Agenda
Wednesday, October 21
9:00 AM to 2:00 PMCustomer Academy: Hands-On Administration of GEP Quantum Intelligence
Turn inspiration into execution with this exclusive half-day training experience for GEP customers. Combining classroom instruction with practical exercises, this in-depth workshop covers setup and administration of GEP Quantum Intelligence and equips participants with the skills and best practices needed to optimize their environments. Usually available only as a premium engagement, this session is included with your GEP INNOVATE 2026 registration, offering a unique opportunity to deepen your expertise before the conference begins. Hosted at GEP’s New York City office, with lunch and transportation provided, it’s the perfect way to start your GEP INNOVATE 2026 experience.
2:00 PM to 5:00 PMThe Agentic AI Exchange: What's New, What's Next
Join GEP's product leaders for two interactive sessions exploring the latest advances in agentic AI and what they mean for procurement and supply chain organizations. Through live discussions, demonstrations and customer conversations, you'll see how autonomous agents are evolving from assistants to orchestrators and, ultimately, to execution engines that deliver real business outcomes. Learn about the newest capabilities, emerging use cases and the roadmap shaping the future of intelligent operations. Whether you're just beginning your AI journey or already deploying agents at scale, these sessions offer a unique opportunity to engage directly with the teams building the next generation of GEP Quantum Intelligence.
5:00 PM to 7:00 PMWelcome Reception: The View at the Marriott Marquis
Kick off the conference at The View, New York City's only revolving rooftop bar and lounge, perched on the 48th floor of the Marriott Marquis. Enjoy sweeping 360° views and watch the Manhattan skyline ignite in a breathtaking sunset, the perfect setting to raise a glass and connect with fellow attendees.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
9:00 AM to 09:15 AMOpening Address: Subhash Makhija, CEO & Co-Founder, GEP
As AI, geopolitical uncertainty and supply chain disruption drive a Great Global Reset, Subhash Makhija examines the challenges and success factors defining the next era of procurement and supply chain.
09:15 to 09:45Mercedes-Benz: From Idea to Execution in Less Than 12 Months
Alexander Stenzel, Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Binayak Shrestha, GEP
In less than twelve months, Mercedes-Benz deployed an agentic platform to address spend across its global procurement operations, transforming how work gets done. This candid discussion will share key lessons from moving from pilots to deploying agentic AI at scale globally, including:
- The key decisions that enabled procurements’ rapid enterprise-scale deployment
- How teams are evolving as agents automate tasks and workflows
- Where AI is creating the greatest value today
9:45 AM to 10:30 AMLeading Under Pressure: A Conversation with Eli Manning, Two-Time Super Bowl Champion and NFL Legend
Few athletes have faced greater pressure or bigger moments than Eli Manning. Join the two-time Super Bowl MVP for a conversation on leadership, teamwork and the habits that help individuals and organizations perform at their best.
11:00 AM to 11:30 AMThe Future, Delivered: Inside the Next Generation of GEP Quantum Intelligence
Join GEP's product leadership team for an exclusive look at the latest innovations across the GEP Quantum Intelligence platform, including:
- New agentic AI capabilities and autonomous workflows
- How organizations are moving beyond automation to intelligent execution
- The key emerging technologies shaping procurement and supply chain
- GEP's product roadmap
Whether you're exploring AI or scaling it across the enterprise, this session offers a firsthand look at what's next.
11:30 AM to 12:00 PMRewired: What HPE Did Differently
Meche Hernandez, Global Strategic Sourcing Operations, HPE
How HPE, one of the world’s largest technology companies with $36 billion in revenue, redesigned the way procurement and supply chain work together. Meche Hernandez and Binayak Shrestha share practical lessons from implementing a new operating model and AI to make the supply chain more agile, resilient and competitive, enabling double-digit year-over-year growth.
1:00 PM to 1:45 PMConquering Disruption: A Conversation with Alex Gorsky, Former Chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson
From global supply disruptions to AI transformation, Alex Gorsky shares lessons from leading Johnson & Johnson through some of the most challenging and consequential years in its history.
1:45 PM to 2:30 PMInnovation Exchange: Expert Perspectives from GEP Partners
Leading GEP partners share practical insights on the trends, technologies and strategies shaping procurement and supply chain today, from AI and risk to sustainability and digital transformation.
Four sessions will run concurrently and be repeated, providing attendees the flexibility to choose the topics most relevant to their priorities.
3:00 to 4:00 PMThe Power Hour: Four Conversations, Great Insights
Rapid-fire conversations with GEP customers reveal how leading organizations create value, overcome complexity and shape the future of industry.
Featuring:
- Andrew Brennan, Chief Procurement Officer, University of Arizona, with GEP’s Pranav Padgaonkar
Additional conversations and speakers will be announced shortly.
4:00 PM to 4:30 PMGEP Product Breakouts: Intelligence & ROI
Choose one of two concurrent sessions:
Breakout A | Use Embedded Intelligence Throughout Procurement
Built AI-native and orchestrated end-to-end, the platform embeds intelligence into every layer — sensing risk, flagging issues early, and acting before small problems become expensive ones. That foundation protects savings and de-risks every part of your procurement investment.
