The Digital Leadership Agenda 2024
Recoding Business
September 27, 2023 | 4pm – 8pm
September 28, 2023 | 8am – 4pm
The Beckman Center of the
National Academies of Sciences and Engineering
UC Irvine
Conference Highlights
Please view photos and videos below.
Rapid advancements in digital technologies, especially AI, are driving a renewed focus on digital business transformation. Amidst challenging macroeconomic conditions and prominent concerns such as sustainability and geopolitics, what are the most effective digital leadership strategies for companies to drive growth and success in the age of AI?
The Digital Leadership Agenda 2024: Recoding Business in the Age of AI will reveal how top executives are rewriting the rulebook on business competition and inspire you as you chart your own leadership journey in the year ahead.
September 27, 2023
4:00-5:00 PM | Welcome Reception & Check-In
5:00-5:15 pm | Welcome Remarks
Ian Williamson, Dean, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine
5:15-6:00 pm | Fireside Chat - Looking Forward: The 2024 Global Economic Outlook
Torsten Slok, Chief Economist, Apollo Global Management
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
6:00-6:15 pm | Benefactor Welcome
Chris Nardecchia, SVP and Chief Digital & Information Officer, Rockwell Automation
Gajen Kandiah, CEO, Hitachi Vantara; President, Hitachi Digital
Amar Maletira, CEO, Rackspace Technology
6:15-6:45 pm | UC Irvine Performing Arts Showcase
John Crawford, Professor, Intermedia Arts, Dance Department, UC Irvine and dance students
6:45-8:15 pm | Reception & Dinner
September 28, 2023
7:00-8:00 am | Breakfast
8:00-8:30 am | Recoding Business in the Age of AI: The Leadership Agenda
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
8:30-8:50 am | Unleashing Value with AI and Data Science: An Investor Perspective
Matt Katz, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Data Science, Blackstone
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
8:50-9:10 am | Driving Autonomy at Rivian: Building an AI-Powered Organization
James Philbin, VP, Autonomy & AI, Rivian
Moderator: Vibhanshu Abhishek, Associate Professor of Information Systems, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine
9:10-9:40 am | Transforming Traditional Industries: Addressing Legacy Challenges
Gajen Kandiah, President, Hitachi Digital; CEO, Hitachi Vantara
Mark Leiter, Chief Digital Strategy Officer, Boeing
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
9:40-10:00 am | Group Discussion: Leveraging AI - Attendee Perspectives
10:00-10:30 am | BREAK
10:30-11:00 am | Enabling AI: Modernizing the Tech Stack
Chris Nardecchia, Chief Digital & Information Officer, Rockwell Automation
Marcello Damiani, Senior Partner, Flagship Pioneering; Board Director, Cellarity, Benevolent AI; Former CDO, Moderna
Amar Maletira, CEO, Rackspace
Moderator: Peter High, President, Metis Strategy
11:00-11:20 am | Frontier Technologies: Keeping an Eye on Quantum Computing
Christopher Monroe, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, IonQ
Moderator: Kiva Allgood, Board Director, Airgain and Former President & CEO, Sarcos Robotics
11:20-11:35 am | Research Spotlight: The Impact of LLMs on the Labor Market
Daniel Rock, Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
11:35-12:00 pm | Reimagining Work: The Future of Human Capital
Rebecca House, SVP, Chief People & Legal Officer, Rockwell Automation
Imtiaz Shaikh, Deputy Chief HRO, Hitachi, Ltd.
Moderator: Dawn Behnke, EVP, Life Insurance Division, Pacific Life Insurance Company
12:00-12:20 pm | Group Discussion: Automating or Augmenting Talent? - Attendee Perspectives
12:20-1:20 pm | Lunch: Birds of a Feather Conversations
1:20-1:40 pm | Incubating The Future: Solving Global Challenges With Predictive AI
Stuart McClure, CEO, NumberOne AI; CEO, Qwiet AI; Founder, Cylance
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
1:40-2:15 pm | Playing with Fire: Managing the Risks of AI
Pierre Baldi, Distinguished Professor of AI; Director, Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics, UC Irvine
David Danks, National AI Advisory Committee; Professor, Data Science and Philosophy, UC San Diego
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
2:15-2:55 pm | DEEP DIVE - Reorganizing for AI: Instilling a Culture of Innovation
Julie Guggemos, Board Director, Evrnu, Beekman 1802 and Former SVP & Chief Design Officer, Target
2:15-2:55 pm | DEEP DIVE - The New Core Competence: Building AI Capabilities
Meghna Sinha, VP of AI, Verizon
2:55-3:15 pm | Frontier Technologies: Keeping an Eye on Extended Reality (xR)
Scott Connolly, Head of Media and Entertainment Innovation, Verizon
Ely Stacy, Technical Solutions Lead, Disguise
Moderator: Tom Andriola, Vice Chancellor, Information, Technology and Data & CDO, UC Irvine