Speaker Biographies by Last Name

Leader - Data & Analytics
Madhu is an executive leader with 20+ years of expertise in building business capabilities while delivering value to Fortune 500 clients through innovative approaches to solving global business issues. He delivers large-scale transformational projects from conception to benefit realization, and provides strategic direction with focus on Digitization. Madhu coaches staff to deliver the highest client service levels, steering 80 staff members and budgets up to $20M.

Director, Global OT Security Programs, Digital Technology (DT)
Regarded as a thought leader and expert in the cyber security community for twenty-seven (27) years, Mr. Brager has deep expertise evaluating, securing, and defending critical infrastructure and manufacturing assets (ICS, IoT, and IIoT). As a speaker, author, and researcher, Paul seeks to move the conversation forward surrounding industrial control systems (ICS), Industrial Internet of Things, supply chain and automation cyber and ways to mitigate the attack surface in heterogenous environments. He has provided commentary on several security related podcasts, publications, and webinars that provided guidance and insight into strategies for critical infrastructure protection, IT/OT convergence, and IIoT (industrial internet of things). In his current role as Director, Global OT Security Programs at Baker Hughes, he is accountable for security posture, architecture, and design of Baker Hughes’ global manufacturing ecosystem, as well as development and maturation of the OT security program in a manner that adopts a risk-based approach to increasing availability, while reducing the overall attack surface of those environments.

Managing Director
As a Managing Director of Grant Thornton's Business Applications Practice Midwest Region, Gayle’s focus is Business Applications services for our clients across the Midwest region; Gayle is based in Chicago, IL. Gayle specializes in Supply Chain Management (SCM) and ERP (i.e. Finance and Procurement) with experience across Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Human Capital Management (HCM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Business Intelligence (BI) and Analytics, as well. Gayle has over 30 years of experience leading large, global programs ranging from strategies and transformations to design, implementation and support projects for many US based companies that had operations and resources across the globe including: North America, Europe, AsiaPac, and Latin America. Gayle has focused on a variety of enterprise solutions including Oracle Cloud, Oracle EBS, NetSuite, JDE, Peoplesoft, Siebel, Hyperion, and OBIEE. Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Gayle was IBM’s Oracle Service Line Delivery Leader (SLDL) for North America. She also was the Delivery Executive for several client programs and projects.

Head of Digital Transformation
Shubha is Head of Digital Transformation at Novartis and earlier in her career has held positions at BMS and Merck in a variety of disciplines R&D, Commercial, Supply Chain, and corporate functions like Procurement, Finance Informatics. She has deep knowledge of software product integrations, transformation initiatives in Fortune 500 companies Shubha earned a MS in Bio-Medical Informatics, NOVA South Eastern, College of Pharmacy; MS- MIS from NJIT; Berkeley Executive Education on Digital Transformation, Haas School of Business; and BS in Engineering, India. Shubha in 2015, was recognized as Tribute to Women in Industry.

VP of Blockchain, Torqata
Rak-Joon Choi is VP of Blockchain for Torqata, an American Tire Distributors (ATD) intelligence company. Rak’s mission is to build a blockchain platform that can power rich analytics and use cases that will address the inefficiencies of the tire distribution industry. Prior to joining ATD/Torqata, Rak held various positions at IBM, where he spent the last four years focused on building blockchain-based supply chain solutions for Fortune 500 companies, launching numerous production networks in the process. Other roles he held include product management, strategy, corporate finance, M&A, and was a special consultant to the Chairperson’s transformation agenda that transformed IBM into a leading digital company. Rak-Joon has also worked for renowned consulting firms Accenture and BCG and brings a client success mindset to every engagement. Rak-Joon has an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business, and has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Yonsei University of Seoul, South Korea. Rak-Joon is an avid fan of history, culture, and nature and often visits museums and zoos with his infant daughter to relax. He is a strong advocate for Asian Americans and 3rd culture children in the workplace.

VP of Product
A perceptive strategist, Jeff oversees Seegrid’s product development efforts. His career spans technology design, information delivery solutions, business intelligence, and analytic software. His expertise is in growing startups into multinational corporations (Rhiza Labs, MAYA Design, Inmedius). Jeff studied Human Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hope College.

