Bold
stories.
Future
focused.
March 23, 2021 | 20 mins
Ep. 1: Abrupt disruption and the catalyst for innovation ft. Banu KannuEvery business’s best laid plans changed in 2020, forcing capable leaders to step up. One such leader is Banu Kannu, co-founder of Uncommon Conferences. Listen as Kannu shares her story of disruptive thinking and innovative direction.
March 23, 2021 | 23 mins
Ep. 2: The real cost of conducting mission-driven business ft. Jeanne Ross and Kumud KaliaMore than ever, brands are conducting bigger-picture business – but what does leading with a mission really mean? Organization theorist Jeanne Ross decided to find out. Hear her discuss her findings with Kumud Kalia, CIO at Guardant Health.
March 23, 2021 | 18 mins
Ep. 3: The startup built for the reinvention of work ft. David MoriccaThe pandemic changed how (and where) we work. Listen to CEO David Moricca – whose business Socialive was built to support remote work – speak about stepping up to make the transition to working-from-quarantine easier for businesses.
March 30, 2021 | 25 mins
Ep. 4: Designing the future of work ft. Clay RichardsonHow can strategic design thinking better empower the future of work? Clay Richardson, CEO of Digital Fastforward, talks about his research on taking a more human-centered approach to innovation and technology.
April 6, 2021 | 24 mins
Ep. 5: Rethinking the barriers to hiring ft. Daniel OkonkwoCriminal records. Background checks. There are numerous places where a candidate’s chances for a job can be squandered – often for a small mistake. By reframing how (and who) we hire, Daniel Okonkwo from JP Morgan Chase is working to change that.
A Pega report
How the future of work changed in 2020
Technology has changed the way we work – but by how much? We commissioned a research study to find out.
Jo Richardson
Director, Corporate Communications
Pegasystems
Jeanne Ross
Principal Research Scientist (retired),
MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR)
R. Daniel Okonkwo, Esq. is an attorney and public policy expert with significant experience in the policy, advocacy, the nonprofit sectors. Daniel currently serves as the Market Lead—Mid-Atlantic, in Community Engagement at JPMorgan Chase & Co. In this role, he is responsible for building relationships with key stakeholders, grantmaking in the Mid-Atlantic region, and meeting the firm’s CRA obligations. Daniel also manages a national grant portfolio, which focuses on nonprofit capacity building and civil rights organizations.
Daniel comes to JPMorgan Chase from Ballast Research where he advised Fortune 500 companies on their federal and state advocacy. Prior to Ballast Research, Daniel was a founding member and the Executive Director of D.C. Lawyers for Youth (DCLY), a policy and advocacy organization that worked to reform the District’s youth justice system. While working to start DCLY, Daniel was a Senior Consultant in the Regulatory Practice Group at the EOP Group, Inc., a lobbying and political consulting firm. He started his career as a trial attorney in the Office of the Public Defender in Miami, FL where he represented clients in the County Court Division and Felony Drug Court. Prior to entering law school, Daniel had an accomplished career as a professional basketball player.
Daniel has extensive ties to the local and national nonprofit networks and municipal leaders. He currently sits on the board of the Juvenile Law Center (Philadelphia). He has served as an appointee to the District’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Group, the Safer Stronger DC Advisory Committee, the Non-Profit Advisory Committee, and most recently, the Commission on Health Equity. Daniel also values supporting local nonprofits and has been a board member of the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates, Advocates for Justice in Education, the WAMU (88.5FM) Community Council, and the National Juvenile Justice Network.
Daniel received his J.D. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from Yale University.
Clay is the co-founder of Digital FastForward. He has spent most of his career helping leaders build and execute strategies around new disruptive technologies. Formerly with Forrester Research, a leading market research firm, Clay oversaw research and client advisory projects focused on digital innovation, digital automation, design thinking, and lean startup practices.
Jo has over 20 years in the PR & Communications industry, managing multiple clients and PR programs first at agencies and then in-house, running pan-European programs that align with corporate strategy.
Focused on working with internal teams to help bring our great customer stories to life. Jo likes to influence colleagues & customers to view earned media content as 'business development & prospecting collateral' that is valuable on many levels - for the sales cycle, for storytelling, for building your own internal brand & reputation!
Prior to her retirement in 2020, Jeanne Ross spent almost 27 years conducting academic research that targeted the challenges of senior business and technology leaders at large global companies. She authored four books, developed 60 case studies of innovative companies, and published in leading business outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, and The Wall Street Journal. She also taught masters and executive level classes, facilitated corporate workshops, and led discussions of business design (i.e. enterprise architecture) with executive committee members of major companies.
