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About the event
Global Partners Meeting 2026
White & Case is hosting its Global Partners Meeting on January 30, 2026 in London, bringing together senior partners and global practice leaders across the firm. The session will feature a 30-minute keynote designed to deliver high-level strategic insight relevant to the evolving global business, technology, and regulatory landscape. The firm is particularly interested in thought leaders with Amazon leadership experience, capable of speaking to innovation, operational excellence, digital transformation, and future-forward leadership themes that resonate with a partner-level audience.
Former Amazon Executive | CEO, Stellis AI | Global AI & Innovation Strategist
Trent Gillespie is the CEO of Stellis AI and a former senior technology leader at Amazon, where he spent nearly nine years driving global expansion, innovation programs, and AI-related initiatives across the company. His work spanned Last Mile Technology innovation and leading Alexa’s global AI privacy, compliance, and risk efforts. With more than 25 years in technology and leadership roles, Trent now advises organizations on how to unlock real business growth through AI transformation. A dynamic, engaging keynote speaker, he is known for translating complex AI concepts into clear, actionable strategies that resonate with executive audiences.
Gravity Profile: https://www.gravityspeakers.com/speakers/trent-gillespie
Speaker Website: https://www.trentgillespie.live/
Fee: $35,000 USD + Business class air travel + ground expenses + hotel
Trent travels from Seattle, Washington, United States
"Trent Gillespie delivered one of the most compelling and actionable sessions of ASAE’s CEO Conclave. His pragmatic approach to AI—grounded in real-world experience and Amazon’s “future customer” philosophy—cut through the hype and offered a clear, CEO-ready framework for how associations can evolve to meet the needs of tomorrow’s members. Trent’s insights were not only visionary but also immediately applicable, empowering leaders to think boldly and strategically about AI integration. Trent’s session was a masterclass in future-focused leadership." - American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)
“Trent harnesses his Amazon experience to help perpetually disrupt markets and convert concepts into billion-dollar businesses that scale.” - COO and Co-Founder, Startup Accelerator
Speaker Highlights
Why Trent Is the Right Fit:
- Brings nearly a decade of senior leadership experience from Amazon, where he drove global expansion and helped pioneer innovation programs that used AI to accelerate growth
- CEO of Stellis AI, leading AI advisory and transformation work across multiple industries, with a focus on helping companies move from theory to ROI-driven action
- Delivers field-tested frameworks (e.g., AI SPRINT™, The AI Flywheel™, and Future Customer™) that turn emerging technology into practical strategies for leadership, product innovation, and design
- Combines storytelling and strategy to make complex AI concepts clear, accessible, and relevant for executive audiences navigating disruption
- Frequently engaged to help leadership teams transition from uncertainty to momentum in the age of AI — ideal for organizations that want to innovate, scale, and stay customer-centric
Recommended Keynote:
Think Like Amazon: Crafting a Culture of Continuous Innovation
Amazon has set the bar for successful innovation over the last 30 years and has redefined industries and the way we live. Through his role coordinating its global expansion and major innovation programs, Trent was able to see and participate first-hand in how Amazon thought, made strategic decisions, and built organizations to innovate. Since Amazon, Trent has focused on helping companies unlock the same capabilities.
This unique keynote shares the system behind how Amazon built innovation into its DNA. It includes an overview of Amazon's famous Working Backwards innovation process, that leaders can use to increase their own innovation. From Amazon’s Leadership Principles to decision-making speed, this talk gives the insights needed for leaders to build their own highly effective, continuously innovative organizations.
With the wide availability of generative AI, this talk also gives specific examples on how to to use it to increase innovation--with examples from Amazon--and how any business can adopt Working Backwards through using generative AI.
Recommended Audience:
This is intended for business and technology leaders who want to build highly innovative organizations, and take advantage of generative AI to empower those teams to drive growth and differentiation.
Audience Take-Aways:
- Understanding of Amazon’s Success through use of Systematic Innovation
- Understanding of Amazon’s Working Backwards Innovation Process
- Understanding of AI’s Ability to Drive Innovation
- Motivation to Improve Innovation and to Leverage AI for Growth
Former Amazon Executive • Creator of Amazon Marketplace • 4x Best-Selling Author • Innovation & Leadership Speaker
John Rossman is a former Amazon executive best known for launching and scaling the Amazon Marketplace, which now represents over 60% of all units sold on Amazon. With a career spanning Amazon, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, T-Mobile, and dozens of advisory roles, John is one of the world’s leading voices on innovation, leadership, digital transformation, and Amazon’s operating culture. He is a 4x best-selling author, including The Amazon Way, Think Like Amazon, and Big Bet Leadership. John is sought after for his ability to translate Amazon’s leadership principles and innovation playbooks into actionable strategies for senior executives navigating disruption, AI, and large-scale transformation.
