Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric Co., is providing a jolt to this year’s One Spark.
Festival officials announced this morning that the executive chairman of the Jack Welch Management Institute will be the headlining speaker at the One Spark 2015 Speaker Summit on April 7 at the Florida Theatre.
Welch’s wife, Suzy, a business journalist and former editor of the Harvard Business Review, will join him in an hour-long discussion and also take questions from the audience.
Jack Welch is replacing Daymond John, FUBU creator and “Shark Tank” investor, as the headliner after a personal issue came up.
In a news release, Jack and Suzy Welch said they were looking forward to coming to Jacksonville to share stories and lessons with the next generation of creators and innovators.
“In today’s world, there are those who strategize and there are those who act. One Spark is about action and bringing great ideas to life in a way that hasn’t been done before,” the two said. “We are proud to be a part of it.”
Elton Rivas, One Spark co-founder and CEO, said it was an honor to have Welch headline.
“His experience and wisdom on business and innovation is beyond words and our creators and Speaker Summit attendees will be in for a treat,” said Rivas, in the news release.
Other speakers for this year’s summit include Jeff Hoffman, Priceline.com founder, and Tamara Mendelsohn, Eventbrite vice president of marketing. In all, there will be 11 speakers.
Following the summit will be the One Spark opening ceremony in Hemming Park at 6 p.m. That is free and open to the public.
For tickets to the summit, visit onespark.com.
The annual crowdfunding festival has 555 creators this year at 71 Downtown venues April 7-12.