Fall Meeting Sessions


Thursday, October 17, 2024


General Session #1 

Diana Kander
How to Compete on Value Instead of Price

8:30 - 10:15 a.m.

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Looking to give your customers new value-creating opportunities? Diana Kander will lead you through the key questions which may help uncover these opportunities, and how, precisely, to ask them to effectively yield useful insights. She will suggest questions such as: are you competing for customers based on price or value? Are you missing out on seeing some key blind spots in your product or service offering? Are you measuring true data about the health of your project or relying on vanity metrics which can conceal what is really going on? Diana will share detailed examples to improve curiosity, spark creativity, and hone leadership skills!
View Diana's introduction video



General Session #2

Jordan Ledwein
AI-Powered Selling: The Future of Sales
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

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Will salespeople be replaced by AI? No... but perhaps salespeople who understand how to use AI will replace those who do not! In his keynote, Jordan Ledwein will answer the question: What is AI and how can it be applied to the selling process? He will explain what AI or automation technology and tools are available to help save salespeople time while also making them more effective, and he will outline the best practices and best prompts for the effective use of ChatGPT.  Jordan’s is a must-hear presentation for all salespeople and their managers! View Jordan's introduction video



 

General Session #3

Claudia St. John 
Future-Ready: Disruption-Proof Your Business for the Workplace of Tomorrow
1:15 - 2:30 p.m.

Labor market disruption is affecting the ability of businesses to attract, retain, and develop a skilled and adaptable workforce. So, what’s the answer? In her compelling presentation, Claudia St. John reveals how to disruption-proof a talent strategy by embracing a long-term outlook.  Ideal for leaders navigating the impact of labor market disruption, grappling with worker shortages, and developing ways to minimize future workforce risks, Claudia will apply her knowledge as a Human Resources consultant, a keynote speaker, and as a bestselling author to ensure we leave with a new mindset for rethinking workforce challenges, improved strategies for becoming an in-demand employer, and better equipped to lead in the workplace of tomorrow.   View Claudia's introduction video


General Session #4

Rachel Wilson
The New Cyberthreat Landscape: How Your Business is Impacted, and How to Be Prepared

3:00 - 4:15 p.m.


Rachel Wilson spent 15 years at the National Security Agency (NSA) where she ran counter-terrorism operations, worked against cybersecurity threats to the 2012 Summer Olympics, and led the mission for the NSA’s cyber exploitation operations. As the Senior Committing Official for the NSA’s hacking mission, she oversaw the planning and execution of thousands of cyber operations against our nation’s adversaries. In 2017, Rachel began working for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management as the first Head of Cybersecurity where she leverages her experience to protect Morgan Stanley and its clients from cyberthreat actors.
In her AHTD keynote, Rachel will describe the many cybersecurity threats currently facing your organization - from nation-states like North Korea and Iran, cyber-organized crime syndicates, and individual hackers - all looking to make money or create mayhem. Rachel will show how cyber actors use the advanced hacking tools now widely available to target companies, institutions, and individuals and then work to monetize their access. Drawing from her experience at the NSA and in the financial sector, she will discuss what everyone can do to be prepared for, and respond to, the risks in the current cyber risk environment.
View Rachel's introduction video


Friday, October 18


General Session #1

David Horsager
The Trust Edge: What Top Leaders Have and 8 Pillars to Build it for Yourself
8:30  - 10:15 a.m.


Trust is a fundamental, bottom-line issue. Without it, leaders lose teams, salespeople lose sales, and organizations lose reputation, retention of good people, relationships, and revenue. Through academic research and firsthand experience, David Horsager has learned what it takes to gain—and keep—The Trust Edge. 
David’s talk will demonstrate how the little things, done consistently, add up to huge results.  He will cover the eight pillars of the most successful leaders and organizations; the three ways to build connection; what top leaders and organizations have and how you can access it yourself; the keys to building morale, sales, and customer loyalty; how to never have a day where you say, “I didn’t get anything done.”; the greatest need for a motivated staff and how to fill it; and the “why” and “how” behind the most foundational key to real success.  You will walk away with concrete steps that you can use immediately to improve your life AND career!
View David's ​Introductory Video


General Session #2

Marci Rossell
Economic Forecast: Impact of Seismic Surprises

10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.


Drawing on history, theory, and her ringside seat to Wall Street, Dr. Marci Rossell delivers an insider’s perspective on the most important economic events of our time and discusses the impact of many key factors including inflation, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and the looming possibility of a recession. She highlights that current conditions are symptomatic of a larger trend: that businesses today face a variety of seismic surprises, including cyberterrorism, environmental disasters, swings in the regulatory regime, and, yes, pandemics as well.
One of the most trusted names in financial reporting and economics, Marci will outline the current state of the economy, will explain the impacts of monetary policy, movements in the stock market, oil prices, and the real estate market, and will deliver an informed outlook on the U.S. economy for the next 18-24 months with a focus on understanding the new opportunities that are on the horizon.


Membership Video

Know anyone in industrial automation who is not yet an AHTD member? Perhaps it's even you! Watch our Membership Video to check out the benefits of membership and click here to find out why #AHTDrocks!