Purdue President Chiang to be a featured speaker this week at Fast Company magazine’s Most Innovative Companies Summit

Purdue University President Mung Chiang is joining a star-studded lineup of speakers for the Most Innovative Companies Summit, a two-day virtual event on Wednesday and Thursday (April 19-20).

President Mung Chiang Download image

Chiang, who took the helm as Purdue’s 13th president on Jan. 1, will participate in a one-on-one interview with Pavithra Mohan, staff writer for Fast Company magazine, from 10:05-10:40 a.m. (ET) Thursday. To register to hear Chiang’s discussion and other speakers during the virtual event, go to https://events.fastcompany.com/mic-summit-2023/.

The multiday summit, which is free and open to anyone interested in furthering their business through innovation, highlights the most innovative companies shaping trends across multiple sectors. Attendees will hear insights from the leaders, makers and creators inside the businesses that made Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list for 2023.

Purdue University, for the first time ever, was named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company, coming in at No. 16 overall and No. 1 in education. The annual list, released March 2, notes Purdue’s advances in the vital field of semiconductors and microelectronics.

The only university among Fast Company’s prestigious Top 50 Most Innovative Companies, Purdue follows OpenAI (at No. 1, developer of ChatGPT and Dall-E) and leads NASA (No. 17) and The Walt Disney Co. (No. 25) as organizations “paving the way for the innovations of tomorrow” and “setting the standard with some of the greatest accomplishments of the modern world.”

Honorees past and present who have been named to the list are invited to a special dinner Wednesday in New York City in connection with the Most Innovative Companies Summit. Ethan Braden, executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for Purdue University and Purdue Global, will receive Purdue’s award as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies. 

Fast Company cites Purdue as a renowned and globally recognized leader in developing a robust and comprehensive program addressing semiconductors through their life cycle, from research to training to fabrication to the workforce. The tiny electronics that power almost everything with an “on” switch — and the workforce that keeps them functioning — are vital to almost every industry and product on Fast Company’s list, from NASA’s telescopes to Disney’s animatronic princesses.

Overall, the 2023 World’s Most Innovative Companies list acknowledges 540 organizations across 54 categories and regions around the world.

Purdue also has been named a Fast Company Brand That Matters for two years in a row — the only university on the list both years. The annual designation honors organizations for communicating their brand’s mission and ideals with intention and authenticity. Purdue also has enjoyed five consecutive years as a top 10 Most Innovative university as designated by U.S. News & World Report.