Dr. Robert Cooper
Dr. Robert G. Cooper is one of the most influential innovation thought leaders in the business world today. He pioneered the original research that led to many groundbreaking discoveries including the Stage-Gate^® Idea-to-Launch process. Now implemented by almost 80% of North American companies, it is considered to be one of the most important discoveries in the field of innovation management. He has spent more than 30 years studying the practices and pitfalls of 3,000+ new product projects in thousands of companies and has assembled the world’s most comprehensive research on the topic. His presentations and practical consulting advice have been widely applauded by corporate and business event audiences throughout the world making him one of the most sought-after speakers.

A prolific author, he has published more than 90 academic articles and seven books, including the best selling ‘Winning at New Products, 3rd Edition’. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the Crawford Fellow from the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) and the Maurice Holland Award from the Industrial Research Institute (IRI). Dr. Cooper is a Professor of Marketing and Technology Management at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada and Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM) at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, USA.

Dr. Scott Edgett
Dr. Scott J. Edgett is internationally recognized as one of the world’s top experts in product innovation and is the pioneer of portfolio management for product innovation. He is a high profile speaker and sought-after consultant. Dr. Edgett has had extensive experience working with large multinational clients in a variety of industries, principally focusing on issues affecting innovation leadership and capability. He is credited with helping business executives and innovation professionals successfully implement world-class innovation processes that have generated outstanding results. His speaking engagements and consulting work have taken him around the globe to work with some of the world’s best innovators and companies among the Fortune 1000.

Dr. Edgett is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, with Dr. Robert G. Cooper, of both Product Development Institute and Stage-Gate International. He has spent more than 20 years researching and developing innovation best practices and working with organizations in product innovation. He is a prolific author having coauthored six books including the popular ‘Portfolio Management for New Products, 2nd Edition’ and has published more than 60 academic articles. Dr. Edgett is a former Professor of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University in Ontario and is a Faculty Scholar at the Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM) at Penn State University.