project bringing together arts leaders, public officials, and digital innovators to reimagine the future of cultural institutions.
Prior to moving into arts administration, Andrew advised for‐profit multinationals on growth, marketing, and brand strategy as a consultant at McKinsey in London, WPP in Hong Kong, and Ogilvy & Mather in New York. He holds an A.B. in the History of Art & Architecture from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, where he was selected by his peers as the student commencement speaker. Andrew is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, where his first museum job was as a Youth Docent at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Ayman Hamid
An experienced executive with a demonstrated history, Ayman is known as a thought leader on strategic delivery, culture, & team building. Coupled with his expansive experience in the staffing and workforce management industry, as college All-America & former pro athlete, he leverages the discipline and competitive spirit he learned, to build and lead high-performance teams that deliver great results through operational excellence and innovative solutions to their clients and the business. He is a published author, holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from California State University-Bakersfield and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).
Anna Tavis
Dr. Anna Tavis is Clinical Professor and Academic Director of Human Capital Management Department at NYU School of Professional Studies, Senior Fellow with the Conference Board, and the Academic in Residence with Executive Networks.
She is a former Executive Editor of People+Strategy Journal a publication of SHRM’s Executive network and is currently an Associate Editor of Workforce Solutions Review of IHRIM.
Dr. Tavis publishes regularly in the HR media and has been quoted by the Washington Post, Bloomberg, The Human Resources Executive, Training Magazine. Dr. Tavis’ Harvard Business Review articles HR Goes Agile (2018) and The Performance Management Revolution (2016) were reprinted in HBR's Must Reads (2016 & 2018) Definitive Management Ideas of the Year (2016 and 2018) and in Agile: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review (2020)
Dr. Tavis published two volumes of edited essays Point/Counterpoint: The New Perspectives on People and Strategy (SHRM 2013 and 2017) that are approved for HR professional certification credit.
Dr. Tavis is a frequent presenter at international conferences on the topics of Future of Work, People Analytics and Technology, Employee Experience and Intelligent Automation in the Workplace.
Prior to joining NYU faculty, Dr. Tavis navigated a diverse global career in academia, business and consulting.
In Academia, Dr. Tavis was on the faculty at Williams College, Fairfield University and Columbia University.
In business, Dr. Tavis was the Head of Motorola’s EMEA OD function based in London, Nokia’s Global Head of Talent Management based in Helsinki, Chief Learning Officer with United Technologies Corp based in Hartford, CT and Global Head of Talent and Organizational Development with AIG Investments based in NYC.
Dr. Tavis received her PhD in Comparative Literature at Princeton University and Executive MBA in International Business from the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Tavis speaks English, Russian, German and Spanish
Ben Clark
Ben Clark became the SVP and CSO of Expeditors in January 2020. Prior to that, he served as Expeditor’s SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, since joining Expeditors in February, 2015. Before Expeditors, he was the EVP and General Counsel of the Dematic Group, a materials automation company, and the Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Celanese Corp, a chemicals and engineered materials manufacturer. Before Celanese Ben held a variety of positions within the Honeywell Aerospace division, culminating as their Vice President and General Counsel of Global Operations.
Ben is a Six Sigma black belt and a life-long learner. His current hobbies include skiing, diving, math, and learning how to boat and play piano.
Cheryl Lebens
As vice president, chief risk and strategy officer, Cheryl Lebens is responsible for leading the development of the enterprise’s corporate strategy as well as the risk management and corporate development functions. With 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, Cheryl has held a variety of roles in finance, corporate strategy, sales, and marketing at Nationwide Insurance and Safeco Insurance prior to joining Grange in 2012.
Chris Gilbert
An analytical, hands-on engineer with expertise in Engineering principles as well as the ability to identify root cause and make informed decisions. Adaptable, reliable, and able to manage priorities efficiently. A problem solver who enjoys using creative thinking while remaining calm under pressure and a quick learner. Excellent Leadership skills combined with an understanding of mechanical principles help me understand the needs of both my customers and my company in order to be effective in a business.
Chris Huff
In his role as Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, Chris defines the company’s Vision, Growth Goals and Execution Strategies that drive cross functional alignment. He has responsibility for Corporate Strategy, Technology Innovation, Customer Experience, Ecosystem Alliances and Marketing. Prior to Kofax, Chris spent five years at Deloitte Consulting leading the U.S. Public Sector Robotics and Cognitive Automation practice, seven years as a CEO of a B2C start-up and twenty years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Finance Officer.
