The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) reported that Duncan Wardle, who played an instrumental role in the innovation and creativity of Disney for three decades, would serve as the opening speaker at the 2021 NSGA Management Conference.
Wardle retired from Disney in 2017 and founded iD8 and Innov8. He started at Disney as an intern in 1987 and finished his tenure as head of innovation and creativity in 2008. His leadership helped with the launches of Imagineering, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, and Disney Parks.
In his opening remarks titled “Back In Action: Igniting a Culture of Innovation & Creativity,” Wardle will share his Disney experience with his design thinking process which serves to help companies embed a culture of innovation into their DNA.
“It is exciting to have a speaker of Duncan Wardle’s caliber as we bring members of the sporting goods industry together again at this year’s Management Conference,” said Matt Carlson, NSGA President & CEO. “Duncan had a tremendous track record of success at Disney, and it will be great to hear him share his experiences with our attendees. His presentation is extremely important at a time where our industry’s leaders are looking at every opportunity to ‘capture lightning in a bottle’ as we recover from the global pandemic.”
The NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit will be held on September 27 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, FL.
Photo courtesy Duncan Wardle
