NextGen Supply Chain Conference unveils agenda focused on AI, execution and the future of leadership

The NextGen Supply Chain Conference has released the agenda for the 2026 event, bringing together some of the industry’s most innovative supply chain leaders for three days of practical education, executive networking and real-world case studies focused on the technologies and strategies shaping tomorrow’s supply chains.

The conference will feature keynote presentations from leaders at Wayfair, Tractor Supply Company, and Eli Lilly and Company, alongside executives from many of the world’s most influential organizations. Additional speakers represent Apple and Amazon—both Fortune 100 companies—as well as Fortune 500 organizations including Target and Penske Logistics. Attendees will also hear from innovators such as Stanford Medicine, DP World, Fanatics, Evonik, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, providing practical insights across retail, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and technology.

Scheduled for October 21-23, 2026, at the W Nashville hotel in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, the conference features keynote presentations, executive fireside chats, panel discussions and  30 small-group breakout sessions covering artificial intelligence, digital transformation, talent development, healthcare, retail, logistics, climate resilience and supply chain execution.

View the complete agenda here: https://www.nextgensupplychainconference.com/agenda/

Early-bird registration for the conference is ongoing. Click here to register.

Sponsorship opportunities continue to fill

The NextGen Supply Chain Conference continues to attract strong industry support from leading technology providers and service organizations committed to advancing supply chain innovation. Current sponsors include:

• Diamond Sponsor Zion Solutions Group
• Platinum Sponsor Gather AI
• Gold Sponsors Cycle Labs, Dematic and Geek+
• Bronzer Sponsor Verity
• Associate Sponsor AutoScheduler

Organizations interested in participating still have opportunities available, including a limited number of Gold Sponsorships.

Gold Sponsors receive a premium speaking opportunity featuring a 30-minute customer case study presented jointly with an end-user customer, allowing attendees to hear firsthand how organizations are solving today’s most pressing supply chain challenges through measurable business outcomes. With just 7 Gold sponsorship opportunities remaining, organizations interested in participating are encouraged to reserve their space soon.

Learn more about sponsorship opportunities here: https://www.nextgensupplychainconference.com/sponsors/

NextGen Awards return

The 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference will once again recognize organizations pushing the boundaries of supply chain innovation and execution through the NextGen Supply Chain Awards. Thursday’s opening general session will honor this year’s End User Award winners, Mars Snacking (Intelligent Transformation), CVS Health (Autonomous Operations), and Ryder and BJC Healthcare (Partnership in Execution), recognizing each organization for successfully translating technology investments into measurable business results.

Tractor Supply will accept the NextGen Supply Chain Conference Visionary award on Thursday afternoon.

Friday morning’s program will spotlight the Solution Provider Award winners, with Netstock (Intelligent Transformation), Pickle Robot (Autonomous Operations) and Robust.AI (Startup) being honored and celebrated for delivering meaningful customer impact.

Unlike many industry awards programs, NextGen winners don’t simply accept an award—they share how they achieved it. All award recipients will participate in conversations and share with attendees practical insights into AI deployment, automation, digital transformation, and operational execution.

All of the 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference awards are sponsored by Zion Solutions Group.

Practical insights from companies leading supply chain transformation

Rather than focusing on technology alone, this year’s program examines how organizations are successfully combining AI, automation, data, leadership and operational excellence to build more resilient, agile and intelligent supply chains.

The conference opens Thursday morning with the NextGen Supply Chain End User Awards. Immediately following the awards, attendees will hear from Nitin Kapoor, vice president of technology at Wayfair, who joins Supply Chain Management Review Editor-in-Chief Brian Straight for a keynote conversation exploring how Wayfair has evolved its home delivery network through technology, operational innovation and customer-focused execution.

Colin Yankee, chief supply chain officer at Tractor Supply Company, will accept the NextGen Supply Chain Visionary Award before sitting down for the Visionary keynote address where he will discuss with Straight how supply chain has become a strategic growth engine for one of America’s fastest-growing retailers.

On Friday morning, Dr. Mar Gimeno, associate vice president of U.S. Supply Chain at Eli Lilly, will examine how agentic AI is transforming supply chain decision-making at the drug giant in her morning keynote address.

Other industry executives scheduled to speak, and their topics, include:

• Carey Boone, vice president of Transformation-Americas at DP World, sharing lessons on aligning operating models, leadership and talent with enterprise transformation.
• Bijoy Sasidharan, director of analytics, capacity planning and forecasting at Fanatics, presenting a real-world case study on agentic AI and demand forecasting.
• Jenny Dissen, of the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, discussing how organizations can leverage NOAA data to build climate-ready supply chains.
• Rahul Mittal, head of strategy and innovations at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, exploring why successful execution depends on governance, accountability and decision-making infrastructure.
• Debanshu Sharma, senior supply chain manager at Amazon, presenting how machine learning-based carrier risk scoring reduced pickup defects by 35%.

More speakers are being added daily. 

Industry leaders share real-world transformation stories

The agenda includes a series of executive-led discussions highlighting how organizations are addressing today’s biggest operational challenges.

Healthcare transformation takes center stage as Omar Devlin, executive director of supply chain technology at Stanford Medicine, discusses integrating control towers, intelligent planning and AI-driven automation to improve visibility, procurement and clinical operations.

As AI continues reshaping workforce expectations, Piu Ghosh, manager of product operations at Apple, examines how planning, procurement and operations roles are evolving from traditional planners to supply chain orchestrators.

Retail executives from Target, Berry Direct and GXO Logistics will join moderator Norman Katz for a panel discussion exploring automation, omnichannel fulfillment, labor challenges and the evolving retail supply chain.

Friday’s program also includes a panel led by Daniel Pellathy of the University of Tennessee featuring Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, examining how organizations are rethinking education, training and career development to prepare the next generation of supply chain professionals.

Speakers from Amazon, Penske Logistics and Evonik will also be on the agenda.

Designed for executive networking

In addition to educational programming, the conference offers numerous opportunities for attendees to connect with peers throughout the event.

Networking begins with Wednesday evening’s Welcome Reception before continuing through breakfasts, lunches, refreshment breaks and Thursday evening’s rooftop networking reception.

The conference format intentionally combines main-stage presentations with smaller breakout sessions, allowing attendees to engage directly with speakers, ask questions and participate in meaningful discussions with fellow supply chain professionals.

Register today

Whether your organization is exploring agentic AI, modernizing planning processes, strengthening execution capabilities or preparing the workforce for the next era of supply chain leadership, the NextGen Supply Chain Conference offers practical insights from the executives leading these transformations every day.

To view the latest agenda, visit: https://www.nextgensupplychainconference.com/agenda/

To register for the conference, visit:

https://ngsc.regfox.com/nextgen-supply-chain-conference-2026

Organizations interested in sponsoring the conference can learn more here:

https://www.nextgensupplychainconference.com/sponsors/

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