Agenda

Abstract:
Why do 90% of corporate innovation labs fail, becoming expensive “innovation theatre” instead of engines for growth? And what if the key to dominating the future isn’t inventing the next big thing, but building a corporate machine that is ruthlessly effective at commercializing innovations sourced from the outside world?

Action Items:

• Evaluate your current innovation structure
• Develop a draft Scorecard for your innovation project
• Facilitate a workshop between your innovation team and your procurement, legal, and IT departments

Headliner:

John Avery
Director, Advanced Technology Development Center
Georgia Tech
Growth Innovation Leadership Council Member
 
Why You Should Listen to John:
John is a serial entrepreneur who holds nine patents and was part of four startups. Formally, John was Engineering Group Manager of Panasonic Automotive Systems Innovation Center at the Georgia Tech campus.; he oversaw the development projects in next-generation automotive systems including, infotainment, bio-sensing, machine vision, deep learning, and heads-up displays. In 2018 John became the Director of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), the state of Georgia’s startup incubator with more than 150 tech startups in the portfolio.

Abstract:

Explore how leading brands are unlocking new audiences and seeing significant growth by connecting the customer experience with innovative new canvases. With a laser focus on users, learn how an agile innovation studio, distinct from an agency model, leverages diverse expertise and cutting-edge tech to transform abstract challenges into tangible solutions.

Action Items:

• Navigate the dual mandate of making sure a customer’s business challenges remain core to the solution, but build for the users who need to love the experience
• Build deep integration between internal teams and external innovation partners to co-create solutions that resonate with both brand objectives and end-user demands
• Develop an environment where the strategic application of advanced technologies becomes the foundation of breakthrough, industry-defining customer experiences

 

Rockstar Insight:

Jim Sowden
Head of Creative | Arcadia Studio
Snap Inc.
 
Why You Should Listen to Jim:
Jim is Head of Creative at Snap’s Arcadia Innovation Studio, where he partners with brands to use new technology to create innovative and immersive experiences that bend reality and deliver measurable business results. He has led programs with global brands including Nike, Coke, Google, BMW, Mercedes, Louis Vuitton, Nestle, and Samsung, and is passionate about exploring the intersection of art and commerce through new platforms applied to creative challenges.
 

Abstract:
In today’s resource-constrained environment, innovation leaders must think beyond traditional budgets and structures to unlock funding, talent, and support. This interactive session explores practical approaches to secure and sustain transformative innovation by aligning strategy, reframing value, and building internal coalitions.

Action Items:

• Reframe innovation initiatives to align with enterprise-level priorities and secure cross-functional sponsorship
• Develop a coalition of internal advocates to unlock non-traditional resources, reduce resistance, and build early momentum
• Identify and repurpose underutilized assets—teams, tools, or workflows—as catalysts for low-cost, high-impact transformation

Rockstar Insight:

Donna Worley
Senior Director, Strategy, Business Operations & Innovation
United Surgical Partners International, Inc
 
Why You Should Listen to Donna:
Donna is a healthcare operations and transformation leader with over 15 years of experience driving innovation across ambulatory surgery centers and physician networks. She has led enterprise-wide implementation and integration initiatives, including SaaS platform rollouts and cross-functional operational redesigns. Donna specializes in aligning clinical, business, and technology strategies to enable scalable growth and performance. She is passionate about advancing care delivery through collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and human-centered innovation.

Abstract:
Artificial intelligence has changed the way work gets done, but one of its greatest disruption may be on the work of innovation itself. As we navigate the hype of a future nirvana and the dire warnings of end of days, we must still manage our portfolio of innovations and develop the next generation of innovators. In this interactive session, you will hear how top innovators are responding to the disruption to the innovation process from AI, and learn different approaches to teaching, mentoring, and developing innovation experts when every answer is only a prompt away.

