Media: Press Releases

Wharton Business Technology Conference 2008: LEAD WITH SPEED

Keynotes to be Delivered by Three Prominent Executives: President and CEO of Time Warner Cable; Founder, Chairman and CEO of RealNetworks; and Executive Vice President and CFO of Nokia Corporation

Philadelphia, PA - February 5, 2008 - The Student Leadership Committee of the Wharton Business Technology Conference announced today that the 12th Annual Business Technology Conference will be held at the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia on February 29, 2008. The conference will feature a keynote talk by Mr. Glenn A. Britt, the President and CEO of Time Warner Cable. In addition, keynotes will be delivered by the Founder, Chairman and CEO of RealNetworks, Mr. Robert Glaser, as well as by the Executive Vice President and CFO of Nokia Corporation, Mr. Richard A. Simonson. The conference will feature more than 50 senior executives and prominent global business leaders, who will share their insights on the present state and future prospects of several fast-growing sectors, including Interactive Media, Internet & Web Services, and & Wireless/Telecoms.

"In today's fast-paced and highly competitive business environment, making sound business decisions in real-time is no longer a strategic advantage - it is an operational necessity," states conference chair and Wharton MBA candidate, Prabjot Jaaj. The 2008 conference will discuss the growing need for operational and strategic speed and agility, as well as a host of additional cutting-edge issues, such as methods of recognizing and anticipating shifting consumer trends to help identify strategies, capabilities and technologies that organizations must develop to truly "Lead with Speed" in today's ever-changing business environment.

Key discussion topics will include: Collaborative Software, Interactive Media, Tech Start-Ups, Media & Entertainment, Internet & Web services, Non-Profits in Technology, Wireless & Telecoms, as well as Mergers & Acquisitions and Venture Capital in Technology. These topics will be addressed by several panels comprised of prominent panelists, such as:

  • Achieving Agility through Collaborative Software: Networks such as Facebook and MySpace are creating a virtual world where geographical distance is no longer a limitation. The panelists, including the CEO of Commerce360, will focus on companies that create value from innovative collaborative technology.
  • Inventing and Innovating Personal Entertainment: Executives from Microsoft and NVIDIA will discuss how firms create markets where there aren't any, and how firms choose between the time-tested technologies and the risky innovations, while the consumer taste and technology are changing rapidly.
  • Innovation through Acquisitions: How should innovation be valued, how can the entrepreneurial spirit be preserved, and what incentive systems work well in technology? These questions and more will be addressed by the Co-Head of Global Communications Equipment at Credit Suisse and the Vice President of the Corporate Development at Ask.com.

Please go to http://www.whartonbiztech.com for a complete list of the conference speakers and panels and more information. With more than 50 panelists, moderators and keynote speakers, the Wharton Business Technology Conference 2008 is one of the world's premier MBA conferences and the biggest technology event in the Philadelphia area.

Sponsors of the Wharton Business Technology Conference 2008 include BT, RIM BlackBerry, Microsoft and RealNetworks.

About the Wharton School

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania - founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school — is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. The most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world, Wharton bridges research and practice through its broad engagement with the global business community. The School has more than 4,600 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 10,000 annual participants in executive education programs; and an alumni network of more than 82,000 graduates.

For more information, please contact Zarja Cibej.

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