Leading through the AI Hype: Delivering Hard Results

Tom Koulopoulos

Renowned futurist, Delphi Group chairman, and best-selling author Tom Koulopoulos will challenge how you interpret trends and their impact on your strategy in 2026 and beyond.

Tom will cut through the noise across technology, business models, and human behavior so you leave with clear priorities that build competitive advantage.

Grounded in real-world execution, Tom draws on more than four decades at the intersection of technology and business, including leading innovation initiatives at the Babson College Center for Business Innovation and the Dell Innovation Lab, and teaching at Boston University. He also brings a venture investor’s perspective to the future of work, healthcare, and enterprise innovation.

Breakout Sessions

Explore the state of your industry, or the industries you serve, and what it takes to win in the current environment. Joined by leading venture capital firms and tech founders, this session will examine how emerging technologies, including agentic AI, and new operating models are attracting investment and scaling quickly, giving leaders early visibility into what is coming next.

• Redefining the Financial Services Operating Model
• Who Owns the Future of Healthcare Decisions?
• Rewriting the Manufacturing and Production Earnings Model
• Where Advantage Is Shifting in Retail and Consumer Products

Adam Hofmann

Most companies have an AI strategy, but strategy isn’t what separates the 95% that flounder from the 5% who drive results.

In this session, Adam will deliver a reality check and a roadmap, showing why organizations stall and what must shift for AI to drive real enterprise transformation.

Adam is the AI Leader and Partner at Elixirr. Over the past five years, he has helped senior leaders worldwide apply science and technology to solve major challenges, driving digital innovation, scaling customer acquisition, and boosting brand growth.

Shideh Sedgh Bina and Stuart Stern

Technology evolves fast, and powers change, but the real edge isn’t in the technology itself.  Shideh Sedgh Bina and Stuart Stern will examine how leaders build capability moats that endure beyond the latest technological trends.

Shideh Sedgh Bina is co-founder of Insigniam, a partner at Elixirr, and a recognized leader in enterprise transformation with more than four decades of advising CEOs and executive teams. She has supported clients across healthcare, retail, logistics, financial services, government, and life sciences in generating tens of billions of dollars in value.

Stuart Stern is a consulting and industry leader with over 30 years of experience delivering transformation across insurance, energy, transportation, and life sciences. A former CIO and consulting partner, he brings a strong commercial mindset alongside deep technical expertise, enabling organizations to modernize, scale, and innovate.

Dr. Radha Iyengar Plumb

W Philadelphia

• 1439 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102 USA
• +12157098000

The Executive Summit was created at the request of our executive clients who wanted a space to engage with like-minded leaders, exchange ideas, and explore emerging trends through a practical, experience-based lens.

For nearly two decades, we have brought together senior executives to challenge assumptions, sharpen perspective, and focus on what truly matters next for business and leadership.

In 2025, attendees rated the Executive Summit as exceptional, with a Net Promoter Score of 74.

• “This is one of the best meetings of the year.”
• “Very inspirational and uplifting. I have a lot of energy to take my leadership to the next level.”
• “I deeply appreciate the opportunity to network with like-minded leaders.”
• “Great opportunity to access new ways of thinking”
• “I am leaving inspired and excited about the future. The opportunity to connect with others with diverse backgrounds and perspectives was so valuable!”
• “Wonderful executive summit. I got more in one day than I’ve gotten in some week-long conferences.”

Monday, April 20: 6:00pm – Networking Dinner

Tuesday, April 21: 7:45am–4:30pm – Executive Summit

Executive Summit Agenda: 

Breakfast, Registration, and Networking | 7:45 AM – 8:30 AM

Welcome and Kickoff | 8:30 AM – 8:50 AM 

Decoding the Signals Ahead

• Globally recognized futurist, author, and Delphi Group Chairman Tom Koulopoulos explores the forces reshaping business and the signals executives should be paying attention to now.

Break | 10:05 AM – 10:25 AM

Industry Deep-Dives

• Explore the state of your industry, or the industries you serve, and what it takes to win in the current environment. Joined by leading venture capital firms and tech founders, this session will examine how emerging technologies, including agentic AI, and new operating models are attracting investment and scaling quickly, giving leaders early visibility into what is coming next.

Networking Lunch | 12:05 PM – 1:30 PM

The Secret to Real AI Execution

• Practical guidance from Elixirr AI Lead Adam Hofmann on how to avoid the pitfalls that derail most AI pilots and turn AI into a true execution engine inside the enterprise.

The Ultimate Competitive Advantage (hint: It Is Not Strategy, Technology, or Finances…)

• Technology evolves fast, and powers change, but the real edge isn’t in the technology itself. Insigniam Co-Founder and Elixirr Partner Shideh Sedgh Bina and Elixirr Partner Stuart Stern will examine how leaders build capability moats that endure beyond the latest technological trends.

Break | 2:50 PM – 3:10 PM

Why Most AI Transformations Stall and How to Scale What Works

• IBM Vice President of AI-first Transformation and former U.S. Department of Defense Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, Dr. Radha Iyengar Plumb, offers a behind-the-scenes look at how IBM moved beyond pilots to embed AI across the business, exceeding productivity targets by more than 2x.

Reflections and Actionable Insights

Closing Remarks | 4:15 PM – 4:30 PM

*Agenda is subject to change