Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

The buzz: Simon says. Cybercrime is one of the greatest threats facing our country, and has enormous implications for our national security, economic prosperity, and public safety. The range of threats and the challenges they present for law enforcement expand just as rapidly as technology evolves (U.S. Justice Department). How to defend against or eliminate the attacks? A two-pronged resolution: consumer-focused and corporate- and government-focused. The experts speak. Tim Best, EY: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears...in...rain. Time to die" (Blade Runner). Richard McCammon, Delego: "Hell is empty, and all the devils are here!" (Shakespeare). Justin Somaini, SAP : "Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world (Lily Tomlin). Join us for Fighting Cyber Crime Part 2: Staying One Giant Step Ahead.

The buzz: Vite, vite! Chemical industry leaders face new challenges, as digital technologies transform our world and drive innovation at a breathtaking rate. How will you integrate acquisitions to reap promised synergies and on-board new revenue sources faster? What about reducing complexity and streamlining workflows across your entire global value chain? Reality check: Success in the digital era requires more than doing the same-old, only better, faster, cheaper, smarter. It demands re-imagining entire business models, business processes – the very nature of work itself. Ready? The experts speak. Bob Parker, IDC: "Only the guy who isn't rowing has time to rock the boat" (Jean-Paul Sartre). Michael Casey, Accenture: "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads… (Dr. Emmett Brown, Back to the Future). Stefan Guertzgen, SAP: "Imagination is more important than knowledge" (Albert Einstein). Join us for Digital Transformation – Changing the Game in the Chemical Industry.

The buzz: It's the law. Attention, female entrepreneurs! As you aspire to become million-dollar women, growth will bring complexity and risk. Legal issues will crop up more often. Penalties for not complying will be more severe. How can you navigate common legal issues as you grow and create leverage in your business—without getting a law degree? Take notes! The experts speak. Nina Kaufman, Esq.: "Why not treat yourself to a good time instead of waiting for someone else to do it?" (Fortune cookie). Nance L. Schick, Esq.: "If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family Anatidae on our hands" (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Douglas Adams). Renée L. Duff, Esq.: Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness—great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation, and great joy (Jim Rohn). Join us for Legal Lessons for Women Business Owners – Part 2

The buzz: It's the law. Women entrepreneurs are one of the fastest-growing U.S. economy segments! But you're also five times more likely than men to shutter your business. Why? A lack business management and legal savvy, more than a lack of capital. Do you need a law degree? No. Our 2-part special features attorneys' insights on navigating legal pitfalls all entrepreneurs (men, too) encounter. Today we'll cover the foundation. Take notes! The experts speak. Nina Kaufman, Esq.: "You must be willing to be someone you haven't yet been to build something you haven't yet built" (Clara Chorley). Nance L. Schick, Esq.: "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want" (Zig Ziglar). Renée L. Duff, Esq.: "Each of us has been put on earth with the ability to do something well. We cheat ourselves and the world if we don't use that ability as best we can" (George Allen, Sr.). Join us for Legal Lessons for Women Business Owners – Part 1.

The buzz: "It's a new dawn, it's a new day… and I'm feeling good." We know prevention is better than cure. But without a systematic approach, it is still up to each of us to decide whether we choose to live healthy or not. Now consider this: If life sciences companies would make prevention a core competency, then physicians, insurers, patients and pharma companies should be able to work together to broadly improve prevention and create a win-win for 'every body'. But how? The experts speak. Dr. Paul Tunnah, pharmaphorum media: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" (Rustic Speech and Folk-lore, 1913). Ralph Marcello, Deloitte: "Health is like money, we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it (Josh Billings). Subhro Mallik, Infosys: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" (Benjamin Franklin). Joe Miles, SAP: Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction" (Francis Picabia). Join us for Pharma and Preventive Medicine: Future or Failure?

The buzz: It's all good. Many blue chip companies trace their formal corporate philanthropic programs – giving back to not-for-profits – to post-WWII, the golden age of corporate philanthropy. Today's spotlight on innovation is shifting traditional private sector giving to partnering with impactful global organizations. Benefits include accelerating the social sector, improving lives, and gaining business insights from corporate contributions. How can your organization savor this new flavor of giving? The experts speak. Ashifi Gogo, Sproxil: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" (Martin Luther King, Jr.). Yasmina Zaidman, Acumen: "Live the questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it, you will live along some distant day into the answers" (Rainer Maria Rilke). Nish Pangali, SAP: "A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business" (Henry Ford). Join us for Corporate Social Innovation: Good for Society, Good for Business.

The buzz: Time's up. Obama seeks over one-third rise in U.S. cyber security funding (Reuters 02/09/16). Why? Brazen cyber criminals are invading an entire supply chain, even stealing and misrepresenting individuals' health data. If not tackled, cybercrime may cost lives. Beyond IT, this concerns top business, finance, political and government agency leaders. We'll look at the Life Sciences and Automotive industries to see how your company can lock-out cybercriminals. The experts speak. Tim Best, EY: "To be modern is to find ourselves in an environment that promises us adventure, power, joy, growth, transformation…and at the same time, that threatens to destroy…" (Marshall Berman). Richard McCammon, Delego: "We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security" (Dwight D. Eisenhower). Justin Somaini, SAP: "Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut (Ernest Hemingway). Join us for Beyond IT: Your Fight Against Cybercrime.

The buzz: Acting hyper. Peter Diamandis predicts the most dramatic positive change in our global economy will occur between 2016-2020, when 3–5 billion new consumers–who've never purchased, uploaded, invented or sold anything–come online, sparking a hyper-connectivity mega-surge. Who are they? The Rising Billions. Tech giants Google, Facebook, and SpaceX are working to make this happen. How will your company turn the resulting complex hyper-connectivity into sustainable growth opportunities? The experts speak. Frank Diana, TCS: "Three billion new minds are about to join the global conversation" (Peter Diamandis). Dennison DeGregor, HP: "By end of 2017, the CMO will have larger budgets for technology than the CIO" (Gartner). Paul Donovan, SAP: "The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence" (Nikola Tesla). Join us for The Rising Billions: Business Networks and the Digital Economy.

The buzz: Giving at the office. The UN's post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require a multi-stakeholder collaboration recognizing diverse issues around the world. Goal 8 – "Good jobs and economic growth" for developing and developed countries – targets private sector companies that integrate sustainability and corporate social responsibility into their business plan. How can your organization help? The experts speak. Sue Stephenson, The Ritz-Carlton: "A small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world…it is the only thing that ever has" (Margaret Mead). Ahsiya Posner Mencin, Ph.D., PULSE Volunteer Partnership, GSK: "Collaboration is…the kind of thing that would never be born from just one of us sitting down with a guitar" (Grant-Lee Phillips). Alicia Lenze, SAP: "In the long history of humankind…those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed" (Darwin, Megginson). Join us for Sustainable Development and Your Organization.

The buzz: GPS. The IMF recently had good news for entrepreneurs and small business owners: The underlying drivers for acceleration in consumption and investment in the United States – wage growth, labor market conditions, easy financial conditions, lower fuel prices, and a strengthening housing market – remain intact." How will this impact your employees, customers, and global trade? Is 2016 the year to hire a business coach? The expert speak. Susan Solovic, THE Small Business Expert: "Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves – to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today" (Stewart B. Johnson). Karen Kerrigan, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council: "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" (C.S. Lewis). Lorraine Maurice, SAP: "It comes down to finding something you love do to and then just trying to be great at it" (Mark Cuban). Join us for Small Business Coach: Navigating Business in 2016.