Banu Kannu is co-founder and chief experience officer at Uncommon Conferences, a consultancy that empowers organizations to drive change through virtual and in-person participant-led gatherings. She is a seasoned marketer, content creator and business development professional with over 15 years' international experience across several industries. She’s passionate about the big picture but doesn’t lose sight of the small details that keep everything ticking. Her diverse and international background make her an ideal bridge – between people, organizations and ideas.
With over 30 years of experience, Kumud Kalia is a global business executive who has led organizations in multiple industry sectors, from startup to large companies. He is familiar with scaling for high-growth, M&A, in/outsourcing, critical business processes and all aspects of information technology and cyber-security. Kumud has lived and worked in multiple countries, and is currently located in Silicon Valley as Chief Information Officer at biotech leader Guardant Health. He has operating experience as a cybersecurity leader, internet & cloud technology leader, and has led countless business transformation initiatives.
David Moricca is the founder & CEO of Socialive, an enterprise video creation & live streaming SaaS platform. Trusted by organizations from startups to the Fortune 100, Socialive brings unprecedented ease and scale to high-quality video content creation for teams across the enterprise.
With 15 years of leadership and innovation in digital media, David is helping drive and shape the video-first communications revolution in business. Before Socialive, David developed and launched Scholastic's first digital learning platform and worked as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company.
A New Jersey native, David holds a B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
With an international career spanning 15+ years, Banu Kannu has been in management roles in B2B organizations, responsible for online & offline marketing, story-telling, live & virtual unconferences, business development and strategy. Banu is passionate about better diversity, equity & inclusion practices, particularly in the maritime & energy industries. Banu has lived and worked in Australia, Singapore and China whilst travelling extensively throughout Europe, Asia & the US. All about the big picture, she never loses sight of the small details that make everything possible. Her diverse and international background makes her the ideal bridge – between people, organizations and ideas.
Jo has over 20 years in the PR & Communications industry, managing multiple clients and PR programs first at agencies and then in-house, running pan-European programs that align with corporate strategy.
Focused on working with internal teams to help bring our great customer stories to life. Jo likes to influence colleagues & customers to view earned media content as 'business development & prospecting collateral' that is valuable on many levels - for the sales cycle, for storytelling, for building your own internal brand & reputation!
With over 30 years of experience, Kumud Kalia is a global business executive who has led organizations in multiple industry sectors, from startup to large companies. Familiar with scaling for high-growth, M&A, in/outsourcing, critical business processes and all aspects of information technology and cyber-security. Kumud has lived and worked in multiple countries, currently located in Silicon Valley as Chief Information Officer at biotech leader Guardant Health. He has operating experience as a cybersecurity leader, internet & cloud technology leader, and has led countless business transformation initiatives.
Jeanne Ross conducts academic research targeting the challenges of senior business and technology leaders at large global companies, particularly the 100 companies that sponsor MIT CISR (Center for Information Systems Research). She has facilitated discussions of business design (i.e. enterprise architecture) with executive committee members of major companies.
Jo has over 20 years in the PR & Communications industry, managing multiple clients and PR programs first at agencies and then in-house, running pan-European programs that align with corporate strategy.
Focused on working with internal teams to help bring our great customer stories to life. Jo likes to influence colleagues & customers to view earned media content as 'business development & prospecting collateral' that is valuable on many levels - for the sales cycle, for storytelling, for building your own internal brand & reputation!
David Moricca is the founder & CEO of Socialive, an enterprise video creation & live streaming SaaS platform. Trusted by organizations from startups to the Fortune 100, Socialive brings unprecedented ease and scale to high-quality video content creation for teams across the enterprise.
With 15 years of leadership and innovation in digital media, David is helping drive and shape the video-first communications revolution in business. Before Socialive, David developed and launched Scholastic's first digital learning platform and worked as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company.
A New Jersey native, David holds a B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Jo has over 20 years in the PR & Communications industry, managing multiple clients and PR programs first at agencies and then in-house, running pan-European programs that align with corporate strategy.
Focused on working with internal teams to help bring our great customer stories to life. Jo likes to influence colleagues & customers to view earned media content as 'business development & prospecting collateral' that is valuable on many levels - for the sales cycle, for storytelling, for building your own internal brand & reputation!