Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based VP’ operating in the Product Design space. If you think a VP’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Richard Borenstein
Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships of MURAL
Richard Borenstein is the SVP of Strategic Partnerships at MURAL, a digital workspace for visual collaboration. He has over 25 years of experience in technology and is responsible for accelerating MURAL’s revenue growth and market penetration, forming deep, integrated partnerships with enterprise brands, and leading a highly skilled sales team bringing visual collaboration to the enterprise collaboration toolkit. A SaaS veteran with a passion for recruiting and team building, Richard has built an extensive, worldwide executive network and has a proven track record of creating mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships. He recently served as Chief Revenue Officer at Highfive (acquired by Dialpad), where he led the sales, marketing, and customer success teams. Previously, he held sales management positions at RingCentral, Zong (acquired by PayPal), Baynote Inc., and Airborne Entertainment (acquired by Cybird). He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and holds a bachelor’s degree from McGill University.
Follow Richard Borenstein:
About MURAL: MURAL is a digital workspace that provides a visual collaboration platform that enables teams to work remotely and efficiently.
Stephen Olmstead
VP, Chief of Staff, Office of the CEO of InVision
Follow Stephen Olmstead:
About InVision: InVision is the visual collaboration platform powering the world’s smartest companies.
Brandon Wolf
Vice President, User Enablement of InVision
Brandon Wolf is the Vice President of User Enablement for InVision, overseeing a global support team of 30+ team members including customer advocacy, support engineering, customer education, and internal tools. He is charged with managing divisional personnel, deliveries, growth and scalability to address thousands of tickets per month. Brandon is responsible for InVision’s systematic and customer-first approach, which is an extension of our platform and has consistently earned over 98% ticket satisfaction rating over the last two years. Prior to InVision, Brandon served as the Manager of Customer Advocacy and Support Engineering at Zendesk.
Follow Brandon Wolf:
About InVision: InVision is the visual collaboration platform powering the world’s smartest companies.
Kendall Pond
VP, Business Development of Dassault Systemes
Kendall Pond joined Dassault Systemes as VP, Business Development in 2003.
Follow Kendall Pond:
About Dassault Systemes: Dassault Systemes provides project lifecycle management solutions that enable businesses to create and share experiences in 3D.
Rahul Jain
Founder & VP Business Development of Pendo
Rahul Jain is Founder & Biz Dev at Pendo.io.
Follow Rahul Jain:
About Pendo: Pendo is a product-analytics app that helps software companies develop products that resonate with customers.
Cameron Moll
VP, Product Design of Pendo
VP Design at Pendo. Formerly at Facebook.
Follow Cameron Moll:
About Authentic Jobs, Pendo: Pendo is a product-analytics app that helps software companies develop products that resonate with customers.
Shahab Salemy
Vice President, Digital Transformation & Global Technology Program Office of Nike
Shahab Salemy is Senior Program Director within Global Digital Innovation at Nike.
Follow Shahab Salemy:
About Nike: Nike designs, develops, and markets footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessory products.
Ron Faris
Global VP, SNKRS, NBHD, & S23NYC Digital Studio of Nike
Follow Ron Faris:
About Nike: Nike designs, develops, and markets footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessory products.
Jarvis Sam
Vice President, Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion of Nike
Follow Jarvis Sam:
About Nike: Nike designs, develops, and markets footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessory products.
Archana Chattha
Partner and VP of Network of VSC
Follow Archana Chattha:
About VSC: We are a band of strategists, storytellers and data nerds obsessed with helping Davids crush a sea of Goliaths.
Abdallah Shanti
Executive Vice President of Volkswagen Group
Abdallah Shanti is Executive Vice President and Group Chief Information Officer for IT Region Americas. In this role, Shanti leads IT strategy, direction, and operations for all of the countries within the Americas Region, which includes the US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa. Shanti reports directly to Hinrich J. Woebcken, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. Shanti also coordinates globally to increase focus on Volkswagen’s technology infrastructure to ensure systems and processes are in place to meet business targets, reporting directly to Dr. Martin Hofmann, Group Chief Information Officer, Volkswagen AG. Shanti joined Volkswagen with nearly 27 years of IT and engineering experience within the automotive industry. Prior to Volkswagen, Shanti served as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer with ANX. Prior to ANX, Shanti held several leadership roles at American Axle & Manufacturing Inc., where he was Vice President of IT and Chief Information Officer; there his responsibilities also included electronic engineering and global purchasing. Shanti was also General Director of Global System Engineering and Application development at General Motors. Shanti earned a master’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Oakland University, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Illinois State University.
