Speakers

Daniel Dowd is the Global Vice President of Supplier Quality and Go-To-Market Quality at The Estée Lauder Companies, he leads global quality strategy across a vast network of suppliers and distribution systems—ensuring that millions of products meet the expectations of consumers around the world every day.

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.

Kim Howard is vice president of Manufacturing & Safety for Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS). She is responsible for ensuring the BDS production system consistently operates in an integrated, lean and effective manner. She continues to oversee the Fabrication organization, which is now included in her current role.

Kim re-joined Boeing in 2024 as the vice president of BDS Fabrication after spending the previous 34 years at Lockheed Martin, where she was most recently vice president of the company’s Integrated Fighter Group production operations. In that role, she was responsible for the group’s product lines, production systems and execution. That included planning and executing production for the F-16 and providing parts in support of sustainment for the F-22.

Before that, Kim was vice president of F-35 production operations, where she led all production operations for the F-35 Lightning II program, including three variants for nine partner countries and foreign military customers. She also spent time leading production operations for Integrated Air & Missile Defense programs as well as Operations Engineering & Advanced Manufacturing Technologies for Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control. Throughout her career, she held leadership positions in engineering, sustainment and production. Earlier, she worked as an engineer on Boeing’s 777 program. She started her career as an engineer for General Dynamics.

Kim graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. She has served on the Board of Directors for Greenville Technical College Foundation and for the Industry Advisory Board at Clemson University. She previoulsy served on the Board of Directors for Meals on Wheels, Inc. of Tarrant County (Texas) and was the chair for the Technology Committee and the Long-Range Planning Committee (2014-2021).

Tom Bradley is director of manufacturing and powertrain operations at Ford Motor Company. In this role, he is responsible for the manufacturing of engines, transmission and axels in the US and Canada, as well as the Mustang, Bronco and Ranger Vehicle Assembly plants in Michigan.

Tom joined Ford in 2024 following a 27-year career at General Electric. A veteran of GE’s Executive Management Development Programs, he most recently served as the senior executive director of the GE Aerospace Turbine Airfoils Value Stream, where he held general management responsibility for multi-site operations and joint ventures. His career has been marked by a global perspective, having lived and worked in three countries and five different U.S. states.

A highly technical leader and a proven servant leader, Tom is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and Master Black Belt. He is recognized for his high energy and a deep-seated passion for creating Lean operations, developing top-tier talent and leading high-performing teams. His collaborative approach to problem-solving focuses on maintaining safe, world-class workplaces while delivering high-quality products and industry-leading business results.

Tom holds a bachelor of science degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Business Administration from Xavier University.

Though his career has taken him around the world, Tom is now based in Loveland, Ohio. He has been married to his wife, Courtney, for 25 years, and together they have four sons. Outside of work, Tom enjoys spending time near mountains and lakes and finds balance working on his family’s hobby farm.

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.

Katie Holman is Vice President of Manufacturing, Engineering, and Health, Safety, and Environment.  Prior to this, Katie was Vice President of Supply Chain at General Mills, where she led the supply chain for the $4B+ Meals and Baking Operating Unit.  Prior to this, she was the Chief of Staff to the CSCO and Director of Business Performance Management.  She has held several end-end supply chain roles, including the Director of Supply Chain for the General Mills Global India Center in Mumbai, India where she established a Global Planning COE.  She has held various leadership positions in Manufacturing, Engineering, and Continuous Improvement at General Mills.

Katie began her career at Anheuser-Busch InBev, where she held roles of increasing responsibility in Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering.  She received her MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and her BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Katie currently resides in Minnesota with her husband, David, and children, Virginia and Lewis.  She enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling the globe and exploring he great Midwest.  She is actively involved with Dunwoody Technical College, focusing on introducing more young people into technical careers.

Engineer with 25 plus years experience that spans across Maintenance, Engineering, Turnarounds, Project and Construction Management. Most of Clint’s experience has been in Refining and Petrochemicals, including nearly 20 years with Shell Followed by 4 years with PEMEX at the U.S. Deer Park Refinery purchased from Shell.