Claudio Garcia
Claudio is President of Outthinker Strategy Networks, a global network of strategy executives from large organizations the are committed to staying ahead of the pace of change.
Before joining Outthinker, Claudio was Executive Vice Presidency for Strategy and Corporate Development at Lee Hecht Harrison, where he was responsible for the expansion and innovation of the company with operations in more than 60 countries. Prior to this role, he was LHH’s President of Latin America where he helped solve critical business challenges and personally supported dozens of complex transformation projects for large client organizations. During his tenure leading strategy LHH, Claudio was a member of the Outthinker Strategy Network.
Claudio has experience across a variety of industries, including food and beverage, entertainment, and media and communications. In addition to his role at Outthinker, Claudio is a board member and teaches Global Management and International Human Resources Management at New York University’s School of Professional Studies.
Devang Parikh
Devang Parikh is the Head of Strategy and Operations responsible for establishing and leading a strategy and operations group across global Precision Medicine and Clinical Research. Overseeing day-to-day department operations, strategic planning, alliance management, project management, business development and finance, Devang is also a core member of the Precision Medicine and Global Clinical Leadership Teams and numerous alliance steering committees.
A dynamic and entrepreneurial senior executive with over 17 years of achievement in the life science industry. Devang excels at strategic planning, operations management, business development, process improvement, organizational design, and leading people.
Prior to joining Pfizer he was a consultant for PA Consulting Group.
He has a BSc in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, a MSE in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA in Healthcare from the Yale School of Management.
Ed Knapp
Ed Knapp is Chief Technology Officer for American Tower. Prior to joining American Tower in 2017, Mr. Knapp served as Senior Vice President of Engineering at Qualcomm, where was responsible for their New Jersey Corporate Research Center. Mr. Knapp has more than 40 years of communications technology experience and has spent more than 30 years invested in the development of the global wireless industry. He joined Qualcomm after its acquisition of Flarion Technologies. Prior to that he served as the Chief Technology Officer of PacketVideo Corporation, co-founded NextWave Telecom, Inc. and served as its Chief Technology Officer, and was Executive Director of Technical Services for Bell Atlantic/NYNEX Mobile (Verizon Wireless).
Mr. Knapp serves on the Board of Directors of AST SpaceMobile and the Center for Automotive Research, as well as the Rutgers University Industry Advisory Board. He is also a member of the Outthinker Strategy Network. Mr. Knapp currently has five granted U.S. patents and one pending application. He earned an M.B.A. from Columbia University, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Polytechnic University (NYU) in New York and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Stony Brook University.
Elisabeth Moore
Elisabeth is responsible for developing strategies others become passionate about and for working for executive leadership to guide the organization through times of hyper growth and profitability - balancing challenging the status quo while staying true to the company's core values and entrepreneurial roots.
Elisabeth is a member of our Growth Mid-Market cohort. She brings more than 10 years of experience understanding business needs through the lens of market insights and internal #businessintelligence and translating that into tangible results. Her background in M&A and finance coupled with engaging the organization to think critically about the future blends into a unique, CX/EX data-driven and emotionally intelligent approach to strategy development.
She also leads the organization's Emerging Business group that helps support #innovation and launching up-and-coming businesses within the firm.
Eric Chesin
Chesin earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 2002 and holds both an MBA from Columbia Business School and a JD from Columbia Law School.
Eric Goldstein
Prior to joining JPMorgan, Mr. Goldstein was a consultant with McKinsey & Co. in the firm’s Financial Institutions Practice. While at McKinsey, Mr. Goldstein advised insurance companies and banks on both strategic and operational issues. Mr. Goldstein received his JD degree from Yale Law School and his undergraduate degree from Harvard University.
James Malick
James Malick is Global Head of Corporate Development & Strategy for Millennium Management and is responsible for driving new growth initiatives across the firm from a business development lens. He previously built and ran several functions in a deputy COO capacity including enterprise data analytics, Project Execution, Trading Services, Operational Risk and Branding & Communications. He chairs the Firm’s Operational Risk Committee and Co-Chairs the Business Continuity Management Committee.
