FORTUNE Brainstorm Design New York
Brainstorm Design is a unique conference dedicated to exploring the increasingly crucial nexus between business and design.
Embracing Radical Transformation
A global pandemic. The reckoning over racial justice. A volatile economy. The tightening grip of climate change. The last two years have been an extraordinary test of adaptation and resilience, both institutional and personal. How can we meet the moment and design our way toward a better, more equitable future?
The world’s leading businesses are discovering that in a rapidly changing world, the transformative power of design is a vital element of corporate strategy, shaping everything from the type of goods and services a company provides to an organization’s ability to build lasting customer and community relationships, nurture talent, and create inclusive cultures.
Fortune will bring together design-minded leaders across business, non-profit, and academia to explore the ways the design process can drive radical transformation in business. You will walk away with the experience, tools, community, and resources you need to examine your processes, successfully respond to the changing business landscape, and unlock the power of your investment in design. Early confirmed participants include Walmart Chief Design Officer Valerie Casey, Google Vice President of Product Design Catherine Courage, Logitech President and CEO Bracken Darrell, Stripe Head of Design Katie Dill, Procter & Gamble Chief Design Officer Phil Duncan, Chase Chief Design Officer Kaaren Hanson, Netflix Vice President of Product and Studio Design Steve Johnson, and Everbridge Chief Technology Officer John Maeda.
Fortune is committed to a safe environment at our live conferences and events. We are closely monitoring guidance issued by the CDC and all local and state authorities, and working with our partner, International SOS, regarding specific precautions and requirements. To participate in Fortune live conferences and events, all attendees, speakers, and other participants must be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations (meaning they have received all doses in the primary series and one booster, when eligible). Proof of up to date vaccination status will be required. Accommodations will be made for attendees in accordance with the law.
Brainstorm Design Co-chairs
Kate Aronowitz
Lead Operations Partner, Google Ventures; Co-chair
Brainstorm Design
Kristen Bellstrom
Features Editor, FORTUNE; Co-chair
Brainstorm Design
Jason Mayden
CEO and Founder, Trillicon Valley; Co-chair
Brainstorm Design
Brian O'Keefe
Senior Executive Editor, FORTUNE; Co-chair
Brainstorm Design
Overview
Brainstorm Design combines the editorial wisdom of Fortune with the business acumen of leaders across industries to deliver a lively and informative event. We bring together the Fortune 500’s most powerful executives and the world’s most talented designers.
Among the themes we’ll explore:
Work, Reimagined:
Collaboration fuels design. How does that dynamic evolve when we cannot physically come together? How can we exercise empathy from a distance and foster creativity, productivity and personal growth in this new environment? How has the pandemic highlighted the challenges of managing an increasing multigenerational workforce? And as we reemerge, how are leaders making physical working spaces safer and more inclusive?
Talent, Redefined:
Whether we call it a great resignation or a great awakening, there is no doubt we are witnessing a shift in workforce dynamics, one in which employees are taking more control of their careers and setting different standards for how, when, and why to be employed. How can we cultivate talent with more intentionality and how can we design learning and growth opportunities that foster connection and engagement among teams?
Digital Shifts:
Web3 and the metaverse are changing how we experience products and services, complete transactions and interact with each other. How can design be more effectively deployed to improve the user experience? And how is design driving business to reimagine how a company should operate?
Creating Equity:
How do we develop a robust repertoire of tools to fight systemic bias within our organization or address structural weaknesses across our economy? How can design be deployed to rethink and reframe how products are made, talent is retained, and services are distributed?
Building Resilience:
Chaos testing is key. How can design help an organization develop and encourage resilience—not just among its workforce but across supply chains, on manufacturing floors, and in studios? How can we both incorporate and concretely measure sustainability in design operations? And how should companies normalize rest and include restoration as part of their employee’s development strategies?