Follow Abdallah Shanti:
About Volkswagen Group, Volkswagen Group: Volkswagen Group is a multinational automotive company that manufactures variety of vehicles.
Faisal Mushtaq
VP Technology & Head of Global Cloud & DevOps Practices of GlobalLogic
Prior to joining PLUMgrid, Faisal was the Vice President of Mobile Video Product Line at Allot Communications where he led the US R&D center for intelligent traffic optimization and monetization solutions for fixed and wireless operators. Faisal came to Allot through the acquisition of Ortiva Wireless, where he was the VP of Engineering leading development, design and delivery of OTT video optimization product. He was instrumental in winning strategic customer accounts such as Sprint, Hutchinson and Vodafone. Previously, Faisal was a founding member of Wichorus taking the company from inception to revenue generation in less than two years. There he led the development of packet core infrastructure products for WiMAX and LTE that helped the company achieve its market leadership position. Wichorus was later acquired by Tellabs. Faisal began his career at Cisco Systems where he designed and developed several routing/switching product families. He was the lead architect of virtual switching system (VSS) that introduced a new paradigm for Catalyst 6500 multilayer switch. He received an MSEE from Purdue University and an MBA from Santa Clara University. Faisal holds multiple patents in the areas of networking, including control plane, data plane, load balancing and video delivery.
Follow Faisal Mushtaq:
About GlobalLogic, Ubeio: GlobalLogic is a product development services company that specializes in chip-to-cloud software engineering.
Andrew Kalinovsky
Senior Vice President of GlobalLogic
Since joining GlobalLogic in 2008, Andrew Kalinovsky has played key roles in the company’s sales operations, recruitment strategies, and customer relationships. Currently as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, Andrew leads M&A activities and key internal initiatives within the company to connect market and operational strategies. He also manages the CEO office — including investor and board relations — and helps drive business growth. Prior to joining GlobalLogic, Andrew co-founded and served as CEO of Validio Software, a product development services company that was later acquired by GlobalLogic. During his time with Validio, Andrew developed software products for emerging web ecosystems in the e-commerce, healthcare, and telecom industries. Before Validio, Andrew founded Alis Software, where he developed software and electronic equipment (including early smartphone technology) for small businesses. Andrew holds a Master’s degree in computer science, and he enjoys combining his structured and creative talents to tackle diverse problems. Outside of the office, his pastimes include athletics, community involvement, and continuing education.
Follow Andrew Kalinovsky:
About GlobalLogic: GlobalLogic is a product development services company that specializes in chip-to-cloud software engineering.
Ramki Krishna
Sr. Vice President & General Manager, Communications & Media BU of GlobalLogic
Follow Ramki Krishna:
About GlobalLogic: GlobalLogic is a product development services company that specializes in chip-to-cloud software engineering.
Ramki Krishna
Sr. Vice President & General Manager, Communications & Media BU of GlobalLogic
Follow Ramki Krishna:
About GlobalLogic: GlobalLogic is a product development services company that specializes in chip-to-cloud software engineering.
Robert McCulley
Vice President of Sales of EcoSense Lighting
Robert McCulley is the Vice President of Sales at Ecosense Lighting.
Follow Robert McCulley:
About EcoSense Lighting: EcoSense Lighting designs and develops lighting solutions for commercial and residential applications.
