Corporations & Associations

In a little more than a month, over 14,000 people from more than 200 countries will gather in Tokyo, Japan, for the Summer Olympics. They will be joined by thousands of delegates and members of the press. One month later, an additional 5,000 athletes and support staff will come together in Tokyo for the Paralympic Games.  These two enormous events have APB speaker Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, and several of his colleagues deeply concerned. 

When APB speaker Maryam Banikarim decided to return to the workforce after a year-and-a-half hiatus, she never imagined her new job would play a major role in helping millions navigate one of the worse crises of the century. And this same event would skyrocket her company’s social platform growth. Banikarim, former CMO of Hyatt Hotels, joined social media company Nextdoor as CMO just a few weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic began ravaging the world and forcing us to stay home. 

APB speaker and former commanding officer of SEAL Team TWO Mike Hayes has made J.P. Morgan’s 2021 Summer Reading List with his book, Never Enough: A Navy SEAL Commander on Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and Meaning. The book discusses the mentality of the U.S. Navy SEALs and how it can be implemented in everyone’s life for the better. J.P. Morgan stated, “He shares the pillars of excellence, agility and meaning, along with the notion that everyone must look for opportunities to support their teams in order to ensure we all succeed.”   

Do you want to drastically improve your thinking? APB speaker and former commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO Mike Hayes offers us 5 ideas to illustrate “how to think,” instead of “what to think,” to Inc. Drawing on examples from his illustrious career, Hayes shares leadership principles such as teaching individuals how a leader’s job is not to make the best decision, but rather to make sure the best decision gets made. In addition, he explains how comfort with discomfort is a key tenet of high-performance individuals and organizations. According to Hayes, these five ideas can improve our thinking in almost any scenario: 1. All high-stakes decisions are fundamentally the same, 2. Get the broadest range of inputs possible, 3. Emphasize the signal over the noise, 4. The first decision is when to make the decision, and 5. Bring your values to bear in every decision you make.

Join us Tuesday June 8th and Wednesday June 9th for a showcase unlike any other, featuring today's top voices addressing issues shaping the diversity, equity and inclusion conversation. Get ready for four keynotes, six panels, over 50 speaker spotlights and more! +Register Now

On May 26, 2020, Philonise Floyd learned that his older brother, George “Perry” Floyd, Jr. had been murdered by four police officers in Minneapolis after a store clerk alleged that he passed a counterfeit $20 bill. The world watched as named officer, Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. George’s death sparked a worldwide outpour of protests against police brutality, especially toward black people. Philonise vowed that George’s death would not be in vain, another hashtag on a t-shirt, and started the Philonise and Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, actively working to eliminate the daily impacts of police brutality, criminal justice reform and systemic racism.

Prices on many products are on a rise, and consumers are speaking out. APB speaker and Professor of Supply Chains at Northeastern University Dr. Nada Sanders says it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Do you constantly feel overwhelmed by stress, feel dissatisfied in your career and relationships, and feel like you lack purpose? APB speaker, biologist, and stress expert Dr. Rebecca Heiss says that the answer to fixing these problems exists in rewiring instincts. Titled  Instinct: Rewire Your Brain with Science-Backed Solutions to Increase Productivity and Achieve Success, Dr. Heiss' new book is ideal for Gen Z and their known pursuit of manifestation and changing the subconscious. In everyday life, people use outdated instincts because biology and evolution haven’t quite caught up to today’s world. Dr. Heiss offers simple, actionable techniques to redirect those instincts to work for us rather than against us.  

Heather Abbott’s life changed forever when she was struck by bomb shrapnel at the Boston Marathon and lost her left leg.  After receiving a prosthetic leg for walking, she was then told by her insurance that they would not cover anything additional. This became the catalyst for the Heather Abbott Foundation, which is dedicated to mission of giving fellow amputees the prosthetics insurance won’t cover.  Now recognized by CNN as the complete embodiment of a hero, Heather Abbott captivates audiences with her inspirational story of pain, anger, optimism and resilience.

Forbes Africa published an article titled “THE 100th ISSUE: 100 Innovations, Inventions & Icons From Africa,” which mentions two of our APB speakers, Africa’s first elected female President and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, as well as Nobel laureate and human rights activist, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.