Fall Forum Program 2026
Welcome Reception
Tuesday, October 13
6:00pm-8:00pm
Mars Snacking - Ironside Building, 110 Edison Place, Newark, NJ
Join us for drinks, appetizers and a chance to meet forum attendees in a casual setting at the Mars Snacking rooftop patio in Newark.
Day 1: See the Future*
Wednesday, October 14
GENERAL SESSION
M&M Factory - Hackettstown
8:00am
Bus departs The Element Hotel for Hackettstown (approx. 60-minute drive)
9:30am - 12:00pm
Opening Remarks
Jim Buczkowski | IOP Emeritus Board Member and Fall Forum Host
Claudio Gutierrez | IOP Board Chairman, CEO, CG Creative
Jaime Boyes | Mars Snacking
OPENING KEYNOTE: Transforming How Mars Innovates
Rainer Struck | Mars Snacking
11:00am - 2:00pm
M&M Factory Tour | Cocoa Growing & Harvesting | Lunch Rotations
Group 1 | M&M Factory Tour
Group 2 | Cocoa Growing & Harvesting
Group 3 | Networking Lunch
2:15pm - 5:00pm
Power is the Platform for Innovation
Chris Dethloff | Consumer Technology Association
Signals From the Renewable Energy Frontier
Nick Scappaticci | Big Dreams, Mark Babcock | Tempo Energy Innovations, Kevin Eberman, |3M, Hassan Obeid | Cummins
Turning Energy Into Your Innovation Engine
Kim Getgen | InnovationForce
Closing Remarks
5:30pm-8:00pm
Dinner – Fig & Lily Garden
5:30 PM | Depart from M&M Factory to Fig & Lily Garden in Morristown (approx. 40-minute drive)
6:00 PM | Group Dinner
7:30 PM | Depart Morristown for The Element Hotel (approx. 30-minute drive)
Day 2: Lead the Future*
GENERAL SESSION
The Kitchen at Mars Market Hub - Newark
Thursday, October 15
9:00am
Opening Remarks
Michael Ku | Pfizer & Fall Forum Day 2 Host
OPENING KEYNOTE: INNOVATION AT SCALE
Amy Webb | Future Today Strategy Group
Beg, Brag, What If
Brendan Dillion | Target
AI Roundtable: What’s Working, What’s Not
Michael Ku | Pfizer | Jane von Kirchbach | Pfizer | Brendan Dillon | Target | Rainer Struck | Mars
AI Community of Practice Update
Jim Mangione | Pfizer
Empowering NextGen Leaders Through STEM
Mary Lombardo | Formerly RTX | Julian Kage | Exactics
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Lunch
2:00 pm - 4:20pm
Beg, Brag, What If?
Andy Gastwirth | Formerly DLA Piper
Platform Innovation & Organizational Evolution
Steve Persak | Merck
Innovation Pipeline & Culture Roundtables
John Young | Merck
CLOSING KEYNOTE: ACTIVATING THE ENERGY OPPORTUNITY
Kim Getgen | InnovationForce
*Timing and presentation titles are approximate and subject to change