Malachy Moynihan
Senior Vice President, Global Design & Engineering of Flex
Malachy Moynihan is the Senior Vice President for Global Design and Engineering at Flex, the global leader in Sketch-to-Scale development to distribution company managing several thousand engineers developing products for medical, automotive, consumer and industrial customers worldwide. He has worked on products as diverse as the worlds first connected cold-press juicer (Juicero, where he was the Chief Product Officer managing all engineering, manufacturing, product management and design), the most successful voice assistant, Echo and the leading streaming platform, FireTV (Amazon – Vice President for Lab126) and drove the amazing growth of the connected home with the Linksys WiFi products (Cisco). He began his career in high-tech at Apple, where he worked for many years on their consumer product lines. He has been a significant contributor to the popularization of consumer technologies through his frequent interviews, presentations and tradeshows. He is currently an advisor to several start-up companies focused on wireless technology, medical devices and engineering services. Malachy holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the National University of Ireland and has studied business and finance at the National University of Ireland and INSEAD, France. He lives in San Jose with his wife and son.
Follow Malachy Moynihan:
About Flex: Flex is the Sketch-to-Scale solutions provider that designs and builds intelligent products for a connected world.
Scott Offer
Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Flex
Scott Offer leads the global Law Department of Motorola Mobility. His team plays a key role – setting overall legal strategy; partnering with business leads; negotiating all strategic deals with customers, suppliers and partners; managing the global Motorola Mobility trademark and litigation portfolio; and maintaining legal compliance. Most recently, he served as a key leader and contributor in the planning and structuring of Motorola’s businesses into two independent, publicly traded companies following the separation of the company in 2011. This included the combination of the Law teams, and development of the Law Department structure for Motorola Mobility. Scott also led the formation of the combined Intellectual Property (IP) business and Legal teams, which consistently generated significant licensing revenues. The organization delivered a significant impact to both cash flow and operating earnings for Motorola. Scott played a lead role in the 2010 RIM patent cross-license and litigation settlement and is currently leading patent litigations with both Apple and Microsoft. Since joining Motorola in 1990, Scott has served in leadership roles both in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region and the U.S. Offer received his LLB law degree from The London School of Economics. Prior to joining Motorola, he worked for the law firm Boodle Hatfield and Royal Dutch Shell plc.
Follow Scott Offer:
About Flex: Flex is the Sketch-to-Scale solutions provider that designs and builds intelligent products for a connected world.
Paul Baldassari
EVP US and Component Operations of Strategy and Excellence of Flex
Paul Baldassari is the EVP US & Component Operations, Strategy and Excellence and former Chief Human Resources Officer of Flex (NASDAQ: FLEX). Flex is the Sketch-to-Scale™ solutions provider that designs and builds intelligent products for a connected world. With approximately 200,000 professionals across 30 countries, Flex provides innovative design, engineering, manufacturing, real-time supply chain insight and logistics services to companies of all sizes in various industries and end-markets. Prior to his current position, Mr. Baldassari lead the operational excellence, corporate asset management, real estate and quality teams. Previously, he held various positions in IT, project and program management, operations and company-wide lean and Six Sigma initiatives. He joined Flex in 2000 to transition the company to a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Before joining Flex, Mr. Baldassari was an ERP consultant at Origin, managing various implementation projects for international companies. Mr. Baldassari holds a bachelor’s of science in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from the Vienna University of Economics and Business.
Follow Paul Baldassari:
About Flex: Flex is the Sketch-to-Scale solutions provider that designs and builds intelligent products for a connected world.
Gregory Fass
VP of Marketing of Liquid Death
Gregory Fass is Head of Marketing and Public Relations at MeUndies. Greg is in charge of all press outreach, social media, customer relations, and advises marketing efforts. Prior to joining MeUndies, Greg worked for a startup Moxie Communications Group where he handled press and outreach for Dollar Shave Club, DogVacay, MoPub, EverySignal, Ziplist, and Eventup. A proud Buff graduating from University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.A. degree in Economics, Greg loves snowboarding but is having a hard time finding good snow in Los Angeles.
Follow Gregory Fass:
About Liquid Death: Liquid Death is a non-alcoholic beverage brand that is focused on health and sustainability.
Kelly Wilson
VP of Customer Success of ThreeKit
Kelly Wilson is a Vice President of Customer Success at ThreeKit. Previously, He was the Director of Customer Success at G2 Crowd and Salesforce Quote-to-Cash. Ms. Wilson studied Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Follow Kelly Wilson:
About ThreeKit: ThreeKit is a 3D product configuration and visualization platform that enables brands to create and manage beautiful visuals at scale.
