Speakers

Marty Jacknis

President

Speaker Bio

Marty Jacknis

President at Opportunity Maximizers

Biography

Marty Jacknis, President of Opportunity Maximizers and has been described as the “Ultimate Opportunity Maximizer.” As an ultimate Opportunity Maximizer, he is a change agent that teaches you how to seek, see, seize, harvest, and leverage the massive untapped opportunities in your professional and personal life journey. He is nationally recognized as an expert professional speaker, educator, consultant, executive coach, and innovator in the field of management, marketing, and sales. Marty has assisted Fortune 500 companies as well as start-up firms to maximize their sales and marketing efforts through the application of unique strategies, tactics and execution techniques designed to enhance their business generation processes and sales channels. Prior to starting Opportunity Maximizers, Marty enjoyed an eight-year tenure at IBM, where he was consistently ranked in the top 2% of the national sales force. Marty was also a founding officer with Dr. Eli Goldratt of Creative Output Inc. a start-up manufacturing, consulting, training, and software organization that was ranked the sixth fastest growing private company in the U.S.A. by Inc. Magazine. He also assisted in the development and promotion of Dr. Goldratt’s book “The Goal” (ranked in the Top 50 Best Business Books of All Time). Marty has authored various articles featured in INC. Magazine, Success, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine, Manufacturing Today, Management Today, and Marty is an interactive and highly motivational speaker who offers unique results and action-oriented strategies, tactics, execution techniques and insights attendees can immediately apply to their business and personal life. To Marty, it is all about insightful, significant, predictable, repeatable and self- funding results!

Jacquelyn Gernaey

CEO

Speaker Bio

Jacquelyn Gernaey

CEO at SevenStar HR

Biography

If there’s one thing I’ve discovered in 30+ years of leading both entrepreneurial startups and large corporations, it’s the true joy that comes from helping others succeed.

Through my work as CEO of SevenStar HR, I offer targeted support for one of the toughest challenges businesses face: hiring and managing employees through the use of our EffectiveHiring® tools and our Shared HR Consultants. I help leaders identify and resolve compliance-related HR risks, build solid processes to optimize business operations and build a culture that allows business owners to enjoy going to work.

Through my previous work with The Alternative Board (TAB), I dedicated my efforts to driving success for  CEOs, presidents, and business owners across multiple industries through one-on-one coaching and, creating peer board forums.  Since starting TABNY in 1999, I’ve provided 10,000+ hours of coaching and facilitated 1,000+ peer board meetings.

To my clients, I’m a cheerleader, confidant, counselor, and brainstorming partner. I listen closely to their needs and goals – to what they say and DON’T say – getting to the heart of what’s truly standing in the way of their professional success and personal happiness. I support and guide them and hold them accountable for taking the action needed to drive vital change and growth.
Ultimately, my work is about my clients, not me. I am here to help them reach THEIR idea of success, not mine… whether that’s dealing with the employee side of explosive business growth, getting the right employees, reducing risk for the business, managing culture change, or supporting the employee side of a merger or acquisition.

Dan Adams

Founder

Speaker Bio

Dan Adams

founder at The AIM Institute

Biography

Dan Adams, founder of The AIM Institute, is the author of New Product Blueprinting, the Awkward Realities blog, and the popular 50-video series, B2B Organic Growth. He is a chemical engineer with many patents and awards, including a listing in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Dan has taught his B2B innovation methods to tens of thousands of B2B professionals globally, lectured at many leading universities, and is a popular industry keynote speaker.

Handouts:

B2B Voice of Customer Skills Research (The AIM Institute)

Virtual VOC (The AIM Institute White Paper)

Reed Racette

Chief Operating Officer – Consultant, Coach, Leader

Speaker Bio

Reed Racette

Chief Operating Officer – consultant, coach, and leader at AgileXtended

Biography

Reed has 30 years of experience as a consultant, coach, and leader and is known for cultivating strong relationships and developing diverse, high-performing teams. He is passionate about building trust, reducing stress, and creating collaborative, psychologically safe environments.

Leila Rao

Founder

Speaker Bio

Leila Rao

Founder at AgileXtended

Biography

Besides founded AgileXtended in 2016, Leila is also the co-founder of Lean In Agile and author of the Compass for Agility as well as host of the Allyship Podcast. She is best known for her relentless curiosity, commitment to learning and being a force for change.

