Day 1: 3 October 2026
Location
Opening Welcome & Conference Overview:
Vickie Ozburn and Howard Wolfman (IEEE ILC Co-Chairs)
Keynote
Boudewijn (Bou) Bertsch
Leadership Consultant and Somatic Coach
The Organizational Rebellion: Reinventing How We Lead
Morning Break & Networking with Exhibitors
Fireside Chat: AI, Ethics, and Human-Centered Innovation
Beyond Technical Excellence: The Leadership Journey from Engineer to Influencer Discussion
Lunch & Networking
Group Photo
TRACK A
TRACK B
Leadership & Professional Growth Focus: Building leadership capacity across career stages systems thinking for leaders
Innovation, Industry & Entrepreneurship
Focus: Connecting engineering with industry and innovation
13:30 – 14:15
Michelle Smeby
You Are a Superhero. Let’s Discover Your Superpower So You Can Use It for Greatness
Beth Rudden
Meaning Before Math:
Building the Trust
Layer of AI
14:15 – 15:00
Coming Soon
Kathy Hayashi
Building Innovation Ecosystems: The Role of Engineering Leaders
Coffee Break & Networking
15:15 – 16:00
Aditi Khullar
Know Where You Stand: The Strategy Before the Strategy
Gokce Nur Yilmaz
Building an AI-Ready Engineering Program: A Cross-Generational Industry–Academia Playbook
TRACK C
TRACK D
Career Readiness & Mentorship
Focus: Building leadership capacity across career stages systems thinking for leaders
Global Impact & Inclusion
Focus: Connecting engineering with industry and innovation
16:00 – 16:45
Leslie Gruis
When Opportunity Knocks: My Evolution from Intelligence Officer to Public Privacy Persona
Priscilla Amalraj
The Heartbeat of Innovation: Centering Humanity in the Age of Emerging Technologies
16:45 – 17:30
Limor Bergman Gross
What Directors Wish Their Managers Knew About Promotions
Jan Carroll
Flying Blind: Shadow AI, Digitisation Legacy Risk, and the Implications of the Cyber Vulnerability of Irish Micro-SMEs
Keynote
Madhuri Andrews
Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Closing Remarks Day 1
