THEME: BUILDING
PURPOSE, AGENCY & TRUST

Gathering the best minds to share our playbooks and help design cultures that enable companies to succeed, employees to thrive, and communities to flourish.

Programming pillars: AI, Leadership, Cognitive Hospitality, Navigating Geopolitical Headwinds

Summit 2025

Changing the world through the workplace, together.

Talent 2030: Driving Value through Inclusion

2025 Keynote Graphics for Website Sessions (9).png

Michelle Gethers

Chief Diversity Officer & Head of Corporate Responsibility, Visa (Ret.)

Ross Buhrdorf

CEO ZenBusiness, Inc.

Diana Ellsworth

Partner McKinsey & Company

Abstract

By 2030, demographic shifts, technological advancements, and evolving market demands will redefine the workforce, and companies that attract, retain, and develop diverse talent will have a competitive edge. This keynote argues that inclusion is an economic and business imperative for the future of work while exploring how inclusive talent strategies drive profitability, innovation, and long-term resilience in an increasingly complex global economy. Leaders will gain data-driven insights and tactical ideas to more effectively integrate inclusion into talent management, leadership development, and strategic priorities. We cannot ignore navigating politically charged narratives, but this conversation will take a business lens (e.g., growth, retention, and workforce agility) to highlight inclusion as an often-missing driver of sustained success. Through real-world examples, attendees will leave with actionable strategies to evolve and improve inclusion strategies in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Key Takeaways

Inclusive talent strategies drive profitability, innovation, and resilience, making them essential for long-term business success.
The time is now to evolve, strengthen, and embed inclusion efforts before organizations further lose talent and productivity.
There are tactical, research-backed ways to improve inclusive behaviors and integrate them into talent management, leadership development, and culture priorities.

Dr. Greg Wallingford

Rev. Steven Tomlinson, PhD

Asst. Dean Professional Fulfillment & Well-being Dell Medical School

Assoc. Prof. Leadership & Administration Seminary of the Southwest

Leaders can drive burnout that degrades their teams' performance on the job. This session highlights research on leadership behaviors that foster high performance in high-stress environments by leveraging research from the medical field. Learn how doctors in one system are learning to adopt them.

Cognitive Hospitality - How Does Science Inform Effective Leadership Today?

Room 200

Sr. Director, Product Marketing Microsoft

Employee Needs & Customer Wants: How AI Can Transform Your Organization’s Engagement Across Employee and Customer Experience

In the ever-evolving landscape of business, two pillars stand tall: your employees and your customers. Imagine harnessing the power of AI to elevate experiences for both. Join us in this engaging workshop where trailblazing organizations share their blueprint of integrating AI into their operations and workplace culture. Discover how a self-service agent can revolutionize the employee experience to how a sales lead qualification agent can transform customer interactions. Hosted by Karan Nigam, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Microsoft, this interactive discussion will feature insights from AI pioneers and Microsoft's own journey.

Karan Nigam

Dave Warren

HR Digital Portfolio Manager Chevron

VP Global Sales, Microsoft TTEC

Leah Quartano Bowling

Christie Smith, PhD

Founder The Humanity Studio

Jeremy A. Tucker

Founder Major Futures

The New Power of Personal Brands for Business Leaders - And How It Can Foster Purpose, Agency & Trust in the Workplace and Beyond

Join Christie Smith PhD, Founder of The Humanity Studio a Human Leadership company, and Jeremy Tucker, Founder of Major Futures a Strategic Brand Growth firm, as they discuss the new ways that business leaders can craft strong personal brands built to foster purpose, agency and trust in the workplace, and in the world.

Drew Goldstein

Taylor Lauricella

Partner McKinsey & Company

Assoc. Partner McKinsey & Company

Beyond RTO: Focus More on Practices than Policy to Create a High-performing Workplace

Learn why strategies to enhance collaboration, connectivity, innovation, mentorship, and skill development are the key to ensure your working model works for your organization and your people. Whether teams are in person, remote, or hybrid, these practices are essential to create a healthy organization with sustained productivity.

Sherry Alexander

Dana Larsen

VP, Talent Acquisition & Inclusion NXP

VP, Global Talent & Organization Development NXP

Tim Carter

Assoc. Partner McKinsey & Company

The Journey of Leadership: Learn to Lead from the Inside Out

Embracing a human-centric approach to leadership—one that prioritizes the needs and well-being of employees, fosters inspiration and gives them a sense of purpose—is now more important than ever. Those who invest first in their own inward journey find they can more effectively inspire and empower others. Join a discussion on the qualities that redefine leadership as outlined in McKinsey’s new book, The Journey of Leadership, assess your personal leadership style, and learn practical strategies used by top CEOs.

CEO, JDI co-founder, Culturati

Josh Jones-Dilworth

Improv in the Workplace

We'll cover (and practice) improv fundamentals as well as how to use improv in the real world, in formal and informal ways alike. We'll also share some of our individual crucibles as leaders and find out together what happens when we apply improv tools and frameworks in an intentional way.

Room 206

The event began with a welcome reception and keynote on Sunday, April 6 followed by our signature, small group CEO dinners around Austin. A full day of programming followed on Monday, April 7 with departures are on Tuesday, April 8. See detailed agenda here.