This session will preview Michelle Jones' PDMA Summit workshop where she will guide participants through a structured assessment of their organization’s new product governance system against the defining hallmarks of best-in-class performance. Grounded in evidence-based research, the workshop introduces eight core elements of effective NPD governance, while also unveiling emerging practices identified through recent Leaders’ Roundtables. Using real-time benchmarking technology, participants will gain immediate insight into how their organization compares with peers—both collectively and privately.

Meet the Speaker: Michelle Jones is a Senior Partner at Stage-Gate International. She has designed and implemented Stage-Gate(R) hybrid governance systems for more than 500 organizations of all sizes, across all industries, around the world. She has worked closely with Dr. Robert Cooper for 30 years, researching and implementing innovation management best practices.

Most AI rollouts do not fail because the tool is weak. They fail because the organization treats adoption as a training problem instead of a behavior problem. This 30-minute webinar previews CGI’s PDMA Summit workshop, “Making AI Adoption Stick: Practical Strategies for Lasting Change”. Attendees will learn how to spot adoption friction, use behavioral science to reduce resistance, and design the conditions that make AI use easier, more rewarding, and more likely to become part of daily product and innovation work.

Meet the Speaker: With more than two decades of experience, Doug Leal is a technology and data leader at CGI who helps clients execute critical data-centric solutions, analytics and data engineering strategies, and AI initiatives. He has led high-impact transformations driven by modern cloud data platforms and AI-driven solutions that improve decision-making, streamline operations, and unlock new opportunities across multiple industries. Doug partners with business and technology leaders to accelerate digital transformation and scale innovation. He serves on the Databricks Partner Product Advisory Board, representing CGI, and the Per Scholas Orlando Advisory Board. He also is recognized as a Databricks Champion for CGI, bringing leading-edge insight directly into client strategies.

Innovation rarely fails due to a lack of ideas, it fails when leaders apply the wrong leadership style at the wrong stage of product development. Yet most organizations treat product leadership as a static skill, overlooking the critical need for leaders to adapt as products evolve from early discovery through scale and maturity. This session introduces the Four Phases of Product Leadership, a practitioner-developed framework that maps leadership behaviors to each stage in the product innovation lifecycle. Drawing from real-world experience across global product organizations, the framework defines four dynamic leadership modes: Directive during Discovery, Coaching during MVP development, Supporting during Growth, and Delegating during product maturity. Participants will learn to identify their product's current phase and apply a prescriptive model to calibrate their leadership approach with precision. Through real-world case studies, cross-industry examples, and hands-on exercises, attendees will leave with a repeatable leadership toolkit they can immediately apply within their organizations. Whether you're navigating early-stage ambiguity or scaling a mature product, this session equips product leaders with the adaptive mindset and practical tools to accelerate innovation, strengthen team performance, and align leadership behavior with product execution goals.

Meet the Speaker: Anshul Garg is a Product Leader, Speaker and Author who transforms complex business challenges into elegant digital product solutions. With 19+ years at industry-leading organizations including Amazon, Capital One, and Nationwide Insurance, he has delivered over $100 million in annual business value through strategic product initiatives. With an MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai and an engineering degree from National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, Anshul combines strategic vision with technical depth, specializing in launching AI-driven zero-to-one products, orchestrating large-scale digital transformations, and leading diverse, cross-functional teams. Beyond building products, Anshul builds leaders. As PDMA DMV Chapter Head, Advisory Board Member at Products That Count and Brand Ambassador for GIMI, he shares insights on product management, adaptive leadership, and emerging trends. He fosters environments where innovation and personal growth flourish together, building high-performing teams that consistently deliver exceptional outcomes.

Join Jay Nakagawa and Bill Reid for a 30-minute preview of “From Contradictions to Breakthroughs,” an interactive PDMA Ignite Innovation Summit workshop on using Jobs-to-Be-Done, TRIZ, and Generative AI to solve hard product problems. This pre-summit webcast will introduce the core idea behind the workshop: that product teams can move beyond managing trade-offs and begin systematically resolving them. Attendees will get a high-level look at how JTBD statements can be translated into innovation challenges, how TRIZ helps uncover and resolve product contradictions, and how Generative AI can accelerate structured problem-solving. The session will also help attendees understand what kind of real-world product challenge or JTBD statement they may want to bring as pre-work for the summit workshop. This webinar is intended as a preview and preparation session that will allow attendees to maximize the impact of the full workshop at the summit. The summit workshop in October will provide hands-on application, guided exercises, tools, templates, and working time needed to develop concrete solution concepts.

Meet the Speaker: Bill has over 30 years of experience in all phases of product development, helping companies bring new products to the market. Over Bill's career he has worked for many innovative large multi-national companies including Ford, General Electric Aircraft Engines, General Motors, and Covidien. In addition, Bill has had extensive involvement with companies as small as single entrepreneur start-up ventures. Throughout his career, he has found enjoyment in being able to teach others about innovation methods. Bill has worked as a consultant in product development and innovation for his company Immersed, since 2007. Currently, Bill is Vice President at Boulder Imaging. Bill is a certified New Product Development Professional with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati. Bill is named as the inventor or co-inventor on 22 US patents.

Meet the Speaker: Jay brings more than 40 years of leadership in competitive intelligence, product strategy, and executive management. For over 15 years, he has served as Director of Competitive Intelligence at Dell Technologies, helping drive more than $110B in annual revenue. His career spans executive roles across enterprise companies, high-growth firms, and startups, with global experience in sales, marketing, business development, and product management. Jay is a former Chairman of SCIP, a 2023 Fellow of the Council of Competitive Intelligence inductee, a faculty member at the Academy of Competitive Intelligence, and a lecturer at SMU. He was recently named Co-Executive Director of SAICI, focused on applying AI to strategy and competitive insight. He is also a member of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA), Association of Professional Futurists (APF), International Association for Strategy Professionals (IASP) and serves as advisor with a number of companies.