Action Items:

• Understand how AI has altered the way innovation gets done
• Identify challenges facing young innovators trying to build innovation skills
• Map a path for an innovator from entry level to visionary leader

Rockstar Insight:

Joshua Tamayo-Sarver, MD, PhD
Vice President of Innovation
Vituity and Inflect Health
 
Why You Should Listen to Joshua:
Since 2008, Josh has been innovating within a large, national, multispecialty physician group that treats over 12 million patients per year. During that time he has successfully developed, launched and scaled over 35 health technology products, failed on several hundred ideas, and mentored dozens of talented innovators along the way. He does not have definitive answers, but many hypotheses drawn from years of experience in the trenches.
 

Abstract:
Reduced Friction = Happy Teams = Increased Pace of Innovation. Discussion is around leveraging the next generation AI to address the organizational and cultural friction points that are common with cross-functional teams, improving internal efficiency and impacting time constraints. By combining these elements through AI, we can drive more Innovation Success.

Headliner:

Jürgen Weichenberger
Head of AI Strategy & Innovation
Schneider Electric
 
Why You Should Listen to Jürgen:
Jürgen brings over 25 years of experience in designing and delivering complex solutions that harness the power of advanced analytics, data science, database architecture, and other emerging technologies. A pioneer in the AI space since the mid-1990s, he has developed innovative solutions across a wide range of industries, continually evolving his approach with advancements in methodology and technology. In 2022, Jürgen joined Schneider Electric as Vice President of AI Strategy & Innovation. In this role, he focuses on delivering industry-grade AI solutions by integrating core algorithms, robotics, cybernetics, and human intelligence into scalable, real-world applications.
 

Abstract:
Many organizations can innovate once, but only a few can do it repeatedly and reliably. Join us for an interactive panel discussion on how team structures that balance stability and execution with flexibility and creativity can foster a sustainable innovation process.

Action Items:

• Leverage best practices for supporting each stage of the innovation journey – from making early big bets and de-risking with a fail-fast mindset, to funneling innovation through product development and launch, and ultimately to sustaining activities
• Build a resilient innovation culture – one that adapts to market shifts, overcomes organizational fatigue, and blends structure with creative freedom

Moderator:

Emil Radulescu
R&D Head, Robotic Instruments
Johnson & Johnson
 
Why You Should Listen to Emil:
Emil is a global leader with over 20 years of experience developing state-of-the-art medical devices that prioritize the needs of patients and clinicians, helping people live healthier, longer, and happier lives. He currently leads the R&D teams for Johnson & Johnson MedTech Instruments & Accessories in surgical robotics, driving the development of innovative, complex solutions that advance patient care.
 

Panelists Include:

Patrick Kennedy
Senior Director, Growth Strategy & Analytics
Oak Street Health
 
Why You Should Listen to Patrick:
Patrick has scaled Oak Street Health, a leading Value-Based Care provider, from 20 centers to over 250 centers nationwide. Throughout this scaling, he has led several strategic initiatives to optimize team structures, implemented tools to drive efficiency and optimized processes to create sustainable, repeatable systems.
 
Sean Mallean
Head of Global Innovation
NCR Atleos
 
Why You Should Listen to Sean:
Sean leads enterprise-wide initiatives driving both internal and external innovation at NCR Atleos. With over 30 years of experience as an innovation leader, Sean has successfully brought products from concept to launch across his own startups and global organizations including JPMorgan Chase, Sage, and Equifax. His career spans a diverse range of industries, consistently delivering transformative solutions and fostering high-performing teams.
 
David Massey
Digital Experience Director
UPS
 
Why You Should Listen to David:
David has spearheaded customer-centric digital transformation for over two decades, pioneering UPS’s Experience Design revolution through data-driven optimization. As a digital transformation leader, he established UPS’s first customer co-creation programs that significantly improved digital experiences on ups.com and across UPS’s global digital ecosystem spanning 225 countries in 38 languages, directly contributing to substantial business growth and enhanced customer satisfaction.
 
