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NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Economist Events' annual Innovation Forum will return to Chicago to explore the impact of the latest surge of innovation impacting established companies. Fortune 500 CEOs, policymakers and entrepreneurs from around the world will gather to envision the "company of the future" and discuss how the companies of today can achieve the transformations they need to succeed tomorrow. The Forum will take place on March 10 at The Four Seasons Hotel Chicago.

The forum is chaired by The Economist's China Business and Finance Editor Vijay Vaitheeswaran, and The Economist editors will lead the debate among various industry leaders, from banking, technology and manufacturing, among others. This will be the second year the forum will convene in Chicago, a top ranked global city for the start-up community according to a 2015 report by Compass, a benchmarking software company, and further promotes the growth of innovation in the Midwest.

"We are excited to bring the Innovation Forum back to Chicago – a major innovation hub in the United States – to discuss the business models that will drive success in the economy of the future," said Vijay Vaitheeswaran, China business editor for The Economist.

Sample discussion topics will include cybersecurity, managing the modern workforce and the changing balance of the C-suite. Current confirmed speakers include:

• Rodney Brooks, Founder, chairman and chief technology officer, Rethink Robotics
• Aneesh Chopra, Former chief technology officer, The White House
• Joshua Claman, Chief business officer, Stratasys
• Michael Dickerson, Administrator, U.S. digital service, The White House
• Sally Durdan, Head, strategy, consumer and community banking, JP Morgan Chase
• Roger Dickey, Chief executive, Gigster
• John Flavin, Executive director, Chicago innovation exchange, University of Chicago
• Jamil Farshchi, Chief information security officer, Home Depot
• Martin Ford, Author, "Rise of the Robots"
• Reid Hoffman, Co-founder, LinkedIn
• Alexis Glick, Chief executive officer, GENYOUth Foundation
• Belina Johnson, Chief business affairs and legal officer, Airbnb
• Jay Kaplan, Chief executive, Synack
• Stephane Kasriel, Chief executive, Upwork
• Brad Keywell, Chief executive, Uptake Technologies
• David Langstaff, Chairman, Monitor360
• Stanley McChrystal, Senior fellow, Yale Jackson Institute for Global Affairs; former United States Army General, U.S. Government
• Nell Minow, Vice-chair, ValueEdge Advisors
• Rick Osterloh, President and chief operating officer, Motorola Mobility
• Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and chief executive officer, Mondelez International
• Lynn Stout, Professor, Corporate and business law, Cornell University
• Arun Sundararajan, Professor and the Robert L. and Dale Atkins Rosen faculty fellow, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University

PwC and The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy are platinum sponsors of this year's event. Edelman is the communications agency partner. Supporting associations include: Centric, Chicago Booth Alumni Club, Innoget, MATTER, Product Development and Management Association (PDMA), The Innovation Resource Consulting Group, The Chicago Innovation Exchange, The International Society of Service Innovation Professionals and WGN Radio.

For more information on the program, speakers or to register for the event, please visit the Innovation Forum website.  

Please join the conversation and connect with attendees and speakers on Twitter via @TheIdeasEconomy #InnovationForum. For media registration, please contact Stephanie Gonzalez at +1 212-641-9834 or stephaniegonzalez@economist.com.

About The Economist (economist.com)

With a growing global circulation (approximately 1.6 million including both print and digital) and a reputation for insightful analysis and perspective on every aspect of world events, The Economist is one of the most widely recognised and well-read current affairs publications. The paper covers politics, business, science and technology, and books and arts, concluding each week with the obituary. Its website offers articles from the past ten years, in addition to web-only content such as blogs, debates and audio/video programmes. The Economist is now available to download for reading on Android, iPhone, or iPad devices.

For media inquiries: Meredith Bucaro, meredith.bucaro@edelman.com 

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SOURCE The Economist