Culture Evolution, Innovation Director
Alice de Casanove is in charge of innovation culture in Airbus North America (4000+ employees across the USA), where she fosters the relevant mindset to accelerate future businesses, and she leads the cultural roadmap for digitalization and innovation. In 2018, Alice was nominated as Innovative Woman of the year by the French press for her innovation project of beehives monitored by satellites. Alice plays a determining role in the publication of the ISO referential on good practices in innovation management (ISO 5600 series). Since 2013 she is chairing the international committee gathering 52+ countries in close coordination with WTO, OECD, WIPO, and the World Bank. Alice has started her career in a video deep-tech start-up then she joined Sagem to manage and develop the value of the Innovation portfolio of the French telecom manufacturer. She has joined the entrepreneurial adventure of Actimagine to develop video technologies on the handled devices (video games consoles and smartphones). Actimagine became the Nintendo Europe R&D center after being bought by NINTENDO. Alice graduated from Telecom Paristech and holds a Ph.D.

Supply Chain Director
Trevor has worked in retail (Wal-Mart, Lowes) and CPG companies most of his career, before venturing into the Healthcare sector.

Technical Fellow
Tony Del Sesto is the Digital Manufacturing Technical Fellow for MxD, where innovative manufacturers forge their futures. Tony serves as technical consultant to MxD members and subject matter expert for MxD project, factory, and engineering teams. Tony’s focus is how to demystify Industry 4.0 technologies and turn them into practical manufacturing applications for American manufacturers. He has more than 30 years of concept-to-customer experience in product development, supply chain, and manufacturing operations. Tony has hands-on experience in over 200 factories in 15 countries and lived abroad in Asia for eight years. Tony holds degrees in mechanical engineering and international business. He is a Stanford Certified Project Manager and a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Director of Data Science
Amit Dingare currently works as a Director of Data Science at Novelis, a leading producer of rolled aluminum with a revenue of $11 Billion USD. Amit leads a global team of Data Scientists based in various parts of the world. Amit and his team leverages Machine Learning to solve complex operational problems. Amit has previously led Data Science/Machine Learning teams in various industries such as Healthcare, Digital Marketing and Retail. Amit holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and an MBA with focus on Computational Finance from Cornell University.

Principal, Supply Chain Practice Leader
Jonathan is the practice leader for Grant Thornton’s National Supply Chain Practice. With over 20 years of Supply Chain experience, Jonathan has spent the majority of his career advising large multinational companies and middle market companies across multiple industry sectors on how to best transform their supply chains. His industry experience covers Consumer & Industrial Products, Food & Beverage, Retail, Auto Aftermarket, Auto OEM, Utilities, Oil & Gas, Life Sciences, Technology, and Financial Services. He also has significant experience with turnarounds, post-merger integration, divestitures, and technology implementations. Jonathan is best recognized for his ability to help clients define their supply chain strategy in response to changing market conditions and other disruptive forces and subsequently helping them transform their supply chains to provide higher customer satisfaction while balancing their inventory and service commitments and minimizing their total supply chain costs. Jonathan most recently worked at Chainalytics, LLC where he was an Industry Supply Chain Partner focused on the supply chain issues of a portfolio of the firm’s largest and most complex clients. Prior to that, Jonathan was a Senior Director at IHS with global responsibility for the Supply Chain / MRO Intelligence Practice.

Program Vice President, Supply Chain Strategies
As a program vice president, Simon Ellis is responsible for providing research, analysis and guidance on key business and IT issues for manufacturers. He currently leads the Supply Chain Strategies practices at IDC Manufacturing Insights, one of IDC’s industry research companies that addresses the current market gap by providing fact based research and analysis on best practices and the use of information technology to assist clients in improving their capabilities in critical process areas. Within the Supply Chain practice, Mr. Ellis is directly responsible for the research in the Supply Chain Planning Strategies practice while also managing the Supply Chain Execution Strategies practice. These supply chain practices specialize in advising clients on supply chain network design, S&OP, global sourcing (Profitable Proximity and Low-Cost Sourcing), transportation, logistics, and more. He also supports IDC Retail Insights IT Strategies practices.

Research Vice President, Future of Operations
Leif’s primary responsibility is leading IDC’s Future of Operations practice with the Energy Insights and the IT/OT Convergence program reporting to him. His team’s research is focused on how digital technology – particularly cloud, collaboration, and AI technologies – are transforming operations across industries and within industries. They are at the center of defining how enterprises can, and should, navigate the journey of transforming their own operations using digital technology.

Senior Product Manager
With 25 years of automation software experience, Gimmi Filice is a well-known expert in HMI/SCADA and data management. He has developed and managed software that is the foundation for plant automation at thousands of sites – ranging from water/wastewater, power, automotive, stadiums, airports, and many more – including GE’s own factories. Gimmi knows the answer to most any automation software and data management question, and he is dedicated to his customers’ long-term success.

