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Empowering Beyond Summit 2024

EBS24 was an incredible platform for visionary insights from influential leaders across industries. Our theme, Enlightened Disruption – Harnessing Innovation to Navigate Uncertainty, was a thrilling exploration into harnessing new age tech along with disruptive business models to help Global 2000 firms navigate an uncertain business environment. This exclusive and immersive event connected executive peers and incredible thought leaders on how to leverage the power of tech enabled services to drive sustained success.

THE EMPOWERING BEYOND EXPERIENCE

0 Days of Immersive Experiences

0+ C-Level Executives

0+ Thought Leaders

0+ Inspiring Sessions

Agenda-At-A-Glance

Time Session
3:00PM - 5:00PM

Innovation Workshops

Collaborative whiteboard discussions with an intimate gathering of industry leaders to ideate around leveraging disruptive technologies to drive innovation and success.

  • Innovation in the Healthcare Industry
  • Innovation in the Travel and Transportation Industry
  • Innovation in the Aerospace and Defense Industry
5:00PM - 7:30PM

Drinks and Dinner

(by invitation only – inquire for details and availability)

Time Session
8:00AM - 11:00AM

Warner Bros. Studio Tour

*Optional by Invitation Only

Enjoy a fun Hollywood experience!

11:45AM - 12:30PM

Lunch Buffet

(Dolby Ballroom)

12:00PM - 1:00PM

Registration Opens

1:00PM - 1:15PM

Welcome Remarks

  • Anupam Govil – Managing Partner, and Summit Chair, Avasant
1:15PM - 1:45PM

Opening Keynote – The Butterfly Effect: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

  • Atti Riazi – SVP and CIO, Hearst
1:45PM - 2:15PM

Fireside Chat – The Next Wave of Value Creation: Architecting a People and Datacentric Enterprise

  • Tony MenezesGlobal Managing Partner, Business Process Operations, IBM Consulting
  • Jyoti Chopra – Chief People, Inclusion & Sustainability Officer, MGM Resorts International
  • Anupam Govil – Managing Partner, Summit Chair, Avasant (Moderator)
2:15PM - 2:35PM

CXO Deep Dive – Building a culture of innovation to drive stakeholder value

(Plenary Ballroom)

  • Sean Kenny – SVP and CIO, Carnival Cruise Line

Research Insights – Enterprise AI Trends

(Executive Room)

  • Chandrika Dutt – Associate Research Director, Avasant
  • Swapnil Bhatnagar – Partner, Avasant
2:35PM - 3:05PM

BREAK

3:05PM - 3:40PM

Panel Discussion – Digital Talent at Scale: Building The Hybrid Workforce of Tomorrow

(Plenary Ballroom)

  • Vipul Nagrath – CIO, ADP
  • Joel Raper – SVP and GM, Digital Workplace Solutions, Unisys
  • Jason Estes – SVP + CIO, First Command
  • Ruth Steinberg – Principal, Avasant
  • Henry Guapo – Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – Managing Business Risks in a Complex Multi-Vendor Ecosystems

(Executive Room)

  • Oliver Gail – Chief Procurement Officer, Prudential Financial
  • Brian Kernan – Vice President, Indirect Procurement & Vendor Management, Republic National Distributing Company
  • Rawle Howard – AVP & Chief Procurement Officer at Howard University & Howard University Hospital
  • Kirk Mitchell – Director, Vendor Management Organization, BCBSA
  • Mike Wheeler –  Partner – Avasant (Moderator)
3:40PM - 4:15PM

Panel Discussion – Re-imagining Travel & Transportation: Aligning Tech and Ops to Accelerate Value Creation

(Plenary Ballroom)

  • Siddharth Saxena – General Manager and US Cluster Head – Utilities, Engineering, Construction, Operations and Airports, WIPRO
  • Pierre Lanthier – Director Business Transformation, GTAA
  • Christy Thomas – AVP, Technology, BNSF Railway
  • David Orellana – CIO, Solistica
  • Carlos Hernandez – Travel & Transportation Lead and Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – THE RISE OF GBS: HOW CAPTIVES CAN DELIVER COMPETITIVE EDGE