Jason Ginsberg
Jason Ginsberg joins OSN, having recently come on board at Zoetis as the Head of Global Strategy. His career up to this point has been in strategy / management consulting, starting at Capgemini and then spending the last ~6.5 years at BCG, all focused on healthcare (biopharma and MedTech) and spanning Manufacturing & supply to Commercial. Jason brings a passion challenging the status quo and thinking outside the box. In his spare time, Jason is an avid reader, a big New York sports fan, and a middling golfer. Jason is based in New York, has a BSE in Materials Science from UPenn and an MBA from Chicago Booth.
Joanne Sheppard
Joanne Sheppard is Senior Vice-President for Strategy and Investments at Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. She works for the majority shareholder of Springer Nature and the owner of Digital Science. Sheppard provides CEO-level strategy support globally in the areas of science and technology. In practice, this means working closely with tech startups, gaming out strategic options to challenges facing scientists, and providing both formal and informal advice to our CEOs. Prior to this, Sheppard was the Vice-President of Strategy for Cell Press. Joanne is an American currently living in London.
John Kastan
JOHN KASTAN is the Interim CEO of The Jewish Board. Previously, as Chief Program Officer, he oversaw all four divisions of the agency – community services, children’s residential, adult and family residential, and services for the intellectually and developmentally disabled — John took a leadership role in the transition and integration of the FEGS program portfolio, clients, and staff when FEGS was absorbed into The Jewish Board.
During his tenure, he has been instrumental in the rollout of The Jewish Board’s electronic health record, enhanced cross-agency collaboration in service delivery, launched innovative programs such as the widely admired 100 Schools Project that delivered mental health support to schools, and oversaw the opening of several new programs and homes for the intellectually and developmentally disabled.
Previously, John was Sr. Vice President for Strategy and Business Development at PSCH, Vice President for Behavioral Health at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Associate Hospital Director at Mt. Sinai, and Assistant Commissioner for Planning at the NYC Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Alcoholism Services.
John is a former Board member of The National Council for Behavioral Health, Immediate Past President of the Board of The NYS Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, a member of The NYS Behavioral Health Services Advisory Council, appointed by the Governor, and a member of the NYC Crisis Response and Prevention Task Force.
He has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the CUNY Graduate Center and has taught at New York Medical College, Columbia University, and New York University. He has published and given presentations on program development, strategic planning, and other topics in behavioral health.
Kaihan Krippendorff
Dr. Kaihan Krippendorff is the founder of Outthinker, a former McKinsey & Co. consultant and author of five business strategy books, most recently Driving Innovation from Within. A sought-after keynote speaker, recognized expert and popular blogger on the topics of business strategy, innovation, growth, and transformation, Kaihan is helping a growing cadre of leading companies and corporations such as Microsoft, Oracle, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, TIAA-CREF and BNY Mellon prepare themselves to compete in a digital, agile, purpose-driven future.
Kaihan is a member of the prestigious Thinkers50 radar group – A global selection of the top 30 management thinkers in the world to follow. He was also shortlisted by Thinkers50 for a Distinguished Achievement Award in Innovation – awarded to the person in the world that has contributed the most to the world’s understanding of innovation in the past two years. Kaihan is currently ranked the Thinkers360 #1 Global Innovation Thought Leader and the Thinkers360 #1 Global Business Strategy Thought Leader.
Amidst his dizzying schedule of keynote speeches, consulting projects, ongoing research and writing, Kaihan still finds time to teach at business schools throughout the US and internationally. Regularly featured in major business media outlets Kaihan is an advisory board member for a blockchain-powered transportation platform, an international food processing/exporting company, and a B-corporation focused on sustainable products and lifestyle.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Management & Technology Program, Kaihan has spent more than a decade studying the intersection of language, technology, and innovation to drive competitive advantage. He earned his BS in finance from Wharton Business School, BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, MBA from Columbia Business School, and Doctorate of Science in Economics from Abo Akademi.
Kalina Nikolova
Our world is experiencing an unprecedented magnitude and pace of change. People and organizations are stressed and fearful, but also empowered by new technologies and looking to reinvent for the future.
