The future of sales leadership

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Revenue leaders are under increasing pressure to accelerate growth, engage teams, strengthen accountability, and sustain performance — all while AI and changing workforce expectations reshape how people sell, lead, and work.

Join a select group of senior leaders for an interactive executive workshop exploring how behavioral science, trusted relationships, and technology can help strengthen sales leadership and drive measurable business results.

Throughout the day, experts from BI WORLDWIDE, IBM, Luxury Institute, and the University of Houston will bring together research, practical strategies, and real-world perspectives on the challenges shaping the future of sales leadership.

What you'll gain:

You'll leave with practical ideas you can apply to your organization, including:

Proven behavioral science approaches that can increase sales performance, engagement, and accountability
Practical strategies for building trust that strengthen relationships and inspire discretionary effort
New ways to think about motivation beyond compensation, including what drives meaningful behavior change and sustained performance
Real-world perspectives on AI and emerging technology and how they can create business value while keeping people at the center
New connections with senior revenue leaders facing similar growth, performance, and workforce challenges

Event details

📍 IBM, One Madison Ave., New York, NY
📅 Thursday, November 12, 2026
⏰ 9:30am - 5:30pm
📋 Agenda

9:30 - 10:00: check-in
10:00 - 10:15: welcome to IBM
10:15 - 11:00: Dr. Mike Ahearne
Explore how smarter incentive design can motivate different segments of the sales force, shape behavior, and improve performance.
11:00 - 11:45: Milton Pedraza
Discover the research behind five principles designed to strengthen trust, relationships, and business performance.
11:45 - 1:00: lunch
1:00 - 1:45: Milton Pedraza
Apply the Relationship Mastery framework to real leadership and business challenges and explore practical approaches for strengthening internal and external relationships.
1:45 - 2:45: Matt Konwiser
Examine what AI is and isn't, how humans and AI can work together in sales and customer service, and what leaders should consider as adoption accelerates.
2:45 - 3:00: break
3:00 - 3:45: Beth Sundberg
Explore practical strategies for building participation, reinforcing key behaviors and values, inspiring performance, and measuring business impact using behavioral economics.
3:45 - 4:15: Q&A
4:15 - 4:30: closing remarks
4:30 - 5:30: happy hour at The Blue Bar

Our speakers

	Dr. Mike Ahearne Professor of Marketing and C.T. Bauer Chair in Marketing and Entrepreneurship University of Houston Mike Ahearne is widely recognized for his work on sales force effectiveness, sales compensation, and the use of artificial intelligence to improve sales performance. He has advised more than 200 companies across industries on sales strategy, compensation design, and sales organization effectiveness and previously served as a partner at ZS Associates. Mike has authored more than 50 articles in leading journals and is the author of Selling Today: Partnering to Create Customer Value, the world’s best-selling professional selling textbook, used in more than 40 countries and translated into 15 languages. His insights have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fortune. Earlier in his career, he played professional baseball with the Montreal Expos and was an Academic All-American collegiate wrestler.
	Milton Pedraza Founder and CEO Luxury Institute, LLC Milton Pedraza, founder and CEO of Luxury Institute, is a globally recognized luxury expert and speaker. For 23 years, the Institute has served over 1,100 premium and luxury brands through research, consulting, and training, and that research with affluent, HNW, & UHNW consumers inspired the Relationship Mastery Suite as well as two books: Relationship Mastery, which he authored, and High Trust Worth, which he co-authored. He also previously held executive roles at PepsiCo, Colgate, Citibank, and Cendant.
	Matt Konwiser Ecosystem Leader, Northeast Horizon Market IBM Matt has spent nearly 30 years in technology, with the past several focused on whether businesses are truly ready for AI. He works with executives and boards on AI strategy, governance, and risk, helping organizations turn potential into results. Matt co-hosts the AI Diatribe podcast, writes for CFO Intelligence Magazine, and advises leaders on a core belief: the greatest risk of AI is not the technology itself, but the decisions made around it.
	Beth Sundberg Vice President, Technology Strategy BI WORLDWIDE Beth leads BI WORLDWIDE’s Technology Solutions Group and drives innovation and forward-thinking solutions through technology. Beth has been with BIW for 25 years and has a wide range of experience serving BIW’s Fortune 500 clients across many industries. Currently, Beth’s primary focus is developing creative solutions for our customers that drive engagement and behavior through technology.