On the TechTO stage ×1
First seen on the TechTO stage in 2019. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Fareena ↗
In their words
When I joined Walmart in a leadership rotation program I had the opportunity to go down to our Walmart Labs office in Silicon Valley and interview 30 companies in 30 days on what is innovation, how do large companies innovate, and how do we overcome barriers.
So what is an innovation culture? It's one that's open and honest, mission driven, and most importantly it's one that allows associates to constantly test and evolve.
If you're not experimenting you're not evolving, and if you're not evolving you're dying.
Around the web ×1
Quick answers
Who is Fareena Contractor?
A former molecular geneticist turned corporate innovation leader, now vice president of strategy and commercialization at DEKA Research & Development in Boston. She founded the Walmart Innovation Community in 2016 and was Walmart's director of international emerging tech innovation.
What did she present at TechTO?
Her 2019 innovation resolutions, at RetailTO in January 2019. She said the trip that shaped them was a Walmart Labs rotation in Silicon Valley interviewing 30 companies in 30 days, from which one thing was evident: the genuinely innovative companies had it built into their culture.
What was the Walmart Innovation Community?
A cross-functional, grassroots group she and colleagues started to build a culture where associates at any level could challenge the status quo. She told the TechTO audience it had grown to over 1,600 members across seven Walmart countries and had brought in more than 60 startups and industry speakers by early 2019.