Director - Innovation, Strategy and Operations, Head Of Israeli Operations
Yaron is a director at Continental – one of the leading automotive companies worldwide He is leading innovation topics across the organization via co-pace, the startup and innovation arm of the company and oversees the operations in Israel. He is also leading the external innovation engagements with the Tire and Contitech divisions of the company worldwide in the fields of industry 4.0 and smart materials. Yaron has an extensive financial background working for Deloitte and various private equity companies worldwide. He has been part of the Autotech industry leading the operations of Delphi/ Aptiv in Israel and working closely with various OEMs.

Sr. Director, Global Head of Manufacturing Industry Solutions
No bio available

CSCO Laundry & Home Care, Corporate Senior Vice President, Managing Director
With 25 years of experience in Supply Chain, Operations, Purchasing and Sales, Dirk has held various roles on a local, regional and global level at Henkel in the different business areas. After finishing his master degree he started 1996 in Corporate Purchasing followed by assignments in Germany. Having finished his Ph.D. during a sabbatical period he moved 2002 to Mexico integrating two newly acquired businesses. Thereafter he returned to the headquarter being in charge of global purchasing for the Laundry & Home Care business for several years until 2007. Dirk took over thereafter the global supply chain steering for the Laundry & Home Care business, and few years later the global responsibility for manufacturing operations. Since 2014 he successfully leads the entire Supply Chain & Operations unit for the Laundry & Home care division. His key contributions have been in the areas of supply chain strategy and organization development, network optimization, post-merger integrations, sustainability and recently the digital transformation of the organisation. In that context the BU Supply Chain was recognised by the World Economic Forum in 2020 as one of 14 digital E2E lighthouses globally in the field of advanced manufacturing / industry 4.0. Dirk holds a Master's degree in Business and Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Information Science. Married with a Mexican, 3 kids of 12, 10, 10; enjoying life since 5 years in beautiful Netherlands, where Henkel‘s Global Supply Chain HQ is located; leisure time favourites: biking, rowing, sailing, and family time.

Senior Director – Supply Network Operations
Suresh has 20 years of experience in leading supply chain operations in the FMCG sector and held various roles in India as well as regional roles in Singapore/Dubai. His expertise spans managing global supply chains, Strategic Planning, Operations management and Leading Diverse teams.

Research Manager
Jonathan Lang is Research Manager for IDC Manufacturing Insights responsible for the IT/OT Convergence Strategies practice. Mr. Lang’s research focuses on digital transformation strategies in environments where operations technologies are deployed including Manufacturing, Utilities, Oil & Gas and Healthcare Provider settings. As IT capabilities redefine and extend the core value drivers of operations technologies, Mr. Lang’s research examines strategies, roadmaps, and governance models to drive this convergence and manage the new data and processes it requires.

Director & Founder
Terri Lewis is a strategist and business professional change agent in technology adoption. An engineer and marketer by training, a strategist by vocation, and a technologist by heart, with multidisciplinary and multicultural background. Passionate about learning, change, and people. Terri has developed disruptive technology and service businesses globally, now bringing business savvy to strategy development and execution of commercialized “connected” services, enabled by technology. Terri founded Planet Connected, a consulting group helping industrials successfully and responsibly move into digital. Previously Terri was Digital Director – Power Generation at Caterpillar, where she was employed for over 31 years. Named « Women of M2M » in 2016 by Connected World Magazine, and « 21 Women Making an Impact in Industrial IoT » in 2018, Terri has also been member of the Illinois Technology Association IoT Council since 2016. In January 2017, she founded the IoT Peoria MeetUp which is providing opportunity to businesses in central Illinois to imagine new ways IoT can create jobs and improve the community.

