ERA Announces Day Two General Session Speakers at the 2022 ERA Conference

ERA PRESS RELEASE

January 12, 2022
Contact: Clare Kluck / Communications Director / ckluck@era.org

ERA Announces Day Two General Session Speakers at the 2022 ERA Conference

The Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) is pleased to announce Crystal Kadakia and Michael Knight as General Session speakers who will present at the 2022 ERA Conference on Tuesday, March 1. The 2022 ERA Conference will take place Feb. 27 through March 1 at the AT&T Conference Center in Austin, Texas.

Kadakia will be presenting “The New Normal: A Digital Workplace Culture” on the morning of March 1.

Kadakia is a transformational change expert who has been asking organizations around the world, “What is the possibility of different?” through her keynote speeches, books and consulting work. With a focus on reframing and operationalizing culture, technology and generation changes, Kadakia aims to go beyond the traditional future of work conversations to inspire leaders to transform their businesses to thrive in this newly disrupted world.

In her 2022 ERA Conference presentation, Kadakia will move the audience beyond the status quo to embracing what’s possible in the digital age. From 10+ years of future of work research, Kadakia will share a new perspective shift that will allow attendees to empower their performance in today’s digital context, rather than engage from a stressed, overwhelmed, digitally-defused state.

“For the past two years, we have all experienced an acceleration in working in a digital world,” said Paula Renfrow, vice president, Americas Marketing, TTI Inc. and General Sessions Subcommittee co-chair. “This shift can sometimes cause stress and uncertainty, and raises lots of questions regarding how can we best work in this digital environment. Crystal will bring a fresh approach to teaching us how to use digital technology to empower ourselves and our teams. Crystal has developed a real understanding of our industry and the challenges that we are all facing, and will weave together a practical organizational change strategy. Her new perspective will provide attendees with powerful tools to use as we continue to push forward, be resilient, and embrace a new digital workplace.”

Michael Knight, president of the Exponential Technology Group and senior vice president of corporate business development at TTI Inc., will close the conference in the afternoon of March 1 with his presentation “A Linear Approach to an Exponential Curve is an Accident Waiting to Happen.”

Knight has worked in the both the manufacturing and rep communities prior to joining TTI. He has held a variety of national and global leadership roles in sales, marketing, operations and general management in both private and public companies.

Knight’s presentation will cover how the exponential nature of technology has changed the game of the electronics industry and how legacy, linear approaches to thinking, planning and strategy-setting are working against us. The presentation will cover the state of the component supply chain and ramifications for the automotive industry especially as it pertains to electric vehicles and related infrastructure, as well as the federal response to electronic industry supply chain issues.

“For the sixth year in a row, we are thrilled to have Michael Knight present the closing general session at the 2022 ERA Conference,” said Matt Cohen, CPMR, vice president of sales & marketing, CC Electro Sales Inc. and General Sessions Subcommittee Co-chair. “Michael is consistently one of the highest-rated presenters at past ERA conferences, and his forward-thinking and cutting-edge topics are always as educational as they are entertaining. And this year’s topic is no exception, where Michael will tackle the timely subject of the shift within the electronic component supply chain. As we come together in Austin, I am confident that Michael, a respected and industry-recognized thought leader, will show us the ‘new day and new way’ as we continue to understand and navigate the new path forward in our industry.”

For more information about the conference schedule and to register, visit: https://era.org/era-events/era-conference/.

About ERA
The 86-year-old Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) is the international trade organization for professional field sales companies in the global electronics industries, manufacturers who go to market through representative firms and global distributors. It is the mission of ERA to support the professional field sales function through programs and activities that educate, inform and advocate for manufacturers’ representatives, the principals they represent and the distributors who are reps’ partners in local territories. For more information about ERA, visit era.org.