Signature Conference

DLA 2025 CONFERENCE PHOTOS

DLA 2025 CONFERENCE VIDEOS

October 2, 2024

4:00 – 5:00pm | Welcome Reception & Check-In

5:00 – 5:15 pm | Welcome Remarks
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

5:15 – 6:00 pm | Fireside Chat - AI and the Global Economy
Tiffany Wilding, Chief Economist, PIMCO
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

6:00 – 6:15 pm | Benefactor Welcome
Patrick Dey, VP, Data and Digital Innovation, Rockwell Automation
Gajen Kandiah, President & COO, Hitachi Digital; Chief Digital Transformation Officer, Digital Systems and Solutions Division; Deputy General Manager, AI Transformation Division, Hitachi, Ltd.

6:15 – 6:25 pm | Public Service Announcement
Dr. Diana Ramos, California Surgeon General

6:25 – 8:00 pm | Reception & Dinner

October 3, 2024

7:30 – 8:30 am | Breakfast

8:30 – 8:45 am | Table Introductions

8:50 – 9:15 am | Recoding Business at the Speed of AI
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

9:15 – 9:40 am | Becoming a Frontier Firm: Achieving New Standards of Care
Ramin Mousavi, President & CEO, CathWorks
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

9:40 – 10:20 am | Generative AI: Myth v. Reality
Julian Merten, Distinguished Machine Learning Engineer, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America
Irfan Ali, Global Head of Edge Solutions Sales, NVIDIA
Yashpaul Singh, GenAI Pursuits, Amazon Web Services
Frank Antonysamy, Chief Growth Officer, Hitachi Digital
Moderator: Shashank Samant, Executive Chairman, Hitachi America, Ltd & Hitachi Digital LLC, Board Director, Hitachi Energy, Office Depot, Rackspace

10:20 – 10:55 am | BREAK

10:55 – 11:20 am | The AI Imperative: Why Boards Can't Play it Safe Anymore
Roxanne Austin, Board Director, AbbVie, Verizon, Crowdstrike, Freshworks
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

11:20 – 11:45 am | Betting on the Future: The Next Wave of AI Innovation
Ganesh Bell, Managing Director, Insight Partners
Moderator: Gajen Kandiah, President & COO, Hitachi Digital; Chief Digital Transformation Officer, Digital Systems and Solutions Division; Deputy General Manager, AI Transformation Division, Hitachi, Ltd.

11:45 am – 12:15 pm | Building and Navigating Your AI Roadmap: Becoming a Market Leader
Marcello Damiani, Senior Partner, Flagship Pioneering
Meghna Sinha, Former VP, AI Center, Verizon
Shah Nawaz, CTO & VP, Digital Transformation & Engineering, Regeneron
Moderator: Patrick Dey, VP, Data and Digital Innovation, Rockwell Automation

12:15 – 12:45 pm | Technology and the Future of Work
Mary Beth Eckert, EVP, Chief Information & Digital Officer, Pacific Life
Adam Fingersh, Chief Customer Officer and EVP North America Operations, Experian
Moderator: Ian Williamson, Dean, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine

12:45 – 1:55 pm | Lunch

1:55 – 2:05 pm | Table Introductions

2:05 – 2:35 pm | AI in Capital-Intensive Industries: Unlocking Value Through Software
Nadia Mazzino, Senior Director, Control Integration & Advanced Services, Hitachi Rail
Julian Merten, Distinguished Machine Learning Engineer, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

2:35 – 2:55 pm | Research Spotlight: Solving AI's Trust Proble
Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business, The Fletcher School at Tufts University

2:55 – 3:20 pm | Combating Misinformation: Building a Truth Engine
Ivan Williams, Producer, How to Build a Truth Engineer, CEO, Outer Limits Production
Vwani Roychowdhury, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering UCLA
Moderator: Tom Andriola, Vice Chancellor, Information, Technology & Data and Chief Digital Officer, UC Irvine

3:20 – 3:30 pm | Key Takeaways & Closing Discussion
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director of Digital Transformation

Benefactors

DLA 2024 CONFERENCE PHOTOS

DLA 2024 CONFERENCE VIDEOS

Articles

• A Leadership Agenda for the Age of AI
• Managing the risks of AI
• Lessons from AI-savvy companies
• Transforming enterprises for the AI era

September 27, 2023

4:00 - 5:00 pm | Welcome Reception & Check-In

5:00 - 5:15 pm | Welcome Remarks
Ian Williamson, Dean, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine

5:15 - 6:00pm | Fireside Chat - Looking Forward: The 2024 Global Economic Outlook
Torsten Slok, Chief Economist, Apollo Global Management
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

