Scaling

Ben Peterson is the global leader of Walmart’s People Product & Design organization, one of the teams bringing Walmart’s people-led, tech-powered vision to life. He is responsible for the vision, strategy, design, and growth of experiences that empower 2.1 million associates across Walmart Stores, Sam’s Club, Walmart International, Global Tech, and corporate functions. Under Ben’s leadership, People Product & Design led the strategy and launch of innovative new products such as Me@Campus, My Assistant, and Me@Sams. His team is focused on building world-class digital experiences that leverage AI, automation, and data-driven insights to drive engagement, operational efficiency, and productivity at scale.

Before joining Walmart, Ben spent nearly a decade at Deloitte Consulting, where he co-founded and led Deloitte Consulting’s Product Management practice, leading new product innovation and shaping the offering’s go-to-market approach, growth strategy, and talent management. Ben architected and led high-performing product organizations to drive product-led transformation across the retail, digital commerce, sports, and FinTech industries.

Ben holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas A&M University, and a master’s degree in business administration from Cornell University. Ben is passionate about the future of AI, building high-performing teams, and leading zero-to-one products and ventures. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his family playing tennis, pickleball, disc golf, golf, and backyard football.
 

Ruth Hickin is Vice President of Workforce Innovation & Transformation at Salesforce, where she leads strategies for workforce adaptation in response to AI, skills development, and talent redeployment. She oversees the Career Connect internal mobility platform and drives transformation to meet future business needs.

Before joining Salesforce, Ruth was with the World Economic Forum, where she led strategy and thought leadership on the future of technology and global tech governance, publishing influential reports. She has also held leadership positions at Virgin Unite, focusing on strategic partnerships and impact investments.

Ruth holds an MBA in Design Strategy from California College of the Arts, an Executive Master of Arts (MA) in Global Leadership from the World Economic Forum, and a Master of Arts (Honors) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow.

Charlene is the New York Times bestselling author of six books, including The Disruption Mindset, Open Leadership, and the critically acclaimed Groundswell. Her latest book, Winning with Generative AI: The 90-Day Blueprint for Success, lays out a master plan for generative AI strategy. 

She is an experienced speaker who has inspired leaders in intimate forums and expansive conference halls. She has delivered keynote addresses at such venues as the World Economic Forum, TED, and South by Southwest.

Charlene is frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USAToday, Reuters, and The Associated Press, and she’s shared her expertise on 60 Minutes, The McNeil NewsHour, ABC News, CNN, and CNBC. 

Charlene earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and an A.B. degree magna cum laude from Harvard College. In her spare time, she teaches her beloved cat new tricks.

Guillermo is a seasoned senior executive with extensive leadership experience driving AI adoption, digital platforms and user-centered business initiatives to accelerate culture transformation and people performance across global organizations. He is a Cofounder of Atlas Copilot AI headquartered in London, UK since the Spring 2023; and balances his time advising unicorns and early stage digital platform ventures (BetterUp, Beamery, Syndio, Yawi Labs, Emerge and Reach Capital).

Most recently he was Boeing’s Chief Learning Offi cer and Sr Vice President of Leadership Development. Before joining Boeing in February 2021, he was IBM’s Global Head of CSR and President of the IBM Foundation. He also previously held roles as IBM’s Chief Learning Offi cer, and the fi rst CHRO for the newly chartered IBM Digital Business Group.

Along with his day-to-day business responsibilities, Guillermo launched the Digital Learning Consortium in 2017 and was actively advising innovation projects with top tier clients to shape business transformation and talent initiatives in collaboration with IBM Consulting. Guillermo also previously served as the CHRO of the InterAmerican Development Bank Group. Based in Washington D.C., he had overall responsibility for people processes and organizational development initiatives for all Bank operations across Latin America and the Caribbean.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of Hortifrut Ltd, the leading berries producer worldwide, and also chairs the Projects Committee of the Jesuits International Foundation Supervisory Board. He is a proud Latino leader and volunteers on initiatives to provide access to education and STEM skills for underserved communities.

Guillermo is a Lawyer, graduated from the Pontifi cia Universidad Católica del Perú in Lima, and attended the Master in Business Administration Program at Deusto University in San Sebastián, Spain. He currently resides in Madrid, Spain with his wife Talia and their 3 children.