The AI-powered enterprise of the future is no longer just an idea

7 Grand Slam titles, 5 Wimbledon championships and 4 Olympic gold medals only tell part of her story. Venus Williams is without a doubt one of the most accomplished and inspiring women in the history of sports, but she has also had a transformative impact as an author, entrepreneur and steadfast advocate for gender equality.

Always staying true to her creative, bold spirit, Williams has parlayed her fine-tuned business acumen and entrepreneurial side into multiple successful roles as founder of V Starr, a full-service commercial and residential design firm, Chief Brand Officer to Asutra, and founder of plant-based protein company Happy Viking.

In 2009, Williams and sister Serena became the first female African Americans to have a stake in an NFL franchise after joining the ownership group of the Miami Dolphins. The following year, Venus published her motivational book, Come to Win, which reached No. 5 on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

In 2006, UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural organization, named her as the first “Promoter of Gender Equality.’ In 2007 it was her unwavering fight that led Wimbledon to award women players the same pay as their male counterparts. Most recently, she launched an awareness initiative called the #PrivilegeTax to bring attention to wage inequality and unveiled a platform of resources to inspire young women and address the issue on a grassroots level.

Williams has been honored as part of Variety’s annual “Power of Women,” Forbes’ ‘Celebrity 100’ and Glamour Magazine’s ‘Woman of the Year,’ and she has been awarded the CARE Impact Award for Gender Equality, ESPN’s ‘WTA Player of the Year’ and many others.

Photo: Laura Metzler

Ethan Mollick is an Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies and teaches innovation and entrepreneurship, and also examines the effects of artificial intelligence on work and education. His papers have been published in top journals and his book on AI, Co-Intelligence, is a New York Times bestseller. His research is highly cited by other academics, and has been covered by CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and other leading publications.

In addition to his research and teaching, Ethan also leads Wharton Interactive, an effort to democratize education using games, simulations, and AI. Prior to his time in academia, Ethan co-founded a startup company, and he advises numerous organizations.

Mollick received his PhD and MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.

Named one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People” in both 2012 and 2018 and recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal, José Andrés is an internationally-recognized culinary innovator, author, educator, humanitarian, and chef/owner of José Andrés Group.

A pioneer of Spanish tapas in the United States, he is also known for his groundbreaking avant-garde cuisine and his award-winning group of nearly three dozen restaurants located throughout the country and beyond. José Andrés Group’s concepts include the two Michelin-starred minibar by José Andrés in Washington, DC, the acclaimed NYC food hall Mercado Little Spain, and multiple locations of the Bazaar by José Andrés. José has received the James Beard Foundation’s “Outstanding Chef” and "Humanitarian of the Year" awards.

Andrés is a committed advocate of food and hunger issues and is known for championing the role of chefs in the national debate on food policy. In 2010, Andrés formed World Central Kitchen, a non-profit specializing in delivering food relief in the wake of natural and humanitarian disasters. Since serving nearly 4 million meals to the people of Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria, World Central Kitchen has responded to dozens of disasters worldwide and distributing tens of millions of meals in the process. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization has partnered with restaurants, small farms, and community leaders around the country to combat food insecurity. A naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Spain, Andrés has been a tireless advocate for immigration reform and on July 4, 2014 was named by President Barack Obama as that year’s “Outstanding American by Choice.”

Susan Caminiti is a writer and editor whose work covers a wide range of business and social topics, including corporate profiles, health care, work/life issues, technology, governance, sustainability and personal finance. Her writing appears in Fortune, NYSE, Time, and Money magazines, as well as NYSE’s Big Stage digital site and CNBC Digital. Susan is a former staff writer for Fortune. During her 13 years there, she developed the magazine’s award-winning coverage of the retailing industry. You can follow her on Twitter @SusanCaminiti.

Under Subhash’s leadership, GEP has become a leading provider of supply chain solutions to global enterprises worldwide, as well as one of the fastest-growing firms in the industry. Subhash founded GEP in New Jersey in 1999, and the firm now has approximately 6,000 employees in offices and operations centers around the world. Media outlets, industry analysts and technology research firms regularly recognize GEP as one of the most innovative companies in the supply chain software and services sector. The firm is guided by core values of customer-centricity and caring for its employees, with an increasing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. GEP is proud of its recognition as a Great Place to Work^® across its operations worldwide.

Subhash was named Entrepreneur of the Year by EY. As an active member of the World Economic Forum, he is focused on the intersection of digital innovation, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, and sustainability in procurement and global supply chains. He is a strong proponent of and contributor to GEP’s robust program of corporate social responsibility initiatives, undertaken in communities around the world. Subhash and his wife, Roopa, have focused their philanthropy on child poverty, education and women-related issues. Prior to co-founding GEP, Subhash led strategy, supply chain, procurement and global outsourcing engagements at Accenture.

Subhash has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering, an M.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Rhode Island and an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT) in Mumbai. Subhash also holds an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, where he also serves as a member of its advisory board, the Council on Chicago Booth.

Joe Awad joined Colorado Springs Utilities as the General Manager of Energy Construction Operations and Maintenance (ECOM) Department in 2016. In 2019, he was named General Manager for the Planning and Engineering Department in the System Planning and Projects division. Three years later, he became the General Manager of Engineering and Design. Joe leads a team of talented managers and dedicated individuals engaged in the design of cost-effective engineering solutions that meet the safety, resiliency, quality, and reliability requirements across all four services: electric, gas, water, and wastewater.

To meet the Clean Energy Plan requirements of 80% greenhouse gas reductions by 2030, Joe is currently sponsoring a strategic program to implement the Sustainable Energy Portfolio.

Prior to joining Colorado Springs Utilities, Joe started his career as a mechanical engineer designing coal fired plants at Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and was the Assistant General Manager in Pasadena Water and Power.

Joe has a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the Catholic University in Washington D.C. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in California.