As transformative technologies move from experimentation to enterprise-wide deployment, the hardest challenges are no longer purely technical—they are often human. In this program, leaders from technology and business discuss what innovations such as artificial intelligence demand of managers and teams in real time. Drawing on practical experience, speakers share insights on how they assess value and risk, make adoption decisions amidst uncertainty, and navigate the cultural, operational, and ethical shifts that new technologies introduce.
Speakers:
Sherif Sakr is a partner in Deloitte’s US member firm and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Deloitte’s New Ventures, Technology & Innovation (NVTI) with responsibilities spanning bridging strategy and operations, monitoring strategy execution, optimizing capital allocation and overseeing day-to-day business operations. He also serves as member of the US member firm’s Operating Committee. Sherif’s prior leadership roles included leading the Office of the Chair and serving as US Board Secretary; COO of Deloitte & Touche LLP; deputy to Managing Partner Finance & Administration and CFO of Deloitte’s US firms; and CFO of the Risk & Financial Advisory business. In addition to his firm leadership responsibilities, Sherif also serves as the global lead client service partner where his responsibilities include overseeing the entire global relationship and bringing the breadth and depth of Deloitte to clients while overseeing service delivery and quality of execution across the global relationship.
Sherif, who is a Certified Public Accountant, is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA), chair of the Accounting Committee of the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA), member of the Accounting Committee of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) and member of the Accounting Committee of the Structured Finance Industry Group (SFIG). Sherif is an alum of the Partnership for New York City’s David Rockefeller Fellows Program where he continues to be actively involved with the Partnership for New York City. Sherif currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for United Way New York City and Resolve to Save Lives; and is a member of the Harvard Business Review (HBR) Advisory Council.
Francesca Rossi is an IBM Fellow and the IBM Global Leader for responsible AI & AI Governance and Lecturer, M.S. Technology Management.
She is based at the T.J. Watson IBM Research Lab, New York, USA. Her research interests focus on artificial intelligence, with special focus on constraint reasoning, preferences, multi-agent systems, computational social choice, neuro-symbolic AI, cognitive architectures, and value alignment. On these topics, she has published over 220 scientific articles in journals and conference proceedings, and as book chapters.
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