Innovation Strategies in a Global Economy

Last summer, Xerox received the National Medal of Technology for its rich heritage of innovation – which includes xerography, laser printing, solid-state lasers, the modern computer workstation, organic materials, print-on-demand digital production systems, linguistic technologies, and more. In this Forum talk, Dr. Sophie Vandebroek will share how Xerox researchers are connecting with their customers today to enable the next generation of marking, materials, systems, and services. This talk will: (1) provide a glimpse of how a company with globally dispersed, multidisciplinary research labs is innovating in its core markets while creating future markets; and (2) share examples of successful open-innovation collaborations with other companies, universities, and government labs. Dr. Vandebroek will also discuss technologies such as nanotech for printing and high-volume personalized applications, green technologies like erasable paper, and smart document technologies at the core of Xerox’s growing global services business.

Presenter(s)

As Xerox's Chief Technology Officer and President of the Xerox Innovation Group, Dr. Sophie Vandebroek is responsible for overseeing Xerox's worldwide research centers and for maximizing the company's return on investments in research and technology. Previously, Vandebroek was responsible for coordinating Xerox's engineering efficiency and effectiveness as Chief Engineer of Xerox Corporation and Vice President of the Xerox Engineering Center. Prior to that, she served as Chief Technology Officer at Carrier Corp. From 1991 until 2000, Vandebroek held a number of roles at Xerox including technical advisor to Xerox's chief operating officer and director of the Xerox Research Centre of Canada. Vandebroek is a member of PARC Inc.'s Board of Directors, and currently serves on several university and professional advisory boards.

Vandebroek's awards and honors include: Fellow of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE); Fulbright Fellow; Fellow of the Belgian-American Educational Foundation; and numerous awards from Xerox, IBM, HP, Monsanto, the Belgium National Science Foundation, Semiconductor Research Corporation, IEEE, and Cornell University. She holds 12 U.S. patents.

To read about Xerox's Innovation Group click here.