Kalina Nikolova believes that the future brings exponential growth. Increasing returns are unlocked when people and organizations are enabled to work with passion and purpose - while leveraging the new technologies to reinvent business models. For over two decades Kalina has been working as a navigator plotting the course for companies to work better today, and prepare for the future: from Saatchi & Saatchi where she led Zenith Media in Eastern Europe to Deloitte where she consulted clients like S&P, McGraw-Hill, Meredith Publishing, and Cablevision, as EVP of Strategy at Viacom Ad Sales and now as VP of Business Operations and Strategy at Yahoo.
Kalina's approach to strategy and transformation is centered on human potential and building collaborations across internal silos, and among unlikely partners in ecosystems. It is informed by deep understanding of technological, business and societal changes. Igniting innovation and energizing culture and diversity, Kalina creates the playbooks that empower people and organizations to unlock potential with purpose.
Ken Eng
Ken Eng is the Senior Vice President, Group Strategy and M&A for Macmillan and Holtbrinck. Since 2007 he has led strategic planning, mergers & acquisitions, investments, alliances and incubation initially in its North American division and in recent years as a member of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group (Macmillan’s holding company). Prior to Macmillan and Holtbrinck, Ken held various leadership roles in business development, product development, marketing, and operations at prominent media companies including McGraw-Hill/BusinessWeek, Nielsen Business Media, and Universal Media. Throughout his career, Ken has been instrumental in helping organizations to navigate market turbulence and to innovate digitally. In his free time, Ken mentors digital entrepreneurs in education, publishing, and media.
Kevin Ilcisin
As Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development, Kevin is responsible for ensuring cross-functional alignment of NI's strategy planning and execution activities including the use of partnerships and acquisitions.
Prior to joining NI in 2015, Kevin served as the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Tektronix, where he was responsible for the core technology development, R&D strategy, and portfolio processes governing R&D investments. He has held leadership roles at Novellus (LAM Research) and a number of start-ups including Zight and Technical Visions.
Kevin holds a Ph.D. and M.A degrees in plasma physics from Princeton University and B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering with Distinction from the University of Alberta.
Konstanty Owczarek
Experienced professional with background across multiple industries with focus on strategy and business development.
Marc Beckman
Marc Beckman is the Co-Founder and CEO of DMA United, the award-winning advertising
agency positioned at the center of style and design. Mr. Beckman’s philosophy concentrates on
building equity at the intersection of content and commerce. In fact, Mr. Beckman has designed
and implemented creative campaigns for countless individuals and corporations within DMA
United’s polycultural platform, including venerable brands such as NBA, Pepsi, Sony, Warner
Bros. Entertainment, Nelson Mandela, Gucci, and MoMA.
Mr. Beckman embraces new technology and trends to augment marketing platforms and
communications tactics. To date, he has leveraged blockchain technology to launch platforms for
over sixty brands; and has created seven marketplaces in Web3 for clients. Mr. Beckman’s crosssector
blockchain approach includes programs in luxury, fashion, government, technology,
academics, philanthropy, and beauty.
Mr. Beckman is the author of The Comprehensive Guide: NFTs, Digital Artwork, Blockchain
Technology. The book has received many accolades, including receiving best-seller status, and
inclusion on JP Morgan’s Reading List.
Marc Beckman is New York University’s Metaverse Senior Fellow, an Adjunct Professor in
Marketing, and Chairman of Stern’s Luxury & Fashion Council. Further, Mr. Beckman is
developing legal policy and best practices for Web3 and other emerging technologies as Co-Chair
of the New York State Bar Association’s Web3 Task Force.
Mr. Beckman received a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Boston University and a Juris Doctorate
from Hofstra University. He was admitted to the bar association of New York, New Jersey, and
Washington, D.C.
Marilyn Pineda
STRATEGY PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION * BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Senior Executive with leadership experience in strategy, corporate development, business development, and operational execution across Technology, Manufacturing, and Consulting industry verticals.
Strategic thinker, with top-notch analytical skills, and a record of managing portfolios of complex, cross-enterprise initiatives creating revenue growth, optimizing operational efficiency, and lowering costs.
Strong collaborator, who excels at engaging the support of key stakeholders across diverse functions and organizational levels to drive crucial business objectives and goals.
