

Strategy and Planning In the Age of AI Disruption
Session Summary
In this session, you'll be guided through a 4 phased approach to annual planning:
- Understanding the external landscapes of competition and emerging technologies (Hint: This parts about AI)
- Defining business strategy
- Setting functional targets, roadmaps, and the ideal org structure to efficiently bring your strategy to life
- Stress testing cross-team alignment and understanding how to approach prioritization for a shared resource like Engineering
Come be prepared to learn critical frameworks, ask questions, and walk out with more clarity on how to navigate 2026.
Bio
Garrett Kelly is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of NextStep, a consulting firm that helps startup leaders with strategy and planning, operational excellence, and people-first leadership. He operates as a fractional consultant, advisor, and executive coach.
At Swimply he led Customer Support, Trust and Safety, Insurance and was responsible for establishing OKRs and KPIs, core values, and prioritization across the business.
At AirBnB, Garrett led a 500+ Safety team’s product, process, and people strategies while managing the most urgent and sensitive community issues imaginable.