Empowering Beyond Summit 2026

EBS26 will be an incredible platform for visionary insights from influential leaders across industries. 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 will connect executive peers and incredible thought leaders on how to leverage the power of tech enabled services to drive sustained success.

THE EMPOWERING BEYOND EXPERIENCE

Days of Immersive Experiences

+ C-Level Executives

+ Thought Leaders

+ Inspiring Sessions

Empowering Beyond Summit 2026 Agenda

Sunday, May 3rd

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.

WORKSHOP: AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE

WORKSHOP: BFSI

WORKSHOP: HEALTHCARE & AI

WORKSHOP: AI/Retail/Travel & Transportation/Media

5:00PM – 7:30PM

Dinner

Monday, May 4th

Time

Session

8:00AM – 10:30AM

The Avafit Experience

An energizing and inclusive way to kick off EBS26.
Vista Lawns at the Waterfront Hotel.

Start your morning with networking and healthy breakfast in a relaxed outdoor setting, followed by a full group warm-up to set the tone for the day. From there, guests can choose from a range of wellness activities, including yoga, beach walks, and massage sessions—designed to suit every pace and preference.

11:00AM – 12:00PM

REGISTRATION OPENS

(Breakwater Prefunction)

LUNCH

(Breakwater Terrace)

12:45PM – 1:00PM

OPENING REMARKS – WELCOME TO AVASANT’S 2026 EMPOWERING BEYOND SUMMIT!

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Anupam Govil – Summit Chair and Managing Partner, Avasant
Korea Gilreath – MC

1:00PM – 1:30PM

Opening Keynote – Weaponized Intelligence: How AI Redefines Power, Risk, and Leadership

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Snehal Antani – CEO, Horizon3.ai

1:30PM – 2:00PM

Fireside Chat – Thriving Amid Continuous Disruption: Humans, AI, and the Future of Enterprise

(Breakwater Ballroom)

George Mathew – Managing Director, Insight Partners
Philip Guido – Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, AMD
Anupam Govil – Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

2:00PM – 2:30PM

Fireside Chat – The Agentic Organization: Designing an Intelligent Operating Model

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Eric Shea – Partner, PwC
Eric Iverson – CTO, UTA
Akshay Khanna – Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

2:30PM – 2:50PM

CXO Deep Dive – From Models to Stewardship: Reframing the AI Conversation

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Max Chan – SVP and Global Chief Information Officer, Avnet

Avasant Research Insights – Unveiling Enterprise Tech and AI Spend for 2026/2027

(Coastal Ballroom)

Dave Wagner – Senior Research Director, Avasant
Ruth Steinberg – Partner, Avasant

2:50PM – 3:15PM

BREAK

3:15PM – 3:50PM

Panel Discussion – Leapfrogging Enterprise Transformation: From Automation to Autonomy

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Gaurav Rastogi – Senior Director of Data and Analytics, Hertz
Rahul Lele – Director, Strategy & Planning – Office of the CIO, IFF
Gagan Puranik – Global Head of IT Labor & Services, Prudential Financial
Shridar Jayakumar – Partner, Growth & Expansion, Americas, IBM Consulting
Shobhit Patnaik – Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

Enterprise Case Study – AI is not the Advantage. Governed AI is.

(Coastal Ballroom)

Mina De Oliveira – VP, Enterprise Resources, Norfolk Southern
Carlos Hernandez – Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

3:50PM – 4:25PM

Panel Discussion – How AI Is Rewriting the Healthcare Payor Playbook

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Kirk Mitchell – Sr. Manager, VMO, BCBSA
Josh Zalen – SVP and Chief Information Officer, Independent Health
Ajoy Ranga – Chief Digital Officer, UST
Nishant Verma – Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – Cybersecurity in the Age of Autonomous Systems: Securing AI-Driven Enterprises

(Coastal Ballroom)

Soleil Dolce – CISO, CVS Health
Maylee Sanchez – Chief Information Officer, Health Choice Network
Sreeveni Kancharla – Chief Information Officer, Sailpoint
Michael Silverman – Security and Emerging Tech Researcher
Matthew Hom – Business Information Security Officer, RTX
Jay Weinstein – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant (Moderator)

4:25PM – 5:00PM

Panel Discussion – Fortifying Aerospace & Defense: Converting Resilient Supply Chains into Market Advantage