Past speakers at Brainstorm Design events include: Museum of Modern Art Senior Curator of Architecture & Design Paola Antonelli, IDEO CEO and President Tim Brown, Crazy Rich Asians Production Designer Nelson Coates, Future Shape Principal Tony Fadell, Airbnb Co-Founder Joe Gebbia, IBM General Manager of Design Phil Gilbert, Heatherwick Studio Founder and Design Director Thomas Heatherwick, Salesforce SVP of Product Design and UX Kat Holmes, Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian, WeWork Co-founder Miguel McKelvey, Samsung Corporate Design Center Head Don-Tae Lee, Adobe Design Vice President Jamie Myrold, Dyson CEO James Rowan, Hyundai Motor Group President and Head of Design Management Peter Schreyer, Stanford University Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) Executive Director Sarah Stein Greenberg, Walker & Company Brands Founder and CEO Tristan Walker, and Alibaba Research Director of International User Experience & Design Chen Zhao.
Agenda
How can leaders move beyond current, often-siloed, and numbers-focused DEI practices to use design as a catalyst for real cultural change and business growth in their organizations? In this interactive workshop, participants will learn the Design for Belonging framework, created by Dr. Susie Wise. Analyzing examples from the corporate and social sectors, participants will explore how concrete experiential moments–the inviting, joining, participating, contributing, and even dissenting–create opportunities to build belonging among team and community members. We’ll also explore levers of design, including space, role, rituals, groupings, and events, that have the potential to increase creativity.
Many unexpected shifts have disrupted our ways of doing design. We must design differently by integrating care-centered and trauma-informed practices now and for the future. How can we ensure that design renders care in our practices, experiences, and organizations? In this workshop, participants will learn the foundations of care-centered and trauma-informed frameworks that are emerging in design. We'll practice the values, principles, and mindsets needed to ensure we are transitioning with our employees in a way that centers our collective well-being and care.
Once viewed as creative specialists surrounded by business experts, today’s corporate design leaders are increasingly recognized as cross-functional problem solvers with valuable skills and methods. While designers finally have a seat at the table, they are also being pulled in any number of directions and asked to quickly become subject matter experts while assuming more traditional business and management responsibilities. In this roundtable discussion, participants will share insights and best practices for “design-minded” leadership in challenging and ambiguous environments–from inter-team collaboration to scaling and managing teams, on-the-job professional development, and personal growth.
Hosted by IBM
There has never been a greater need to design businesses for change, enabling and accelerating digital transformations to drive strategic outcomes and turn ideas into business value. But how should companies balance the need to design for the future, while iterating for tomorrow? In this hands-on session, IBM will lead you through an exercise that offers a framework for driving innovation at scale, one success (or sometimes failure) at a time.
Hosted by Salesforce
Design is neither a neutral nor objective force. It always reflects the values and intent of those who wield it. We can see this when products and services don’t align with the needs and values of the communities they impact. As companies scale to build products that engage communities globally, it is important the solutions they create are culturally intelligent. They should resonate with the localized values and experiences of the communities they serve. How do we develop cross-cultural design practices that empower individuals and communities to mobilize cultural knowledge? Join Black-led design collective Design to Divest and Salesforce for an interactive discussion on expanding the collective imagination of design as a discipline to create equitable products, services, and institutions.
Contact Us
For Speaker Suggestions:
To suggest a speaker for the Brainstorm Design 2021, please complete the form at the link below. There are no exact deadlines for speaker submissions.
Please click here to submit a speaker suggestion.
For Participation:
Participation at Brainstorm Design 2021 is by invitation only, and subject to approval. Registration is non-transferable. The registration fee of US$3,500 includes the complete program, scheduled meals, activities, and conference materials. Participants are responsible for their own travel and hotel charges. The staff for the event will provide information about accommodations.
Holly Brockerhoff
Tel: 1-866-661-3840
E-mail: brainstormdesign@fortune.com
For Sponsorship Opportunities:
A limited number of corporate sponsorships are available. Please contact us for more information.
U.S. Inquiries:
Elizabeth Parks and Monica Sembler
E-mail: fortunesponsorships@fortune.com
International Inquiries:
Khoon-Fong Ang
E-mail: khoon-fong.ang@fortune.com