Heavyweights to headline May's economic meet

The leader of Northrop Grumman and the former leader of Hewlett-Packard will be the featured speakers during the Utah Economic Summit, set for May 17 in Salt Lake City.

Kathy J. Warden, president and CEO of Northrop Grumman Corp., and Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, will present keynote addresses at the event, which is presented by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah) and the Salt Lake Chamber.{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

The 13th annual summit will take place May 17, 8 a.m.-3:45 p.m., at the Grand America Hotel, 555 S. Main St., Salt Lake City. Tickets are $180. Details are at https://utaheconomicsummit.com/.

This year’s summit adds programming from the Utah Global Forum, which had been held annually each autumn.

In addition to the keynote speeches, the summit will feature the presentation of a Utah economic report, presentations titled “Utah’s Economic Development Success and Opportunity” and “What Makes Utah Unique?”

Morning breakout sessions are titled “Opportunity for Generations: Point of the Mountain and Inland Port,” “Why Every Company Should Strive for Gender Parity,” “The Business of Utah Sports,” “Building a Diverse Workforce,” “Protecting Your Intellectual Property Abroad” and “Are You an Entrepreneur?”

Afternoon breakout sessions are “Utah’s Housing Gap: Addressing Affordable Housing,” “Mergers and Acquisitions: Crafting the Deal,” “Utah’s Film & Entertainment Industry: A Driver of Economic Growth, Culture & Tourism,” “Blockchain: Bulletproof Digital Identity,” “Student Entrepreneurs and the Economy,” “Finding and Managing Partners in Foreign Markets,” “Utah’s Opportunity Zones: Creating Maximum Impact Across the State,” “Building Your Business Through Outdoor Recreation,” “The Business of Energy,” “The Future of Utah: Looking at Economic Growth,” “Creative Ways Utah Companies Have Told Their Stories in the Media” and “How to Find and Leverage International Trade Shows.”

The 2019 Utah Economic Summit Awards — for Businessperson of the Year, Business of the Year and International Business of the Year — will be presented during lunch.

Fiorina was CEO of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005, becoming the first woman to lead a top 20 company as ranked by Fortune magazine. She also worked at AT&T, including heading its North American operations, and led corporate operations for Lucent Technologies Inc. She also was chair of the philanthropic organization Good360.

In the political realm, Fiorina was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010 and for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. She was the 2016 vice presidential running mate for Ted Cruz until he suspended his campaign.

Warden has been president of Northrop Grumman since Jan. 1, 2018, and CEO starting Jan. 1 this year. She also held leadership roles at General Dynamics and the Veridian Corp., was a principal in a venture Internet firm and worked at General Electric Co. in commercial industries.{/mprestriction}