6:00 - 6:15pm | Benefactor Welcome

6:15 - 6:45pm | UC Irvine Performing Arts Showcase
Mari John Crawford, Professor, Intermedia Arts, Dance Department, UC Irvine and dance students

6:45 - 8:15pm | Reception & Dinner

September 28, 2023

8:00 - 8:30am | Recoding Business in the Age of AI: The Leadership Agenda
Vijay Gurbaxani, Directo, Center for Digital Transformation

8:30 - 8:50am | Unleashing Value with AI and Data Science: An Investor Perspective
Matt Katz, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Data Science, Blackstone
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

8:50 - 9:10am | Driving Autonomy at Rivian: Building an AI-Powered Organization
James Philbin, VP, Autonomy & AI, Rivian
Moderator: Vibhanshu Abhishek, Associate Professor of Information Systems, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine

9:10 - 9:40am | Transforming Traditional Industries: Addressing Legacy Challenges
Gajen Kandiah, CEO, Hitachi Vantara, President, Hitachi Digital
Mark Leiter, Chief Digital Strategy Officer, Boeing
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

9:40 - 10:00am | Group Discussion: Leveraging AI - Attendee Persepectives

10:00 - 10:30am | BREAK

10:30 - 11:00am | Enabling AI: Modernizing the Tech Stack
Chris Nardecchia, SVP and Chief Digital & Information Officer, Rockwell Automation
Marcello Damiani, Board Director, Cellarity, Benevolent AI and Former CDO, Moderna
Amar Maletira, CEO, Rackspace
Moderator: Peter High, President, Metis Strategy

11:00 - 11:20am | Frontier Technologies: Keeping an Eye on Quantum Computing
Christopher Monroe, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, IonQ
Moderator: Kiva Allgood, Board Director, Airgain and Former President & CEO, Sarcos Robotics

11:20 - 11:35am | Research Spotlight: The Impact of LLMs on the Labor Market
Daniel Rock Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

11:35 - 12:00pm | Reimagining Work: The Future of Human Capital
Rebecca House, SVP, Chief People & Legal Officer, Rockwell Automation
Imtiaz Shaikh, Deputy Chief HRO, Hitachi, Ltd.
Moderator: Dawn Behnke, EVP, Life Insurance Division, Pacific Life Insurance Company

12:00 - 12:20pm | Group Discussion: Automating or Augmenting Talent? - Attendee Perspectives
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

12:20 - 1:00pm | Lunch: Birds of a Feather Conversations

1:00 - 1:40pm | Incubating the Future: Solving Global Challenges with Predictive AI
Stuart McClure, CEO, NumberOne AI; CEO, Qwiet AI; Founder, Cylance
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

1:40 - 2:15pm | Playing with Fire: Managing the Risks of AI
Pierre Baldi, Distinguished Professor of AI; Director, Institue for Genomics and Bioinformatics, UC Irvine
David Danks, National AI Advisory Committee; Professor, Data Science and Philosophy, UCSD
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

2:15 - 2:55pm | DEEP DIVE - Reorganizing for AI: Instilling a Culture of Innovation
Julie Guggemos, Board Director Evrnu, Beekman 1802 and Former SVP & Chief

DEEP DIVE - The New Core Competence
Meghna Sinha, VP of AI, Verizon

2:55 - 3:15pm | Frontier Technologies: Keeping an Eye on Extended Reality (xR)
Scott Connolly, Technical Product Development, Solutions Architect in the Immserive and Web 3.0 Technologies Group, Verizon
Ely Stacy, Technical Solutions Lead, Disguise
Moderator: Tom Andriola, Vice Chancellor, Information, Technology and Data & CDO, UC Irvine

3:15 - 3:30pm | Key Audience Takeaways and Next Steps
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director for Digital Transformation

Benefactors

DLA 2023 CONFERENCE PHOTOS

DLA 2023 CONFERENCE VIDEOS

November 2, 2022

4:00 - 5:00 pm | Welcome Reception & Check-In

5:00 - 5:15 pm | Welcome Remarks
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

5:15 - 6:00 pm | Fireside Chat: Investing in Turbulent Times
Amidst geopolitical conflict, environmental challenges and difficult economic conditions, business leaders must build robust and resilient organizations that are simultaneously profitable and responsible. Hear an experienced investor’s assessment of the volatile context of business and how to stay focused on long-term fundamentals.

