North American Manufacturing Excellence Summit

Nolan Terry serves as Chief Technical Officer of Nestlé Purina – North America, overseeing 25 pet care product manufacturing sites and distribution centers. He supports more than 10,000 technical and operations associates across Safety, Quality, Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Continuous Improvement, and Distribution.

His career with Nestlé Purina began in 1994 as a Management Development Associate. After holding progressively responsible positions in Quality Management, Nolan expanded his expertise by leading manufacturing operations in both Canada and the United States. He later joined the Head Office in St. Louis, where he led support functions in Safety & Health and Manufacturing Excellence (Continuous Improvement). Nolan then led the Golden Products Operations team before taking responsibility for category leadership of Dry Petfood Operations in North America. Nolan assumed his current role in 2022.

Known for boldly embracing change and encouraging a one-team approach, Nolan thrives on empowering every level of the organization to take ownership of winning results. He is passionate about inspiring, coaching, and developing the leaders who will unlock the future of operations and fuel business growth.

Brandon Freeman is the Director of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) at Tesla, bringing over 25 years of expertise across design, construction, construction, manufacturing, defense, and technology sectors. In his current role, he oversees EHS operations for Tesla’s Texas facilities and Global Headquarters, managing a diverse scope that includes vehicle production (Model Y, Cybercab, Cybertruck), Battery Cell production, Lithium Refinery, and AI Data Center operations.

Previously, Mr. Freeman led Environmental Affairs for Tesla’s Global Manufacturing Business Segment, playing a pivotal role in environmental due diligence, permitting, factory design, construction, commissioning, and compliance for Gigafactory Texas and Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. He also held senior EHS positions at Tesla’s Fremont Factory and spearheaded Environmental Affairs for California, and later, North America.

Before joining Tesla, Mr. Freeman served in various EHS Manager roles in manufacturing, consulting, and defense industries. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from The Ohio State University and a Master of Science in Environmental Safety and Health Management from the University of Findlay.

Peter Gibbons joined 3M in November 2021 as group president of Enterprise Supply Chain, which includes planning, procurement, internal and external manufacturing, logistics, quality, engineering, and business supply chain.

Prior to 3M, Peter served as chief executive officer of TireHub, a joint venture last mile distributor between Bridgestone and Goodyear. Possessing a wealth of experience in manufacturing and supply chain operations, Peter previously held senior-level executive positions at Mattel, Starbucks and ICI Paints. His growth mindset, inclusive leadership, and orientation toward developing talent and culture has helped him lead highly successful complex changes and significant transformation.

“I believe that building confidence and removing the fear of failure are key components of leadership,” says Peter. “People achieve great things when they are embraced and valued; when they are connected, not isolated; and when their intelligence and imagination are unleashed.”

Outside of work, Peter enjoys hiking, reading, and supporting the Glasgow Celtic soccer club and serves on the board of the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics from University of Edinburgh and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow, Scotland.

Roberto Isaias is Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer of Mattel. He joined Mattel in 2002. In his role, Mr. Isaias oversees all aspects of Mattel’s global supply chain, including engineering, logistics and planning, manufacturing, procurement, safety and quality, and sustainability.

Under Mr. Isaias’ leadership, Mattel has made transformative improvements across its global supply chain, reducing costs and time-to-market while also improving service to retailers. As part of the company’s Capital Light strategy, Mattel has consolidated or exited 5 factories, optimized its manufacturing footprint, reduced complexity in the system, and increased productivity of plant infrastructure.

By 2021, Mattel factories were located in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Mexico, employing approximately 27,000 people in peak season. The company also works with leading third-party manufacturers to meet consumer demand for Mattel product.

Mr. Isaias held a variety of leadership roles at Mattel in Latin America prior to his appointment as Chief Supply Chain Officer in 2019. He served five years as Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Latin America. Previously, Mr. Isaias served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Spanish Latin America, overseeing all of Mattel’s operations in Latin America except Brazil. Prior to Mattel, Mr. Isaias worked for 12 years at Procter & Gamble in various commercial and supply chain leadership positions.

Mr. Isaias received a degree in Engineering at Universidad Anáhuac and an MBA from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. He is certified in Total Productive Maintenance by the Japanese Institute of Plant Maintenance.

Rachael Wooden is Vice President North America Manufacturing Supply at Mars Inc where she leads breakthrough transformation for the Mars Wrigley North America manufacturing network. She is known for her transformative abilities through proven methods of change management, shifting and reinvigorating cultures, and leadership development.

Rachael brings over 20 years of End 2 End Supply Chain experience across 4 industries 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. Prior to joining Mars, Rachael held numerous Global Supply Chain and Manufacturing roles with Nike, General Mills, Kellogg, and Procter & Gamble. She prides herself as a practitioner learning and growing through hands on experience and building transferable skills of developing people, systems, and organizations to world class levels.

She has been recognized for leadership excellence throughout her career, her formal accolades include, Diverse Business Leader Award, Ethics in Business Nominee, and Exceptional Women in Leadership.

Rachael is also a wife, mom of three future leaders, who is passionate about bringing out the best in people and organizations.

With over 27 years of experience, Paul Simard is a recognized leader in production and operations management. From telecommunications to startups, to aerospace, his career reflects a consistent drive for operational excellence.

Holding a master’s degree in Production and Operations Management, Paul held key positions at Nortel, SR Telecom and EXEO before dedicating the past 15+ years to the aerospace industry, where he has taken on executive roles in supply chain and operations management. Leading multidisciplinary teams, he has spearheaded major initiatives to optimize efficiency, quality and production timelines across complex, multi-site environments.

A visionary leader, Paul has led impactful projects in digital transformation, smart factory development and the successful inauguration of new manufacturing facilities. As Vice President of Operations for all Bombardier manufacturing sites, Paul’s leadership brings strategic vision and operational rigour that continue to drive the company’s performance and global influence.