His experience Includes roles as Capital Projects Manager, Maintenance and Engineering Director, Vice President of Maintenance, Projects and Contracts and Procurement and most recently Global Vice President Reliability, Engineering and Maintenance with 3M.

Sean Trainor is Senior Vice President of HP Inc.’s Personal Systems (PS) Operations, an organization spread across 12 countries and 29 sites. PS Operations is responsible for delivering a resilient, agile,
innovative supply chain that supports the PS business portfolio, which exceeds $40B+ spanning PCs, displays, peripherals, services, software, and immersive computing.

Sean joined HP in 2023, bringing more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, supply chain management, and product development.

Most recently, Sean served as Chief Supply Chain Officer for Cynosure, where he was responsible for the operation and transformation of the global supply chain network focusing on quality, scale, and efficiency.

Prior to that, Sean served in various supply chain leadership roles, including Senior Vice President of Manufacturing and Distribution for Visionworks and Senior Vice President of Global Operations
Engineering and Quality at Dell.

Sean earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from GMI Engineering and Management Institute and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Louisiana State University. He serves
as an advisor to the University of Houston C.T. Bauer College of Business.

Nick Haase is Co-Founder of MaintainX, a leading maintenance and asset operations platform used by industrial teams to standardize work, improve reliability, and scale operational excellence across multi-site organizations.

Michael Daniels is the Business Unit Leader of the Production Unit and Assistant Vice President of Supply Chain Management at Honda Aircraft Company. He began his career with the company in 2008 in the manufacturing building and steadily advanced through a series of leadership roles. In 2022, Michael was promoted to Division Director of Manufacturing, where he successfully led production initiatives that enhanced efficiency and performance.

In 2025, he transitioned into his current dual role, stepping into leadership of both Production and Supply Chain Management. With more than 20 years of experience in aerospace, Michael is recognized for his commitment to operational excellence, continuous improvement, and building resilient systems that keep the organization agile and competitive in the aerospace industry.

As Head of Integrated Supply Chain Matt is responsible for the full ‘plan, source, make, deliver and return’ of sleep and respiratory care products to healthcare providers and patients globally.

Matt has a technical engineering background but discovered early in his career that the reach, impact and velocity of supply chain is where he thrives. Throughout his career he has fulfilled leadership roles in different areas of supply chain, energized by the dynamics of multiple disciplines solving challenges at hand together. This is driven by his core belief that, bringing the right group of people together, any problem can be solved. He also has a passion for talent development and creating the right circumstances for people to be their best selves and excel.

Before Philips Matt worked for the Boston Consulting Group, Caterpillar, Dow Chemical Company and Tufts University. He attended Tufts University and MIT Sloan School of Management’s Leaders for Global Operations program (MBA Business Administration and SM Mechanical Engineering).

Cristina Ricaurte is Supply Chain Management Solution Head for the Americas at SAP, where she works with global organizations on large-scale supply chain transformations. She leads a team of senior supply chain experts supporting strategic customer engagements across the region, helping companies modernize planning, manufacturing, logistics, and operational decision-making in increasingly complex global environments.

With more than 17 years at SAP, Cristina has held multiple leadership roles across the Americas,MEE and EMEA. Most recently, she served as Head of Customer Advisory and Digital Hub for Latin America and the Caribbean, leading multidisciplinary teams supporting some of the region’s most strategic customer initiatives.

Cristina holds degrees in Business Administration from Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) and Economics from Universität des Saarlandes (Germany), as well as a Master’s in Leadership Transformation from Middlesex University London. She is fluent in four languages.

I am a Chemical Engineer with 23 years of manufacturing experience in Operations, Maintenance & Engineering. I have a passion for people – my focus is on developing individuals and strong teams through Servant Leadership & Transformational Leadership. I’ve been with Dyno Nobel, an explosives company, since 2015 – supporting manufacturing in various roles & locations. I am currently transitioning to my 4th Dyno Nobel plant in Cheyenne, WY to be the General Manager of that Nitrogen site. Previously I was in the Food Industry for 13 years, in both Operations & Maintenance. I am married with 3 grown children, 2 dogs & 2 cats! We enjoy traveling, camping, cooking, & any kind of adventure.