(Executive Room)

  • Peter Nag – Global Head Business Process Outsourcing, Shared Services & Transformation, Merck
  • Eric Dupuy – Chief Revenue Officer, Teleperformance
  • Avinash Baliga – Partner, Avasant
  • Chirag Rawat– Sr. Director, Avasant (Moderator)
4:15PM - 4:45PM

Closing Keynote – The Winds of Digital Change: Thriving in Perpetual Transformation

  • Yuri Aguiar – Chief Enterprise Data Officer, WPP Group
4:45PM - 4:50PM

Closing Remarks

  • Anupam Govil – Managing Partner, and Summit Chair, Avasant
4:50PM - 5:30PM

Shuttle to The Academy for evening activities

5:30PM - 7:00PM

Opening Outdoor Cocktail Reception

Held at famous Hollywood music and party venue, Academy LA

 

7:00PM - 8:30PM

VIP Dinner

Held at famous Hollywood music and party venue, Academy LA and catered by Local LA with critically acclaimed Southern California Chef and Restaurant owner, David LeFevre

8:30PM - 10:30PM

Red Carpet Celebration

Held at famous Hollywood music and party venue, Academy LA featuring entertainment from LA Band, 90’s Rockshow 

Time Session
7:00AM - 8:05AM

BREAKFAST

8:05AM - 8:15AM

Welcome Remarks

8:15AM - 8:45AM

Opening Keynote – The Enterprise Odyssey: Living in the Age of AI

  • Rodrigo Lima – President of Americas Enterprise, Microsoft
8:45AM - 9:20AM

Plenary Keynote – Enlightened Disruption

  • Kevin S. Parikh – Chairman & CEO, Avasant
9:20AM - 9:50AM

Fireside Chat – ART OF DISRUPTION: TURNING INTELLIGENT DIGITAL INVESTMENTS INTO BUSINESS OUTCOMES

  • RJ Hazra – IT CFO, Equifax
  • Daphne Jones – Chief Executive Officer, The Board Curators
  • Anupam Govil – Managing Partner, and Summit Chair, Avasant (Moderator)
9:50AM - 10:20AM

COFFEE AND SNACK BREAK

10:20AM - 10:55AM

Panel Discussion – Digital Transformation at Scale: Leveraging Platforms for Innovation and Growth

(Plenary Ballroom)

  • Gareth Gaston – CDPO and EVP, U.S. Bank
  • Jo Ann Tan – Strategic BU Leader, Capital Markets, Cognizant
  • Neeraj Khanna – Head of Enterprise Global Services Strategy & Enablement, Truist
  • Tom Soderstrom – Enterprise Strategist, Amazon Web Services
  • Andre Sole – Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – Reality Check: How can media survive the coming disruption?

(Executive Room)

  • Bharat Krish – Chief Product Officer, Newsweek
  • Ghalib Kassam – EVP, Chief Information Officer, Los Angeles Times
  • Chad Hamilton – VP, IT, Fremantle
  • Robert Joslin –Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)
10:55AM - 11:30AM

Panel Discussion – Enabling The Smart Enterprise: Harnessing AI for Industry 4.0

(Plenary Ballroom)

  • Vignesh Markandan – VP, Industrial and Retail, Hitachi Digital Services
  • Sandeep Sakharkar- CIO, GXO Logistics
  • Anthony Moses – Global Head of Strategy and Innovation, Yamaha Motor Finance
  • Bharat Amin – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – From Aisles to Algorithms: Navigating the Phygital Retail Experience

(Executive Room)

  • Walter Yosafat – CIO, Capri Holdings
  • James Whatley – CIO, Mary Kay
  • Ronald Johnson – CIO, Gelson’s Market
  • Fred Pond – Former CIO, Columbia Sportswear, and Avasant Distinguished Fellow (Moderator)
11:30AM - 11:50AM