Nancy Rizkallah
VP of Finance of ThreeKit
Nancy Rizkallah is the Vice President of Finance at ThreeKit. She is previously the Controller at CloudCraze: eCommerce native on Salesforce and SIM Partners. Ms. Rizkallah graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and received a master of science in Accounting.
Follow Nancy Rizkallah:
About ThreeKit: ThreeKit is a 3D product configuration and visualization platform that enables brands to create and manage beautiful visuals at scale.
Marc Uible
VP of Marketing of ThreeKit
Marc Uible is the Vice President of Marketing at ThreeKit. Prior to ThreeKit, He is a former Founder of The Numbered Days. Mr. Uible graduated from Indiana University – Kelley School of Business with a bachelor of science in Business Economics and Public Policy, International Business.
Follow Marc Uible:
About ThreeKit: ThreeKit is a 3D product configuration and visualization platform that enables brands to create and manage beautiful visuals at scale.
Doug Bailey
Vice President Marketing and Applications Engineering of Power Integrations
Vice President Marketing & Applications Engineering│Power Integrations│Brand Value In Global Markets.
Follow Doug Bailey:
About Power Integrations: Power Integrations designs, develops, markets, and manufactures high-voltage, analog integrated circuits.
Michael Amick
Senior Vice President, North American Papers, Pulp & Consumer Packaging of International Paper
Mike started his career with International Paper at the Louisiana Mill in Bastrop in 1990. Since then he has served in various capacities and businesses across P&C Papers, Coated Papers, Industrial Packaging, xpedx and Coated Paperboard. He also led the company’s supply chain transformation and was appointed an officer of the company in 2002 as vice president of supply chain with focus on driving improvements across the company’s North American manufacturing businesses. He later held the roles of executive vice president, xpedx and vice president and general manager for the Coated Paperboard business. From 2012-2014, Mike served as International Paper vice president and president, IP India, and as executive chairman, International Paper APPM Limited. He was elected senior vice president, North American Papers, Pulp and Consumer Packaging in November 2014.
Follow Michael Amick:
About International Paper: International Paper manufactures paper and paper-packaging products.
Tommy S. Joseph
SVP Global Manufacturing of International Paper
Tommy S. Joseph joined International Paper in 1982 as process engineer at the Natchez, Miss., mill. He was named manager of Manufacturing Technical Services for the Printing and Communications Papers Division in 1996. In 1997 he was named manager of the Camden, Ark., mill where he served until 1998 when he became manager of the Mansfield, La., mill. In March 2001, Tommy was promoted to manufacturing director – Containerboard and Kraft / business manager – Kraft Papers until the following year when he was named general manager of the Industrial Papers business. Tommy was promoted to vice president of Specialty Papers in 2002, vice president of Technology in 2005, and vice president, global manufacturing, in November 2008. In February 2009 Tommy took on his current role as senior vice president, Manufacturing and Technology, with responsibility for the implementation of global manufacturing initiatives, technology, sustainability and Environment Health & Safety. January 1, 2010, he also assumed responsibility for Global Supply Chain Sourcing.
Follow Tommy S. Joseph:
About International Paper: International Paper manufactures paper and paper-packaging products.
William Hoel
Senior Vice President, Container The Americas of International Paper
Bill Hoel is senior vice president, Container The Americas. Bill joined International Paper subsidiary Masonite Corporation in 1983. He was named vice president and general manager of the Decorative Products business in 1996, and vice president and executive assistant to then Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John T. Dillon in 1999. In 2000, Bill was named vice president of Wood Products where he led the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of high-quality lumber, plywood, poles and engineered wood products in the United States and Canada. He was named senior vice president, Corporate Sales and Marketing, in 2004; vice president, Container The Americas, in 2005; and senior vice president, Container The Americas, in 2012.
Follow William Hoel:
About International Paper: International Paper manufactures paper and paper-packaging products.
