Schneider Electric hosted its second annual Innovation Day, with the theme Sustainable Digital Transformation. Held on its online interactive platform, the live virtual event brought together thought leaders from various industries from across the globe to share their thoughts on digitization, how it can be used to further the growth of a business, and for finding operational stability while also prioritizing sustainability and efficiency.
The event was divided into sessions, where attendees had the chance to hear from a stellar lineup of speakers ranging from renowned digital anthropologists, sustainability enthusiasts, to the IT industry’s top leaders.
Natalya Makarochkina, Senior Vice President of Secure Power International Region of Schneider Electric, welcomed all attendees and encouraged them to discover how digitization can optimize and maintain business continuity through decision-making based on changing market conditions, to drive financial growth and operational stability, and also to deliver environmentally added value to customers – all while keeping Schneider’s goals of sustainability at the heart of their intentions.
Leadership at the Edge
The event started with an inspiring session form Robert Swan – an explorer, environmental activist, and a UN Goodwill Ambassador for Youth. At the age of 11, Swan had a dream of becoming the first person to walk to the South and North Poles, a vision that would soon expand to crossing the whole of the Antarctic Continent on foot, a march that spanned 900 nautical miles.
After 22 years of planning and training, financial and physical hardships, he achieved his goal and reached both poles.
Swan also talked about what can be done to preserve not just the continent of Antarctica, but the rest of the world as well. After seeing the effects of climate change, Swan has dedicated himself to protecting Antarctica and our planet at large.
Positive participation and a committed team have enabled him to educate and stimulate people across the globe, and he fully intends to pursue his mission for as long as he can.
Electricity 4.0: How Digital Technologies Shape a More Sustainable & Resilient Future
In a session by Pankaj Sharma, Executive Vice President of the Secure Power Division at Schneider Electric, attendees learned more about how digital technologies are shaping a more sustainable and resilient world, particularly in the building and construction sector.
Over the last 200 years, there have been four technology-driven revolutions that have simultaneously impacted the worlds of industry and electricity. Sharma also talked about how Schneider Electric is shifting to digital and electric technologies and innovations to combat climate change.
The Currency of Trust
In this talk, trust expert, lecturer, and author Rachel Botsman challenged attendees to rethink their understanding of trust. She delved into the importance of forming trust, trust barriers, and different states of trust, and how to make something new feel familiar.
Many of her observations about how trust really works run counter to the typical business narrative. She punctured the idea that transparency is the key to more trust. In a highly engaging session, Botsman helped attendees form a more unique perspective on the ethical role trust plays in one’s life, why it is critical to innovation, and how one can build a more trustworthy foundation.
Panel Discussion: Sustainability Digital Transformation
Today’s consumers increasingly want to be aligned with brands that care about the planet and are driven towards a more sustainable future. As the insatiable appetite for digital transformation increases, it’s incumbent upon the world’s most influential sectors – from agriculture to buildings and construction, to data centres, IT, energy, and utilities – to make a unanimous decision to do so with sustainability at the forefront of their strategies.
This highly anticipated panel discussion gathered several sustainability leaders across all industries together to share their insights, expound on their company’s sustainability efforts, and offer advice on attendees who are looking towards a greener future.
The Future of Digital Transformation: The Business Side of Change and What Happens Next
Brain Solis is a digital analyst, anthropologist, author, and a Global Innovation Evangelist at Salesforce.
In an uplifting session, he addressed the future of digital transformation, specifically looking at the business side of change. He posed an important question during his talk: After more digital transformation in the last 12 months than the last 12 years, what is next?
He explored the three critical and timely pillars of innovation, sustainability, and digital transformation. He brings up the pandemic, and how it has created an opportunity for leaders to reimagine how everything works and how they work together, as well as to reinvent operations and efforts.
Schneider Electric’s 2021 Innovation Day provided attendees with vast insight and advice from leaders across industries. Through jam-packed sessions or an interactive platform, attendees were able to gain knowledge on different issues and sectors, all with sustainability at its core.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
