Agenda

Supporting Transformative Innovation
Schedule-at-a-Glance will be continuously updated as additional information becomes available.

Monday, September 15, 2025 | Annual Growth Innovation Leadership Council Meeting and Event Kick-Off

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12:00 pm

Growth Innovation Leadership Council Registration: Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center

*Please note participation in the Council’s Annual Meeting is restricted to Council Members and Associate Members only. Please visit the Council Tab above for more information.

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12:15 pm

Annual Growth Innovation Leadership Council Meeting and Networking Luncheon

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5:45 pm

Growth Innovation Leadership Annual Council Meeting Concludes

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6:00 pm

Happy Hour Hangout: Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center

Join us for the Happy Hour Hangout, a perfect opportunity to network, connect with peers, and build relationships in a relaxed and casual setting. Kick off the event with great conversations, beer, wine, and good vibes as we unwind together. Come set the tone for an unforgettable experience!

Tuesday, September 16, 2025 | Innovation Workshop and Networking

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8:30 am

Registration and Continental Breakfast: Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech

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9:00 am

Participant Meet ‘n’ Greet

This networking activity offers practitioners a valuable opportunity to quickly connect with peers facing similar challenges. It’s an excellent way to identify participants with valuable thought leadership and lay the foundation for meaningful discussions throughout the event.

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9:30 AM

WELCOME AND HEADLINER – Innovation by Design: Creating Alignment, Value, and Cultural Shift

John Avery, Director, Advanced Technology Development Center, Georgia Tech
Growth Innovation Leadership Council Member

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 AveryJohn 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.

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10:15 AM

EXECUTIVE INSIGHT – It Starts with the Customer Problem

Andrew Seleznov, Head of AR Production, Arcadia Creative Studio, Snap Inc.
Jim Sowden, Head of Creative | Arcadia Studio, Snap Inc.

Rockstar Insights:

Andrew SeleznovAndrew Seleznov
Head of AR Production, Arcadia Creative Studio
Snap Inc.

Why You Should Listen to Andrew:
Andrew oversees directing, supervising, and delegating duties to a team of world-class Lens Production professionals at Snap’s Arcadia Creative Studio. He has also been an integral part of innovative partnerships with brands like L’Oreal, Coca Cola, Nike, Disney, and Live Nation. Working with “never done before” projects requires a lot of creativity and flexibility in terms of new production approaches definition.

Jim SowdenJim 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.

 

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10:45 AM

Networking and Refreshment Break

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11:05 AM

CONCURRENT COLLABORATION ZONES – ROUNDTABLES

Roundtable sessions capture the power of all participants’ voices, insights and experiences via group discussion and exploration of the issue at hand.

Choose one of the following zones:

Zone 1.
Beyond the Core: Securing Resources for Transformational Innovation in a Constrained Environment

Donna Worley, Senior Director, Strategy, Business Operations & Innovation, United Surgical Partners International, Inc

Rockstar Insight:

Donna Worley Donna Worley
Senior Director, Strategy, Business Operations & Innovation
United Surgical Partners International, Inc
 
Why You Should Listen to Donna:
Bio is forthcoming.

Zone 2.
AI and the Innovation Ladder: Rethinking How We Develop the Next Generation of Innovators

Joshua Tamayo-Sarver, Vice President of Innovation, Vituity

Rockstar Insight:

Joshua Tamayo-SarverJoshua Tamayo-Sarver
Vice President of Innovation
Vituity
 
Why You Should Listen to Joshua:
Bio is forthcoming.
 

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12:15 PM

Networking Luncheon

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1:15 PM

HEADLINER – Driving Agility: Reducing Internal Barriers to Innovation Success

Jürgen Weichenberger, Head of AI Strategy & Innovation, Schneider Electric

Headliner:

Jürgen Weichenberger Jürgen Weichenberger
Head of AI Strategy & Innovation
Schneider Electric
 
Why You Should Listen to Jürgen:
Bio is forthcoming.
 

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1:45 PM

ASK THE EXPERTS! Panel Discussion – Sustaining Innovation: Structuring Teams and Processes to Support Each Stage of the Journey

Moderator:
Emil Radulescu, R&D Head, Robotic Instruments, Johnson & Johnson

Panelists Include:
Kassandra Díaz-Rivera, R&D Director – Product Design & Technology Development | Charmin and Puffs Brands, Procter & Gamble
Patrick Kennedy, Senior Director, Growth Strategy & Analytics, Oak Street Health
David Massey, Digital Experience Director, UPS
Gracy Wingkono, Director of Corporate R&D (Global) – Materials and Sustainability, The Coca-Cola Company

Moderator:

Emil RadulescuEmil Radulescu
R&D Head, Robotic Instruments
Johnson & Johnson
 
Why You Should Listen to Emil:
Bio is forthcoming.
 

Panelists Include:

Kassandra Díaz-Rivera Kassandra Díaz-Rivera
R&D Director – Product Design & Technology Development | Charmin and Puffs Brands
Procter & Gamble
 
Why You Should Listen to Kassandra:
Bio is forthcoming.
 
Patrick Kennedy 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.
 
David MasseyDavid 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.
 
Gracy WingkonoGracy Wingkono
Director of Corporate R&D (Global) – Materials and Sustainability
The Coca-Cola Company
 
Why You Should Listen to Gracy:
Bio is forthcoming.
 

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2:30 PM

Networking and Refreshment Break

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2:50 PM

CONCURRENT COLLABORATION ZONES – CASE HISTORIES

Case Histories explore a specific use case and include informal conversations that draw upon the experience and expertise of the featured executive and participants.

Choose one of the following zones:

Zone 1.
Motivating and Incentivizing Transformative Innovation

Christy Overall, Director of Innovation, LivaNova

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:

  • Learn about LivaNova’s 4 pillars of innovation transformation and how various functions work together to drive innovation
  • Understand 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 OverallChristy 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.

Zone 2.
Calculating the Risks and Rewards of Transformative Innovation

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3:55 PM

Session to Session Travel Time

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4:00 PM

CAPSTONE – Fail Forward: Turning Setbacks into Steppingstones

Steven Smith, Head of Innovation Design/Vice President, Crocs, Inc.

Headliner:

Steven Smith Steven Smith
Head of Innovation Design/Vice President
Crocs, Inc.
 
Why You Should Listen to Steven:
Bio is forthcoming.

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4:30 PM

Networking Reception

Close out the day with drinks, small bites and meaningful connections with fellow peers in a relaxed yet entertaining setting!

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 I Innovation Tours and Networking

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8:00 am

Innovation Tours Check-In and Continental Breakfast: Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center

Innovation tours shuttle transportation provided.

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8:30 am

Shuttle Departs for Innovation Tours

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9:00 am

Innovation Center Tour of the Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility

As a flagship component of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI), AMPF is a special place where industry works alongside researchers and students to take early-stage concepts from idea to reality. Recently, Georgia Tech and the AMPF facility are supporting a statewide initiative that combines artificial intelligence and manufacturing innovations with transformational workforce and outreach programs.

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10:30 AM

Innovation Center Tour of The Invention Studio

The Invention Studio at Georgia Tech is the largest student-run makerspace in the nation and has attracted thousands of members and users since its founding in 2009. The Studio’s mission is to empower students, staff, and faculty to design, build, and play together.

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11:45 AM

Shuttle Departs for Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center

Register Now!

For further information or to register, call Jason Doty, Senior Director, Events & Leadership Councils on +1-210-247-2471, or email him at jason.doty@frost.com

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