Reflections on CES 2021

What an insightful week! CES 2021 was an exciting virtual event this year—though we missed gathering in person. This conference is one of the most influential tech events in the world, and this year, it reflected what’s top of mind for everyone—our health, the health of our planet, and how technology can help us thrive in the face of new challenges and emerge stronger. At the event, I was delighted to learn about what companies are doing with cloud to break the limits on innovation by connecting next-gen technologies like machine learning, 3-D printing, digital twins and virtual reality.

I was proud of Accenture when we took center stage to showcase how we’re bringing together technology and human ingenuity to transform industries and economies. And, how we’re achieving all of this responsibly and at speed.

We even hosted an Accenture Virtual Show Floor—a 3D, immersive environment developed by the Accenture Liquid Studios. Conference attendees were able to engage with and experience our research, demos and solutions devoted to 5G, the future of industries and business of experience. It was a great opportunity to engage in virtual networking.

One of my favorite sessions was the keynote panel “Future Reimagined” with our CEO Julie Sweet, Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach and LinkedIn Chief Editor Dan Roth. They shared their insights on how technology is being used to solve the world’s greatest challenges, trends they expect to see in the next few years and what inspires them about the future of tech.

Another session that I found especially relevant was “Fast-Tracking the Digital Health Revolution,” with Accenture’s Kaveh Safavi and Stuart Henderson, Zoetis’ Krishna Cheriath and Neil Gomes of CommonSpirit Health. They had an intriguing discussion about how digital is enabling consumers to more proactively manage their own healthcare. The presenters also highlighted industry challenges resulting from digital advancements, including privacy and trust, and how healthcare providers need to be hyper-transparent in their use of patient data. 

Lastly, I was excited to be on a panel myself: “How Cloud is Revolutionizing Business.” I had an engaging conversation with Dean Takahashi of VentureBeat, Brian Comiskey of the Consumer Technology Association and Edna Conway of Microsoft. We discussed how companies are making the transition to cloud and the first-mover advantages of adopting a Cloud First mindset. Cloud really is a powerful tool to help organizations increase agility, innovate faster and lower IT costs as businesses face increasing competition and unprecedented disruption.

If you couldn’t attend CES 2021 live, be sure to watch the recap videos and check out our site for additional insights. It’s a great way to discover how companies are embracing change by rebuilding industries, reimagining experiences and enabling responsible design. I’m grateful for the chance to speak at the event, and I can’t wait to attend CES 2022 next year!