“The Future of Planning Is Human + AI”: CEO Highlights from aim10x Americas 2025

aim10x Americas 2025 in Dallas was o9 Solutions’ largest in-person event ever, bringing together more than 400 industry leaders across three stages of client case studies, expert panels, and live demos. The day began with two keynote voices who set the tone for everything that followed.

First, Chakri Gottemukkala, o9’s CEO and Co-Founder, outlined how the company’s Digital Brain platform and new agentic AI innovations are unlocking unprecedented speed and agility in decision-making. Then, Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever and one of the world’s most influential business leaders, took the stage to emphasize the human dimension: purpose, courage, and leadership that turns technology into lasting value.

Together, they framed the central theme of aim10x Americas—transformation happens at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and courageous leadership.

The Next Generation of Enterprise Planning and Execution

Chakri Gottemukkala, CEO and Co-Founder of o9 Solutions, set the tone for the event by celebrating the real-world impact customers are already achieving. “We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars in inventory reductions, gross margin improvements, and supply chain efficiencies,” he said.

Service levels are rising, forecasting accuracy is improving by 10 percentage points, and processes are becoming increasingly touchless, from scenario planning to daily replenishment. These measurable results, he emphasized, are translating into revenue growth and EBITDA gains. “For a $10 billion company, a 1–3% revenue improvement is $300 million. This is real, tangible value waiting to be unlocked.”

The keynote also highlighted the role of leadership in unlocking technology’s potential. While o9’s Digital Brain platform and its Enterprise Knowledge Graph create new possibilities, Chakri stressed that “technology creates the possibility of change, but leadership makes it real.”

He explained how rising volatility—tariffs, pandemics, geopolitical shocks—creates urgent questions that today’s siloed processes struggle to answer. Traditional analysis takes weeks, by which time opportunities are missed. By contrast, AI agents now allow planners to ask: “What proposals should we launch to close the gap? Show me the full analysis—supply chain, forecast, incremental P&L—and do it in minutes.”

Innovations Unveiled

Chakri introduced several of o9’s latest innovations:

• AI-powered post-game analysis – inspired by how sports teams review games – to create transparency, identify root causes, and drive continuous improvement across functions.
• Conversational access to the Enterprise Knowledge Graph (EKG) – enabling leaders to interact with the platform in natural language, explore risks, re-project, and simulate actions in real time to address real business problems.

Chakri described these innovations as a “navigation app” for business decisions, continuously recalculating and prescribing actions as conditions change. His broader vision is of human + AI organizations that are leaner, more agile, and more effective. At the same time, he cautioned that realizing this vision requires overcoming familiar obstacles: slow decision cycles, lengthy implementations, low adoption, and outdated systems.

What Does It Take to Lead Bold Transformation?

While Chakri focused his opening keynote on the technology side of transformation—showing how o9’s platform and AI agents can unlock faster, smarter decisions—Paul Polman followed with a complementary perspective. His message was clear: technology creates the possibility of change, but leadership makes it real.

Paul is uniquely qualified to deliver this message. As CEO of Unilever for over a decade, he steered the company through the global financial crisis, Brexit, and a hostile takeover attempt by Kraft Heinz. Under his leadership, Unilever became a recognized global leader in sustainability while also delivering a 290% shareholder return. Today, he is an investor, philanthropist, co-author of Net Positive, and advisor to boards, governments, and NGOs. His career demonstrates the balance between profitability and responsibility, giving him rare authority to speak on the human side of transformation.

Leadership in a VUCA World

Paul acknowledged the power of technology, but stressed that it is insufficient on its own. “Supply chain, procurement, IT, sustainability—these were once seen as service functions. Today they’re at the core of strategy. But without leadership to connect them, you’ll fall behind your competitive set.”

He argued that in a world defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), companies cannot rely solely on better tools. The accelerating pace of change—whether in AI adoption, the clean energy transition, or shifting geopolitics—creates turbulence that can overwhelm organizations. Technology can help navigate, but leadership determines whether turbulence becomes a threat or an opportunity.

Courage Over Fear

Paul spoke directly about the emotional reality of change. Disruption, he said, triggers fear—fear of job loss, of shifting identity, of losing stability. Leaders must transform that fear into courage. He illustrated the point with moments from his own career: leaving the Netherlands for the U.S. at 19 without a plan, moving from P&G to Nestlé and then Unilever, and guiding Unilever through global shocks. Each was uncomfortable and risky, but each produced growth.

“It’s better to make the dust than eat the dust,” Paul said, urging companies to act early on obvious issues such as climate change, labor practices, and corruption. Proactive leaders, he argued, not only build resilience but also create long-term competitive advantage.

Practical Guidance for Leaders

Paul distilled his experience into practical guidance for leaders:

• Preserve the core, stimulate progress. Change succeeds when anchored in enduring values and purpose.
• Purpose is a superpower. Fear narrows horizons, but purpose creates the courage to take long-term risks.
• Master the human side. Transformation starts with empathy, clarity, and trust-building at the personal level.
• Think Net Positive. Companies should profit from solving global problems, not adding to them.
• Build partnerships. No company can meet today’s challenges alone; ecosystems and coalitions are essential.

He reminded the audience that roughly 80% of business transformations fail—not because of bad ideas, but because of weak culture and leadership. To make the message actionable, Paul summarized with the ABCs of leadership:

• A — Adaptive. Continuously learn, pivot, and embrace change.
• B — Bridging. Break down silos across functions, companies, and industries.
• C — Cooperative. Form coalitions and shared standards to scale impact.

He left the audience with three questions that every leader should ask:

• What will you preserve? (Which values and purpose remain constant?)
• Where will you be bold? (What risks will you take to create new value?)
• Who will you work with? (Which partners and ecosystems will help you succeed?)

Together, Chakri’s and Paul’s keynotes provided two halves of the same whole. Chakri outlined how technology—digital twins, enterprise knowledge graphs, agentic AI—creates the infrastructure for faster, better decisions. Paul underscored that leadership is what turns that infrastructure into sustained results, by setting purpose, building trust, and leading with courage.

His closing words encapsulated that balance: “Change is the only constant. Leadership is what shapes it.”

Stories and Demos from Industry Leaders

What followed was a full day of stories and demonstrations—from global brands like New Balance, Molson Coors, and Keurig Dr Pepper to manufacturers like Acuity, Smurfit WestRock, and BISSELL—each showing how the blend of technology and leadership is reshaping planning and performance.

Live demos of o9’s agentic AI brought the vision to life, illustrating how risks, opportunities, and scenarios can now be analyzed in minutes instead of weeks. By closing the gap between insight and action, and between data and people, aim10x Americas demonstrated why it has become the premier stage for the future of planning. At its core, the event made one thing clear: transformation succeeds when digital innovation is matched with human courage.

Read recaps of the client stories at aim10x Americas:

• Acuity and Smurfit Westrock: Manufacturing Stories from aim10x Americas
• New Balance, Five Below, ZAMP, and EchoStar: Retail Stories from aim10x Americas
• Keurig Dr Pepper, BISSELL, Molson Coors, and Shurtape: Consumer Goods Stories from aim10x Americas

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