Jim Fitterling

From “The Way Forward" Conference: Jim Fitterling, CEO of Dow, and Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture

Jim Fitterling, Julie Sweet, John

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet and Dow executive Fitterling describe how the 2020 pandemic accelerated a fundamental shift from physical to digital business operations, exposing a performance gap where top adopters leveraged cloud infrastructure to remote-work instantly while laggards struggled with obsolete sales channels. This crisis drove aggressive strategic pivots, including Dow's rapid e-commerce expansion and the integration of AI for product development, which simultaneously highlighted critical needs for cybersecurity fortification and systemic workforce reskilling through public-private partnerships. The leaders further argue that these technological transitions must be paired with enduring commitments to sustainability targets and racial justice initiatives to ensure long-term organizational resilience against future geopolitical and social disruptions.