, VP, BIC North America, Konica Minolta

Just over one year ago, I was handed a key to an office shell in Silicon Valley and asked to build the US Business Innovation Center. As I was standing in the empty room, I knew I was at the beginning of what would grow to be a driving force of new business lines and opportunities for Konica Minolta. I also knew that these business lines would not be an extension of our legacy products, but solutions born from the needs of our customers, both existing and new.

The customers’ voice is what drives the BIC. Understanding their needs, desires, and fears is the key to identifying the biggest and ripest opportunities. As we continue to build our healthcare solutions portfolio, we decided to take a new approach, one that Chairman and CEO Tom Taiko says “has never been done before.” We brought together 10 leading healthcare experts and five Konica Minolta executives in a think tank known as the Healthcare Advisory Council. Last month, the HAC gathered in Utah for our inaugural meeting. In two fast-paced days, our team of leaders explored diverse perspectives on healthcare needs and challenges, brainstormed key solutions, and identified areas of opportunity for us.

Our discussions resulted in the insight that patient engagement, interoperability, and tele-health are areas in which we can work to make a significant impact on healthcare delivery.

Interacting with these healthcare visionaries, our team experienced a level of candor that arises when dialogue replaces formal presentations. The discussions “challenged the Konica Minolta thinking,” according to Konica Minolta Medical Imaging President and COO, David Wiedmann.

Sam Errigo, Executive Vice President, Sales and Business Development, echoed that the HAC summit was “a phenomenal opportunity to engage with industry leaders to discuss emerging and current business issues that challenge the healthcare industry.  The feedback and insight gained during the summit will assist Konica Minolta as we shape our go-forward healthcare strategy.”

For me, this meeting represents a hallmark for the BIC. By launching and continuing to host the Healthcare Advisory Board, we have signaled to the industry that Konica Minolta is here to answer our healthcare customers’ needs. We are here to provide the solutions that will support our customers in the ever-evolving healthcare industry.


Ekta Sahasi is responsible for fundamental business and cultural transformation, incubating new product and solutions and investing in new ventures and technologies across the verticals of healthcare, finance, legal, education, government and construction from the company’s North American BIC in Foster City, CA. She is a 15-year entrepreneurial veteran of start-ups and Fortune 500 companies throughout Silicon Valley, previously serving as the director of Research and Innovation Products at PayPal and eBay, where she co-founded the eBay Research and Special Programs team. She is a graduate of the General Electric management/leadership program. Connect with her on Twitter @esahasi.