VP of Procurement & Sustainability
Allison Lin is the VP of Procurement and Sustainability at Westfall Technik, a packaging solutions company. She has spent the majority of her career driving Sustainability at Brand Owners such as P&G, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola, launching multiple projects to introduce bio-based materials, convert packaging to recyclable formats, and introduce recycled content in new applications (many being the first in the world to use recycled content in that category). She recently joined the DEI advisory board for SPE Foundation (Society of Plastics Engineers). She has a BS in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Fournder & CEO
Edena Low is Founder and CEO of The AdviXory, a global Advisory Practice which helps organisations navigate challenges in business and supply chains through public affairs, sustainability and human capital strategies. She is also Chair at the Ethical Toy Program, the ethical supply chain program for the global toy and entertainment industry. The Program brings manufacturers, brands, retailers and civil society partners together to monitor, manage and fix social sustainability issues predominantly in the toy industry supply chain and to support the well-being of factory workers. In addition, Edena is also a Board Risk Committee member at Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong. Her work on the committee focuses on advising the organisation on best practices in the identification and mitigation of risks and building a strong risk culture. Up until recently, Edena spent 11 years at Mattel Inc. where she lead global teams in the implementation of strategies across the corporation in sustainability, social compliance and audit, health and safety, public affairs and legal matters. Her efforts lead to a significant reduction in workplace injuries and critical issues at factories worldwide, improvements in practices related to combatting modern slavery, and the adoption of environmentally sustainable approaches across its operations, products and packaging. Edena was a founding board member at the Asia Toy and Play Association and chaired Mattel’s Women@Mattel ’s Hong Kong chapter, advocating and raising awareness around Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace. Edena has more than 25 years of legal, public affairs, social and environmental sustainability experience across the globe. She has also had stints at Group RCI, American Standard, Iomega and Ingram Micro, all US Listed corporations, after she began her career as a corporate lawyer at Singapore’s largest law firm of Allen & Gledhill. In her free time, Edena enjoys playing tennis and varied food experiences.

Founder & CEO | Digital Transformation, 5G, IoT & Industry 4.0 Innovation & Tech Transfer Consultant
Karen Matthews, a native of Baltimore, MD, began her academic career at the US Naval Academy, received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Morgan State University and a MEng and PhD in Electrical Engineering and an MBA, all from Cornell University. Karen is the Founder & CEO of Purpose-Driven Consulting (PDC). Prior to PDC, she held senior positions in Corning Incorporated’s Science & Technology Division in opto-electronic packaging as a research and then senior research scientist, most recently working in early innovation stage markets and technologies for the optical communications sector to identify and help implement new growth opportunities in both wired (fiber, cable and connectivity) and wireless. Her focus on moving concepts through to commercialization remains, with a current emphasis on Agile Technology Transfer, Digital Transformation, 5G, the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 Innovation. Dr. Matthews has authored numerous publications and patents and is a member of several technical and professional organizations. She has served as an Executive Board member of Georgia Tech’s Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT) – sitting on the Research Work Group and leading the Thought Leadership Work Group therein. Most recently, she has been invited as keynote speaker, moderator, panelist and open forum discussion leader at various 5G, Internet of Things and smart manufacturing conferences. She has Chaired the OFC 2020 N5 Market Watch, developing the programming for Market Watch, Network Operators Summit and Data Center Summit, and continues as an active subcommittee member for 2021, as well as co-chair of the 2021 IEEE World Forum track on Communications and Networking. She is an Executive Board member of The Upskill Foundation, a non-profit focusing on upskilling underrepresented groups in data science and an Executive Advisory Board member of the Transform Insights User Group, an engaged and informed community, focused on connecting business leaders who have experience in spearheading digital transformation strategies, innovation through technology and enterprise change management.

Executive Strategist - Manufacturing
Lester has held Executive Management through Delivery, and Business Development positions in Consulting and Professional Service Organizations, Engineering and Consulting Organizations, and Leading Product Companies. Lester has extensive experience working with clients in a consultative manner bringing thought leadership to identify, quantify, sell, and deliver transformational initiatives. These initiatives have helped clients incorporate New Business Models, New Revenue Streams, and Optimize existing processes utilizing data and derived insight to capture value. As a leader within the Industrial sector driving Digital capabilities to enable real transformation in operations excellence, generate revenue streams, and help clients utilize advanced methods to maximize their returns. This expertise includes the implementation of Digital Solutions, including SaaS, SLaaS, PaaS models incorporating advanced analytics, machine learning, and cognitive capabilities to help clients transform their entire Value Chains and Go To Market capabilities. Lester has led Industry 4.0 capabilities and guided clients in the development of IoT capabilities to increase efficiencies and drive new business models. Examples include connected equipment, real-time monitoring, Driving new Customer Experiences.

VP, Group Leader (Legal)- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Supply Chain & Vendor Mgmt Organization
As Vice President at Emerson, Vanessa oversees the global legal support for the M&A, Supply Chain, Vendor Management and Conflict Mineral organizations. She is a member of Emerson’s Diversity Council as well as its Sustainability Committee. Previously, Vanessa was General Counsel for Emerson’s Commercial Industrial Solutions platform. Prior to joining Emerson, Vanessa worked at Caterpillar in Peoria, Illinois – first as corporate counsel and then as a Business Development Manager. Vanessa started her legal career at Thompson Coburn LLP as a corporate securities associate. Vanessa received her JD from Washington University in St. Louis and her MBA from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Dr. Gilbert Meyer-Gauen is the Director of Asset Management at National Oilwell Varco (NOV), a leader in the design, manufacture, sale, and service of oilfield equipment. He leads a team of software, reliability and implementation engineers who develop and implement software applications that reduce equipment downtime and improve reliability at NOV's manufacturing facilities. His group is currently working on a new suite of software products that are tightly integrated with NOV's industrial big data platform (NOV Max™) and will provide preventive, predictive and condition-based maintenance capabilities in one easy to use software suite. Dr. Meyer-Gauen has a Master of Science and a Ph.D. from the Technical University Braunschweig in Germany.