Thomas G. Kadien
Sr. Vice President of International Paper
Tom joined International Paper in 1978 and held various sales and marketing positions in the company’s Packaging businesses. He became manufacturing manager for Nicolet in 1991 and general manager of Nicolet in 1992. Tom was appointed an officer of the company in 1999 while leading the Fine Papers division and transitioned to vice president of Commercial Printing and Imaging Papers in 2000. In April 2003, he was appointed president of IP Europe, and was named a senior vice president of International Paper in May 2004. Tom served as the senior vice president and president of xpedx, International Paper’s distribution business from 2005-2010 and as the senior vice president Consumer Packaging, IP Asia and IP India from 2010-2014. In November 2014, he was named Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Communications & Government Relations, with continuing leadership responsibilities for IP India and Supply Chain Operations.
Follow Thomas G. Kadien:
About International Paper: International Paper manufactures paper and paper-packaging products.
C. Cato Ealy
Senior Vice President of International Paper
C. Cato Ealy joined International Paper in April 1992 as director, Corporate Development. In June 1996, he was named vice president and was promoted to senior vice president in June 2003. Ealy is responsible for the company’s domestic and foreign acquisition and divestiture programs. Prior to joining International Paper, he had been a director at Charterhouse Inc. since 1989.
Follow C. Cato Ealy:
About International Paper: International Paper manufactures paper and paper-packaging products.
Tim S. Nicholls
Senior Vice President, Industrial Packaging of International Paper
In November 2014, Tim Nicholls was named senior vice president, Industrial Packaging Group, with responsibility for the company’s North American Containerboard, Corrugated Packaging and Recycling businesses. Mr. Nicholls’ previous positions have included senior vice president, Printing & Communications Papers the Americas, senior vice president and chief financial officer, vice president of Finance, vice president and CFO of IP Europe, president of Weldwood (formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of International Paper located in Vancouver, Canada), director of finance and strategic planning for Industrial Packaging, and general manager of the international packaging converting business. He joined International Paper in 1999 through the company’s acquisition of Union Camp, where he held a series of finance and business planning positions.
Follow Tim S. Nicholls:
About International Paper: International Paper manufactures paper and paper-packaging products.
Atman Buch
VP of Global Business Development and Account Mgt of Cosmo
Over 10 years of experience in Product Development, Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, and Business Development.
Follow Atman Buch:
About Cosmo: Comprehensive manufacturing solutions provider, specializing in engineered soft-goods, material innovation, and sustainability.
Rob Martens
SVP & CIDO of Allegion
Rob Martens is the President of Allegion Ventures and the Chief Innovation and Design Officer at Allegion.
Follow Rob Martens:
About Allegion, Allegion Ventures: Allegion plc is a global provider of security products and solutions.
Tom Klein
General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development of Persistent Systems
Tom Klein is General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development. He joined Persistent in 2014 bringing with him more than 25 years of experience in technology law including an extensive focus on start-up and venture capital transactions, mergers and acquisitions as well as domestic and international intellectual property transactions. Tom is based in the company’s North American headquarters in Santa Clara, CA. Tom is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the University of Chicago School of Law. Most recently Tom was a partner in the Silicon Valley office of Greenberg Traurig, LLP and before that spent 20 years with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C., the last 13 as a partner. Since 2001 Tom has been an adjunct professor of law at Santa Clara University School of Law. He was an instructor at UC Berkeley Extension from 2008-2010, an adjunct lecturer in securities regulation at Stanford Law School, and a visiting professor in the Master of Laws program at UC Davis Law School, teaching securities regulation. Tom has authored over 30 publications on legal topics, has lectured widely in his areas of legal expertise, and has served as moderator for numerous panels on legal and business topics in Silicon Valley.
Follow Tom Klein:
About Persistent Systems, Santa Clara University School of Law: Persistent Systems offers software product concept and design, performance engineering, quality assurance, and other professional services.
Piotr Gajos
Vice President of Brand Expression & Design of Persistent Systems
Piotr Gajos is the Vice President of Brand Expression and Design at Persistent Systems.
Follow Piotr Gajos:
About Persistent Systems: Persistent Systems offers software product concept and design, performance engineering, quality assurance, and other professional services.
Elyssa Greenfield
VP of Operations of Swag.com
Follow Elyssa Greenfield:
About Swag.com: Swag.com helps companies create quality promotional products that people will actually want to keep.