CXO Deep Dive – Leading in the Intelligence Age

(Plenary Ballroom)

  • Richie Etwaru – Chief AI Officer, Mobeus

Research Insights – State of the Enterprise: IT Spending Trends for 2024 and Beyond

(Executive Room)

  • Frank Scavo – Sr. Partner and President, Avasant Research
  • Shael Roopchand – Director, Corporate Strategy, Avasant
  • Dave Wagner – Senior Research Director, Avasant
11:50AM - 12:20AM

Fireside Chat – The Future of Health: Harmonizing Cost and Care Through Digitalization

  • Tim Skeen – EVP and Enterprise CIO, Sentara Health
  • Rick Hopfer – SVP & CIO, HMSA
  • Matthew Barlow – Healthcare Lead, and Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)
12:20PM - 1:30PM

LUNCH

1:30PM - 2:05PM

Panel Discussion – Leveraging Gen AI for Enabling Enterprise Transformation

(Plenary Ballroom)

  • Miku Jha – Director AI ML and Gen AI, Google Cloud
  • Chris Donahoe – EVP and Head of AI Strategy, Edelman Smithfield
  • Vikrant Karnik – SVP, Genpact
  • Amit Srivastav – Venture Partner, Fusion Fund
  • Larry Godec  – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant(Moderator)

Panel Discussion – Innovation in Aerospace & Defense: Embracing New Technologies While Managing Risks

(Executive Room)

  • Dan Hedsrom – VP and Chief Information Officer, Cubic Corporation
  • Dave Whitaker – VP and CIO, General Atomics
  • Alexandra Landeggar – CISO, Collins Aerospace
  • Naresh Lachmandas – Aerospace & Defence Lead and Partner, Avasant (Moderator)
2:05PM - 2:40PM

Panel Discussion – Cyber-Proofing The Enterprise: Protecting from Core to the Edge

(Plenary Ballroom)

  • Alexandra Landeggar – CISO, Collins Aerospace
  • Trina Ford, – CISO, iHeartMedia
  • Pankit Desai – Co-founder and CEO, Sequretrek
  • Hiren Dave – CIO/CISO, Essen Health Care
  • John Caruthers – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE: NURTURING GROWTH IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY

(Executive Room)

  • Cynthia McKenzie – VP, Co-founder and Board Member, STEM Advantage
  • Tembi (Sibanda) Hommes – Global Chief Data Officer, Arup
  • Anish Sethi – Chief, Data Solutions Centre, UN ICC
  • Chitra Rajeshwari – Executive Director, Avasant Foundation(Moderator)
2:40PM - 3:10PM

Panel Discussion – DRIVING BUSINESS AGILITY: SHIFTING TO A DIGITAL OPERATING MODEL

(Plenary Ballroom)

  • Ganesh Kumar – SEVP, OFG Bancorp
  • Patricia Sedeno – SVP Global Finance Shared Services, Sony Music
  • Richard Kabrt – Corporate Vice President, WNS North America
  • Nora Osman – President/CEO of Norvana (and Fellow of Institute for Digital Transformation
  • Shobhit Patnaik – Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – Leveraging AI Across Industries: Invaluable Lessons From the Frontlines

(Executive Room)

  • Hiten Patel – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant
  • Steven Gerst – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant
  • Jay Weinstein – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant
  • Julia Bardmesser – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant
  • Jim Rinaldi – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant (Moderator)
3:10PM - 3:40PM

COFFEE AND SNACK BREAK

3:40PM - 4:15PM

Panel Discussion – AI Powered Healthcare: Advancements, Challenges, and Opportunities

(Plenary Ballroom)

  • Luke Rockenbach –  Regional CFO (North California), Providence
  • Anand Nair – Healthcare Lead, UST
  • Vinay Kulkarni – Vice President of Clinical Technologies, Scan
  • Raj Kadam – SVP, Health Plan Operations & CIO, Liberty Dental
  • Nishant Verma – Healthcare Lead and Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – Big Tech vs Emerging Tech: Where is real innovation happening?

