Registration Open for ECIA 2019 Executive Conference: “Vision 2020 – Leading with Clarity”

Atlanta —Registration is now open for the 2019 Executive Conference. The Planning Committee, chaired by TTI’s Melanie Pizzey, has generated a slate of speakers all focused on leadership for what is expected to be a tumultuous decade. The theme is Vision 2020 – Leading with Clarity and this year’s conference attendees will be enlightened by a stellar roster of speakers who are experts in economics, strategic planning, change management, talent development and disruptive technologies like 5G and intelligent transportation — all seen through the lens of the impact on the electronic components industry.

The meeting agenda reflects the committee’s focus on the highest quality presentations:

Global Economic Outlook and US Manufacturing Forecast. Cliff Waldman, podcast host and CEO of New World Economics, uses the latest data from key industrialized and emerging market economies to discuss recent global trends and their impact on growth in US manufacturing.

Markets, Technologies and Transitions: Implications for the Electronics Supply Chain. ECIA’s Chief Analyst Dale Ford explores key forces that are shaping the future of the electronic components industry. Building on a robust set of data supported by ECIA research, Dale analyzes key issues industry executives need to understand to manage the future.

Digital Transformation of Manufacturing. As Industry 4.0 integrates digital technologies into traditional industry products, services and processes, the challenge for manufacturers is to effectively implement these digital best practices into their ‘front of the house’ functions. Tony Uphoff, Thomas President and CEO shares latest sourcing/demand data generated by industrial buyers on Thomasnet.com to report on best practices in the digital transformation of industrial sales, marketing, and supply chain functions.

 Intelligent Transportation and Key Enablers. Rapid advances in automation and IT go hand in hand with technology innovation in self-driving vehicles. They are interdependent and not well understood. Dwight Howard, APTIV LPC (formerly Delphi) will explain why the capabilities must be harmonized.

The Promise and Potential of 5G – Excitement, Confusion and Possibilities. Francis Sideco, VP at IHS Markit, walks us through the varied and sometimes conflicting interpretations of 5G; he discusses how to optimize short and long-term 5G adoption strategies.

Check Your Blind Spot! The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, PwC’s CEO-driven business initiative, is gaining momentum. Elena Richards explains the commitment and the psychological research that helps us change our behavior and policies to improve the decisions we make in life and at work.

Create Workplace Conditions that Deliver Championship Results. In this session, former professional baseball executive Skip Weisman provides insights, reasons and specific actionable strategies for creating a work environment that engages team members to do their best every day.

Where Does Organizational Development Fall on Your Priority List? Senior leaders and those looking to advance their careers must ask themselves, ‘who comes next?’. This panel, led by recruiter Carla Mahrt and TTI’s Michael Knight, includes Gordon Hunter, Chairman of Littelfuse, Joe Nelligan CEO of Molex, and David Kirk, CEO of Murata; they discuss what can go right – and wrong – in succession planning.

No Shortcuts to the Top. Author and renowned mountaineer Ed Viesturs has turned his journey into a metaphor: ‘climbing has to be a round trip’. Perseverance and preparation enabled him to to complete a journey of climbing all fourteen of the world’s 8,000 meter peaks without an oxygen tank. He explains how this applies to managing risk and leading a team step-by-step to a common goal.

Making the Cultural Shift from Product-Promoters to Problem-Solvers. Component industry business is driven by new product introductions. But design engineers do not search for products, they search for solutions. This is an opportunity for the industry. Lectrix CEO Graham Kilshaw explains how.

Pivoting for Performance: The Future of Change in the Electronic Components Industry. In our industry, the best plans often do not pan out as expected. To address the constant need to adapt, TEDx speaker and columnist Shawn Rhodes shares how the best teams and organizations leverage change, and how attendees can implement those practices.

“The planning committee has been diligent and we are very grateful for their time and effort,” commented Debbie Conyers, ECIA Vice President. “I’m confident the executives who attend will leave the conference in October well equipped to lead their organizations through the next decade with great success,” she added.

“The electronic components industry is experiencing rapid change and a new era of disruption is ahead of us. As we continue to transition into Industry 4.0 a unique set of leadership skills is required to manage organizations through these dramatic shifts.” continued Melanie Pizzey, Executive Conference Chair. “Our committee is determined to make this conference the best one yet. Every speaker we chose has something vital to contribute to our message, which we believe is what every CEO and executive in our industry needs to understand in order to successfully lead their organization in the 2020s.”

The Executive Conference runs October 20-22 at the Loews Chicago O’Hare.