Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) April 10, 2015
The Edison Awards today announced its lineup of speakers and emcees for its April 23 Meet the Innovators Forum and Gala Awards Dinner event being held in New York City. Originally established in 1987 by the American Marketing Association and now a program conducted by Edison Universe, the Edison Awards™ have honored some of the most world’s most innovative new products, services and business leaders. Edison Award winners represent active contributors to the cause and purpose of innovation in the world.
The event features 12 speakers, including Edison Achievement Award honorees Clayton Christensen and Bob Lutz, as well as John Hockenberry, host of NPR’s The Takeaway, and well-known comedian Gary Gulman, who will each serve as emcees during the daytime forum and evening gala.
The Meet the Innovators Forum takes place Thursday, April 23, from 8am to 4pm at the New York Academy of Sciences located at 7 World Trade Center and features the following speakers:
- Clayton Christensen, noted innovation guru and best-selling author, is the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and founder of the respected firm Innosight. Professor Christensen has served as a global instrument of influence and inspiration in the field of innovation.
- Bob Lutz, President and CEO of Lutz Communications and retired Vice Chairman of General Motors Company. Lutz retired from GMC in 2010 after a 47-year career in the global automotive industry that included senior leadership positions at BMW, Ford and Chrysler.
- David Bem, Ph.D., is vice president of Research & Development for Consumer Solutions and Infrastructure Solutions at The Dow Chemical Company. He oversees innovation across a portfolio of key segments ranging from automotive and electronic materials, to medical and home care goods.
- Wes Bolsen leads business development, marketing & communications, government affairs, and project financing in his role at Cool Planet. He joined the company at their global headquarters in Denver, CO after serving on the executive team of public company Codexis (CDXS) as CMO.
- Michael Docherty is the CEO of Venture2, Inc., and brings a unique perspective on innovation, having been an entrepreneur, senior corporate executive and venture capitalist.
- Aedhmar Hynes is the Chief Executive Officer of Text100 Global Communications. She has worked in the public relations industry for more than 28 years, 25 of which have been with Text100. Based in New York City, Aedhmar works with many of the company’s key accounts such as IBM, Cisco, Xerox, MTV and British Airways.
- Dr. Corinna Lathan is co-founder and CEO of AnthroTronix, a biomedical engineering product development company and leader in mobile platform technology. AnthroTronix’ recently FDA-cleared DANA™ product is an evidence-based mobile medical app intended to collect and display cognitive performance information for use in the evaluation of patient brain function.
- John McFarland is director of Global Insights & Brand Strategy for General Motors’ Global Connected Customer Experience division. In addition, McFarland is the head of Marketing for GM’s OnStar brand where he leads the brand’s global positioning and strategy, advertising, and product marketing.
- Hari Nair serves as the Global Managing Director for Kimberly-Clark's Innovation Center, based in Seoul, managing site-wide leadership and global innovation programs. Hari is a thought-leader and expert in applying disruptive innovation and new business models in emerging markets, having spent nearly half of his 20+ year professional career living and working in emerging markets, launching new business and products in China and India.
- Mauro Porcini is Chief Design Officer at PepsiCo. In this newly-created position, Mauro is infusing design thinking into PepsiCo’s culture and is leading a new approach to innovation by design that impacts the company’s product platforms and brands. In 2015 the Italian newspaper “Il Giornale” has named him as “One of the 10 Italians that will change the world”.
The elegant black-tie Edison Awards gala dinner, hosted by Gary Gulman, will be held at The Capitale in New York at 6pm, where Brockett Parsons, renowned pianist and creator of the PianoArc will play for guests. The highlight of the evening program is the announcement of the Edison Awards' new product and service innovation winners. In addition, the Edison Achievement Awards will be presented.
Click below for registration details.