(Executive Room)

  • Sanjit Singh Dang, PhD – Chairman and Co-Founder, U First Capital
  • Nneka Ukpai – Chief Investment Officer, Pop Venture
  • Oksana (Mindyuk) Malysheva – Managing Partner/CEO, Sputnik ATX VC
  • Rakesh Patro – Partner, Avasant
4:15PM - 4:45PM

Fireside Chat – Re-Shaping The Future of Tech Enabled Services

  • John Fremont – Global GBS and AI Lead, DXC
  • Daniel Yang – Chief Customer and Innovation Officer, MGM Resorts International
  • Akshay Khanna – Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)
4:45PM - 5:15PM

Closing Keynote – The AI Enabled Innovation Era

  • Yogesh Agarwal – VP, Data Center GPU Business, Nvidia
5:15PM - 5:20PM

Closing Remarks

  • Anupam Govil – Managing Partner, and Summit Chair, Avasant
  • Samantha Rattan – Sr. Manager, Corporate Strategy, Avasant
5:30PM - 7:00PM

Closing Reception

EMPOWERING BEYOND SPEAKERS

Keynote Speakers

Kevin S. Parikh

Chairman & CEO
Avasant

Atti Riazi

SVP and CIO
Hearst

Rodrigo Kede Lima

President of Americas Enterprise
Microsoft

Yuri Aguiar

Chief Enterprise Data Officer
The WPP Group

Yogesh Agrawal

VP, Data Center GPU Business
NVIDIA

Session Speakers

Sean Kenny

SVP and CIO
Carnival Cruise Line

James Whatley

Chief Information Officer
Mary Kay Inc.

Luke Rockenbach

Regional CFO North California
Providence

Jyoti Chopra

Chief People, Inclusion & Sustainability Officer
MGM Resorts International

RJ Hazra

SVP and CFO
Equifax

Gareth Gaston

Chief Digital Product Officer, Enterprise Platforms
U.S. Bank

Richie Etwaru

Chief AI Officer
Mobeus

Oliver Gall

Chief Procurement Officer
Prudential Financial

Walter Yosafat

CIO
Capri Holdings

Daphne E. Jones

Award-Winning CEO
The Board Curators

Tim Skeen

EVP and Enterprise CIO
Sentara Healthcare

Daniel Yang

Chief Customer and Innovation Officer
MGM Resorts International

Chris Donahoe

Executive Vice President and Head of AI Strategy
Edelman Smithfield

Sanjay Bhakta

Chief Product & Technology Officer
Condé Nast

Bharat Krish

Chief Product Officer
Newsweek

Anish Sethi

Chief, Digital Solutions Centre
UN ICC

Nora Osman

President/CEO
Norvana

Ganesh Kumar

SEVP
OFG Bancorp

Dan Hedstrom

VP & CIO
Cubic Corporation

David Whitaker

VP & CIO
General Atomics

Brian Kernan

Vice President, Indirect Procurement & Vendor Management
Republic National Distributing Company

