Karen Lynch

Chief Programming Officer

Greenbook

As Chief Programming Officer and Chief of Staff at Greenbook, I sit at the intersection of executive strategy, global event curation, and operational leadership. In my dual role, I balance high-level organizational growth with hands-on curation, leading the portfolio strategy and industry thought leadership across a platform that reaches thousands of insights and analytics professionals worldwide. My passion for industry discourse drives my work as Editor-in-Chief for our insights publication and as a host within our podcast network, including The Greenbook Podcast and The Exchange. Whether I'm guiding our editorial vision, interviewing industry disruptors, or programming 250+ speaking spots annually for IIEX, my focus is always on turning emerging ideas into meaningful, actionable dialogue.

Sessions

Oct 27

9:00 AM - 9:10 AM PDT

Blue Stage

Welcome Remarks

Also speaking

Margaret Mariani

Founder, TheStratLab

Speaker

Oct 27

11:05 AM - 11:25 AM PDT

Red Stage

What Happens After You Win? Five Years of Insight Innovation

Winning the Insight Innovation Competition is a moment; building what comes next is a much longer journey. Bringing together five consecutive IIEX North America winners offers a rare look at companies at very different stages, from a recent winner still in the scrappy growth phase to businesses navigating organic growth, leadership transitions, significant outside investment, and potential acquisition. Karen Lynch asks what changed after the winning pitch, what the market validated or challenged, and how each leader now defines progress and impact.
Key takeaways:
1. How the opportunities and challenges facing an innovation change as the company matures
2. What different paths to growth, including outside investment, organic expansion, and leadership transition, can mean for a company and its founders
3. What startups should understand about the journey from entering an innovation competition and pitching investors to building and scaling a viable business

Also speaking