Game-Changers with Purpose, Presented by SAP

The buzz: ‘Technology developed for chronic pain management has been fast evolving” (sciencedirect.com). Phantom limb pain is a chronic, physically and mentally debilitating condition for most amputees. Intensive physical therapy alone often cannot prevent mental health issues and recovery barriers. Can technology help? Yes! A digitally-connected wearable armband with Virtual Reality is helping amputees by measuring, analyzing and detecting electrical signals in their muscles. The armband is scalable for use in hospitals around the world. The experts speak. Roberto Frossard, Accenture: “I accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying” (M.Jordan). Daniel Gonzalez, Liquid Studios: “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor” (E.Musk). Brad Borkan, SAP: “Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way” (T.Freston). Join us for Work That Matters: Technology Healing Amputees.

The buzz: “An organization’s culture of purpose answers the critical questions of who it is and why it exists. They have a culture of purpose beyond making a profit (Punit Renjen, Deloitte). Saying you’re a company with Purpose sounds great on your website and in marketing. But are you ready to fulfil that purpose if it doesn’t directly fatten your bottom line? And if you’re “just one person” with a worthy cause that can benefit from corporate support in the form of technology, funding or people, how do you convince the right companies to partner with you? The answers may surprise you. The experts speak. John Matthews, SAP: “Many hands make light work” (John Heywood, Kathleen Matthews). Frewd Yentz, Telit: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” (Walt Disney). Ashley Tully, SAP: “Believe in something larger than yourself... get involved in the big ideas of your time” (Barbara Bush). Join us for IoT for Good: Cycling Purpose Around the World.

The buzz: “In a sea of human beings, it is difficult, at times even impossible, to see the human as being” (Aysha Taryam). Humanitarian challenge: help refugees find meaningful work and businesses find skilled workers. Sustainable solutions: Deloitte collaborated with the Refugee Studies Centre (University of Oxford) on a research report Talent Displaced: the economic lives of Syrian refugees in Europe and with SAP to develop and pilot the FuturesHub technology platform. SAP’s Engaging for Refugees program offered refugees internship opportunities in software development, design, programming. The experts speak. Jacques Buith, Deloitte: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been” (W. Gretzky). Dan Lahl, SAP: “The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is…to be indifferent to them…essence of inhumanity” (G.B. Shaw). Miguel Castro, SAP: “Save the cheerleader, save the world” (Heroes, Season 1). Join us for Technology with Purpose: Priming the Humanitarian Pump.

The buzz: “Innovation doesn’t equal social good, but social good can be accelerated by innovation…provided that purpose is at the heart of that innovation” (2014 Social Innovation Summit). Can doing good via social innovation be good for your company’s bottom line? Yes. For-profit companies are finding solutions to social and environmental issues, often collaborating with government, business, and non-profits. Is there a role for technology here, too? The experts speak. Hubert Yoshida, Hitachi Vantara: “A kid in Africa with a smart phone has access to more information than the President of the U.S. 15 years ago” (Ray Kurzweil). Karin Underwood, Stanford GSB: “Dedicated to the things that haven’t happened yet and the people who are about to dream them up…” (Stanford GSB plaque). Katie Morgan Booth, SAP: “The question is, If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?” (Martin Luther King, Jr.). Join us for Social Innovation: Business Strategy with Profit.

The buzz: “The last 10 years have been about building a world that is mobile-first. In the next 10 years, we will shift to a world that is AI-first” (Sundar Pichai). While early adopters of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing major economic sectors, including consumer electronics, healthcare, media & entertainment, and defense & intelligence, a new wave of AI promises to disrupt the older, larger manufacturing, energy, and transportation sectors. And with the Industrial Internet of Things, AI models applied to complex physical systems in harsh environments may unlock $ trillions of value. The experts speak. Paul Kurchina, ASUG: “Change your thoughts and you change your world” (Norman Vincent Peale). Jerry Chen, NVIDIA: “Only the mediocre are always at their best” (Jean Giraudoux). Margaret Laffan, SAP: “When you change the way you think about things, the things you think about change” (Max Planck). Join us for Industrial AI for Intelligent, Purposeful Enterprises.

The buzz: “An organization without purpose manages people and resources, while an organization with purpose mobilizes people and resources (Sherry Hakimi, Sparktures). How can your company become truly purpose-driven? Embrace sustainability. How? Put sustainability at the intersection of the technical, physical and organizational roles of your business. And hire a Sustainable Innovation Technologist to develop teams, solutions and procedures that boost efficiency, employee retention, global impact and the bottom line, while reducing costs. Find head count! The experts speak. Dr. John Frey, HPE: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” (Sir Isaac Newton). Rob Thiele, OpenText: “Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge” (Plato). Jim Sullivan, SAP: “Do you know what my favorite renewable fuel is? An ecosystem for innovation” (Thomas Friedman). Join us for Now Hiring on Purpose: Sustainable Innovation Technologist.

The buzz: “In a sea of human beings, it is difficult, at times even impossible, to see the human as being” (Aysha Taryam). Humanitarian challenge: help refugees find meaningful work and businesses find skilled workers. Sustainable solutions: Deloitte collaborated with the Refugee Studies Centre (University of Oxford) on a research report Talent Displaced: the economic lives of Syrian refugees in Europe and with SAP to develop and pilot the FuturesHub technology platform. SAP’s Engaging for Refugees program offered refugees internship opportunities in software development, design, programming. The experts speak. Jacques Buith, Deloitte: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been” (W. Gretzky). Dan Lahl, SAP: “The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is…to be indifferent to them…essence of inhumanity” (G.B. Shaw). Miguel Castro, SAP: “Save the cheerleader, save the world” (Heroes, Season 1). Join us for Technology with Purpose: Priming the Humanitarian Pump.

The buzz: “No one in the world needs a Rhino horn but a Rhino” (Paul Oxton). Africa’s wildlife threat levels are growing at alarming rates – particularly from increasing poaching of elephants and rhinos. Traditional conservation methods fall short due to lack funding and people-power. Enter a creative solution: technology with purpose involving drones and GPS, sparking a new definition of ERP: Elephants, Rhinos and People. The experts speak. Quintin Smith, EPI-USE: “I guess it comes down a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying” (Shawshank Redemption). David Allen, EPI-USE: “There are some four million different kinds of animals and plants in the world. Four million different solutions to the problems of staying alive.=” (Sir David Attenborough). Ashley Tully, SAP: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how” (Friedrich Nietzsche). Join us for ERP, Technology and Purpose in the Wild: Elephants, Rhinos, People

The buzz: “What makes some companies wildly successful while others flop? Starting and surviving in today’s economy is hard, but the companies that figure it out have something in common: the pursuit of purpose, alongside the pursuit of profit (Sherry Hakimi, fastcompany.com). How can your company navigate this chaotic world? Become a purpose-infused and experience-led organization, then activate your inspiring North Star beyond driving profits and shareholder value. An EY Beacon Institute study found that “a clearly articulated, [and activated] purpose helps organizations survive and thrive.” Are you there yet? The experts speak. Jeff Stier, EY: “Be the change you wish to see in the world” (Gandhi). Shelley McKinley, Microsoft: “It is not going to be easy, but it’s going to be awesome. Awesome ain’t easy” (Steve Gleason). Jim Sullivan, SAP: “I like being near the top of a mountain. One can’t get lost here” (W. Szymborska). Join us for Your North Star: Becoming A Purposeful Company.