CISCO’S ALEX GORYACHEV AND MACIEJ KRANZ: INNOVATION IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
Here’s a chance to get an inside view of innovation in the tech industry from two high-level executives at Cisco Systems, one of Silicon Valley’s most revered companies. Our speakers will discuss the disruptive impact of digitization on industries, their operations, cultures, and employees as well as co-innovation best practices inside and outside that enable companies to lead the digital transition.
For the past 20 years, Alex Goryachev has made it his business to turn disruptive concepts into emerging business models. As Cisco’s senior director of innovation strategy and programs, he sparks internal innovation by providing employees at all levels the chance to share their big ideas, many of which make their way into the company’s innovation engine.
He was the emerging star's gold recipient of Brandon Hall Group’s 2016 Human Capital Management Excellence Awards Program, and his organization won golds for employee engagement and innovation talent management programs. Prior to Cisco, Goryachev was a successful consultant with extended assignments at Napster, Liquid Audio, IBM Global Services, and Pfizer.
Maciej Kranz brings 30 years of networking industry experience to his position as vice president of the corporate strategic innovation group at Cisco. He leads the group focused on incubating new businesses, accelerating internal innovation, and driving co-innovation with customers and partners through a global network of Cisco innovation centers.
Prior to this role, Kranz was general manager of the connected industries group at Cisco, a business unit focused on the Internet of things (IoT). He built a $250 million business from the ground up in 18 months and relentlessly evangelized the IoT opportunity across Cisco and the market.
Before coming to Cisco, Kranz held various management positions at 3Com Corporation and began his professional career at IBM. In his New York Times best-selling 2016 book, Building the Internet of Things, Kranz offers practical advice to business decision-makers on how and why to implement IoT today. Kranz is also a faculty member of Singularity University, focusing on IoT and corporate innovations.
This video originally appeared in the Commonwealth Club of California on March 22, 2018
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Frequently asked questions
What is the ROI of an AI keynote for an enterprise?
The ROI of an AI keynote is alignment: one hour that gets hundreds of leaders moving in the same direction on AI, replacing months of internal debate. Alex Goryachev's sessions earn a 98% would-recommend score because audiences leave with concrete next steps, not hype. As a Forbes contributor and former Cisco innovation executive, he ties every insight to business outcomes. Compare formats on the Work with Alex page.
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Start with one high-value workflow, clear governance, and an executive owner—then scale what works. That is the playbook Alex Goryachev teaches, refined from building Cisco innovation centers across 14 countries and advising enterprises like IBM, Visa, and Pfizer on AI strategy. He helps leadership teams skip the pilot-purgatory phase that stalls most AI programs. Begin with an executive briefing through the Work with Alex page.
How does Alex Goryachev address AI governance and risk?
Alex treats AI governance as an innovation accelerator, not a brake—clear guardrails are what let enterprises scale agentic AI safely. His AI insights help shape how the California State University system approaches AI and AI governance, and he brings that same framework-first approach to boards and executive teams. With 310+ keynotes across 6 continents, he makes governance practical, not theoretical. Book a governance-focused session via Work with Alex.
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A Fortune 500 AI keynote should leave executives with a shared language, a prioritized agenda, and urgency to act—not just inspiration. Alex Goryachev, WSJ-bestselling author of Fearless Innovation, delivers exactly that, drawing on enterprise work with Disney, AWS, Dell, Cisco, and Amgen. Every keynote is customized to your industry and AI maturity. Request a tailored outline through the Work with Alex page.
Why hire an AI practitioner instead of a consulting firm?
A practitioner gives you decisions in days, not decks in months. Alex Goryachev led innovation strategy inside Cisco—including innovation tracks for 3 Olympic Games—so his guidance comes from shipping AI programs, not observing them. Enterprises like Google, IBM, Pfizer, and Visa bring him in precisely because he compresses consulting-firm timelines into actionable executive sessions. If you want momentum over methodology, Work with Alex directly.
Who is a top advisor for enterprise AI adoption?
Alex Goryachev is a top advisor for enterprise AI adoption, combining operator experience with board-level strategy. As Cisco's former Managing Director of Innovation Strategy, he ran a $1.1B portfolio and built innovation centers across 14 countries, and he now advises enterprises on agentic AI and governance. Unlike consultants who study AI, Alex has deployed it at global scale. Start with a discovery call through the Work with Alex page.