VP of Merchandising
Christine leads Merchandising strategies for the Prairie Region of Sysco Foods, the leading foodservice distributor in North America. In this role she leads Category Management, Fulfillment, and Inbound Logistics strategies for Sysco in Manitoba, Saskatchewan & Northwest Ontario. Christine’s experience spans multi-unit restaurant management, operations management in SaaS (Software as a Service), and foodservices distribution. Christine holds a graduate certificate in project management from Royal Roads University.

Founding Partner
Jim is a respected Digital Transformation and Internet of Things industry expert, with over 20 years’ experience of strategy consulting, operations management and telecoms research. Previously he was a Founder and the Chief Research Officer of Machina Research, the world's leading IoT analyst firm, which was acquired by Gartner in 2016. Jim is responsible for the addition of the term Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) networking to the lexicon of the IoT, and is a co-author of the Ignite|IoT project management framework for IoT and the accompanying book entitled “Enterprise IoT”. He is an experienced conference speaker including for blue chip events such as the IET’s Pinkerton Lecture, and the GSMA’s Mobile World Congress. Jim was until recently Co-Chair of the Digital Transformation Working Group of the Industrial Internet Consortium. Additionally, he is a member of the advisory boards for a number of digital transformation industry conferences and is a Member of the Global Advisory Board of the IET’s Future Technology Panel. Jim has a degree in Mathematics and a Master of Arts from the University of Oxford.

Associate Professor, Supply Chain & Operations Management
Monique Murfield (Ph.D. University of Tennessee) is an Associate Professor in Supply Chain & Operations Management, and also serves as the Director of the Center for Supply Chain Excellence, in the Farmer School of Business at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Her research focuses on supply chain challenges of an omni-channel retail approach, buyer-supplier relationship issues, and environmental sustainability in supply chain management. Monique has published in the Journal of Supply Chain Management, Journal of Business Logistics, the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, the International Journal of Logistics Management, the Transportation Journal, among other journals. Monique serves on the editorial advisory board for the Journal of Supply Chain Management, the Journal of Business Logistics, and the International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, and is also involved with and presents at annual conferences for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and the Decision Sciences Institute. Prior to returning to academia, Monique worked for a manufacturer for several years as a buyer, and managed their global procurement and inbound logistics. Monique enjoys integrating her work with companies with her research and teaching, and currently teaches logistics and supply chain management at the undergraduate level.

Digital Manufacturing Lead - COE Operation
Ricardo Schiochet is natural from Brazil, with many international experiences around the globe, such as, in Germany, USA, Singapore and many Countries in Latin America. He has a vast experience on manufacturing operations and continuous improvement concepts and strategy. These experiences were absorbed working on different types of industry, such as, SKF, Renault supplier, Honda Supplier, Truck manufacturing supplier and playing different roles from manufacturing engineer to consulting. At Purdue University, he was graduated with a master’s degree in Technology, Leadership, and Innovation. Before it, his under-grade degree was received by Pontifical Catholic University in Brazil as Control and Automation Engineer with 1 year coursed in Konstanz Fachhochschule – GER, as part of an international program. The most recent and exciting responsibility role, at Kimberly Clark in Brazil from the last 7 years, he has been involved and leading DIGITAL MANUFACTURING PROGRAM at LATAM regional level at KC.

SVP, Customer Success
Charlie brings more than 20 years experience in technical business development, sales, and product management to Librestream, where he leads the Customer Success organization, helping our customers achieve their business goals through Librestream’s solutions and services. His diverse industry experience includes digital media, optical communications, aerospace, and industrial process measurement. Prior to Librestream, Charlie was VP of Partner Sales at Inlet Technologies, a leader in live, over-the-top video streaming. In this role, he established relationships with systems integrators, content owners, and broadcasters to deliver live and on-demand video to any device, anywhere. His customers included ESPN, Major League Baseball, Apple, Microsoft, NBCU, and others. Inlet was acquired by Cisco Systems in 2011. Previously, Charlie held increasingly senior roles at JDS Uniphase, ultimately as Director of JDSU’s Integrated Optics Business Unit, where he led the growth of its high speed optical components business to over $100M annually. He began his career with AT&T, where he held various roles in sales, product management, and finance.

