IPillar
Influence
Expand and enhance your personal influence within the enterprise and your industry. The modern leader doesn't just manage — they shape narratives, build coalitions, and move organizations forward through persuasion and presence.
Athena
The 3rd Annual NYC Leadership Salon.
October 9, 2026
10 Hudson Yards, NYC
01 — The Experience
Not a conference.
A Salon.
The Athena Project is a by-invitation-only community, content and convening platform focused on modern leadership.
Welcome back to the home of our annual flagship Athena Project NYC Leadership Salon hosted by our Founding Partner and friends at BCG. The Athena Project launched at the inaugural NYC Salon in 2024 and we are pleased to host our 3rd Annual NYC Leadership Salon on October 9, 2026 at BCG's North American headquarters at 10 Hudson Yards in Manhattan.
The Athena Project is designed to help leading growth executives, marketers and operators stay resilient and relevant and offers peer-based insights and learnings on how to lead their teams during these complex and transformative times.
Please email Athena Project Co-Founder, Drew Ianni, at drewianni@athenaproject.io to learn more about memberships, speaking opportunities, or partnership.
02 — The Three Pillars
Three dimensions,
one leader.
The Athena Project is designed to expand and enhance your capabilities across three essential domains of modern leadership.
IIPillar
Intelligence
Gain actionable insights related to emerging technologies and trends. In an era of tectonic shift, intelligence is the currency that separates those who react from those who anticipate, adapt, and lead with clarity.
IIIPillar
Impact
Drive innovation, growth and the bottom-line by augmenting cross-disciplinary leadership skills. True impact comes from integrating strategy, creativity, and execution into a coherent system that moves as one.
03 — SALON THEME
Companies Do Not Transform.
People Do.
Every company says it wants to transform. Very few ask what transformation actually requires.
This year's theme - Companies Do Not Transform. People Do. - is inspired by Athena Project's Co-Founder Rishad Tobaccowala's recent Substack post.
Organizations don't change because a strategy is announced, a new technology is deployed, or an operating model is redesigned. They change because individuals choose to learn, adapt, question old assumptions, and develop new capabilities.
"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."— Mike Tyson
Every leader is feeling that punch. AI is reshaping industries, business models, and the very nature of work. The organizations that emerge stronger won't necessarily have the best technology. They'll have leaders who create cultures of curiosity, resilience, continuous learning, and the confidence to navigate uncertainty.
04 — Featured Sessions
Conversations
that move the work.
01
Companies Do Not Transform. People Do
Rishad TobaccowalaAuthor & Co-Founder, The Athena Project
02
Managing The Media Complex
Katie FordUS Head of Media, Novartis
03
Dancing with Machines
Lars BastholmFounder & Chief Creative Officer, Bastholm Creative Consulting
Ben MalbonVP, Marketing, Brand & Creative, Google
04
Capability: The Foundation of Performance & Reinvention
Rishad TobaccowalaAuthor & Co-Founder, The Athena Project
Veronika KryuchkovaGlobal Head, Marketing Capabilities, Reckitt
05 — The Voices
The room you
won't find elsewhere.
C-suite leaders, founders, creatives and operators — convened in conversation, not on a panel circuit.
Rishad Tobaccowala
Co-Founder
The Athena Project
Denise Campbell
VP, Head of Marketing, US Oncology
Novartis
Doug Chavez
EVP, Global Retail Strategy
OneMars United Commerce
Janet Balis
Managing Director & Partner
BCG
Drew Ianni
Co-Founder
The Athena Project
06 - GATHER & STAY
— The Venue
10 Hudson Yards-
NYC's New West Side.
The Athena Project's 3rd Annual NYC Leadership Salon returns to the iconic Hudson Yards complex and adjacent to the High Line on the west side of Manhattan.
Metropolitan Room @ BCG
Our 3rd Annual NYC Leadership Salon returns to 10 Hudson Yards in Manhattan and the beautiful 45th floor Metropolitan Room at the North American headquarters of BCG.
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The Avenue Sky Lounge
The iconic Avenue cocktail lounge is elegantly re-imagined on the 106th Floor at Hudson Yards.
— The Reception
Avenue Sky Lounge -
Reach the Top.
All attendees are welcome to join your fellow Athenians upon the conclusion of the program at the new Avenue Sky Lounge which offers an elevated setting for an unforgettable celebration above Manhattan.
— The Hotel
Stay -
Marriott Hudson Yards
The home hotel for this year's Salon is the beautiful, new modern New York Marriott Courtyard Midtown West Hudson Yards.
New York Courtyard Hudson Yards
Steps from Hudson Yards. A discounted group rate is reserved for Athena Project members.
Book Group Rate →07 — Frequently Asked
Details,
considered.
Reserve your seat
at the table.
An intimate Salon. A curated room. Old and new friends.
A peer set you'll be in conversation with for years.