May 22, 2018
Incumbents today are finding themselves fighting for survival in nearly every conceivable strategic arena. Advancing technologies have blurred industry boundaries and facilitated moves into previously unrealized business spaces. In response, some firms are moving into industries outside of their core competencies to leverage resources, flex their muscles, and create new identities. These shifts have left many incumbents facing threats from not only startups, but other titans who have made strategic plays across verticals.
How can incumbents stay ahead in this game? How can they build or augment competencies to combat these threats? How do they keep clear sights on the pace of innovation in and around their core business, even as many industries are experiencing tech-enabled convergence?
During this conference, the Mack Institute will explore the need for firms to candidly assess their performance, understand appropriate innovation metrics, and apply benchmarking standards to compare themselves against both industry peers and unrealized threats. This interactive event will leave participants with insights, frameworks, and best practices for measuring innovation performance both internally as well as against external competitors.
The conference will be led by experts from academia and industry who will discuss deploying resources, employing relevant skills & competencies, and integrating knowledge for firm growth.
8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. — Breakfast
9:00 a.m.–9:15 a.m. — Welcome and Introduction
Saikat Chaudhuri
Executive Director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management
Adjunct Associate Professor of Management, The Wharton School
Harbir Singh
Co-director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management
Vice Dean for Global Initiatives
Faculty Director for Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business
Mack Professor of Management, The Wharton School
9:15 a.m.–10:30 a.m. — How Incumbents Can Stay Ahead of the Game
Asheesh Birla
Senior Vice President of Product Managment , Ripple
Alain Neyroud
Principal Architect and Blockchain Garage Lead, IBM
10:30 a.m.–10:50 a.m. — Break
10:50 a.m.–12:05 p.m. — Building Competencies
Katherine von Jan
Vice President, Strategic Innovation, Salesforce
James Williams
Senior Director for Technology Research and Innovation, Teradata
12:05 p.m.–1:20 p.m. — Lunch and Networking
1:20 p.m.–2:00 p.m. — Industry Convergence and Benchmarking
Michael Dolbec
Senior Managing Director, GE Ventures
2:00 p.m.–2:45 p.m. — Mack Institute Thought Leadership: Research in Action
Saikat Chaudhuri
2:45 p.m.–4:00 p.m. — Smart Technology Portfolios
Tereza Nemessanyi
Entrepreneur in Residence, Microsoft
Hanson Lenyoun, MD
Director, Business and Clinical Outcomes, Samsung Electronics America
4:00 p.m. — Closing Remarks