Michelle Micone
Michelle Micone is an experienced sales and marketing executive with a general management background across multiple industries – professional sports, licensing and entertainment, toys and packaged goods. Recently, she served as a consultant for the Globe, helping to expand its Rhode Island bureau. Prior to that, she was the Head of Consumer Products at the National Football League, where she led the expansion of the the NFL’s brands into new and expanded categories. Prior to the NFL, Michelle held a variety of leadership positions over a 17-year career at Hasbro in Rhode Island. She led North American licensing, bringing merchandise and experiences to market for Hasbro's portfolio of brands. As a global brand strategy leader, she steered new product development and marketing for various brands at Hasbro, growing retail presence, entertainment distribution and revenue globally.
Milena Schaefer
Dynamic leader with notable 20+ year track record leveraging innovation, strategy, resources, and systemic transformations to meet business demands and deliver world-class solutions. Manage organizational change, including scaling operations, monitoring milestones, and retaining talent. Leave nothing to chance by clarifying business ambiguity, inspiring new staff behaviors, and mobilizing productive culture. Curious, high-performing lifelong learner.
Milena received her B.S. in Business Administration from Stony Brook University, an MS in Management Systems, Strategy and leadership from NYU and is a graduate of the Harvard Business Analytics Program.
Prasad Padman
Prasad Padman has twenty plus years of experience in energy, industrial, aerospace, defense, and medical end markets. He is experienced in leading strategic planning, business development, and business transformation for large global corporations.
He has been exposed to diverse work cultures, having lived and worked in several countries, including India, China, Singapore, and the USA.
He currently acts as the chief advisor to the CEO in making critical business choices, including Organization Design, Business Portfolio, M&A, and Resource Allocation decisions. He also works closely with the executive management and the board of directors in communicating and driving key strategic change initiatives:
- Digital Transformation
- Growth beyond the core (Innovation, Lean Startup and New Ventures)
- Profit from the core (simplify matured complex businesses to drive market share growth and improved profitability).
Ravi Mehta
Seasoned M&A professional with expertise in developing, negotiating and executing deals globally.
Rich Haas
Rich Haas is the Global Leader for Business Model Innovation at Kyndryl. In this capacity, he leads a team focused on developing and launching innovative business models that drive value for customers, partners, and Kyndryl through new value propositions and operating modes – working across the Kyndryl organization and ecosystem.
Prior to this role, Rich served as Vice President of Strategy and Transformation for Global Technology Services (GTS) at IBM. He supported the creation and evolution of GTS’ strategic direction and business model – shaped by market and competitive dynamics, impacts of new technologies, and business capabilities. His activities covered both Infrastructure Services and Technology Support Services.
Rich joined IBM in 2003 in Global Business Services. He started as a consultant to Financial Services clients, helping them with their business and product strategies, as part of the Strategy & Change practice. He eventually moved to a role as a Strategy advisor for the North America Financial Services Sector, where he helped formulate both near- and long-term strategic actions to address emerging areas of competition, support execution of operational initiatives, and align unit strategy to overall IBM strategy.
Roopa Unnikrishnan
Roopa is SVP of Strategy and Corporate Development for IDEX. She is responsible for leading enterprise strategy and the corporate development (M&A) function. In this role, she helps to build strategy and business development capabilities for IDEX. Roopa has more than 20 years of corporate strategy experience across a variety of industries, through a mix of consulting roles and corporate leadership positions. Most recently, she served as Chief Strategy Officer for Vontier, a global industrial manufacturing company focused on smarter transportation and mobility. Previous strategy positions have included roles with Harman International, Citi, BlackRock, and Katzenbach Partners – which was formed by past members of McKinsey & Co. consulting. At Pfizer she also stepped outside her traditional strategy and innovation roles to lead the Talent and Organization capability for the pharmaceutical division. She often serves as a professional coach and is the author of the book, “The Career Catapult.”
Rob Wolcott
Rob Wolcott is an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Chicago Booth, and Adjunct Professor in Executive Education at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.
A managing partner with innovation strategy consultancy Clareo, he is a regular contributor to Forbes regarding the impact of technology change on business, leadership and society.
Co-author of the book Grow From Within: Mastering Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation, his work has appeared in prestigious global outlets including MIT Sloan Management Review (where two of his articles have ranked as among the most downloaded of all time), strategy+business, Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times among many others.
Co-founder and Chairman of The World Innovation Network (TWIN), a network of senior executives dedicated to driving sustainable innovation, Rob brings together and embraces the value of learning and collaboration across industries.
