Austin, TX, July 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Malbek, the leader in contract lifecycle management (CLM) powered by contract intelligence, today announced the keynote lineup for Malbek Envision 2026, its premier annual conference for legal, procurement, and commercial operations professionals. The event will take place October 12–14, 2026, at the Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, TX, bringing together CLM innovators, practitioners, and business leaders for immersive sessions, peer networking, and a forward-looking agenda designed to help teams hit the ground running in 2027.
"Malbek Envision has always been where our community comes together to shape what's next, but this year feels different," said Ed Breault, Chief Marketing Officer at Malbek. "The limitless theme is a declaration. We're bringing together the brightest minds in contract intelligence, in one of the most electric cities in the country, to do something bigger than learn. We’re discovering a new possible.”
This year's keynote stage features two extraordinary voices: a former NASA astronaut who navigated the ultimate high-stakes mission, and one of the sharpest minds in AI research and strategy.
Meet Mike Massimino
Former NASA Astronaut | Professor, Columbia University | New York Times Bestselling Author
Mike Massimino knows what it means to push past the impossible. A two-time Space Shuttle mission veteran, Massimino participated in the fourth and fifth Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions, holds a team record for the most hours spacewalking in a single shuttle mission, and became the first person to tweet from space. Today, he is a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University and Senior Advisor for Space Programs at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and a six-time recurring guest as himself on the CBS hit comedy The Big Bang Theory.
The author of the New York Times bestseller Spaceman and Moonshot: A NASA Astronaut's Guide to Achieving the Impossible, Massimino will open Envision 2026 with a keynote titled Limitless: What Space Taught Me About Leading Through the Unknown. The keynote will draw on his experiences at the edge of human achievement to help contract and procurement leaders think bigger, embrace uncertainty, and build organizations that are ready for whatever comes next. Following the keynote, attendees will receive a complimentary copy of Moonshot and have an opportunity to meet Massimino during an exclusive book signing.
Meet Shashi Bellamkonda
Principal Research Director, Infotech | Host, AI Trailblazers Podcast
Shashi Bellamkonda will be part of the closing lineup of Envision 2026 with a keynote that every finance leader, procurement executive, and CLM champion needs to hear: "Proving AI ROI When the CFO Has Heard It All Before."
As Principal Research Director at Info-Tech Research Group and host of the Talking Headless podcast, Bellamkonda has spent years on the front lines of enterprise AI adoption, where he separates real returns from inflated promises and helps organizations build the business case that actually moves the needle. His research speaks to what matters to attendees: outcomes, measurable value, and ROI that holds up to scrutiny.
Bellamkonda’s session will leave attendees armed with a practical framework for championing AI investments internally and the conviction to make the case at the highest levels of their organizations as they plan for 2027.
"When I think about the customers who show up to Envision every year, the legal ops leaders, the procurement and technical operations teams, the CLM champions, I wanted this year's stage to speak directly to them," said Jaime Slocum, Chief Customer Officer at Malbek. "Mike Massimino is going to remind us of what humans are capable of when they refuse to accept limits. And Shashi Bellamkonda is going to hand attendees the framework to walk back into their organizations and win with AI. That powerhouse combo is exactly what brings the Malbek community closer."
Ahead of the conference, Bellamkonda and Massimino will appear as guests on Season 2 of Contractually Speaking, the podcast hosted by Malbek Co-Founder and COO Matt Patel, dropping late August. Subscribe at podcast.malbek.io for updates.
About Envision 2026
Envision is Malbek's annual conference for contract lifecycle management professionals, bringing together legal ops, procurement, and commercial teams to explore the latest in CLM innovation, share best practices, and connect with peers. Envision 2026 takes place October 12–14, 2026 in Austin, Texas, and is positioned as the essential planning event for contract and procurement leaders heading into 2027. Registration, certifications, and agenda highlights can be found at envision.malbek.io.
About Malbek
Malbek is a global, market-leading enterprise contract lifecycle management (CLM) provider and the creator of BusinessIQ, a Commercial Intelligence Platform built for the C-suite. By combining its proven CLM platform with BusinessIQ’s proprietary LIVEGraph℠ and Context Threading℠ technology, Malbek transforms static contract repositories into living commercial intelligence, revealing hidden risks, uncovering millions in opportunities, and delivering the real-time insights that drive billion-dollar decisions. With a 120% customer retention rate and 96% customer satisfaction rating, organizations trust Malbek to replace outdated, rigid solutions with a modern platform that goes far beyond contract management. Learn more at www.malbek.io.
Lizzy Painter Malbek press@malbek.io