Speaker Website: https://johnrossman.com/
Fee: $45,000 USD + business class travel and expenses
John is based in Bellevue, Washington, United States
“Wow! Our team loved John’s Big Bet Leadership presentation. The message was spot on for our digital journey. We are ordering more books now.” – Keith Nelson, Manufacturing Executive
“The audience LOVED your leadership keynote and they took away many key learnings that they hope can be applied moving forward.” – NOVARTIS
Speaker Highlights
Why John Is the Right Fit:
White & Case is specifically interested in speakers with Amazon experience, and John brings one of the most authoritative Amazon perspectives available. He personally led the creation of Amazon Marketplace, served as an executive during Amazon’s defining years of explosive innovation, and has since guided global organizations on digital transformation, AI strategy, and leadership for the hyper-digital era.
For a partner-level audience, John delivers:
- Firsthand insight into Amazon’s leadership principles, culture, and innovation models
- Practical frameworks for leading through disruption and making “big bets”
- Deep experience advising executive teams on AI, digital transformation, and operational excellence
- Engaging storytelling with actionable tools leaders can immediately apply
- Architect of one of Amazon’s most pivotal infrastructure and innovation stories — the Amazon Marketplace, which now represents over 60% of units sold on the platform
- Acclaimed author of four best-selling books on digital leadership, innovation culture, and the Amazon playbook for high-performance teams
- Advisor to elite organizations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, T-Mobile, and global Fortune 100 companies navigating digital transformation
- Known for delivering strategic frameworks and leadership models teams can use to make bold decisions, scale innovation, and embrace a future-forward performance mindset
- Engaging keynote presence with the rare ability to deliver strategy, storytelling, and tools that resonate deeply with executive audiences tasked with leading through change
His mix of credibility, clarity, and strategic depth makes him exceptionally aligned with an audience of senior partners focused on future-proofing the firm.
Recommended Keynote:
Think Like Amazon — What’s the Future of Your Industry and Ecosystem?
This presentation is tailored to business leaders and investors interested in forecasting and creating the future of their industry.
Drawing from his extensive experience at Amazon, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, T-Mobile, and dozens of client strategy engagements, Rossman explores critical components and mega-forces leading to change. Attendees gain exclusive insights into applying these methodologies to their strategies, accelerating growth and enhancing competitiveness in an increasingly competitive and dynamic marketplace.
Rossman’s discussion extends beyond replicating tactics; he encourages a paradigm shift in thinking. Attendees will explore the ‘thinking in outcomes’ approach, outlining practical steps for conducting scenario planning. This keynote segment is designed to provoke thought, spur innovation, and drive home the importance of a customer-centric approach coupled with robust thought experiments.
Concluding with a forward-looking perspective, Rossman guides the audience through scenario-planning exercises to predict and react to future industry trends and challenges. This proactive approach prepares leaders to navigate their businesses through potential disruptions and equips them to play a pivotal role in shaping their respective ecosystems. Participants will leave with a clear set of principles and techniques that, when implemented, can transform their organizations into agile, forward-thinking competitors ready to thrive in the future digital landscape.
Leaving Your Audience with:
- Adopt Amazon’s Strategic Mindset: Embrace continuous innovation and customer obsession to redefine industry standards and enhance business growth.
- Practical Innovation Strategies: Understand how to “think in bets” by solving wicked problems.
- Future-Proof Your Business: Utilize scenario planning to anticipate and effectively respond to dynamic market changes.
- Cultural Transformation: Foster a culture that supports customer centricity, agility, resilience, and constant learning to thrive in the digital era.
Former Chief Scientist, Amazon • Social Data & AI Expert • Author, Data for the People
Dr. Andreas Weigend is a globally recognized expert in big data, human-centered AI, and the Social Data Revolution. As the former Chief Scientist at Amazon, he helped shape the company’s data strategy and culture of innovation during its early growth. Today, he leads the Social Data Lab and teaches at Stanford University and UC Berkeley, while advising global organizations including Alibaba, BMW, Tencent, Walmart, and the World Economic Forum. Andreas is the author of Data for the People: How to Make Our Post-Privacy Economy Work for You, and is widely known for helping leaders rethink how data, transparency, and trust can drive innovation and transformation at scale.