Md Hasan aka “Mad Dog” is a seasoned executive and global change agent for manufacturing industries. In the field of business transformation and operations management, Md is a game changer who hustles with technical skills, excellent teamwork, proficient communication, and dynamic leadership attributes. In his current role, Md leads the continuous improvement initiatives for Ocean Spray’s food and beverage manufacturing network in the US, Canada, and Latin America, where his core responsibilities include driving process efficiency, optimizing costs, maximizing stakeholder value, and organizational capability development.

Md excels at cross-functional and cross-cultural teamworking with a drive to bringing result-oriented values. He has a great passion for operational excellence, organizational culture change and sustainable leadership by integrating design, technology, business, and humanity. His vision for excellence always includes the purpose of serving the community for a better future. His primary areas of expertise are continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, operational excellence, business strategy, and change management. He has over 15 years of experience across the automotive, pharmaceuticals, and CPG industries with public, private, and co-op operating structures. He serves as session speaker and invited guest for several world-class lean and continuous improvement conferences, podcasts, and executive interviews.

Shane A. Yount is a nationally recognized thought leader, author, and Chairman of Competitive Solutions, Inc. (CSI), an international Business Transformation consulting firm which pioneered the acclaimed organizational development system known as Process Based Leadership®. Since 1991 he has led the offices of CSI in becoming one of the nation’s most recognized Business Transformation consulting firms, personally working with such organizations as The Department of Defense, 3M, Colgate Palmolive, Bristol Meyers Squibb, and many others.

Justine Franchina was most recently Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Greene Tweed. Previously, Justine was the COO of Ketjen, a subsidiary of Albemarle. Justine earned her PhD in Polymer Organic Chemistry from Texas A&M University in 1999. She started her career with DuPont in Deepwater NJ developing and manufacturing new products. Throughout her 17.5-year career with DuPont, Justine held various roles across Technology, Sales, Marketing, and Operations. In her last role with DuPont, Justine had responsibility for over 200 people working across the world at 25 plant sites. In mid-2017, Justine took the Global Manufacturing Director role at Chem-Trend, a Release Agent manufacturer. In early 2020, Justine was named COO of Chem-Trend. Justine had responsibility for eight manufacturing facilities across the world and the Global Operations group. At the end of February 2023, Justine was named COO of Ketjen. She had responsibility for Operations across three plant sites, two in the US and one in the Netherlans. In Greene Tweed, Justine had responsibility for the Operations organization across seven facilities. Four facilities in the US, one facility in the UK, and two in Asia. Justine has vast experience in leading diverse global teams, driving continuous improvement, developing talent, improving quality and safety culture, communicating across multiple functions, coaching others in planning and executing projects, and developing and executing strategies. Most recently, Justine drove a series of programs to reorganize an Operations organization globally, develop a continuous improvement organization to reduce Labor & Overhead costs by 2% points, and implemented a Strategy Cascade process to improve execution of tasks to meeting strategic goals. Justine is married with three children. She enjoys playing pickleball and making chocolate confections.

With over 20 years of experience in the polymer compounding industry, I am the Director of Continuous Improvement at HEXPOL Compounding, a global leader in polymer compounding solutions. I hold a Six Sigma Black Belt certification and an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology, where I graduated in the top 10% of my class.

My mission is to deliver superior returns through the development and implementation of the HEXPOL Production System, a comprehensive framework for organizational excellence. I provide CI support to 13 plants in the US and Mexico, working with company leadership to develop and implement strategic initiatives. I have trained several green belts and yellow belts and led key projects in areas such as ERP implementation, maintenance excellence, customer service, EHS, quality scrap reduction, supplier performance, customer experience, and learning and development. I have also successfully developed and implemented an online learning management system (Talent LMS).

