FORTUNE ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL POWERHOUSE SPEAKERS AND SPONSORS AT FORTUNE 500 INNOVATION FORUM, NOV. 16-17 IN DETROIT
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, General Motors President Mark Reuss, Carhartt President and CEO Linda Hubbard, Altria CEO Sal Mancuso, BlackRock's Claire Chamberlain, U.S. Chief Design Officer Joe Gebbia, and leaders from Arist, Boston Dynamics, Bristol Myers Squibb, Siemens USA, Space Cowboy Corporation, Detroit's own Big Sean, and more, join the prestigious speaker lineup
General Motors, Maker's Mark, Michigan Economic Development Corporation join as new Supporting Sponsors; Rocket Companies and Altria as new Premier Partners; Idealab joins as Partner; and Ford Foundation as new Impact Partner
"Fortune Daily" show will be on site in Detroit for sit-down interviews with Forum speakers and attendees
NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Fortune today announced an additional group of speakers for the Fortune 500 Innovation Forum, November 16–17, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan. The newly confirmed leaders will join CEOs, entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, and civic innovators from across the country for conversations about the forces reshaping American business, technology, work, manufacturing, and prosperity.
Set in Detroit—a city that launched the automotive age and continues to reinvent itself for a new era of mobility and advanced manufacturing—the Forum will convene leaders at a pivotal moment for the American economy. The program will examine the ideas, investments, talent, technologies, and partnerships helping companies and communities compete, grow, and build for the future.
"Fortune Daily," the new show available on Fortune.com and the "Fortune Daily" YouTube channel, will film on site in downtown Detroit at The Department at Hudson's. Ellie Austin, "Fortune Daily" show host, will lead interviews with Forum speakers and a selection of attendees on both days. Episodes that speak to the Forum's theme of innovation will air the week of the Detroit conference on the "Fortune Daily" YouTube channel, Fortune.com, Apple Music and Spotify.
Newly confirmed speakers drawn from the ranks of executives and representatives from Fortune 500 and leading companies spanning the U.S., include:
- Ed Bastian, Chief Executive Officer, Delta Air Lines
- Chris Boerner, Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Bristol Myers Squibb
- Baiju Bhatt, Founder, Space Cowboy Corporation
- Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer, and Head of Strategic Advocacy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Nando Cesarone, EVP and Chief Global Operations Officer, UPS
- Claire Chamberlain, Global Head of Social Impact, BlackRock; President, The BlackRock Foundation
- Roger Crandall, Chairman, President and CEO, MassMutual
- Ann Fairchild, President and CEO, Siemens USA
- Maria Flynn, President and CEO, Jobs for the Future
- Deja Foxx, Founder, GenZ Girl Gang
- Joe Gebbia, U.S. Chief Design Officer; Co-Founder, Airbnb and Samara
- Bill Gross, Chairman, Idealab
- Linda Hubbard, President and Chief Executive Officer, Carhartt
- Michael Ioffe, Co-Founder and CEO, Arist
- Jeff McElfresh, Chief Operating Officer, AT&T
- Sal Mancuso, Chief Executive Officer, Altria Group
- Amanda McMaster, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Boston Dynamics
- Jonathan Mildenhall, Chief Marketing Officer, Rocket Companies
- Kevin Mitchell, Chief Financial Officer, Phillips 66
- Zachariah Reitano, Co-Founder and CEO, Ro
- Mark Reuss, President, General Motors
- Michelle Rhee, Venture Partner, Equal Opportunity Ventures
- Fidelma Russo, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Hybrid Cloud and Chief Technology Officer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
- Brian Savoy, Executive Vice President and CFO, Duke Energy
- Big Sean, Multi-platinum Artist, Philanthropist, and Bestselling Author
They join an already announced roster that includes:
- Dan Gilbert, Founder and Chairman, Rocket Companies
- Michael Rhodes, Chief Executive Officer, Ally Financial
- Kevin Lobo, Chief Executive Officer, Stryker
- Lynn Martin, President, NYSE Group
- Mike Sicilia, Chief Executive Officer, Oracle
- Chris Christie, Managing Partner, Christie 55 Solutions; 55th Governor, State of New Jersey
- Patrick Conway, Chief Executive Officer, Optum, UnitedHealth Group
- Rahm Emanuel, Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan; 55th Mayor, City of Chicago
- Tate Reeves, 65th Governor, State of Mississippi
- Wendell P. Weeks, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Corning
- Vimal Kapur, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Honeywell Technologies
- Jason Hoff, Chief Executive Officer, Mercedes-Benz North America
- Mark Bertolini, Chief Executive Officer, Oscar Health
- Penny Pennington, Managing Partner, Edward Jones
- David Burritt, Chief Executive Officer, U. S. Steel
- John W. Rogers Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ariel Investments
- Jalen Rose, Former NBA Player; Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Same Page Entertainment
- The Honorable Kevin Stitt, 28th Governor, State of Oklahoma
Together, the speaker lineup reflects the broad national reach of innovation represented at the Forum—from Detroit's automotive and manufacturing heritage to the future of robotics, health care, finance, workforce development, design, social impact, and entrepreneurship.
Amongst the array of Fortune Forum sponsors and partners, General Motors, Maker's Mark, and Michigan Economic Development Corporation join as Supporting Sponsors. Altria, Arist, and Rocket Companies, respectively, have been added as new Premier Partners, joining Ecolab and Salesforce in that category. Indeed and Idealab are Partners. Other partners include McKinsey & Company as Knowledge Partner, Ford Foundation, Just Capital, and Points of Light as Impact Partners, APCO as a Strategic Partner, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as the Forum's Institutional Partner.
For more information and up-to-date program information on the Fortune 500 Innovation Forum, visit the Fortune website.Interested in attending? Please submit an application form here.
About Fortune:
Fortune is the premier global media company for global business leaders, built on a 96-year-old legacy of trusted, award-winning journalism. Independently owned, Fortune tells the story of business, spanning legacy companies to the world's new generation of innovators. Fortune measures corporate performance through rigorous benchmarks, and holds companies accountable, in regions around the world. Its iconic rankings includeFortune 500,Fortune Global 500,Most Powerful Women, andWorld's Most Admired Companies. Fortune builds world-class communities by convening industry thought leaders for exclusive summits and conferences, including theFortune Global Forum,Fortune Brainstorm Tech, andFortune Most Powerful Women. For more information, visitfortune.com.
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