Hosni Adra

Co-Founder

Speaker Bio

Hosni Adra

Co-Founder at CreateASoft, Inc.

Biography

HOSNI ADRA is the co-founder of CreateASoft, Inc. He has been involved in Process Improvement, Digital Twin and Simulation for the past 30 years. Hosni has applied his process improvement expertise to multiple industries including healthcare to increase efficiency and reduce operating risk. As the holder of several patents in the fields of dynamic simulation, digital twin technology, and tracking systems, Hosni has been a sought after expert in these fields. Hosni  has presented multiple papers on process improvement using simulation, Digital Twin development, and lean concepts implementation. With his dedication to the use of technology to improve efficiency and output, he has positioned CreateASoft as a leader in the data driven digital twin and process improvement industry.

Paul Gulbin

Partner

Speaker Bio

Paul Gulbin

Partner at Accelance

Biography

Paul Gulbin has spent over 25 years of his career spanning the realms of data-driven innovation and digital transformation. As a Partner at Accelance, he has had the privilege of collaborating with some of the most forward-thinking companies in the world, guiding them through the dynamic landscapes of growth, customer engagement, operational efficiency, and business transformation.

Paul's passion lies in the modernization of business workflows and harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence to unlock value and innovation. His expertise extends to the seamless integration and orchestration of robotic, intelligent, and autonomous capabilities across five pivotal domains:

  • Automation: Paul leverages the potency of AI, robotics, intelligent systems, and low-code solutions to revolutionize operations through automation, enhancing efficiency and productivity.
  • Analytics: With a keen focus on analytics, he empowers organizations to uncover profound insights at an accelerated pace, augmenting human cognition and enabling data-driven decision-making.
  • Performance: Paul is an advocate for designing systems that evolve and learn from data and experience, continually improving outcomes over time, and fostering adaptability in the face of change.
  • Experiences: His commitment to enhancing human experiences is manifested through systems that predict, sense, learn, and adapt, creating more intuitive and personalized interactions.
  • Transformation: Paul's expertise in designing, building, and operating automated systems ensures that organizations not only initiate change but also sustain value and trust in their evolving digital landscapes.

Based in the metro New York City area, Paul Gulbin's journey as a tech luminary and advocate for digital evolution has made a profound impact on the way businesses approach innovation and transformation.

Himanshu Goil

Managing Partner

Speaker Bio

Himanshu Goil

Managing Partner at Accelance

Biography

Himanshu Goil is an astute entrepreneur who co-founded the forward-thinking company Ignatiuz and launched innovative ventures like ScoutFoto, MyLink, and WebTalkx. Bringing over 18 years of experience in tailored technology solutions and SaaS development expertise, he has partnered with organizations of various sizes across numerous sectors to deliver groundbreaking solutions, from unique app development to leading extensive IT infrastructure overhauls.

A perpetual learner, Himanshu dedicates time to uncovering the latest technological innovations and business developments. Working alongside a diverse team of designers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and engineers, he caters to large and strategic clients globally, aiming to create value and foster connections through digital products and experiences, with an emphasis on process optimization and automation.

Dr. Bülent Uyaniker

Physicist and the founder

Speaker Bio

Dr. Bülent Uyaniker

Physicist and the founder of DataSpeckle Scientific

Biography

Bülent is a physicist and the founder of DataSpeckle Scientific in British Columbia, focusing on complex imaging and data science problems.   He is also a Senior AI Researcher & Director of Academic Affairs at Fusemachines, where he leads and mentors Data Scientists.  Bülent directs AI projects through a distributed team of 200+ ML, CV, NLP, full-stack engineers, and Product Teams to build scalable advanced analytics products and services.  Bülent develops collaborative relationships with key stakeholders and business leaders to deliver functional and practical solutions.