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Will Setiyawan – Global ERP Lead, Northrop Grumman
Rahul Dharni – Global Chief Information Officer, Pratt and Whitney
Tameika Hollis – Chief Information Officer, Aerospace Corp
Jishnu Mullick – Principal, Deloitte
Naresh Lachmandas – Avasant Partner and Distinguished Fellow (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – C-Suite Insights: Futureproofing Business against Geo-political and Market Uncertainties

(Coastal Ballroom)

Fred Pond – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant (Moderator)
Ray Barnard – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant
Erica Hausheer – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant
William Bangert – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant
Larry Godec – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant

5:00PM – 5:30PM

Closing Keynote – Symbiotics: The Coevolution of Humans & Machines

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Dr. Khizer Khaderi – Founder & Director, Stanford Human Perception Lab

5:30PM – 5:35PM

Day 1 Wrap Up & Closing Remarks

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Walter Yosafat – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant
Korea Gilreath – MC

5:45PM – 7:15PM

Opening Reception

(Huntington Pool)

7:30PM – 9:00PM

Dinner

(Vista Lawns)

Tuesday, May 5th

Time

Session

7:00AM – 8:00AM

Breakfast & Networking

(Vista Lawns)

8:00AM – 8:10AM

Opening Remarks – Welcome to Day 2!

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Anupam Govil – Summit Chair and Managing Partner, Avasant
Korea Gilreath – MC

8:15AM – 8:45AM

Opening Keynote – The Innovation Advantage: A New Operating Model for the Enterprise

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Gamiel Gran – Chief Commercial Officer, Mayfield Fund

8:45AM – 9:20AM

Plenary Keynote – FutureProofed! Building Resilience in Uncertainty

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Kevin Parikh – Chairman and CEO, Avasant

9:20AM – 9:50AM

Fireside Chat – From Vision to Outcomes: Navigating in an Everchanging World

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Rashmi Kumar – SVP and Global Chief Information Officer, Medtronic
Aayush Bhatnagar – Global Head, Customer Experience, Sysco
Anupam Govil – Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

9:50AM – 10:20AM

Fireside Chat – Future of Sourcing: Reimagining Services in the Age of Autonomous Delivery

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Manikandesh Venkatachalam – Chief Business Officer, LTM
Joseph Martinez – Chief Procurement Officer, DTCC
Andre Sole – Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

10:20AM – 10:50AM

BREAK

10:50AM – 11:10AM

CXO Deep Dive – Powering Digital Infrastructure: Fueling AI’s Explosive Growth

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Carl Fisher – Chief Operating Officer, NuScale

Research Insights – The Next Ten Years: Moonshots that will define the Future

(Coastal Ballroom)

Chandrika Dutt – Research Director, Avasant

11:10AM – 11:45AM

Panel Discussion – Leveraging AI and Fintech for Enabling the Bank of the Future

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Ramin Mobasseri – Head of Agentic AI Delivery, Wells Fargo
Girish Gajwani – VP, Technology, Barclays
Ajay Bhandari – Regional Head, US Banking, Infosys
Michael Nunez – Vice President, California Bank and Trust
Robert Joslin – Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – Revolutionizing HealthCare delivery through MedTech and AI

(Coastal Ballroom)

John Caruthers – BISO, CVS Health
Pawanjit Singh – Chief Information Officer, Centria Autism
Jitendra Vyas – Growth Alchemist, ThirdVoice AI
Mandeep Maini – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant (Moderator)

11:45AM – 12:20PM

Panel Discussion – De-risking Supply Chains: Harnessing AI to Offset Vulnerabilities in a Volatile Market

(Coastal Ballroom)

Jishnu Mullick – Principal, Deloitte
Hari Nagabhirava – Chief Supply Chain Officer, Cheesecake Factory
Nick Vyas – Founding Director, Global Supply Chain Institute, USC
Mike Wheeler – Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – Human First: How People and Culture Power AI Transformation

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Doris Tetz Carpenter – Chief Culture and Transformation Officer, Adventist Health
Radhika Paul – CEO, LuminAI
Rob Devers – Chief Information Officer, Majestic Realty
Walter Yosafat – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant (Moderator)

12:20PM – 12:45PM

Keynote – The Holy Grail of Transformation: Harmonizing Emerging Technologies

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Yuri Aguiar – SVP and Chief Technology Officer, Tokio Marine NA

12:45PM – 1:50PM

LUNCH

(Vista Lawns)

