Here’s a chance to get an inside view of innovation in the tech industry from two high-level executives at Cisco Systems, one of Silicon Valley’s most revered companies. Our speakers will discuss the disruptive impact of digitization on industries, their operations, cultures and employees as well as co-innovation best practices inside and outside that enable companies to lead the digital transition.

For the past 20 years, Alex Goryachev has made it his business to turn disruptive concepts into emerging business models. As Cisco’s senior director of innovation strategy and programs, he sparks internal innovation by providing employees at all levels the chance to share their big ideas, many of which make their way into the company’s innovation engine. He was the emerging stars gold recipient of Brandon Hall Group’s 2016 Human Capital Management Excellence Awards Program, and his organization won golds for employee engagement and innovation talent management programs. Prior to Cisco, Goryachev was a successful consultant with extended assignments at Napster, Liquid Audio, IBM Global Services and Pfizer.

Maciej Kranz brings 30 years of networking industry experience to his position as vice president of the corporate strategic innovation group at Cisco. He leads the group focused on incubating new businesses, accelerating internal innovation and driving co-innovation with customers and partners through a global network of Cisco innovation centers. Prior to this role, Kranz was general manager of the connected industries group at Cisco, a business unit focused on the Internet of things (IoT). He built a $250 million business from the ground up in 18 months and relentlessly evangelized the IoT opportunity across Cisco and the market. Before coming to Cisco, Kranz held various management positions at 3Com Corporation and began his professional career at IBM. In his New York Times best-selling 2016 book, Building the Internet of Things, Kranz offers practical advice to business decision makers on how and why to implement IoT today. Kranz is also a faculty member of Singularity University, focusing on IoT and corporate innovations.