Breakout B | Deliver ROI through Compliance, Intake & Category Intelligence
Walk away with a clear path to fast, measurable ROI. From Compliance Controller's savings protection to Intake & Orchestration's spend control and Intelligent Category Management's category-level savings — the upstream-to-downstream case for migrating today.
4:30 PM to 5:00 PMGEP Product Breakouts: Roadmap & User Experience
Choose one of two concurrent sessions:
Breakout A | Look Ahead at GEP's Roadmap for Innovation, Quality & Stability
Get a first look at GEP's product roadmap for the next two years — and how it directly answers the questions customers ask most: how are you improving quality, hardening stability, and accelerating innovation? A candid, PMG-led conversation on what's next.
Breakout B | Increase Adoption with a Better User & Self-Service Experience
Discover how agentic AI is reshaping design thinking, self-service and the customer experience. This session goes beyond interface — showing how co-innovation with customers and AI-driven adoption tools make GEP Quantum Intelligence easier to use and built around real needs.
6:00 PMConference Dinner: Carmine's Times Square
Join us for an exclusive dinner at Carmine's Times Square. Consistently recognized as one of the best Italian restaurants in New York City by Condé Nast Traveler, Carmine's legendary Southern Italian family feasts bring the warmth, energy, and generosity of New York to the table, because the best conversations happen over a great meal
Friday, October 23, 2026
8:45 AM to 9:15 AMAI, Tech & and Trends: Leading Analyst Assessment
Independent data-driven assessment of solution providers and key trends.
Analyst to be announced shortly
9:15 AM to 10:00 AMThe Road Ahead: A Conversation with Nikki Haley, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
The era of predictable globalization is over. Governments are intervening in markets, trade relationships are being redrawn, and geopolitical competition is reshaping global trade. Join Ambassador Nikki Haley for an essential conversation on the forces redefining global trade and supply chains, including:
- The future of U.S.-China competition
- The outlook for trade, tariffs and the new US -Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement
- Key lessons from recent geopolitical flashpoints
- What the 2026 elections could mean for trade and industrial policy
10:00 AM to 10:30 AMFrom Go-Live to Business Impact
Hear practical lessons from a leading global company on what it takes to successfully deploy an AI-native platform and drive adoption across procurement and supply chain operations.
Customer to be announced shortly
10:30 AM to 11:00 AMAI-Native Foundation: Customer Forum
A leading global company shares how an AI-native platform is helping simplify processes, improve visibility and create a stronger foundation for future innovation.
Customer to be announced shortly
11:00 AM to 11:45 AMFrom AI-Ready to AI-Native: GEP’s Sonali Bhavsar, Michael DuVall & James Lamar
As companies scale AI from pilots to critical business functions, this session provides a practical roadmap to accelerate your transition. Learn how to:
1. ESTABLISH FOUNDATIONS
Build the data, governance, controls and workforce required for enterprise AI
AI-Ready by Design: Build the Data and Governance Foundation
AI can only scale as far as your enterprise foundation and data enables. GEP’s Sonali Bhavsar will share how to:
- Create your connected, contextual, and decision-ready data across systems and domains
- Embed governance, semantic layers, lineage, monitoring, and controls with workforce talent and processes
- Build the trust and accountability required to scale AI
2. DRIVE ROI
Identify well defined business case across the value chain and redesign talent, domain expertise with strong OKRs
DRIVE ROI: Why Scaling AI Means Segmenting Decisions, Not Automating Everything
What do the 5% of companies successfully scaling AI do differently from the rest who struggle to scale? Drawing on UVA Darden and GEP research with nearly 200 procurement and supply chain leaders, GEP’s Michael DuVall will share how to:
- Segment decisions by complexity, risk and the cost of being wrong
- Identify the processes that provide the strongest starting points for scaling AI
- Determine which operational processes to redesign before automating them
3. EMPOWER AI DECISION-MAKING
Define how much authority AI should have, how that authority is earned and when it should be withdrawn
Welcome to the New Science of Delegation: How to Govern Machine Authority at Scale
As AI moves from advising people to acting on behalf of the enterprise, we face a new question: What authority should machines be allowed to hold?
GEP’s James Larmer will share how to:
- Define explicit boundaries for what AI may decide and execute
- Establish the evidence required before machine authority expands
- Govern autonomy as a portfolio, with authority able to expand, hold, contract or be revoked as conditions change
11:45 AM to 1:00 PMThe Peer Exchange
A conference highlight, the Peer Exchange convenes delegates for candid, customer-led discussions on the topics that matter most. Hosted by GEP customers, these sessions offer an opportunity to share practical experiences, exchange ideas and learn from peers facing similar challenges. Together, participants explore solutions to the most pressing issues facing their organizations.
1:45 PM to 2:45 PMThe Peer Exchange Continues
A conference highlight, the Peer Exchange convenes delegates for candid, customer-led discussions on the topics that matter most. Hosted by GEP customers, these sessions offer an opportunity to share practical experiences, exchange ideas and learn from peers facing similar challenges. Together, participants explore solutions to the most pressing issues facing their organizations.
Sonali Bhavsar
FROM AI-READY TO AI-NATIVE
Head of Data & AI, GEP
Michael DuVall
FROM AI-READY TO AI-NATIVE
Global Head of Supply Chain Strategy, GEP
James Larmer
FROM AI-READY TO AI-NATIVE