Director OT/ IT Resiliency & Support
Christopher has been employed by the Fortune 500 manufacturer, Stanley Black & Decker for over seven years, and is currently Director of IT/OT Resiliency & Support. In this role, he is responsible for deploying Level 2/3 system architectures and connecting all other level systems to level2/3, while supporting them. Additionally, he manages remediation with Edge components, and deploys servers and connectivity for all OT-Related systems, plus Level 1 support of all OT-Related SW applications. Christopher began his career as a machinist, and tool & die maker, working for over 20 years in engineering, before transitioning to 100% IT/OT roles. He worked with complex materials and processes to design tools, processes, machines and assembly for automotive, aircraft, visual identification systems, food industry and industrial manufacturing and distribution. Since then he has managed industrial systems in manufacturing and distribution to deploy, link and support applications for quality, maintenance, tooling, and equipment (QMS, QCS, TPM, OEE, MES).

SVP of Corporate Development
As senior vice president of corporate development at GS1 US, Melanie leads a team that investigates new technologies, partnerships and business opportunities to increase the relevance and reach of GS1 Standards—the most widely used supply chain standards in the world. She oversees the exploration of collaboration opportunities to help businesses leverage emerging technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and machine learning. Ms. Nuce has more 20 years of retail supply chain experience, focusing in recent years on retail industry collaboration to improve inventory accuracy, exchanging standardized product data and achieving source to store supply chain visibility.

Director, Global Supply Chain & Continuous Improvement
No bio available

Program Director, Service Innovation & Connected Products
As Program Director, Service Innovation & Connected Products, Aly Pinder Jr leads IDC research and analysis of the service and customer support market for the manufacturer, which includes topics such as field service, warranty operations, service parts management, and how these service areas impact the overall customer experience. Mr. Pinder Jr. is also responsible for research which aids manufacturers as they evaluate innovative technologies like 3D printing for service operations, augmented and virtual reality in field support, and the use of IoT and advanced analytics for remotely monitoring and managing assets. Mr. Pinder Jr. establishes a roadmap for the manufacturer to better understand how technology can transform service and support functions to drive exceptional customer experiences and customer value, profitable revenue growth, and improved efficiency in the field.

Director of Cybersecurity
No bio available

VP, Product Strategy & Business Development, IoT & Analytics
Yasir Qureshi currently leads Strategy and Business Development at Software AG where he is responsible for accelerating Software AG’s innovation to market in IoT and Analytics sales growth. Yasir is recognized as a thought leader in IoT where in addition to helping large enterprises build an IoT vision, strategy and go to market, he’s also led engineering teams that have leveraged IoT Platforms to develop digital offers from proof of concept to production. Prior to joining Software AG, Yasir has held several leadership roles in IoT. Most recently Yasir was leading IoT and Digital Architecture at Stanley Black and Decker where Yasir was responsible for driving Stanley Black and Decker’s Digital product offerings across all of Stanley Black and Decker’s Business Units. In addition to his experience at Stanley Black and Decker – Yasir was global IoT Sales and Business Development leader at Cisco where he established a new line of business for IoT at Cisco and was responsible for leading Cisco’s IoT solution portfolio in the service provider segment. Over the course of his career Yasir has managed businesses up to a $1.0B in revenue and led direct and indirect sales teams and demonstrated success in commercializing digital offers in a number of high tech companies. In addition to his full-time job, Yasir is an active board member at the Georgia Institute of Technology CDAIT (Center of IOT) – (http://www.cdait.gatech.edu/cdait-board). Yasir also chairs Service Provider IoT Working Group at the IoT World Forum. Yasir graduated with honors in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech, he earned his MBA from Georgia State University and Executive Education in Mergers and Acquisition from INSEAD. Yasir is currently based in Greater Atlanta, GA area.

Managing Partner, Global Solutions
Dinesh Ramasvamy, Managing Partner at Verizon Business, is head of a global solutions innovation team with a focus on manufacturing, energy and utility accounts. Dinesh brings to his organization deep cross-functional expertise in a variety of disciplines, including technology strategy, product & services, enterprise risk and security, operational consulting, cloud & infrastructure, managed services & digital transformation. Dinesh leads a special team of innovation advisors who create large, sophisticated solutions to complex client business challenges. He and his team drive client engagements with a focus on innovation through solutions including software defined networks and big data, applications and wearable technology, smart cars and smart contact centers, smart grids and smart factories. The ability to imagine possibilities, refine ideas and thoroughly engage in the customer's journey helps set Dinesh and his team apart from the competition, building transformational 5G and MEC solutions on top of Verizon’s globally-recognized, reliable network. Recent projects include supply chain assurance, health and worker safety, autonomous vehicles, risk management strategies & cybersecurity. Dinesh is an intrepid traveler, exploring the globe to enjoy rich and diverse cultures and to conduct world-wide business. He has lived and worked on four continents and visited over forty countries.