1:50PM – 2:25PM

Panel Discussion – The AI-Powered Retail Enterprise: Reimagining from Factory to Consumer

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Jubin Mundackal – VP, Global Data, Retail and Product Systems, Capri Holdings
Anne Marie Ippoliti – SVP, Digital Commerce, Michael Kors
Kerry O’Donnell – Head of AI, Interparfums, Inc
Boudhayan Mukherjee – Portfolio Account Executive, Wipro
Harvey Gluckman – Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – GCCs as Innovation Hubs: Balancing Cost, Talent, and Global Expansion

(Coastal Ballroom)

Arindam Mukhopadhyay – MD, Citi Finance
Jairo Quiros – SVP, Global Business Services and AI, Equifax
Ashwin Waghela – Partner, Avasant (Moderator)

2:25PM – 3:00PM

SparQ Presentation – Avasant’s Strategic Partnership for Advanced Research in Quantum & AI

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Shael Roopchand – Senior Director, Corporate Strategy, Avasant

Panel Discussion – The Quantum Effect: Preparing for the Computing Disruption

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Florenta Teodoridis, PhD – Associate Professor of Management and Organization, USC
David Steuerman, PhD – Architect of Impactful Public-Private Partnerships, UCLA
Nardo Manaloto – General Partner, Qubits Ventures
Hayk Tepanyan – Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer, BlueQubit
Jim Rinaldi – Distinguished Fellow, Avasant (Moderator)

Panel Discussion – Sustainability’s Future: Moving From Regulatory Mandates to Market Advantage

(Coastal Ballroom)

Chitra Rajeshwari – Executive Director and Principal, Avasant Foundation (Moderator)
Daniella Foster – SVP and Global Head of Sustainability, Bayer
Ann Tracy – Chief Sustainability Officer, Colgate Palmolive
Bonnie Nixon, PhD – ESG and Sustainability Director, Long Beach Container Terminal
Brad Sparks – Executive Director, Accounting for Sustainability Foundation USA

3:00PM – 3:30PM

COFFEE & SNACK BREAK

3:30PM – 4:00PM

Fireside Chat – Rethinking Tech Modernization: Turning Complexity into Competitive Advantage

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Drew Morefield – Vice President – Head of Americas Sales, DXC Technology
Pavan Pidugu – Chief Digital and Information Officer, Federal Department of Transportation
Bharat Amin – Co-chair Distinguished Fellow Program, Board of Trustees – The Aerospace Corp. (Moderator)

4:00PM – 4:20PM

CXO Deep Dive – The Playbook for Scaling AI

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Shaun Braun – Chief Information and Technology Officer, Zimmer Biomet

4:20PM – 4:50PM

Closing Keynote – Leading in the future: When AI and Geopolitics Redefine the Org Chart

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Mark Minevich – Global AI Strategist & Author, Our Planet Powered by AI

4:50PM – 5:00PM

Closing Remarks

(Breakwater Ballroom)

Anupam Govil – Managing Partner, Avasant
Korea Gilreath – MC

5:00PM – 6:30PM

Closing Reception

(Vista Lawns)

FEATURED SESSIONS

EMPOWERING BEYOND SUMMIT 2026 SPEAKERS

Keynote Speakers

CXO Deep Dive Speakers

Session Speakers

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 2026 for an engaging leadership experience with high-value takeaways to elevate your enterprise.

Anupam Govil
EB Summit Chair
Managing Partner, Avasant

Empowering Beyond Summit 2026 Sponsors

EMPOWERING BEYOND SUMMIT 2026 GALLERY

EMPOWERING BEYOND SUMMIT 2025 SESSION RECORDINGS

Inspiration Applied

Advancing AI

Rewiring the Enterprise through Gen AI

EMPOWERING BEYOND SUMMIT 2025 KEYNOTES

Kevin S. Parikh
Chariman & CEO, Avasant

Pradeep Gupta
VP Gen AI & Computing

Brian Solis
Head of Global Innovation, ServiceNow, 9x Bestselling Author

Anupam Govil
Managing Partner, Avasant

Philip Guido
Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, AMD

Olivia Gambelin
AI Ethicist, Ethical Intelligence

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.

Request a Complimentary Enterprise Pass

Enterprise Executives may be eligible for complimentary passes to Empowering Beyond Summit 2026. Send us a message and a member of our team will be in contact with further details.

Samantha Rattan

Content and Speaker Lead

Shael Roopchand

Senior Director, Corporate Strategy & Sustainability