John Giunta
VP, Marketing of Swag.com
Follow John Giunta:
About Swag.com: Swag.com helps companies create quality promotional products that people will actually want to keep.
Brittany Rolfe
VP, Customer Engagement and Advocacy of WalkMe
Follow Brittany Rolfe:
About WalkMe: WalkMe provides a digital adoption platform to let organizations measure, drive, and act to maximize their digital transformation.
Scott McKie
Vice President – US Sales of Dyson
Follow Scott McKie:
About Dyson: Dyson is a global technology company that designs iconic reinventions that work, perform and look very different.
Olga Kavunenko
VP of Solutions of AgileEngine
Olga Kavunenko is heading the overall solution implementation and manages the customer relationships. She brings in more than 10 years of experience in software projects development, IT services and business development.
Follow Olga Kavunenko:
About AgileEngine: The provider of solutions and services for the full cycle of software product development.
Shane Pittson
VP of Growth of quip
Follow Shane Pittson:
About quip: quip designs and delivers oral care products, advice, and services.
Dominic Pajak
VP Business Development of Arduino
Dominic is passionate about making IoT technology accessible to developers everywhere. Previously at ARM, he started as an engineer and later took the Cortex-M0 from concept to launch – a processor that has shipped in the billions alongside sensors and low-power radios in thousands of end applications. Dominic holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Leeds, England.
Follow Dominic Pajak:
About Arduino: Arduino is an open-source electronic prototyping platform allowing users to create interactive electronic objects.
Luis DaSilva
Founder, Vice President of Research & Development of CompoSecure
Luis DaSilva is the Vice President of Research & Development (R&D) at CompoSecure and was one of the original founders of the company. Luis is responsible for new product development with a focus on card composition and process parameters. He is a minority owner of CompoSecure and began working for the Herslow Family at Sillcocks Plastics thirty years ago when he arrived here in the United States from Portugal at the age of eighteen. Since the inception of CompoSecure, Luis has held a variety of operational positions including Plant Manager, R&D Technician, Machine Designer, and Process Development Engineer. Luis has been the key developer in many of the groundbreaking award winning products that CompoSecure has commercialized over the years. In 2012 Luis became the Vice President of R&D to focus his time on developing the next generation of innovation at CompoSecure.
Follow Luis DaSilva:
About CompoSecure: CompoSecure is designing and manufacturing of premium metal financial cards.
Mark Barrett
Group Vice President – Driveshafts of American Axle & Manufacturing
Mark S. Barrett joined AAM on March 1, 1994 as a Staff Project Engineer. Since then, he has served in various engineering positions with increasing responsibility including Director, Mid Size Axle Programs; Executive Director, Released & Domestic Programs; Executive Director, Powertrain, Driveshaft & Halfshaft Engineering; Executive Director, Axle & Drivetrain; Executive Director, Engineering & Global Prototype; Vice President, Engineering & Product Development; Group Vice President, Engineering, Product Development & Procurement; Group Vice President, Engineering and Procurement; Group Vice President, Procurement & Program Management, Group Vice President, Procurement, Program Management & Driveshaft Business Unit and Group Vice President, Program Management, Material Cost Optimization, Procurement & Driveshaft Business Unit. Barrett assumed his current position of Group Vice President, Driveshafts in May 2015. Barrett began his automotive career as a co-op student in 1984 for General Motors. Prior to joining AAM in 1994, he served in various Manufacturing and Engineering positions with GM. He served as Project Engineer for GM’s full size truck axles and passenger car axles, as well as Senior Liaison Engineer – Axles at GM’s Technical Center and Staff Project Engineer – Driveshafts. Barrett received a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University.
Follow Mark Barrett:
About American Axle & Manufacturing: AAM was founded in 1994, with manufacturing expertise rooted in more than 90 years of experience.