Digital Operations & ERP Strategy Team Leader
Brent has held several supply chain leadership roles with Caterpillar over the last 14 years and is currently the Digital Operations & ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Strategy Lead for ACM (Advanced Components Manufacturing). He leads a talented team of cross functional supply chain and manufacturing experts who are responsible for the strategic development and implementation of ACM’s Digital Transformation Strategy from a people, process and technology perspective. Brent is a retired U.S. Marine Infantry Officer (Mustang).

Director, Global Supply Chain Management
Ingrid Sampson is the Director of Program Management Subcontracts for Training and Logistics Solutions, a line of business within Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems. In this role, Mrs. Sampson is responsible for delivering training, simulators and logistics solutions valued at more than $3 billion. This includes developing and implementing a supply chain strategy to address the entire supply chain life cycle. Her team of more than 100 employees, across multiple locations, manages both domestic and international suppliers. Previously, Mrs. Sampson served as Director of Ethics and Business Conduct for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics responsible for the execution and development of the Ethics strategic plan for more than 24,000 employees. Mrs. Sampson has held other leadership positions within Lockheed Martin on the C-130, P-3, and the F-22 Programs. Mrs. Sampson holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State Long Beach and a master’s degree in project management.

Director of Edge Compute & Managed Solutions Product Management
Thierry R. Sender is the Director of Edge Compute and Managed Solutions Product Management, a position he has held since the beginning of 2018 at Verizon. He is responsible for the product rationalization, strategy, and deployment planning of the 5G Edge, MEC and related IoT solutions. This includes developing the global strategy, solutions, and partnerships. The 5G Edge is an extension of Thierry’s prior work, leading IoT Strategy and Product Development. Thierry has held various leadership positions at Verizon. Prior to his current position, Thierry was the Director of Integrated Cloud Product Development at Verizon. He had responsibility for the definition and strategy for building provide network and cloud integrated solutions with leading cloud providers, including business development and delivery. Before that time, Thierry was the Director of Enterprise Network Products for the Americas, where he led the Strategic Deployment Planning and Regional Carrier interconnection discussions. Prior to that, he was the Director of Video Network Planning, where he was responsible for planning the network deployment for the FiOS Video platform and Content Delivery Networks, with additional accountability and management of the FiOS Video network construction capital program. Thierry began his career with Verizon in 1995 as an Area Network Planner with New York Telephone and joined the Data Network Planning organization as a Manager in 1998, where he had responsibility for Network Evolution and Edge Routing. Thierry received a M.S. degree in Engineering from NYU Tandon School of Engineering in New York, New York. He is an avid runner and global traveler, sometimes combining the two.

Global IT Director - Digital Transformation
Nitin Sethi is a technology leader who leverages a deep understanding of business challenges and extensive technical knowledge to drive effective, forward-thinking, end-to-end technology strategies—fully integrated with long and short-term business objectives. He is a Digital Transformation specialist who successfully disrupts process standardization for non-differentiating areas and identifies where technology can help innovate, differentiate processes, and create a competitive advantage. He is a Technology disrupter who leverages technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and analytics, and AI and machine learning, to embark on the journey for Industry 4.0 with destination to develop smart factories providing an incredible opportunity for manufacturers entering the fourth industrial revolution

Sr. Director of Engineering
Jeff is a Sr. Director of Engineering at Conagra Brands, a leading North American based food manufacturer. He leads the Engineering Technical Services team with responsibilities for all building utilities, building envelopes, and OT controls. He is co-leading the development and deployment of the Connected Shop Floor initiative across the 40+ internal manufacturing facilities. His controls team leads the assessment and replacement of aging OT infrastructure across the enterprise. Jeff has over 30 years of Manufacturing, Engineering, Commercialization, Strategy, and Global Markets experience in the food industry.