Sharon Chen
Sharon is a founding member of the EY FinTech team at EY and the lead author of the EY Global FinTech Adoption Index 2019. In 2018, she became an inaugural member of Money2020 Rise Up.
Focusing on FinTech and Wealthtech, Sharon advises startups as they grow and scale and supports incumbent firms as they invest, acquire and partner with startups. She drives the global and regional FinTech EY strategy, and collaborates across the financial services ecosystem on FinTech research and policy development.
Shashvat Sinha
Shashvat Sinha is senior vice president of product & technology at CDS Global.
Sinha is responsible for product management, technology strategy and technical project delivery for CDS Global. He is working to define and lead the modernization of the technology platform powering CDS Global and Hearst Magazines’ digital businesses.
Sinha joins CDS Global after more than 10 years with Barclays Capital, where he demonstrated expertise in delivering sophisticated technology solutions. During his tenure, he held multiple senior-level positions between Singapore and New York.
Prior to Barclays, Sinha was with the Royal Bank of Scotland, where he modernized their algorithmic trading systems and with Credit Suisse where he ran technology transformation programs across APAC.
Sinha received his Bachelor's of Engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering. He has also received certifications in machine learning from Stanford University and quantitative modeling from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Tahirou Assane
Tahirou has over 20 years of experience in leadership roles, civil engineering, strategy, transformation, and project management. As Director of Brightline at PMI, Tahirou oversees the activities under the three benefit pillars of thought and practice leadership, networking, and capability building. Through Brightline, Tahirou led the development of the Organizational Transformation Series, championed Brightline flagship event Strategy@Work, and pioneered the very first Digital Transformation in Action Conference.
Prior to PMI, Tahirou worked as the deputy director of infrastructure and project management group in the United Nations Office for Project Services supporting the successful implementation of peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world.
Before the United Nations, Tahirou was a senior project manager with the Ministry of Transportation in Ontario where he provided technical capabilities and expertise to ensure excellence in the delivery of complex highway projects with multi-disciplinary teams. He led among other the design of the widening of Highway 410 in the Greater Toronto Area from 6 lanes to 10 lanes.
Tahirou is a co-author of several book articles and reports including Blockchain-Driven Transformation (2021), The Transformation Playbook (2019), Transforming Beyond the Crisis (2020), and Perpetual Transformation (2022).
Tahirou won UNOPS Growth and Innovation Award (2013) and received the Plaque for highest standing in Civil Engineering from the University of Ottawa (2004). Tahirou was awarded Niger Presidential award for highest standing in high school (1998) and was champion of Niger’s Mathematics and Logics Games (1997).
His work and passion for travel have taken him to six continents and over 50 countries.
Tess Caputo
Tess Caputo joined Zoetis in 2020 and is currently VP US Strategy, Digital and Analytics. In this role, Tess oversees several strategic insights functions, including strategic pricing, business analytics, market research, digital products, and strategy. Tess was previously the Head of Corporate Strategy at Zoetis. Prior to Zoetis, Tess spent seven years at the Boston Consulting Group. As a core member of BCG’s team serving biopharma and biotech clients, Tess gained experience in corporate strategy, transaction, brand strategy and transformation topics. Prior to BCG, Tess worked for Capgemini Consulting. Tess has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Duke University.
Todd Shriber
Todd is a member of the U.S. Insurance & Retirement (USIR) senior leadership team where he is responsible for strategy development, market intelligence, and strategic initiatives for USIR and its businesses, including Retirement Strategies, Individual Life, Group Insurance and Retail Advice & Solutions.
Prior to joining Prudential in 2012, Todd was with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (MSSB), where he served as Managing Director & Business Head for Annuities and Insurance. During 11 years at MSSB and its predecessor firm, Smith Barney, Todd held several other positions including Managing Director & Global Business Head, Global Stock Plan Services. Todd also served as head of Corporate Development for Global Securities Services at Citigroup, and as a Senior Engagement Manager in the Strategic Change Group at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Todd holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Harvard University and an MBA, with concentrations in finance and marketing, from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He is a CFA charterholder.
Tom Gallo
Valerie Radford
I am an experienced executive leader who operates at the intersection of the future of work, financial security and retirement. I do things that "can't be done" and have a successful track record of translating novel concepts into growth opportunities for some of the largest financial services institutions.