Trina Ford

Chief Information Security Officer
iHeartMedia

Brian Tossan

Chief Technology Officer
Greater Toronto Airports Authority

Raj Kadam

SVP, Health Plan Operations & CIO
Liberty Dental

Tom Soderstrom

Enterprise Strategist
Amazon Web Services

Alexandra Landeggar

CISO
Collins Aerospace

Pankit Desai

Co-founder and CEO
Sequretek

Cynthia McKenzie

VP, Co-founder and Board Member
STEM Advantage

Peter Nag

Global Head Business Process Outsourcing, Shared Services & Transformation
Merck

Rick Hopfer

SVP & CIO
HMSA, Blue Cross Blue Shield Hawaii

Anand Nair

VP, Healthcare Technology
UST

Neeraj Khanna

Head of Global Services Delivery
Truist

Hiren Dave

CIO/CISO
Essen Health Care

Tembi Hommes

Global Chief Data Officer
Arup

John Fremont

VP, Business Leadership
DXC

Rusty Kennington

CIO
Oldcastle Building Envelope

Patricia Sedano

SVP Global Finance Shared Services
Sony Music

Vignesh Markandan

VP, Industrial and Retail
Hitachi Digital Services

Steven Allsop

Former Executive Director - Professional Services Category Lead
SMBC Group

Sandeep Sakharkar

CIO
GXO Logistics

Vikrant Karnik

SVP
Genpact

Tony Menezes

Global Managing Partner, Business Process Operations
IBM Consulting

Kirk Mitchell

Director, Vendor Management Organization
BCBSA

Miku Jha

Director, AI/ML and Generative AI
Google Cloud

Fred Pond

Distinguished Fellow
Avasant

Larry Godec

Distinguished Fellow
Avasant

Ruth Steinberg

Principal & ERP Practice Lead
Avasant

Anupam Govil

Managing Partner, and Summit Chair
Avasant

Frank Scavo

Sr. Partner and President
Avasant Research

Dave Wagner

Sr. Research Director
Avasant

Nishant Verma

Managing Partner
Avasant

Matthew Barlow

Managing Partner
Avasant

Mike Wheeler

Supply Chain Practice Leader
Avasant

Jo Ann Tan

Strategic BU Leader, Capital Markets
Cognizant

Joel Raper

General Manager and SVP of Digital Workplace Solutions
Unisys

Chitra Rajeshwari

Principal, Avasant and Executive Director
Avasant Foundation

Akshay Khanna

Managing Partner
Avasant

Bharat Amin

Distinguished Fellow
Avasant

Shael Roopchand

Director
Avasant

Swapnil Bhatnagar

Partner
Avasant

Naresh Lachmandas

Partner and Sr. Fellow
Avasant

Chandrika Dutt

Associate Research Director
Avasant

Robert Joslin

Managing Partner
Avasant

Shobhit Patnaik

Partner and Business Transformation Lead
Avasant

Carlos Hernandez

Partner
Avasant

Andre Sole

Principal
Avasant

Jim Rinaldi

Distinguished Fellow
Avasant

Hiten Patel

Distinguished Fellow
Avasant

Steven Gerst

Distinguished Fellow
Avasant

Jay Weinstein

Distinguished Fellow
Avasant

Julia Bardmesser

Distinguished Fellow
Avasant

Rakesh Patro

Partner
Avasant

Chirag Rawat

Sr. Research Director
Avasant

Sanjit Singh Dang

Chairman and Co-Founder
U First Capital

Oksana Malysheva

Managing Partner / CEO
Sputnik ATX VC

Vinay Kukarni

Vice President Clinical Technologies
Scan

Eric Dupuy

Chief Revenue Officer
Teleperformance

Amit Srivastav

Venture Partner
Fusion Fund

Richard Kabrt

SVP Head of Advisor Relations
WNS Global Services

Note From Summit Chair, Anupam Govil

Empowering Beyond Summit is a premium event where C-level executives from large enterprises come together to learn, ideate and co-create. We curate content that is ahead of the business and technology disruption curve to help you capture the next wave of opportunity.

Join us in 2024 for an engaging leadership experience with high-value takeaways to elevate your enterprise.

Anupam Govil
EB Summit Chair
Managing Partner, Avasant

Empowering Beyond Summit 2024 Sponsors

Loews Hollywood, California

Empowering Beyond Summit 2024 will be held in impeccable style at the luxurious Loews Hollywood Hotel. Enjoy premium accommodation at an iconic location with classic and stunning city views.

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EMPOWERING BEYOND SUMMIT TESTIMONIALS

Kevin S. Parikh
Chariman & CEO, Avasant

Anupam Govil
Managing Partner, Avasant

Asha Saxena
Founder & CEO, WLDA.TECH

Fernando Pons
COO, CEPI

About Empowering Beyond

Empowering Beyond Summit (EBS), Avasant’s flagship annual event, brings together over 350 senior level executives representing innovative companies across industries, for two days of visionary insights, meaningful engagement, and immersive experiences.

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