According to PEX Network annual report, 47 % of respondents said operational excellence and business transformation strategies are mission-critical in helping to drive growth, manage turnaround and deliver strategic objectives within organizations.

Industries are undergoing a seismic transformation, fueled by the rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While many organizations have made significant investments in AI, few are realizing the full potential of their efforts. According to Gartner, “Over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027 due to escalating costs, unclear business value, or inadequate risk controls.”

Continuous Improvement (CI) has long been a proven framework for driving operational excellence. Traditionally focused on incremental gains in cost, quality, and delivery, CI initiatives often lose momentum over time due to challenges such as limited leadership engagement, initiative fatigue, and high implementation costs.

A growing number of forward-thinking organizations are bridging this gap by integrating CI and AI in a complementary, “yin and yang” approach. CI provides the structure to identify high-value opportunities and eliminate inefficiencies, while AI delivers the scale and speed to achieve breakthrough results.

Join us as industry leaders explore:

• How CI and AI are evolving as distinct yet complementary strategies for performance improvement, including practical insights on re-thinking CI frameworks to both support and benefit from AI implementation
• Real-world examples where AI has accelerated CI outcomes—and where CI has enabled successful AI adoption and highlighting practical steps for integrating AI and CI into a unified improvement approach
• Change management and workforce alignment, ensuring that AI-enabled CI initiatives are adopted effectively and deliver sustainable, organization-wide value
• What this emerging synergy reveals about the next S-curve of improvement in a technology-enabled business landscape

Cristina Duta

Senior Director Operations & Intelligent Automation
Fortrea

See Bio

Phil Samuel

Senior Director AI + Continuous Improvement
Microsoft

See Bio

Process excellence teams today face dual pressure: ensuring flawless operations while rapidly integrating AI. This session explores how to balance both—optimizing existing processes while building readiness for AI-driven innovation.

We’ll highlight the most common challenges and success factors from leading organizations and show how excellence and AI can reinforce each other to drive measurable business impact.

Key Learnings:

  •  See how process excellence and AI adoption can mutually reinforce performance and innovation

  •  Learn how to balance operational stability and transformation speed in one framework

  •  Identify the main pitfalls in bringing AI into established process environments—and how to avoid them

  •  Discover how observability, metrics, and governance enable scalable AI success

  •  Hear from real cases where excellence practices accelerated AI adoption and value realization

Lukas N.P. Egger

VP of Product Strategy and Innovation
SAP Signavio

See Bio

Jack Moloney

Senior Director - Global Strategic Customer Transformation
SAP

See Bio

How AbbVie and BusinessOptix are building visibility, agility, and readiness for AI-driven transformation.

AI is reshaping the way organizations approach operational excellence, but real success depends on what comes first: building the foundation. In this fireside chat, Joy Shelledy, Director, Strategic Change Enablement, AbbVie; Amanda Swearengen, Director II, Strategic Change Enablement, AbbVie and Jeff Alker, Solutions Consultant, BusinessOptix, will explore how life sciences leaders can map and model processes to create end-to-end visibility, test scenarios before committing to automation, and establish ROI long before bots or AI are deployed.

The discussion will highlight AbbVie’s journey, in documenting their end-to-end clinical trial processes leveraging the BusinessOptix platform and how this sets them up for the next wave of innovation. Beyond technology, the speakers will address the human side of transformation, including organizational agility, change management and sustaining impact across the enterprise.

• Why foundational process mapping and simulation are essential before committing to a process improvement
• How to apply a “try before you buy” approach to validate ROI and reduce transformation risk
• The role of organizational agility and change management in sustaining transformation success
• How leaders can set the stage today for long-term impact from AI and digital transformation initiatives 

Joy Shelledy

Director, Strategic Change Enablement
AbbVie

See Bio

Amanda Swearengen

Director II, Strategic Change Enablement
AbbVie

See Bio

Jeff Alker

Solutions Consultant
BusinessOptix

See Bio

Empowering supply chain and demand planning leaders to unlock efficiency and resilience through AI-driven forecasting, intelligent automation, and data integration that deliver measurable business impact.

The supply chain and demand planning landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by the need for greater agility, accuracy, and resilience. Traditional forecasting methods and siloed data systems can no longer keep pace with today’s complex global operations. To stay competitive, organizations must embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and digital innovation to transform how decisions are made across the value chain.

Join our webinar, “Digital Innovation within Supply Chain & Demand Planning: Use of AI,” to explore how leading companies are leveraging AI, automation, and predictive analytics to optimize inventory, improve forecast accuracy, and enhance end-to-end supply chain visibility.

Our experts will share actionable insights on how to integrate AI-driven demand sensing and real-time data modeling into existing planning processes, creating faster, smarter, and more efficient operations. Learn how digital transformation enables businesses to align resources, reduce working capital, and respond proactively to market shifts.

In just 30 minutes, you’ll discover how to turn your data into a strategic asset—empowering your teams to make informed decisions that drive measurable ROI and long-term operational excellence.

Key Insights;

• Legacy Systems and Infrastructure
• Data Management and Integration
• Cultural Resistance to Change
• Investment and ROI Justification
• Adapting to Consumer Expectations
• Keeping Pace with Technological Advancements

Jonathan Schwartz

Director of Global Demand & Supply Planning
Bumble Bee Foods

See Bio

Odeta Pine

CEO
G7 Tech Services

See Bio

Attendees will gain insights into how the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) - an organization dedicated to safely operating and advancing Reagan National and Dulles International Airports - leverages Odyssey’s AI-driven automation to streamline complex contract lifecycles, enhance operational efficiency, and drive organizational excellence.

Key Learnings:

• Create solicitations, contracts, and other legal documents at the touch of a button
• Build in workflows and business rules engine allowing for intelligent routing of work
• Intelligent actionable dashboards with drill-down details
• Internal and external document collaboration
• AI-guided clause review
• Built-in security with full audit trail and user-based entitlements

Join MWAA and Pantheon as they share real-world results and lessons learned in creating a smarter, more connected digital enterprise.

Mike Giardina

Procurement Technology Programs Leader
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

See Bio

Michael Levene

Technical Sales Manager
Pantheon Inc.,

See Bio

This session explores how leaders can design organisations, operating models, and management systems that are resilient, adaptive, and ready for measurement. We’ll examine how modern operations must balance human-centred design with digital enablement — ensuring that data, technology, and people align to create sustainable performance improvement.

Through discussion and case insight, we’ll unpack how to:

• Build operating models that integrate CI disciplines with digital intelligence
• Redesign management systems for agility, clarity, and accountability
• Create measurement systems that track performance and enable transformation
• Foster cultures that embrace experimentation, learning, and data-driven decision-making

Sunny Lu

Senior Transformation Executive
Rolls-Royce

See Bio