Private Sector
The 2026 Supply Chain and Operations Reinvention Summit
Leadership in an Autonomous Era
When & Where
February 3-3, 2026
Harvard University | Cambridge, MA

About the Summit

The future of supply chains and operations is autonomous. To remain competitive, organizations must progress into digitally driven systems. They must be able to leverage current and future AI, intelligent agents, advanced analytics, machine learning, and robotics to manage end-to-end operations, make real-time decisions, continuously learn from data, and adapt to disruption in a way that optimizes efficiency, sustainability, and agility. For Chief Supply Chain Officers (CSCOs) and Chief Operating Officers (COOs), this moment demands a fundamentally new kind of leadership to embark on this journey.

Driving this transformation requires more than technology adoption. Leaders at the forefront of this shift must model a growth mindset, actively seeking opportunities to learn, experiment, and evolve. CSCOs and COOs will be called upon to build new organizational capabilities, ensure access to trusted and integrated data, equip their workforce with new skills, and cultivate cultures that support continuous innovation. To unlock even greater value, forward-leaning leaders will also forge deeper partnerships across the ecosystem, leveraging the complementary strengths, investments, and capabilities of external partners.

At the same time, leaders must grapple with critical questions to prepare to scale innovations: How must we rethink not only how we operate, but how we are organized, led, and governed? How do we align the C-suite around a shared vision and bring people at every level of the organization along on the journey to fully integrate systems? How do we partner effectively with IT to build the underlying architecture, data foundation, and connectivity required for autonomy? And how do we plan to scale innovation to deliver sustained impact?

To help CSCOs and COOs address these challenges and build the future of supply chains and operations, Leadership for a Networked World, founded at Harvard University, in collaboration with Accenture, will host the 2026 Supply Chain and Operations Reinvention Summit: Leadership in an Autonomous Era. This premier learning experience, taking place June 8–10, 2026 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will equip senior leaders with insights, frameworks, and peer connections needed to drive meaningful reinvention in an autonomous era.

What Summit attendees can expect - The Summit is a chance to step away from everyday responsibilities and explore ideas with peers in an intimate setting. Programming focuses on personal enrichment and practical approaches for CSCOs and COOs to:
 Explore pressing issues with fellow operations and supply chain leaders, industry experts, and leading academics.
 Develop solutions via immersive, peer-to-peer learning that can be applied today.
 Network with CSCOs and COOs from across industries and maintain relationships going forward.
 Examine personal growth and career goals and develop plans for achieving them.
 Earn continuing education requirement over a dynamic two-day session.*

Who Should Attend?

Admission & Participation

Previous Reports

Shaping a Growth Agenda: A Report from 2018 Next Generation Operations Summit

Go to Report

If there’s one commonality in society, it’s the dynamic pace of innovation and change. Fueling this environment are the forces of deepening digital disruption, shifting market boundaries, and growing customer power and choice. Amidst all this one thing is certain – architecting an agile supply chain is a catalyst to shaping a growth agenda.
For chief operating officers and chief supply chain officers (COO/CSCOs), shaping a growth agenda means building supply chains that are robust enough to maintain stability and accountability, but also agile enough to offer choices and delight customers, driving growth. Progress will require a deft hand, as leaders will face fresh challenges in managing multiple business models, freeing up resources to invest in innovation, and creating new ecosystems of suppliers and partners to deliver more customer-centric solutions.
To help next-generation supply chain leaders acquire these new strategies and capabilities, Leadership for a Networked World and the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, in collaboration with Accenture Strategy, convened the 2018 Next Generation Operations Summit: Shaping a Growth Agenda. The summit brought together supply chain leaders to discuss critical issues defining the profession today.

Creating a Customer-Centric Supply Chain: A Report from 2017 Next Generation Operations Summit

Go to Report

Emerging from the disruptive forces of global regulatory flux, cyber-security risk, machine learning and automation advances, and omni-channel consumer shifts is the promise of the next generation of supply chain business models. In this digital era, chief operating officers and chief supply chain officers will have an unprecedented opportunity to harness new business models and be at the forefront of growth and enterprise value.

Yet realizing the potential of emerging ideas has always been difficult. Even for path-breaking innovations with transformative potential, the road to implementation can be filled with obstacles, twists and turns, and dead-ends. It begs the question: How can supply chain leaders break through barriers and leverage new business models to improve capacity, elevate customer experience, and increase enterprise value?

To help current and next generation supply chain leaders meet the demands of this digital era, Leadership for a Networked World and the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, in collaboration with Accenture Strategy, convened The 2017 Next Generation Operations Summit: Creating a Customer-Centric Supply Chain. The report includes findings and case studies from the Summit.

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