I see both the vision and the details and innovate through creation (not destruction). No breaking glass here. Design thinking and agile development are my tools. I also thoroughly enjoy building new teams and creating new business models.
My interests are: Future of Work, Financial Security, Retirement Solutions, Lifetime Income, Role of Employer, Strengthening 401k, IRA, Portability, Digital Transformation, Agile Leadership
Vidur Bhandari
Vidur Bhandari is the Senior Vice President, Strategy and Value Creation at Shiseido Americas. He is responsible for all strategic initiatives in the region, including growth strategies, transformation programs, and commercialization of digital innovation. He is a member of the Americas Executive Leadership Team and the group’s Global M&A Committee. In his role, he also leads select strategic initiatives for the Shiseido Group globally working directly with Global HQ in Tokyo.
In addition, Vidur heads Global M&A integration for the Shiseido Group, overseeing pre-close and post-acquisition activities globally to deliver revenue and cost synergies from acquisitions.
Prior to joining Shiseido, Vidur was a Partner at Kearney, a global management consulting firm where he led and supported strategy and transformation programs for Consumer Products and Retail companies, particularly in Beauty, Wine & Spirits, and Specialty Retail. For over 10 years, his work covered areas of corporate strategy, sales and marketing effectiveness, go-to-market , and organizational agility.
In 2013, Diversity MBA magazine recognized Vidur as a Top 40 under 40 Emerging Leader. From 2013 to 2015, he served on the Young Leaders Board of the Executives Club of Chicago.
Vidur has an MBA with high honors from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.E. with highest honors from the University of Mumbai.
Ying McPherson
Ying has over 15 years of experience in financial analysis and commercial analytics and oversees the strategy development and execution activities for the company. Ying also leads our analytics, resource planning, and corporate marketing functions. Previously Ying was Vice President of Operational Finance and responsible for strategic pricing and planning. Prior to Unifi, Ying held several leadership positions at WestRock, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, supply chain optimization and commercial analytics. Ying started her career at Price Waterhouse Coopers in audit and spent the next 7 years in investment banking with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (now Truist) and a boutique M&A shop (now Citizens M&A Advisory).
Ying was elected winner of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2021 and earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Goizueta Business School at Emory University.
Outthinker Intrapreneurial Network Attendees
Adam Field
Adam is currently SVP, Technology Strategy and Experience at Kofax where he is responsible for leading product strategy which drives innovation, vision, market analysis, forecasting, and overall success of four different go-to-market areas, focusing on artificial intelligence, cloud, and customer experience. He has previously held roles in engineering, sales, marketing, product development, and client experience at organizations such as Pegasystems, Staples, Sapient, and Fidelity Investments. He holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University.
Darcy Dement
Darcy Dement is Senior Director of Technologies Platform Management at NI. She has held several positions in general management, business leadership, and product management and has experience in starting up, scaling up, and turning around organizations. She applies her passion for resolving our global challenges through science and technology as an advisor to B2B startups. She is multilingual with experience working and living in the US and Europe.
Leshia Hoot
Global business leader with 20+ years experience leading business and marketing strategy for technology and STEM education programs.
• Demonstrated ability to create data-driven business strategy
• Strong track record of driving go-to-market strategy and global product launches for technology and education solutions
• Experience working with diverse global teams in established and emerging markets
• Adept at working cross-functionally with sales, product development, marketing communications and operations to ensure a strong consumer experience
• Skilled, experienced presenter and spokesperson
Passions: Driving technology and education projects that improve the world around us; defining ecosystem and product marketing strategy; building innovative marketing teams; developing customer-centric product messaging and positioning; fostering high-impact partnerships; crafting marketing and products that resonate with the customer.
Naghmeh Heil
Naghmeh Heil works as a Group Strategy Mergers & Acquisitions Analyst at Macmillan, which is a Publishing company with an estimated 655 employees; They are part of the Mergers & Acquisitions team within the Finance Department
Travis White
Travis White is the Sr. Director of Corporate Strategy and Corporate Development at NI. Prior to corporate strategy, he’s held key leadership positions in NI’s semiconductor business unit and product management organization as well as management positions in engineering, applications, and technical marketing. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rice University.
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