I collaborate with cross-functional teams to provide inputs for business decisions, create and maintain executive KPIs, develop and execute capital expenditure plans, and improve product launch processes and procedures. I am passionate about driving continuous improvement and innovation in the polymer compounding industry, leveraging my skills in process improvement, quality management, and lean manufacturing.

Martin Weber is the CEO of SPARETECH Inc., a company that offers AI-powered software for maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) sourcing and inventory optimization. He is committed to transforming the future of MRO by making it more efficient, reliable, and collaborative. Weber strives to create an inspiring environment that fosters personal and professional development within his company. With his background at Porsche and Lufthansa, he utilizes his extensive industry knowledge and entrepreneurial mindset to drive sustainable growth.

Johan Beukema is Managing Partner at BCI Global, leading the global manufacturing footprint optimization and location & site selection practice. He has a degree in International Business at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Johan started at BCI Global in 1999 and has since then supported hundreds of companies in their manufacturing, supply chain and location and site selection projects across the globe, including North and South America, EMEA and the full Asia region. He has a very strong experience base in different industries with references such as e.g. (sample only) J&J, IKEA, Novo Nordisk, Olympus, ThermoFisher, Insulet, Abbott, Silgan Closures, Pepsico, Mondelez, Yanmar, Cisco, Starkey, ExxonMobil, Navico Group, Elring Klinger, Mann + Hummel, Bausch & Lomb, and many others. He is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars and he is a Member of the global Site Selectors Guild and Certified Site Selection Consultant©

Sneha Arora is an accomplished Global Director of Quality Assurance with over 15 years of experience leading quality transformation across the Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic industries. She is known for building high-performing global teams and modernizing Quality Management Systems that integrate regulatory excellence with operational performance.

Her expertise spans FDA, ISO, Health Canada, China GMPs and international regulatory frameworks, with a strong focus on leveraging AI-enabled analytics and data-driven strategies to accelerate decision-making and proactively manage risk. Sneha brings a unique perspective that blends deep regulatory knowledge with innovative digital tools to create scalable, future-ready quality programs.

A charismatic and trusted leader, Sneha is passionate about developing talent, fostering collaboration, and redefining the role of Quality as a strategic business partner. She speaks on topics including Quality Transformation, AI in Quality Systems, Regulatory Readiness, Supplier Quality Excellence, and Leadership in Highly Regulated Industries.

Sneha’s mission is to inspire organizations to view quality not only as compliance, but as a catalyst for growth, innovation, and sustainable success.

Lisa Williams received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Prairie View A&M University and a master’s degree in manufacturing management from The Pennsylvania State University. Lisa joined Dow as a design and construction engineer for capital projects. After a few years she transitioned to Supply Chain in global planning and improvement leadership roles. In 2010, she led a team supporting Dow’s $1B SAP upgrade in 3 regions. In 2015, Lisa transitioned into Global Procurement as senior category leader for equipment, logistics, and terminal services totaling more than $1.1 B in spend. In 2021 Lisa was selected to lead a corporate team to create Dow’s first-generation contract labor strategy, governance system, and operating model to govern a multi-billion-dollar annual contract labor investment. In 2024, after a successful contract labor strategy launch Lisa’s role was expanded to develop a global, fully comprehensive strategy for Dow M&E Operations talent impacting over 22,000 current and future employees. Lisa is a Six Sigma Black Belt, APICS CPIM and CSCP, and Prosci ADKAR change leadership certified. She is also the Dow University Champion for Florida A&M University and leads the corporate HBCU engagement strategy. Lisa advocates for talent evolution in a skills-first world, champions for improved employee experience, inclusion and equity. She is a published author, TEDx speaker, keynote speaker, industry panelist and advisor for many industry and academic organizations.

Tracy Wiese brings over 20 years of expertise in the manufacturing and supply chain industry, specializing in Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) solution design and business system integration. She excels at enhancing operational excellence by increasing visibility and insights, guiding customers through process automation to generate greater value.

Tracy is adept at crafting agile solutions that align corporate goals with production operations, from top floor to shop floor, and is skilled at adapting to new technologies. Her vast industry experience spans high-tech, aerospace and defense, and medical devices.