Jagdeep Bachher, Chief Investment Officer, University of California
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

6:00 - 6:10 pm | Digital Innovator Award Presentation
Mari Kimura, Professor of Music, UC Irvine

November 3, 2022

8:00 - 8:05 am | Welcome
Ian Williamson, Dean, The UCI Paul Merage School of Business

8:05 - 8:35 am | Recoding Business: A Leadership Agenda for the Software Economy

With business leaders navigating increasing uncertainty, the digital imperative has taken on even more urgency. This session will illustrate how leaders are capitalizing on the shift to a software economy and recoding key elements of their businesses.

Keynote: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

8:35 - 9:00 am | Moving at the Speed of Digital: Design Principles of a Software-First Organization

Moderna describes itself as a digital biotech company. Learn how it moves quickly and with agility by operating as a software company, executing a platform strategy, accumulating know-how and competence, and simultaneously allowing it to target new therapeutic areas effectively and profitably.

Marcello Damiani, Chief Digital & Operational Excellence Officer, Moderna
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

9:00 - 9:30 am | From Legacy to Edge: Digitizing Traditional Companies

While the opportunities are endless, digitally transforming companies with large legacy investments raises a different level of operational challenges. How do we bring the speed of technology to established companies?

Dawn Behnke, EVP Life Insurance Division, Pacific Life
Frank Cassulo, CDO, Chevron
Chris Nardecchia, CDO, Rockwell Automation
Moderator: Tom Andriola, Vice Chancellor for Information, Technology and Data & CDO, UC Irvine

9:30 - 9:55 am | Group Discussion: Moving at the Speed of Digital

9:55 - 10:15 am | BREAK

10:15-10:35 am | The National Cyber Agenda: Improving Public-Private Collaboration
Chris Inglis, National Cyber Director, Executive Office of the President

10:35 - 11:05 am | Addressing New Threats: A Comprehensive Approach to Cyber Risk

The cyber landscape has never been more complex and fast-moving. Faced with threats from ransomware to supply chain attacks, businesses must find smart ways to manage risks while still advancing their digital strategies. Hear from two top security leaders tackling this crucial challenge.

Nicole Darden Ford, CISO, Rockwell Automation
Kevin Tierney, Chief Cybersecurity Officer, GM
Moderator: Tom Andriola, Vice Chancellor for Information, Technology and Data & CDO, UC Irvine

11:05 - 11:35 am | Leading in a Digitally Driven World: The Board and CEO Perspective

The current context of business — macroeconomics, geopolitics, cyber risk, ESG and digital transformation — have dramatically reshaped the boardroom agenda. Learn how boards and CEOs think about and address the opportunities and challenges of competing in a software economy.

Diana McKenzie, Board Director, MetLife, Change Healthcare, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Shashank Samant, Chairman, GlobalLogic (Hitachi Group) and Board Director, Office Depot, Rackspace
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

11:35 - 11:55 am | Group Discussion: New Governance Models for the Digital Age

11:55 am - 12:00 pm | Recoding Business: The CDT Agenda 2023
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

12:00 - 1:00 pm | Lunch: Birds of a Feather Conversations

1:00 - 1:40 pm | Investing in Frontier Technologies: AI, Robotics, Metaverse, Web3

The rapid pace of technological change brings the unique challenge of discovering new technologies, investing in the opportunities they enable, and transforming the business to capture their full benefits. This session will examine how companies invest in and exploit frontier technologies: AI, robotics, metaverse, and Web 3.

Kiva Allgood, President & CEO, SARCOS
Shaun Braun, SVP Digital Transformation, 3M
Meghna Sinha, VP AI, Verizon
Moderator: Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

1:40 - 1:50 pm | Digital Transformation of Higher Education

This talk will briefly describe how UC Irvine is reinventing itself to become a modern research university suited to the digital economy, sharing examples of transformation in the models of research, teaching, and healthcare delivery, and especially in the development of a future-ready workforce.

Keynote: Tom Andriola, Vice Chancellor for Information, Technology and Data & CDO, UC Irvine

1:50 - 2:20 pm | Building A Future-Ready Workforce: Strategies for Recruiting and Upskilling

The scarcity of talent coupled with challenges to employee engagement is intensifying the focus on hiring, workforce development, and strategic partnerships and acquisitions to acquire needed capabilities. This session will feature a lively discussion, contrasting the approaches taken by a leading tech company and a mainstream company, that will yield lessons for all of us.

Eve Nam, Senior Vice President, Talent and People Strategy
Alice White, Director, Recruiting, Google
Moderator: Ian Williamson, Dean, The UCI Paul Merage School of Business

2:20-2:45 pm | Group Discussion: The Talent Challenge

2:45-3:00 pm | Key Audience Takeaways and Next Steps
Vijay Gurbaxani, Director, Center for Digital Transformation

Benefactors