Keynote Speaker · Manufacturing
Shama Hyder gives manufacturing and industrial leaders a practical keynote on AI, Industry 4.0, and workforce change for association conferences, leadership summits, and trade shows. A 2026 TIME100 Creators honoree and Professor at Link School of Business, she spoke on AI at MHEDA's 2024 Women in Industry Conference.
Why Manufacturing Organizations Choose Shama
Manufacturing leaders are evaluating how AI, robotics, and digital twins affect operations while also managing workforce transitions and supply-chain resilience. Vendor claims and competing investment priorities make sequencing as important as technology selection.
The challenge is not simply recognizing change. It is deciding which moves to consider, in what order, and at what moment while accounting for people, budgets, and existing operations.
Shama Hyder built and led Zen Media for 17 years before selling the company. She advises leaders at Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce, and JPMorgan Chase, has delivered keynotes for EMAAR and SEMA, and was named to the Leaders category of the 2026 TIME100 Creators.
Her Strategic Urgency keynote organizes the manufacturing conversation around market signals, technology investments, workforce considerations, and decision timing. The event brief can identify the manufacturing segment and issues that should receive emphasis.
Hyder Index · Manufacturing & Industrial
58
Narrow Gap
63
Change score
48
Response score
75%
Keeping up
Manufacturing & Industrial scored 58 in the October 2026 reading, a Narrow Gap. Change scored 63 and response scored 48, so companies are keeping up with about 75% of the change around them.
The score held from September, so the gap did not close. Orders stayed strong, with the ISM manufacturing index at 54.6 in August, its eighth straight month of expansion. For a manufacturing leader, that means demand is not waiting for the operating model to catch up.
Shama's Strategic Urgency keynote gives your leaders a way to decide which of those changes to act on first, and in what order.
Shama created the Hyder Index to measure the Change-Response Gap: how fast industries are changing versus how fast companies are responding. 50 means even, and higher means a wider gap. A new reading is published the first Tuesday of every month. See the full reading →
“Shama Hyder spoke at our 2024 Women in Industry Conference on the topic of AI. Her session was engaging, interactive and had lots of tangible takeaways for our attendees. She is wonderful to work with. If you are looking for a speaker who will make AI learning fun and approachable, book Shama today!”
AnnaMarie Kendall
Marketing and Communication Manager | MHEDA
Topics
This keynote applies Strategic Urgency to manufacturing decisions about automation, technology windows, investment timing, and competing market signals. It is designed for manufacturing association conferences, executive leadership summits, and plant manager forums.
This keynote examines AI use cases, internal capability, measurement, and the relationship between pilot programs and broader adoption. It is designed for operations and technology leaders, digital transformation initiatives, and Industry 4.0 kickoffs.
This keynote considers skills gaps, the pace of technology adoption, employee experience, and the relationship between experienced workers and AI-enabled tools. It is designed for HR and operations leaders, association conferences, and workforce development events.
This keynote addresses supplier diversity, strategic intelligence, decision timing, and the leadership questions surrounding supply-chain resilience. It is designed for supply-chain and procurement leaders, manufacturing CEO forums, and trade association keynotes.
Manufacturing keynote topics can include Industry 4.0 adoption, AI-driven operations, workforce transformation, supply chain resilience, and leadership decisions about technology investment. Shama Hyder's manufacturing keynote uses Strategic Urgency to organize a discussion about which signals deserve attention, which investments can wait, and how timing shapes technology decisions.
Shama Hyder built and led Zen Media for 17 years before selling the company. She advises leaders at Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce, and JPMorgan Chase, has delivered keynotes for EMAAR and SEMA, and was named to the Leaders category of the 2026 TIME100 Creators.
Manufacturing event planners can ask about keynote, workshop, panel, and facilitated-session formats. Include the preferred session length, audience, event schedule, and Q&A requirements in the booking inquiry.
A strong manufacturing keynote fits the audience, reflects the event brief, delivers practical takeaways, and connects AI, workforce change, operations, and investment timing to the realities of the manufacturing sector.
This keynote is designed for manufacturing association conferences, plant leadership meetings, executive summits, trade shows, and workforce or Industry 4.0 events. The program can emphasize practical AI adoption, operational resilience, workforce change, or strategic timing based on the audience.
The booking brief can identify the audience, manufacturing segment, and priority issues, such as workforce retention, automation, supply-chain disruption, or competitive pressure. Event planners can also share the event theme and the decisions under discussion.
Strategic Urgency is a framework for discussing which market signals warrant attention and which may be noise. In a manufacturing context, it focuses on the timing of automation and technology investments when signals, budgets, and operating priorities compete.
Submit an inquiry at shamahyder.com/check-availability or email team@shamahyder.com with the event date, location, audience, format, and preferred session length. Shama's team can confirm availability for the requested dates.
Ready to Book?
Every keynote is custom-tailored to your audience and industry. Contact us to check availability.