Based near Norfolk, VA, Tracy has collaborated with clients across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and North America. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information and Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Tracy Wiese stands out as a leader in driving operational excellence and innovation throughout the global manufacturing and supply chain landscape.

Scott manages a global team of Product Managers responsible for commercial strategies and go-to-market execution of IBM Asset Lifecycle Management software products, including Maximo, TRIRIGA, EIS, and Envizi.

Scott has been with IBM for over 14 years and has over 37 years of experience in product management and sales of enterprise technology, including substantial focus in the fields of AI, high performance computing and big data & analytics. Prior to IBM, Scott held similar roles in companies such as Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Platform Computing, & PolyServe.

Kevin D. Braun is senior vice president, operations, PPG. Braun has been a member of PPG’s operating committee since 2020.

Braun began his career at PPG in 1991 as a production engineer at the Delaware, Ohio, coatings manufacturing facility. He then joined the Industrial Coatings business in 1994 as a sales/service representative in the appliance division, and in 1997 relocated to Pittsburgh, Pa., as market development manager of the former fiber glass business. In 2000, Braun returned to Industrial Coatings as market manager, consumer electronics, and in 2001, he became a regional sales manager for Industrial Coatings.

In 2003, Braun relocated to Charlotte, N.C., to join the Architectural Coatings business as national sales manager for the Lowe’s account, and then to Dallas, Texas, when he became sales director for architectural midwest dealers and stores in 2007. Later that year, Braun relocated to Sydney, Australia, as general manager, Architectural Coatings, Australia and New Zealand, until he relocated to Pittsburgh, in 2011 as the general manager of silica products.

In August 2013, Braun was first elected vice president, global raw materials and Americas purchasing, for a short period and then transitioned to vice president, Industrial Coatings, Americas. Braun was promoted to a global leadership role for the business unit in March 2020. He became Interim Industrial Segment Leader and assumed oversight accountability for the Asia Pacific region in 2022. In 2023, Braun was named senior vice president, Industrial Coatings Segment. In 2024, Braun was named to his current role.

Braun earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Business Administration from Capital University.

He is on the board of the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, where he serves as president.

Rob Green is a Senior Solutions Engineer at L2L with 25+ years of experience helping manufacturers reduce downtime and costs through lean principles, real-time data, and AI-driven insights. He specializes in empowering frontline teams with digital tools to drive operational excellence. Previously, he spent nearly 20 years at Energizer, leading 30+ kaizen events, a $33M production expansion, and delivering 5–10% annual cost reductions while cutting training time in half. As Operations Director at Vermont Precision Tools, he applied lean strategies across diverse environments. Rob holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is an expert in Hoshin Kanri and Lean Operations.

Alex White brings a rare blend of technical aptitude, business insight, and comedic timing to every stage. A stand-up comic turned technology strategist, he has a gift for translating complex concepts into clear business impact. Today, Alex partners with Infor’s most strategic engagements, helping organizations understand not just what Infor offers, but why it matters—and how the right technology decisions drive results. His sessions blend practical expertise, industry perspective, and just enough humor to make complex topics accessible, spark conversation, and make the future of enterprise technology easier—and more enjoyable—to understand.

Chris Hamlin is the Senior Manager of Scytec Operations, based in Colorado. He brings a multidisciplinary technical foundation and a proven track record of leading data-driven initiatives within complex manufacturing environments. Chris drives product strategy and lifecycle execution for DataXchange, aligning customer needs with scalable solutions that enhance operational visibility and performance. He collaborates across customers, engineering, and executive leadership to shape product direction, prioritize high-impact initiatives, and translate industrial data into actionable business insights. His focus is on enabling smarter decision-making, accelerating digital transformation, and delivering measurable operational outcomes.

Gene has over 30 years of experience in inspection, data collection, and SPC systems. He has installed and configured data collection systems across a wide range of industries. Gene has been with Prolink for 14 years, and following Prolink’s acquisition by Minitab, Gene now serves as Director of Industrial System Engineers supporting Prolink sales activity nationwide.