Jim de Vries

Founder, Managing Partner

Learn More

Jim de Vries

Founder, Managing Partner at Enhance International Group

Biography

EIG is a partnership of 50 companies and consultants in their respective disciplines focused on delivering self-funding and self-generating results through building a collaborative environment to develop momentum for sustainable growth. EIG’s thought leadership supports your priorities to structure customized deployments aligned with your culture. Jim is an international thought leader who has delivered multi-million dollars in value to clients through designing and implementing transformation initiatives. He helps clients discover their future valued Resilient Enterprise through Strategy, Growth, Stable Operations, Digital Transformation, Supply Chain Management and Risk & Resiliency. Jim is a dynamic speaker and author whose most recent credits include: Leveraging “RISK” to Create Opportunities and Competitive Edge, Smart Metrics: Making Metrics Last and Integrating it into the Culture of Your Organization

Agenda

Day 1 | Tuesday | 17th October 2023

08:45 AM - 09:00 AM
Introduction

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Welcome introduction to Surfing the Technological TidalWave by our esteemed Chairperson, Jim de Vries.

The Summit comprises six interactive Webinars and two Panel Discussions.

The Summit will focus on Surfing the Technological TidalWave from People, Process, Data, and Technology Perspectives.



Speaker (1)-1Jim de Vries, Founder, Managing Partner at Enhance International Group

 

 

09:00 AM - 09:45 AM
The Technological Tidalwave, and Knowledge Tsunami - Surf Them or Suffer from Them

Initiating and Leveraging Change for Gaining Competitive Advantage

Are you ready to take full advantage of AI, the Knowledge Tsunami, and the Technological Tidalwave?  To gain and maintain a competitive advantage in this dynamically changing world, we have to create a seamlessly integrated, “Opportunity Maximizing,” change-ready, willing, and capable organization to effectively implement new technologies. We invite you to join our session to experience the following:

  • Creating a culture and process of opportunity maximization, innovation, proactive introspection as well as continuous analysis and improvement.
  • Understanding and addressing your significant opportunity maximizing inhibitors and enhancers.
  • Capturing, replicating, and inculcating the intuition, thinking, planning, decision-making, and communication of top performers throughout your organization.
  • Addressing the uninformed critical decision-making crisis.

Handouts:

Overcome Opportunity Blindness
Opportunity Blindness
What Does Opportunity Cost Your Company?



Article Author (3) Marty Jacknis, President at Opportunity Maximizers.

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
Digital Transformation and HR: Playing a Role, Making an Impact

In 2023, the predominant trend in remote/hybrid workforce management will be the ongoing rapid integration of technology and the workplace, resulting in the digital transformation of HR departments. Fairly or unfairly, the perception of HR from most company leaders is that they are focused on compliance and risk reduction.

HR needs to work with business leaders to define a strategic sourcing model to which the organization can commit. It's important for HR to recognize that building a sustainable capability in-house is a huge undertaking, requiring leadership, people development, career paths, roles and skills clarification, and a culture of lifelong learning and feedback.

Without the workforce properly prepared in advance to engage, transformation efforts are dead on arrival and a waste of money, according to research cited by Harvard Business Review indicating that without these advance preparations, "70 percent of corporate transformation efforts are doomed to fail.”

  • Understanding why a change in leaders’ thinking about HR’s future role is critical to future digital transformation is required
  • Suggestions on how to actively leverage technology to steer people's strategy in a future-focused way
  • Why legacy tools, manual processes, and competing daily priorities hinder being data-driven
  • The collaboration necessary for digital transformation to occur
  • Tool specification requirements to aid in employee data management, on and off-boarding of employees, performance management, and managing the hiring process.

 

SpeakerJacquelyn Gernaey, CEO at SevenStar HR.

11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Voice-of-Customer: How to Combine Skills and Technology to Boost NPD Success

Join Dan Adams, founder of The AIM Institute, as he presents their landmark research linking voice-of-customer skills and AI technology to new product success. Learn how some of the world's largest firms are now using advanced technology in combination with well-honed human interviewing skills. And see how AIM's research reveals which of 12 interviewing skills have the greatest impact on new product success. Participants will receive a free copy of AIM's extensive research report on this topic.

Key takeaways: 

  • Learn ""what's coming"" in terms of integrating Artificial Intelligence into customer insight.
  • See the research linking VOC skills to understanding customer needs & new-product success.
  • Explore 10 ways to virtually eliminate commercial risk in the front end of innovation.
  • Learn practical ways to employ advanced technology in highly productive customer interviews.

 

Speaker (1)Dan Adams, Founder at The AIM Institute

12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
The Workplace Impact of AI (Panel Discussion)

Soft Skills and  EQ of Employees will trump IQ and Hard skills

The technological Tidalwave will affect everyone in the workplace. Similar to the industrial revolution, new jobs will come, and some jobs will disappear.  Will you adapt or lose out?

