Upcoming FORTUNE Innovation Forum Draws Top Brand Executives to New York City

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Top business executives from America’s best brands will convene in New York City on November 29^th & 30^th for the third annual FORTUNE “Innovation Forum.” The Forum will bring together many of the world’s business leaders in a dynamic setting for a multifaceted, interactive program that explores innovation and how it helps leading companies deliver long-term value and competitive advantage to their organizations.

Confirmed speakers for the conference include: Bob Nardelli, Chairman, President and CEO, The Home Depot; Brian France, Chairman and CEO, NASCAR; Dick Harryvan, Executive Board Member, ING Group; Bradbury Anderson, Vice Chairman and CEO, Best Buy Co., Inc.; Steve Berkowitz, Senior Vice President, Online Services Group; Microsoft Corp.; Beth Comstock, President, Digital Media and Marketing Development, NBC Universal, Inc; David Goulait, Associate Director, R&D, The Proctor & Gamble Company; Mary Kay Haben, Senior Vice President, Open Innovation, Kraft Foods, Inc.; Bradley Horowitz, Vice President, Product Strategy Group, Yahoo! Inc.; Eric Jackson, Vice President, Innovation and Research, Gap International, Inc.; Amy Radin, Chief Innovation Officer, Global Consumer Group, Citigroup, Inc.; Kris Halvorsen, Chief Technology Innovation Officer, Intuit, Inc.; Deborah Senior, Corporate Manager, Advertising, Brand, and Product Strategy, Lexus; Sophie Vandebroek, Chief Technology Officer and President, Xerox Innovation Group, Xerox Corporation and more.

This year’s Forum will feature two new programs—a Creativity Workshop and The Innovators Studio. Led by renowned London-based sculptor Sophie Marsham, the Creativity Workshop will focus on innovating through art, creating something beautiful from something mundane—in this case, discarded utilitarian objects. The challenge will be to see beyond the obvious with a fresh eye and apply that creative process to projects back at the office. The Innovators Studio will explore a framework for sustainable innovation in a unique, hands-on learning environment designed by Play, a leading creativity and innovation consultancy. The Studio will provide the knowledge, tools, and inspiration to make innovation sustainable for an individual, team and organization. Each experience will challenge participants to discover insights about innovation as a system—what it means to their organization and to them as individuals.

America’s best brands are creating sustainable growth and value by putting innovation at the core of their businesses. The FORTUNE Innovation Forum will feature proven innovative strategies, tactics, models, and mindsets from inside and outside the world of business to illustrate why innovation is everybody’s business. For a sample of the conference’s offerings and to participate in the online discussion, Web visitors are encouraged to access the FORTUNE Innovation blog at www.businessinnovationinsider.com and join an ongoing, interactive dialogue with key business leaders and visionaries.

Major sponsors include: Gap International, Herman Miller, BP, Lufthansa, Adobe, Lexus, Best Buy, GE and America Online. For additional information and a full list of speakers, visit http://www.timeinc.net/fortune/conferences/innovation2006/innovation _home.html.

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