The Digital Leadership Agenda 2025
Recoding Business at the Speed of AI
October 2 – 3, 2024
The Beckman Center of the
National Academies of Sciences and Engineering
UC Irvine
Conference Highlights
On October 2-3, 2024, the Center for Digital Transformation held its annual signature conference, The Digital Leadership Agenda 2025: Recoding Business at the Speed of AI.
Over the course of two exciting days, a select group of experienced executives, board members, investors, technology leaders, and prominent academics came together to chart their digital leadership agendas for the upcoming year. Our goal is to empower leaders to drive meaningful change and innovation in their industries.
Speakers
Roxanne Austin
Board Director
AbbVie, Verizon, CrowdStrike Holdings, Freshworks
Frank Antonysamy
Chief Growth Officer
Hitachi Digital
October 2, 2024
4:00-5:00 PM | Welcome Reception & Check-In
5:00-5:15 pm | Welcome Remarks
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
5:15-6:00 pm | Fireside Chat - AI and the Global Economy
Tiffany Wilding, Chief Economist, PIMCO
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
6:00-6:15 pm | Benefactor Welcome
Patrick Dey, VP, Data and Digital Innovation, Rockwell Automation
Gajen Kandiah, President & COO, Hitachi Digital; Chief Digital Transformation Officer, Digital Systems and Solutions Division; Deputy General Manager, AI Transformation Division, Hitachi, Ltd.
6:15-6:25 pm | Public Service Announcement
Dr. Diana Ramos, California Surgeon General
6:25-8:00 pm | Reception & Dinner
October 3, 2024
7:30-8:30 am | Breakfast
8:30-8:45 am | Table Introductions
8:45-8:50 am | Welcome Remarks
Ian Williamson, Dean, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine
8:50-9:15 am | Recoding Business at the Speed of AI
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
9:15-9:40 am | Becoming A Frontier Firm: Achieving New Standards of Care
Ramin Mousavi, President & CEO, CathWorks
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
9:40-10:20 am | Generative AI: Myth v. Reality
Julian Merten, Distinguished Machine Learning Engineer, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America
Irfan Ali, Global Head of Edge Solutions Sales, NVIDIA
Yashpaul Singh, GenAI Pursuits, Amazon Web Services
Frank Antonysamy, Chief Growth Officer, Hitachi Digital
Moderator: Shashank Samant, Executive Chairman, Hitachi America, Ltd. & Hitachi Digital LLC; Board Director, Hitachi Energy, Office Depot, Rackspace
10:20-10:55 am | BREAK
10:55-11:20 am | The AI Imperative: Why Boards Can't Play it Safe Anymore
Roxanne Austin, Board Director, AbbVie, Verizon, Crowdstrike, Freshworks
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
11:20-11:45 am | Betting on the Future: The Next Wave of AI Innovation
Ganesh Bell, Managing Director, Insight Partners
Moderator: Gajen Kandiah, President & COO, Hitachi Digital; Chief Digital Transformation Officer, Digital Systems and Solutions Division Deputy General Manager, AI Transformation Division, Hitachi, Ltd.
11:45-12:15 pm | Building and Navigating Your AI Roadmap: Becoming a Market Leader
Marcello Damiani, Senior Partner, Flagship Pioneering
Meghna Sinha, Former VP, AI Center, Verizon
Shah Nawaz, CTO & VP, Digital Transformation & Engineering, Regeneron
Moderator: Patrick Dey, VP, Data and Digital Innovation, Rockwell Automation
12:15-12:45 pm | Technology and the Future of Work
Mary Beth Eckert, EVP, Chief Information & Digital Officer, Pacific Life
Adam Fingersh, Chief Customer Officer and EVP North America Operations, Experian
Moderator: Ian Williamson, Dean, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine
12:45-1:55 pm | LUNCH
1:55-2:05 pm | Table Introductions
2:05-2:35 pm | AI in Capital-Intensive Industries: Unlocking Value Through Software
Nadia Mazzino, Senior Director, Control Centre Integration & Advanced Services, Hitachi Rail
Julian Merten, Distinguished Machine Learning Engineer, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
2:35-2:55 pm | Research Spotlight: Solving AI's Trust Problem
Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business, The Fletcher School at Tufts University
2:55-3:20 pm | Combating Misinformation: Building a Truth Engine
Ivan Williams, Producer, How to Build a Truth Engine; CEO, Outer Limits Productions
Vwani Roychowdhury, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering, UCLA
Moderator: Tom Andriola, Vice Chancellor, Information, Technology & Data and Chief Digital Officer, UC Irvine
3:20-3:30 pm | Key Takeaways & Closing Discussion
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation
Benefactors