Josh Shabtai
Senior Director, Spatial Commerce
Lowe’s Innovation Labs
 
Why You Should Listen to Josh:
Josh leads a team responsible for accelerating the future of home improvement retail, specifically by turning frontier technologies like AI, robotics, and spatial computing into scalable, trusted experiences. Over his 20+ year career—whether as an augmented reality videogame designer, connected toy startup founder, or advertising creative director—Josh has steered numerous large organizations like Best Buy/Geek Squad, J&J, Lucasfilm, and Hasbro towards breakthrough applications of emerging technologies.
 
Gracy Wingkono
Director of Corporate R&D (Global) – Materials and Sustainability
The Coca-Cola Company
 
Why You Should Listen to Gracy:
For the past two decades, Gracy has championed and led efforts in transformational materials discovery and management, driving meaningful progress toward a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable future. With a foundation in chemical engineering and a focus on biology and bioremediation, she brings a multidisciplinary approach to solving complex challenges. Passionate about education as a force for good, Gracy continues to build on her expertise to create lasting impact in the communities she serves.
 

Abstract:
The underlying foundation of all transformation is culture. And the best cultural shifts are promoted through an intentional communication strategy and through leaders willing to walk the walk. Learn from LivaNova how to set a vision for innovation transformation, how to communicate it, and how to promote a cultural shift.

Action Items:

• Leverage the insight gained on LivaNova’s 4 pillars of innovation transformation and how various functions work together to drive innovation
• Identify how to highlight the burning platform through new innovation focused KPIs and setting of the future-state vision
• Promote change through the definition of 5 dimensions of an innovative culture and an underlying focus on shared language

Rockstar Insight:

Christy Overall
Director of Innovation
LivaNova
 
Why You Should Listen to Christy:
Christy spent 15 years in consulting, convincing teams and departments to implement change they didn’t ask for (often successfully). She has worked with a broad range of companies from Coca-Cola to Johnson & Johnson and has found that the common denominator in successful change is that people want to be told the truth and want to be inspired. Now in industry, her current role focuses on driving innovation transformation in Medical Technology.

Abstract:
This session highlights why transformative innovation is no longer optional but essential for organizational growth. It explores how to evaluate its risks and rewards, and how bold, well-calculated innovation drives lasting impact in an increasingly competitive and fast-changing world.

Action Items:

• Facilitate open conversations around what’s holding back bold innovation internally
• Share examples with peers to spark new ideas and cross-industry insights
• Collaborate with different functions to explore innovation from multiple perspectives

Rockstar Insight:

Raul Maya Ramirez
Senior Director of Engineering (Automation & Innovation)
EssilorLuxottica
 
Why You Should Listen to Raul:
With 18 years of hands-on experience in logistics operations, including 12 years in executive leadership roles, Raul brings deep expertise across the automotive and consumer goods sectors. He has successfully led high-impact, high-CAPEX projects from initial cost calculation through to full stabilization. Currently, Raul is spearheading transformative automation initiatives for the global leader in the optical industry, driving innovation and operational excellence at scale.

Abstract:
Setbacks are inevitable in innovation, but they don’t have to stall progress. This session explores a “Fail Forward” principle, foundational to organizational transformation. Alex will share a practical framework to navigate resistance, embrace uncertainty, and drive creative breakthroughs.

Action Items:

• Nurture a disruptor’s mindset in the organization, and the necessity of taking personal risk in pursuit of meaningful change
• Create space to fail and a structural support for experimental initiatives
• Manage perceptions and build credibility and influence while challenging established norms

Headliner:

Alex Gonzalez
Chief Innovation & Marketing Officer
Metro Atlanta Chamber
 
Why You Should Listen to Alex:
Alex is the Chief Innovation and Marketing Officer at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, where he partners with corporations, entrepreneurs, and creators to promote the nation’s eighth-largest metro region. He is the author of Disruptor and brings over 25 years of leadership experience across Fortune 500s, startups, and civic organizations. Formerly with Equifax and GE, Alex is known for driving growth and innovation. He founded Highwire Group, hosts The Disruptor Studio, and actively serves on several nonprofit boards supporting youth, culture, and economic development.