Visionary Headliners, Rockstars &
Fab Facilitators
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Rockstar Insights
Elaine Barsoom
Former Global Head, Tech Innovation Partnerships & Strategy
Nike
Elaine helps companies turn frontier technologies into durable engines of growth. With more than two decades leading innovation at Nike, American Express, and Airbnb, she builds scalable frameworks that translate emerging tech into real enterprise value. Today, she advises Fortune 1000 leaders, VC-backed founders, and private equity firms on anticipating market shifts, mobilizing ecosystems, and enabling responsible, enterprise-scale AI adoption that accelerates competitive advantage.
Lutz Beck
Chief Information Officer
Daimler Truck North America
Lutz is shaping the future of IT at Daimler Truck North America. By directing cultural change through digital activation, his visionary IT strategy, “Building the Intelligent Company,” guides digital transformation at DTNA, positioning the organization at the cutting edge of technology. Lutz champions IT Leadership, disruptive ideas and innovation by re-imagining the way business is done.
Joe Epstein
Strategic Partnerships Lead
Lockheed Martin Space
Sam Heshmati
Executive Managing Director – Head of Emerging VC and Innovation Banking
Citizens Private Bank
Greg Horowitt
Director of Innovation
UC San Diego
David Matheson
President and Chief Executive Officer
SmartOrg
With over two decades of portfolio and innovation management experience, David is a leader in helping executives achieve better growth results. He holds a Ph.D. in organizational decision making from Stanford University, is a Fellow with the Society of Decision Professionals (SDP), and always has chocolate within arm’s reach (especially at workshops).
Miguel Olarte
Senior Breakthrough Innovation Lead – Global
Diageo
Daniel Rich
Vice President, Startup & Venture Partnerships, Security Solutions
Mastercard
J. Cris Salinas, MD
Head of Industry Strategy, Healthcare and Life Sciences
Adobe
Dr. Salinas is an innovator at the crossroads of medicine and technology, advancing the future of healthcare through strategic leadership and digital transformation. With 20+ years of global experience, including roles at Salesforce, Stryker, Pfizer, and Best Buy Health, he has helped organizations rethink commercial models and improve patient outcomes. Now serving as Adobe’s Head of Industry Strategy for Healthcare and Life Sciences, he partners with leading organizations to design impactful, tech-driven solutions. A frequent speaker and thought leader, he continues to shape the conversation on the future of health.
Lesley Stolz
Head West North America External Scientific Innovation
Johnson & Johnson
Lesley has spent the last 30 years working in corporate development and partnering in life sciences. She spent more than 20 years working for innovator companies partnering with multinationals, and she is now working for a multinational partnering with innovators. The only way that new solutions for health will get to families is through these partnerships.
Omid Toloui
Faculty
UCLA Anderson School of Management
Doug Williams
Associate Director, Innovation
SmartOrg
An industry veteran with nearly 15 years of experience in the field, Doug leads the innovation practice at SmartOrg. He has helped over 80 organizations build and grow innovation programs through his work at Planview Spigit and a leading research organization.
Master of Ceremonies
Brian Fitzpatrick
Partner, Events
Frost & Sullivan