OREANDA-NEWS. The Tata group today announced that on July 10, 2014, it will host a "Tata Dialogue on Innovation" at The Pierre, A Taj Hotel through its partnership with The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland (The Smith School). This program is the second in the series and will welcome special guest speaker Warren Harris, President and COO of Tata Technologies, for a conversation on the importance of innovation in product development. University of Maryland Alumni and CEO PepsiCo Americas Beverages Albert Carey will moderate the discussion.

"We see innovation - in thoughts, processes, approaches and strategies - as key to success in business," said Kapil Sharma, Senior General Manager for Tata Sons, North America. "As such, we are thrilled to partner with the University of Maryland Smith School to host this discussionseries that will foster a thought provoking dialogue on sustaining innovation in an environment of competitive change."

"This dialogue with Warren Harris represents an extraordinary opportunity for Smith School alumni to engage with, and glean insight from, a foremost strategist and leader," said Smith School Dean Alex Triantis. "Collaborating with the Tata group more broadly represents our commitment to preparing critical thinkers and problem-solvers, who, like Warren, develop creative solutions in the ever-growing complexity of the global business environment."

"With the global marketplace, consumers have more product choices than ever before," said Warren Harris. "Consequently, manufacturers are increasingly pushed to innovate in every aspect of the product development process to differentiate from the competition, which has created some truly remarkable advances." Harris is an internationally recognized expert on product development and global manufacturing, having presented at the National Academy of Sciences, The Center for Automotive Research, the Society of Automotive Engineers and forums hosted by Frost & Sullivan and McKinsey and Associates.

This upcoming discussion will be the second of three Tata Dialogue on Innovation events highlighting the partnership between the Tata group and The Smith School. Launched in April 2013, The Tata Dialogue on Innovation Speaker Series is a platform through which Tata executives across sectors and companies can provide thought leadership on the importance of innovation to the growth and culture of the Tata group.