{"id":761,"date":"2026-04-14T10:29:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T14:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/?p=761"},"modified":"2026-04-29T11:07:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T15:07:06","slug":"general-session-realize-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/general-session-realize-live\/","title":{"rendered":"General Session\u00a0at Realize LIVE: Where digital transformation takes center stage\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>At Realize LIVE, the&nbsp;General Session&nbsp;brings together the voices, ideas and technologies shaping the future of industry.&nbsp; Our event host Magnus Edholm met Adam Shepherd from Northrup Grumman to talk about the keynote experience at Realize LIVE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"671\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-3-25-drew-bird-0665-1024x671.jpg\" alt=\"Northrup Grumman's digital transformation\" class=\"wp-image-592\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-3-25-drew-bird-0665-1024x671.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-3-25-drew-bird-0665-600x393.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-3-25-drew-bird-0665-768x503.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-3-25-drew-bird-0665-1536x1006.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-3-25-drew-bird-0665-2048x1342.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-3-25-drew-bird-0665-900x590.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Adam Shepherd, Northrup Grumman, Mainstage at Realize LIVE 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Listen to the interview here:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/04\/RealizeFIVE_GeneralSessionwithAdamShepherd.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-cyan-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/events.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/realizelive\/americas\/pricing-packages-americas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Realize LIVE Americas<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-cyan-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/events.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/realizelive\/europe\/pricing-packaging-europe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Realize LIVE Europe<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-cyan-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/events.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/realizelive\/asia-pacific\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Realize LIVE Asia-Pacific<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>From engineering and manufacturing to product lifecycle management and&nbsp;Industrial&nbsp;AI,&nbsp;the&nbsp;General Session&nbsp;offers&nbsp;a unique opportunity to hear directly from leaders who are applying digital transformation to real-world challenges.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;where strategy meets experience \u2014 and where attendees can learn how companies across industries are turning innovation into action.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Siemens\u2019 global digital transformation event,\u202f<strong>Realize LIVE<\/strong>\u202fconnects professionals from around the world through thought leadership, technical learning, hands-on training,&nbsp;networking&nbsp;and expert engagement. And at the center of that experience is the&nbsp;General Session.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-4-25-drew-bird-0816-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"General Session at Realize LIVE 2025\" class=\"wp-image-613\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-4-25-drew-bird-0816-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-4-25-drew-bird-0816-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-4-25-drew-bird-0816-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-4-25-drew-bird-0816-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-4-25-drew-bird-0816-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2025\/06\/siemens-6-4-25-drew-bird-0816-900x600.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Robert Stukes &#8211; Naval Sea Systems &#8211; Realize LIVE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why the&nbsp;General Session&nbsp;matters&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;General Session&nbsp;is more than a keynote platform. It is where attendees gain a broader view of the trends,&nbsp;technologies,&nbsp;and business priorities driving change across industries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a recent Realize&nbsp;FIVE podcast, former&nbsp;General Session&nbsp;speaker\u202f<strong>Adam Shepherd of Northrop Grumman<\/strong>\u202fhighlighted one of the event\u2019s biggest strengths<em>: the ability to learn from organizations outside your own industry<\/em>. Whether companies are building&nbsp;aircraft, scaling advanced&nbsp;manufacturing&nbsp;or modernizing enterprise processes, many are working through similar challenges around data, collaboration,&nbsp;speed&nbsp;and complexity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That cross-industry perspective is what makes the&nbsp;General Session&nbsp;so valuable. It helps attendees discover&nbsp;new approaches, challenge&nbsp;assumptions&nbsp;and take fresh ideas back to their own teams.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2026 Lineup taking shape&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;General Session&nbsp;lineup for\u202f<strong>Realize LIVE Americas<\/strong>\u202fis already beginning to take shape, with announced speakers&nbsp;including\u202f&nbsp;<strong>John&nbsp;\u201cJay\u201d B. Rogers, Jr., CEO &amp; Co-Founder of Haddy<\/strong>, and\u202f<strong>Ed Pleet, Chief Technology Officer at Shape Corporation<\/strong>. Together, they bring valuable perspectives on advanced manufacturing, innovation and engineering leadership, highlighting how digital transformation is creating impact across industries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For\u202f<strong>Realize LIVE Europe<\/strong>, announced speakers include\u202f<strong>Inga Gorbunova of Nikon SLM Solutions<\/strong>,\u202f<strong>Sandrine Ledru of&nbsp;OPmobility<\/strong>,\u202f<strong>Daniel Damson and Jonathan Cooper of Rolls-Royce<\/strong>, and\u202f<strong>Arist\u00f3teles Terceiro Neto of&nbsp;Vivix&nbsp;Vidros&nbsp;Planos<\/strong>. Their experience spans industrial transformation, lifecycle management, digital thread&nbsp;strategy&nbsp;and enterprise innovation \u2014 with more speaker announcements still to come.