What exactly is digital innovation? At our recent Digital Innovation Summit, it became clear that innovation isn’t just about technology — it’s about people, mindset, and cross-industry collaboration. Whether you’re in manufacturing, retail, or cybersecurity, the disruptions you’re navigating are more alike than different.

The cross collaboration of this specific event makes it one for everyone to gain actionable insights from.

A Unique Cross-Industry Exchange

One of the standout elements of this summit was how leaders from vastly different industries came together over shared challenges. Our agenda broke down what’s working, shared roadmaps, and emphasized incremental, achievable change. The panels and Q&As were intentionally intimate—a space where real questions could be asked and honest answers shared.

Culture is the Constant

Across all sessions, one theme came up again and again: organizational culture. If innovation is the vehicle, culture is the engine. To keep up with accelerating change, companies must equip their teams with not just new technologies, but also the mindset to adapt with them.

As Ann Dunkin, Former CIO at the U.S. Department of Energy, noted:

From Descriptive to Predictive

A major discussion point: moving from descriptive analytics to predictive. Leaders explored best practices for leveraging predictive analytics and — importantly — where to begin. The takeaway? You don’t have to start big. Start with one step.

Russell Hanson, Chief Innovation Officer at Sama Therapeutics, put it this way:

Facing Real-World Risks

We also tackled the very real challenges surrounding privacy, risk, and red tape. How do organizations build trust and convince leadership to invest in innovation? The answers weren’t easy, but they were honest — and grounded in experience.

Culture, Experience, and Action

Day two opened with a conversation about what’s holding organizations back from building a culture of innovation. We talked about seamless multi-device experiences and the importance of user-centric design.

Vala Afshar, Chief Digital Evangelist at Salesforce, offered this insight, “We are the last generation of managers who will only manage people. Now we will be managing digital agents.” And when it comes to getting started? Take small, genuine steps. Action beats aspiration. Tope Sadiku, Global Director of Organization Effectiveness Design at McDonald’s, summed it up with a simple but powerful framework:

Tope also emphasized the importance of intentionality, “Everyone needs a why. I don’t do anything in my life without a ‘why.’ Even in innovation, you need to know your universal goal and your why — not just innovate for innovation’s sake.”

The Power of Digital Innovation

Digital innovation isn’t a buzzword. It’s a continuous journey that thrives on collaboration, clarity of purpose, and courage to challenge the status quo. And as this summit proved — when leaders come together and speak candidly, real progress begins.

Amanda Brilhante, Media Expert, Storyteller, Public Speaker, Journalist & GDS Summit Host.

For more insights on the future of Digital Innovation direct from the show floor, check out our upcoming Digital Innovation Summit.