The Panelists will discuss the following topics with active audience participation.

  1. Fears/Challenges
  2. Implications
  3. Applications and Recommendations

Day 1 will focus on the human factor in AI and how it will affect the workplace.

  • Importance of understanding where AI is ahead of humans and where humans are ahead of AI. 
  • How to maintain a lead in areas where humans are ahead and how to close the gap in areas where AI is ahead.
  • The need to differentiate your solutions earn the attention of the customers, employees, stockholders, and suppliers.
  • The impact of the company's innovation prowess on integrating new technology into its internal processes and products
  • The importance of focusing on the benefits and outcomes for customers and prospects, rather than just promoting the company and its products.
  • What comes after ChatGPT?

 

Panelists

 

Article Author (3) Marty Jacknis, President at Opportunity Maximizers.

Marty Jacknis | LinkedIn

 

 

SpeakerJacquelyn Gernaey, CEO at SevenStar HR.

Jacquelyn Gernaey | LinkedIn

 

 

Speaker (1)Dan Adams, Founder at The AIM Institute

Dan Adams | LinkedIn

 

 

Speaker (2)Reed Racette, 

Chief Operating Officer – Consultant, Coach, Leader at AgileXtended

Reed Racette | LinkedIn

 

Moderator

 

Speaker (1)-1Jim de Vries, Founder, Managing Partner at Enhance International Group

Jim de Vries | LinkedIn

 

Day 2 | Wednesday | 18th October 2023

08:45 AM - 09:00 AM
Introduction

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Welcome introduction to Surfing the Technological TidalWave by our esteemed Chairperson, Jim de Vries.

The Summit comprises six interactive Webinars and two Panel Discussions.

The Summit will focus on Surfing the Technological TidalWave from People, Process, Data, and Technology Perspectives.


 

Speaker (1)-1Jim de Vries, Founder, Managing Partner at Enhance International Group

 

 

09:00 AM - 09:45 AM
Synchronized Surfing: Don’t get crushed

Keeping your people in synch with your vision for change

AI is great. Radical. Tubular, even. It has valuable applications right now. But your teams are made of real people - no artificial ingredients. If you’re amped up to explore AI solutions to your business problems, remember this: Even small changes in technology will cause ripples in your organization. AI is a tidal wave.  Surfing that wave is hard as an individual. At the organizational level, it’s synchronized surfing.

Your OCM team is your Organizational Change Management (OCM) team is your lifeguard. We have developed an approach and a set of tools to help people to thrive in changing environments. If you want to surf the AI wave, you need everyone on “board”. OCM can be the difference between a sick ride and a wipeout. 

Some key things you'll take away from this webinar:

  • How, by leading with Trust, Collaboration, and Empathy, you can change the way you are trying to drive change
  • Poor human skills can crush any transformation and are as important as technical skills (if not more important) 
  • You can develop better human skills through a time-boxed, iterative process
  • You can have innovation without alienation
  • There is a proven, effective approach to building trust and enabling change in any organization

 

Speaker (2)

Reed Racette, Chief Operating Officer – Consultant, Coach, and Leader at AgileXtended

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaker (3)Leila Rao, Founder at AgileXtended

.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
Unleashing the Digital Twin to Enable & Optimize the Workplace

Goal: Establish a Digital Ecosystem to Enable Optimized Performance in 90-Days through a Non-Intrusive Shadow Technology
 
After more than three years of lockdowns, many facilities are finding themselves struggling to find workers.   With the technological Tidalwave, the competition is growing to address rising costs.
ERPs provide linear Supply/Demand planning. However, the non-linear complexities of Sales and Operational Planning (S&OP) and Supply Chain Risks continue to cause havoc in the workplace resulting in firefighting and non-value-added activities costing companies millions while losing customers. Real-Time monitoring and decision-making are therefore required in order to reduce the impact of the dynamic complexities of the Supply Chain (Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, Return).  The solution requires a Real-Time, Data-Driven Digital Twin with integrated Neural Networks to leverage Artificial Intelligence, and enable dynamic learning (not available in ERPs).
This Webinar demonstrates how digital twin technology can leverages learning algorithms using Neural Networks (AI) to generate sustained benefits that enable the workers to maximize their performance, drive sustained profitability, and exceed customer requirements.
Please join us for an insightful webinar demonstrating capabilities and providing you with a proven 90—Day Roadmap to AI Digital Twin Sustainability.
  • The Dynamic Supply Demand Planning Volatility Uncertainty Complexity Ambiguity (VUCA) World
  • Unleashing the AI-Learning (Shadow) Data-Driven Digital Twin™
  • Digital Twins – Enabling the Effective Worker
  • 30-Days Digital Visibility | 90-Days to Real-Time Prescriptive Process Control
  • Incorporating Chatbots and Generative AI within the Workplace
  • The SMART Workerless Factory