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More than inspiration&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What happens on the&nbsp;General Session&nbsp;does not end when the session does.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the biggest advantages of Realize LIVE is the opportunity to continue the conversation \u2014 with peers, experts,&nbsp;partners&nbsp;and presenters. The ideas shared on stage often lead to deeper&nbsp;discussions, new connections and practical next steps that continue well beyond the event itself.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is what makes Realize LIVE more than a conference. It is a place to engage with a global community focused on digital transformation and continuous innovation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Turn insight into action&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;General Session&nbsp;is only one part of the Realize LIVE experience.&nbsp;Attendees&nbsp;can&nbsp;also&nbsp;explore:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hands-on training&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Technical&nbsp;sessions&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Solution Center&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Industry HQ&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, these experiences help attendees connect strategic ideas with practical execution.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join us at Realize LIVE&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to hear how industry leaders are using digital transformation to solve complex challenges, improve&nbsp;performance&nbsp;and shape what comes next, the&nbsp;General Session&nbsp;is the place to start.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Explore the agenda, discover the&nbsp;speakers&nbsp;and register for Realize LIVE Americas&nbsp;.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t&nbsp;just hear about the future of industry \u2014 experience it&nbsp;live.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-cyan-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/events.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/realizelive\/americas\/pricing-packages-americas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Realize LIVE Americas<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-cyan-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/events.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/realizelive\/europe\/pricing-packaging-europe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Realize LIVE Europe<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-cyan-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/events.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/realizelive\/asia-pacific\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Realize LIVE Asia-Pacific<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/04\/RealizeLive25_250630_133-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Realize LIVE General Session 2025\" class=\"wp-image-766\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/04\/RealizeLive25_250630_133-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/04\/RealizeLive25_250630_133-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/04\/RealizeLive25_250630_133-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/04\/RealizeLive25_250630_133-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/04\/RealizeLive25_250630_133-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/04\/RealizeLive25_250630_133-1-900x600.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hear from General Session speaker Adam Shepherd in this short interview on exciting content at this years&#8217; Realize LIVE events. Why the keynotes are a must listen event. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7619,"featured_media":765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spanish_translation":"","french_translation":"","german_translation":"","italian_translation":"","polish_translation":"","japanese_translation":"","chinese_translation":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[88,1],"tags":[103,407,408,399],"industry":[36,40,43,532,49,57,62,67,72,77,78,84,83],"product":[547],"coauthors":[546],"class_list":["post-761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-news","tag-digital-transformation","tag-engineering-conference","tag-innovation-conference","tag-realize-live","industry-aerospace-defense","industry-aerospace-defense-agencies","industry-automotive-transportation","industry-battery","industry-consumer-products-retail","industry-electronics-semiconductors","industry-energy-utilities","industry-industrial-machinery-heavy-equipment","industry-marine","industry-media-telecommunications","industry-medical-devices-pharmaceuticals","industry-small-medium-business","industry-software-development","product-siemens-xcelerator-portfolio"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/04\/RealizeLive25_250630_142-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7619"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=761"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":787,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761\/revisions\/787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=761"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=761"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=761"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/realize-live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}