Shawn Smith is an experienced leader in change management and operational excellence, with a career spanning more than 21 years at Milliken & Company in Spartanburg, SC. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from West Virginia University, a Six Sigma Green Belt from Milliken University, and multiple consulting and coaching certifications.

For the past 15 years, Shawn has partnered with organizations around the world as part of the Performance Solutions by Milliken business, equipping executive and frontline leadership teams with the tools, behaviors, and systems needed to successfully navigate complex change. His work focuses on helping companies build resilient cultures, empower people through structured improvement, and sustain meaningful transformation.

Pooja Bajaj, Serves as Technology Director for Advanced Materials & Manufacturing – Applied Research and Technology at Collins Aerospace. In her role, she is leading global engineering teams for advancing materials and manufacturing solutions across RTX- Collins Aerospace Strategic Business Units. Specifically, driving technology readiness for Product modernization, Sustainment and Factory automation developments, integrated with technology roadmaps, and competitive readiness for end use performance in commercial and defense programs.

Pooja received her MS and PhD in Chemistry from the university of Texas at Dallas, and her MS in Industrial Chemistry Jointly from National University of Singapore and Technical University of Munch, Germany.

Peter Brand is the co-founder and COO of Oden Technologies, a company

empowering manufacturers to make more, waste less, and innovate faster through machine learning and applied analytics. He is pioneering the use of real-time and predictive analytic tools that uncover untapped value for manufacturers, and aims to transform the manufacturing industry by digitizing, analyzing, and perfecting peak factory performance. Peter is based in New York City.

Anoop Mohan is Chief Product and Technology Officer at Augury. He joined Augury in 2026 to lead product and engineering, accelerating AI innovation and unifying product development from vision to execution. Anoop brings more than 25 years of experience scaling AI, IoT and industrial platforms. Most recently, he led product for agentic solutions within the Applied AI group at Google Cloud, and has held leadership roles at Samsung, Comcast, Cisco and Rockwell Automation.

Stephen Rudh serves as a Reliability Strategy Manager at Atlas Energy Solutions, where he leads initiatives that strengthen operational excellence and reliability performance. He is known for aligning cross-functional teams, executing complex strategies, and leading transformation efforts that support long-term organizational growth.

Roger Brecht is the Chief Operating Officer at Richelieu Foods, where he leads the company’s operations and manufacturing strategy. Before joining Richelieu Foods in February 2025, Roger spent 24 years at Nestlé Purina, most recently serving as Vice President of Digital Manufacturing, where he helped drive digital transformation across the company’s manufacturing network. Roger started his career on the plant floor and brings a practical perspective on how digital initiatives can create real value for frontline teams and support broader business goals.

As AI Acceleration Lead at Avanade, Ben helps mid-market and enterprise clients harness AI to drive measurable business impact. He partners with C-suite leaders to reimagine operations through practical applications of generative AI and machine learning. Internally, he scales AI capability and embeds intelligent, agentic systems across teams. An experienced founder and investor, he advises startups and is passionate about innovation, resilience, and building high-performing teams.

As Chief Administrative Officer at Effex Management Solutions, Hailey Fernandez leads the company’s corporate support functions while playing a strategic role in driving growth and operational excellence. Since joining Effex in 2014, Hailey has been instrumental in acquiring new clients, cultivating lasting partnerships, and developing workforce solutions that increase efficiency, ensure compliance, and deliver measurable results.

Known for her hands-on leadership and deep industry knowledge, Hailey oversees seamless onboarding processes and champions long-term success strategies tailored to each client’s unique needs. Her dedication to performance and innovation continues to shape Effex’s reputation as a leader in high-volume contingent workforce management.

Jason Stevenson is the Director of Operations at Apogee Enterprises’ Tru Vue, a leading manufacturer of high-performance glazing products for custom picture framing, museums, photography, and engineered optics. With over 25 years in manufacturing leadership at Tru Vue and Pella Corporation, Jason brings expertise in operations, production, and process optimization.