 

Speaker (4)Hosni Adra, Co-Founder at CreateASoft, Inc.

11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Hyper transform your enterprise with AI, RPA and Low Code

Springboard your digitization, achieve exceptional process productivity, and delight your customers with a supreme engagement experience by applying the latest technology advancements.

During our session, we will explore the various ways these technologies can revolutionize business operations, enhance efficiency, and enable digital innovation.

Discover how the latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA), and low-code development can revolutionize your enterprise, propelling you towards exceptional process productivity and setting the stage for supreme customer engagement experiences.

We will share valuable insights, practical strategies, and real-world success stories to guide you through the intricate landscape of digital transformation. Learn how to harness the full capabilities of AI, enabling intelligent decision-making and task processing. Explore the transformative potential of RPA, streamlining operations, minimizing errors, and unlocking newfound efficiency. Unleash the power of low-code development, enabling modern user experiences and accelerating application delivery like never before.

You won't want to miss this opportunity to gain a competitive edge in the digital age. Join us as we equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to hyper-transform your enterprise. 

Get ready to make waves in the world of digitization - the future starts here!

Key Takeaways:

  • Understand the immense potential of hyper-transforming your enterprise by leveraging AI, RPA, and low-code technologies
  • Learn how to harness AI algorithms to unlock new opportunities and drive competitive advantage
  • Discover how RPA can automate repetitive tasks, streamline operations, and eliminate manual errors
  • Learn how to leverage low-code platforms to rapidly prototype, develop, and deploy enterprise applications
  • Gain inspiration from real-world use cases and success stories where organizations have achieved hyper-transformation using AI, RPA, and low-code
  • Walk away with a practical roadmap for implementing AI, RPA, and low-code solutions within your organization

 

Speaker (30)

Paul Gulbin, Partner at Accelance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaker (5)Himanshu Goil, Managing Partner at Accelance

 

 

12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
AI The Technology Impact (Panel Discussion)

The technological Tidalwave will affect how a company operates starting with the infrastructure.  The four walls will no longer be stationary, the walls will need to be adaptable to an accelerated hyper-automation.  What will companies need to adapt and thrive?

Integrating AI technology into the workplace will be emphasized, with a focus on the infrastructure changes that will need to take place to make AI integration practical.

The Panelists will discuss the following topics with active audience participation.

  1. Fears/Challenges
  2. Implications
  3. Applications and Recommendations

Day 2 will focus on the technological aspect of “wiring” the AI revolution.

  • What will be the leading indicators of the transition to an automated ecosystem?
  • How to maintain a lead in areas where humans are ahead and how to close the gap in areas where AI is ahead?
  • The need to differentiate your business model to adapt to the technology available to your competitors.
  • What is the Interaction between the IT and the Business Sides?
  • When will the data "pipes" be ready for data streams that are needed to automate?  When will  "the cloud" work?.
  • Can Generative AI Overhaul IT?
  • Will Artificial Empathy be viable?

 

Panelists

 

Speaker (2)-1

 Dr. Bülent Uyaniker, Physicist and the founder at DataSpeckle Scientific

 

Bülent Uyaniker | LinkedIn

 

 

Speaker (3)

Leila Rao, Founder at AgileXtended

 

Leila Rao | LinkedIn

 

 

Speaker (4)

Hosni Adra, Co-Founder at CreateASoft, Inc.

 

Hosni Adra | LinkedIn

 

 

Speaker (5)

Himanshu Goil, Managing Partner at Accelance

Himanshu Goil | LinkedIn

 

 

Speaker (30)

Paul Gulbin, Partner at Accelance

 

 

Moderator

 

Speaker (1)-1Jim de Vries, Founder, Managing Partner at Enhance International Group

Jim de Vries | LinkedIn