Harmony at TUG CONNECTS 2026

Join your fellow Summit attendees for a private breakfast and a welcome and introduction to this year's agenda and speakers for the summit

Generative AI is already shaping how organizations operate, make decisions, and manage risk, yet it is still often looked at as a technical initiative rather than a leadership responsibility. This session reframes AI as a shared priority for senior leaders, IT teams and staff, emphasizing how organizations can work collaboratively to guide AI decisions with clarity, trust, and accountability.

Using tools and real-world examples to illustrate current and near-future capabilities, the session explores leadership considerations including security, AI agents, automated workflows, and the critical role of staff education in successful adoption. Participants will also examine balancing productivity gains with security and risk.

This engaging session is a roundtable and follow-up to the general session presentation from our keynote speaker, Josh Linkner.
Josh s a dynamic entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, and one of today’s most compelling voices on innovation and creative leadership. As a five-time tech founder and venture capitalist, Josh brings real-world insight into how organizations can thrive amid disruption. His high-energy keynote blends inspiring storytelling with practical strategies that empower teams to think boldly, embrace uncertainty, and unlock everyday creativity. Engaging, relatable, and deeply actionable, Josh challenges conventional thinking and equips audiences to turn imagination into impact.

Many leaders in the distribution industry rise into management roles through technical expertise and operational excellence. Yet few are given the opportunity to develop the leadership mindset, people skills, and communication capabilities that drive sustained team performance.

This session explores how effective leadership is less about authority and more about influence. Executives will gain insight into the often-underestimated impact leaders have—both positive and negative—on engagement, productivity, and results.

In this session, Mark will explore:
- Leadership mindset and presence — building confidence, self-awareness, and the distinction between leadership and management
- Communication that drives performance — using language effectively, navigating difficult conversations, and influencing outcomes
- Developing and empowering people — coaching and mentoring, delegation, and enabling accountability and growth
- Leading through change and complexity — aligning vision, values, and behaviors while guiding teams through uncertainty
- Modern leadership challenges — managing remote teams and maintaining engagement, alignment, and performance

Throughout the session, Mark will share real-world examples drawn from practical leadership experience, illustrating how these principles can be applied immediately to drive stronger performance and leadership impact.

Enjoy this time as an open-roundtable discussion, exclusively for executive summit distribution executives to share insights, challenges, and strategies.

Join your fellow Summit attendees for a private breakfast.

In an era of constant change, the strongest leaders aren’t waiting for the perfect moment or the next big tool—they're leveraging what they already have: their people, their presence, and their ability to connect.

This live session is designed for executives who want to lead with intention and resilience. We’ll explore how to harness the often-overlooked tools already at your fingertips—emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and the ability to truly understand your people—to create stronger teams and more sustainable success.

Key Takeaways from this session:
- How to activate emotional intelligence to navigate uncertainty and inspire trust and engagement
- Practical strategies for resolving conflict with empathy and accountability
- The critical shift from control to connection in leading high-performing teams
- Why understanding the human side of work is the key to building and sustaining the future of work

Leadership isn’t about waiting for the right conditions—it’s about using what you have today to shape a better tomorrow. Join us and start leading forward.

Join Infor CEO Kevin Samuelson and other key Infor executives for an open discussion of current challenges and opportunities. You’ll hear about Infor’s latest initiatives to improve your customer experience and provide tools to help streamline your company operations and improve your competitive advantage, and have an opportunity to provide feedback to the people at Infor that can make a difference.

As the industry evolves, leaders must anticipate the next wave of challenges—from digital competitors to operational shifts—before they arrive. This session highlights the most impactful trends and shows how proactive executives, working with Infor, can translate them into growth opportunities. You’ll gain practical insights to strengthen resilience and accelerate performance.

A fast-moving synthesis of the day's most important conversations — surfacing common threads, calling out the tensions worth carrying forward, and closing with one ask of every leader in the room: what's the one commitment you're taking back to your organization? We'll also share how TUG will carry your feedback directly to Infor's product and executive teams before the next summit.