Lead Manufacturing Engineer
Robert Stucky is a Lead Manufacturing Engineer at SylvanSport in Brevard, North Carolina. He has a passion for increasing efficiency and reducing waste, and he is a certified Lean S.ix Sigma Green Belt. Before working for SylvanSport, Robert gained engineering experience in the turbomachinery manufacturing, defense/aerospace, and semiconductor manufacturing industries. Robert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Baylor University with minors in Business Administration and Mathematics. He currently resides with his wife in the Asheville, North Carolina area, and in his free time he enjoys traveling and playing sports such as disc golf, soccer, and volleyball

Senior Director of External Relations
No bio available

CEO
Since 2015, Ned Tomasevic has been CEO of Reusability, a leading provider of sustainable supply chain solutions, shepherding the company from a service largely focused on the live goods industry to a partner for companies across the manufacturing spectrum. An avid outdoorsman, Ned witnessed firsthand the ecological impact human-generated waste has on the natural landscape — something that deeply impacted him and sparked his interest in sustainability. Waiting on the sideline was not an option, so he sought to combine the skills he gained in his corporate life with his desire to help the environment, which led to his work with Reusability. He reshaped the company with the goal of eliminating disposable waste and bringing cost savings to companies in the process. Together, he believes, we can create a meaningful impact that lasts for generations.

Director, Packaging Design and Procurement
Erik Troelsen leads HP’s packaging design, procurement, and sustainability efforts across HP’s broad line of printing and personal systems products. This includes leadership of a talented WW engineering and sourcing team, driving optimized designs, worldwide supplier relationships, and sustainability strategies. Erik is also involved in digital transformation for HP’s direct procurement organization. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Santa Clara University. Erik lives in Vancouver, WA with his family and enjoys several hobbies and outdoor activities in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

President Cargo & VP Operations Innovation & Delivery
Jessica Tyler was named President of Cargo in June of 2020. Her role includes leading the teams responsible for the success of American’s cargo business, ranging from revenue generation to delivering consistent operational and customer service excellence for American’s cargo customers. In January of 2021, her role was expanded to include Operations Innovation & Delivery. With this added responsibility, she’ll work with teams across Flight, Airports, Flight Service, Technical Operations and Safety to continue the modernization of critical technologies that team members use to deliver a consistent, reliable customer experience. Jessica most recently served as Vice President Airport Excellence, a combined role with President of Cargo where she led the teams across the airport and cargo organizations to support operational and customer service excellence. Before this, Jessica was Managing Director Strategy and Development for the Cargo division where she led a multi-year digital transformation to modernize the organization’s legacy technology. She began her career at American by leading the team that merged the cargo divisions of US Airways and American Airlines, resulting in the industry’s most successful cargo merger to date.

Technical Fellow
Ryan Wheeler is a Technologist and Associate Director with Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies company. As a “chief innovator” with their Advanced Manufacturing shared service, Ryan has expertise in XR and other advanced visualization technologies, as well as in user experience design and, emerging, cognitive science. His purpose is accelerating awareness. Ryan conceived and led development of the first scaled (and still thriving!) Virtual Reality deployment in a mid-tier supplier. This and his other visualization inventions have saved engineering and manufacturing teams across Collins Aerospace tens of millions of dollars and boosted productivity by hundreds of thousands of hours.

Founder | Fortune 100 Senior Executive
Rachael Wooden is a Senior Executive of Global Manufacturing at Nike, with 17 years of Supply Chain & Manufacturing experience across four industries both domestic and globally. She has honed the ability to ignite the fire within individuals and organizations, cultures, and styles to drive BOLD steps forward connecting people to desired results. She has been recognized for leadership excellence throughout her career from companies including Intel, Procter & Gamble, Kellogg, General Mills and Nike. Over the years, her formal accolades include 40 Under Forty Award, Diverse Business Leader Award honoring leaders who are advancing diversity and inclusion, Ethics in Business Nominee, and Exceptional Women Leader panelist on behalf of the Albuquerque Office of Civil Rights. Rachael also delivers powerful foundational trainings and motivational content. Her pure authenticity and passion for creating impactful change has led to connections with Fortune 500 companies, National Urban League, non-profits, and serving on numerous Board of Directors and Councils. Rachael also leverages her depth of manufacturing expertise to establish Find the Fire in You, LLC where she provides experience based executive coaching, proven methods of change management, and culture shift strategy expertise for corporations and executive leaders across the nation. Her work inspires both personal and professional growth to support organizations to deliver greater business impact. Her unique perspective and experiences help individuals and corporations address core questions: • What change is needed? • What does the culture say about you or your organization? • How does diversity manifest stronger culture, systems, teams, and results? • What are you going to do about it?! In addition, she brings energy and fun into formulating solutions custom suited to your needs! Rachael is a wife, mom of two future leaders, 3-time bodybuilding athlete, and an all-round force of nature who is passionate about telling her story to help you Find the Fire in You!