Fee: $55,000 USD+ Business Class expense for two people
Andreas is based in San Francisco, CA
Speaker Highlights
Why Andreas Is the Right Fit:
- Former Chief Scientist at Amazon, where he shaped the company’s early data strategy, experimentation culture, and approach to customer insights during a foundational period of innovation
- Globally recognized expert on big data, human-centered AI, and the Social Data Revolution, offering a strategic lens on how data impacts leadership, trust, and organizational transformation
- Advises leaders at some of the world’s top companies — including Alibaba, BMW, Tencent, Walmart, and MasterCard — bridging cutting-edge academic research and real-world strategic work
- Brings deep teaching roots at Stanford University and UC Berkeley, making him skilled at translating complex ideas into highly engaging, practical frameworks for executive audiences
- A leading voice on the future of leadership in a post-privacy world, helping organizations build data-literate, innovation-ready teams equipped to navigate change responsibly and creatively
Recommended Keynote:
Dr. Andreas Weigend offers a range of thought-provoking talks centered on the future of data, AI, and digital transformation, all of which can be customized to align with your strategic goals and audience needs. Drawing from his experience as Amazon’s former Chief Scientist, advisor to global innovators, and professor at Stanford and UC Berkeley, Andreas helps leaders understand not just what’s possible with data — but how to ask the right questions, structure for innovation, and make responsible, high-impact decisions in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
He regularly speaks on themes such as:
- Data Strategy for the Digital Age – using data to drive innovation and competitive advantage
- The Future of AI and Machine Learning – emerging trends and implications for business and society
- Data for the People – building equitable, ethical data-driven systems and teams
- Digital Transformation – frameworks for leading change and cultivating learning-centered cultures
Each keynote is tailored to the audience and industry, ensuring that leaders walk away with actionable insights and a future-focused perspective on data, technology, and transformation.
General Manager, AI/ML & Analytics – AWS • Enterprise AI Transformation Leader • Emerging Tech & Inclusive Leadership Speaker
Tia White is a pioneering AI and machine learning leader, known for driving large-scale digital transformations at global enterprises and pioneering emerging technologies like Generative AI and Federated Learning. As the first Black woman to serve as a General Manager in AI/ML and Analytics at Amazon Web Services (AWS), she leads one of the company’s fastest-growing service portfolios, focusing on product, engineering, and go-to-market strategy for enterprise AI.
Before joining AWS, Tia held executive roles at Wells Fargo, Capital One, and JPMorgan Chase, rapidly rising from engineer to Director of Engineering before age 30. With 15+ years of experience guiding Fortune 100 companies through cloud modernization, AI adoption, and digital transformation, she brings a rare blend of executive leadership, deep technical knowledge, and a track record of delivering transformational results.
Fee: $65,000 USD + business class expense for two
Speaker is based in Virginia, United States.
Speaker Highlights
Why Tia Is the Right Fit
- Direct experience leading enterprise AI and machine learning portfolios at Amazon, with deep understanding of innovation in highly regulated and customer-centric industries
- Trusted by Fortune 100 companies to spearhead cloud adoption, data strategy, and generative AI transformation — with a focus on operational impact and customer experience
- Reputable voice on ethical AI, digital equity, and inclusive leadership, offering transformational insights for leaders navigating change and responsible innovation
- Featured speaker at leading conferences including SXSW and Grace Hopper, and in Forbes, making complex topics engaging and relatable for broad audiences
- Known for delivering actionable frameworks that help teams and executives not just understand AI, but apply it responsibly and effectively in fast-changing environments
Recommended Keynote:
The Future is Federated: How AI Collaboration Will Transform Regulated Industries
As AI becomes increasingly central to business strategy, industries like healthcare, financial services, and government face a unique dilemma: how can they innovate with machine learning without compromising privacy, regulatory compliance, or intellectual property?
In this compelling keynote, Tia White introduces federated learning, a powerful approach that enables shared machine learning across multiple organizations without exposing sensitive data. Drawing from her experience leading cloud migrations, AI innovation strategies, and enterprise transformations at AWS and Fortune 100 companies, Tia demystifies this breakthrough and shows how it could change the game for regulated industries.
Attendees will learn:
- What federated learning is and how it works in practice
- Why privacy-preserving AI matters for regulated sectors
- How collaboration across institutions can unlock new efficiencies and outcomes
- How to evaluate readiness and opportunities for federated AI in their industry