By Percy Chinoy
Something exciting is coming to New England for the first time. The IIT Association of Greater New England (IIT AGNE) and PANIIT are organizing the 2016 Leadership Conference at the Rhode Island Convention Center, in Providence, RI, from August 12 to 14. The theme of the conference is “Leading transformation for a better tomorrow: Technologies that lift the human spirit.”
According to the Conference Chair, Raj Laad, “The conference will bring together a dazzling array of thought leaders in areas where New England leads the rest of the world such as Life Sciences and Healthcare, Energy and Environment, Big Data, and Education. The conference is open not just to IIT alumni but to everyone. With over 1,200 attendees and 100 speakers expected, you will have opportunities to network with industry leaders and make business connections, and have fun with friends while enjoying world-class music entertainment and awesome food.”
A highlight of the conference is the Business Plan Competition, where emerging entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas to potential investors. Examples of topics are: information technology, biotechnology, green technology, advanced manufacturing and medical devices. Up to $25,000 in cash prizes will be distributed. So hurry up you budding entrepreneurs, applications are being accepted through July 10 and the final round will be held at the Conference on Sunday, August 14, 2016. Check out the details on the website.
Some of the key speakers featured at the Conference include Massachusetts-based technology and social entrepreneur Dr. Gururaj Deshpande, CEO & Founder of TripAdvisor Steve Kaufer, COO of GE Boston Eric Gebhardt, FedEx EVP of Marketing Rajesh Subramaniam, Chair of NASA MARS Mission Dr. Amitabha Ghosh, and Dean of Harvard Business School Dr. Nitin Nohria.
The wide-ranging series of keynotes, panels, and discussions will include the following:
- Topics drawing from strong life sciences and healthcare clusters in New England, including integrative medicine, effective healthcare delivery, robotics in medicine, advances in vaccines, and state-of-the-art genetically driven treatments.
- Impactful energy and environmental technologies from renewable energy generation and storage, water challenges and solutions, to energy markets and climate policy.
- Sessions on the frontiers of technology including the rapidly growing Internet of Things (IoT), CIO panel on the Cloud-based Enterprise, exploding Big Data Analytics, and unlocking the potential of social/civic data.
- Thought-provoking discussions from some of the leading educational institutions, including an international university leadership panel, implications of digital learning and Campus in the Cloud, and the democratization of education.
- An engaging series of sessions highlighting women in technology, the opportunities and successes.
According to Laad, “Time is running out on Early Bird Registration so hurry up and register. You are sure to find it a fun, exciting and enriching experience.”
The Indian Institutes of Technology Association of Greater New England (IIT AGNE), a nonprofit dedicated to engaging in and supporting charitable educational and scientific research activities, is an organization of IIT alumni living in the Greater New England area, including the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Vermont, according to its website. PANIIT USA, the national IIT alumni organization, has more than a dozen chapters, including IIT AGNE
