The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council announced Jim Dickie, a tech executive, author and marketing and sales expert, will deliver the keynote at the 2018 Polyurethanes Technical Conference on Oct. 1, 2018. The conference will take place from Oct. 1-3, 2018, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta.

Dickie’s keynote presentation will seek to introduce conference attendees to the digital revolution that is affecting the B2B world. Dickie will also provide perspective on why embracing this new way of engaging customers is vital, as well as what kind of commitments will be necessary in order to embrace the digital revolution successfully.

“We are excited to have Jim Dickie on hand to introduce some new concepts about the challenging new paradigm of digital transformation and how that affects business,” said Lee Salamone, senior director of CPI. “As we all strive to find the most effective ways to take our industry into the future, it’s important to listen to the expertise of people like Jim, who have real-world knowledge of the digital revolution and how that affects engaging with customers.”

Dickie began his career more than 30 years ago with IBM and Sterling Software before launching two successful software companies. His client work spans multiple industries and companies including 3M, ADP, GE Capital, Cisco Systems, IBM, Accenture, and VISA, among others. He’s a contributing editor for CRM Magazine, CustomerThink, and SoftwareMag.com, as well as a contributing author for the Harvard Business Review.

He’s also the author of “The Chief Sales Officers Guide to CRM and Insights into High Tech Sales and Marketing,” and he co-authored “The Sales and Marketing Excellence Challenge and The Information Technology Challenge.” He’s also served as an advisor to Baylor University’s Center for Professional Selling and as a lecturer at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.
“One area that is generating massive amounts of change is how AI is redefining how customers and vendors engage and collaborate with each other,” Dickie said. “I will show how AI is setting the stage for a whole new level of co-creation between buyers and sellers if companies can successfully make the cultural shift to the Digital Enterprise.”