Allan Monich
Vice President – Global Quality, Warranty & AAM Operating Systems of American Axle & Manufacturing
Allan R. Monich began his career in the automotive industry in 1971 as a co-op engineering student at the General Motors (GM) facility in Bristol, Connecticut, while he was a student at General Motors Institute (GMI). He held various positions in manufacturing, engineering, quality assurance and sales at General Motors (GM) facilities in Connecticut, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. In 1989, Monich was appointed Plant Manager at GM’s Tonawanda Forge plant. In 1991, Monich was appointed Plant Manager of GM’s Buffalo Gear & Axle plant. He served as Plant Manager of both Tonawanda Forge and Buffalo Gear & Axle in 1993 prior to the formation of AAM. In March 1994, AAM named Monich Plant Manager, Buffalo Gear, Axle & Linkage. He was named Vice President, Human Resources in November 1997 and Vice President, Manufacturing, Forging Division in 2001. Prior to being appointed to his current position in 2010, Monich served as Vice President, Program Management & Launch; Vice President Program Management & Capital Planning; and Vice President, Quality Assurance & Customer Satisfaction. Monich holds a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute (GMI).
Follow Allan Monich:
About American Axle & Manufacturing: AAM was founded in 1994, with manufacturing expertise rooted in more than 90 years of experience.
Thomas Szymanski
Vice President – Driveline Manufacturing Services of American Axle & Manufacturing
Thomas J. Szymanski joined AAM in 1994 as an Area Manager, Axle Assembly at Buffalo Gear and Axle. Since then, he has served in various engineering management positions with increasing responsibility including Manufacturing and Plant Manager at Tonawanda Forge; Plant Manager, Three-Rivers; Director, Corporate Manufacturing Engineering; President & Chief Operating Officer, Colfor; Director, Cost Estimating & Advanced Manufacturing Engineering; Executive Director, Corporate Manufacturing Services Unibody Vehicles, Executive Director, Manufacturing Planning, Vice President, AAM Manufacturing Systems, Vice President, Operations-AAM Americas, Vice President, Operations- AAM North America. Prior to his current position, Szymanski served as President, AAM North America (Vice President, AAM Corporate). Szymanski began his automotive manufacturing career at General Motors as a Manufacturing Supervisor and General Supervisor of Die Manufacturing and Superintendent of Production. Szymanski received a bachelor of science degree in manufacturing engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a master of science degree in engineering management from General Motors Institute (GMI).
Follow Thomas Szymanski:
About American Axle & Manufacturing: AAM was founded in 1994, with manufacturing expertise rooted in more than 90 years of experience.
John Sofia
VP Program Managment & Launch of American Axle & Manufacturing
John S. Sofia joined AAM in March 1994 as an Area Manager at Detroit Gear & Axle. He has served as Manufacturing Manager at Detroit Gear & Axle; Manager of the Current Production & Process Engineering Group; Director, Manufacturing Engineering; Plant Manager, Detroit Forge; Director, Advanced Quality Planning; Vice President, Quality Assurance & Customer Satisfaction; Vice President, Engineering & Product Development; Chief Technology Officer; Vice President, Commercial Vehicle Business and Vice President, Program Management & Launch. Prior to assuming his current position, Sofia served as Vice President, Global Program Management & AAM Manufacturing Systems. Sofia began his automotive career at the former Chrysler Corporation in 1984 as a college-student-in-training in the Stamping, Assembly & Diversified Operations Group. He progressed through a series of manufacturing/engineering positions including Production Supervisor, Product/Quality/Process Engineer and Engineering Design Team Leader. Sofia holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering technology from Purdue University. He holds a master of business administration degree from the University of Detroit.
Follow John Sofia:
About American Axle & Manufacturing: AAM was founded in 1994, with manufacturing expertise rooted in more than 90 years of experience.
Norman Willemse
Vice President of American Axle & Manufacturing
Norman Willemse joined AAM in 2001 as Managing Director of AAM’s UK subsidiary Albion Automotive. In that capacity, Willemse was directly responsible for all plant operations. He was named Managing Director, European Operations & Albion Automotive in 2003 with responsibility for all of AAM’s European operations. Willemse served as General Manager, Metal Formed Products Division prior to being named Vice President – Metal Formed Products on December 1, 2007. Willemse began his automotive career in 1976 at John Deere. He served in various engineering positions of increasing responsibility during his 17 years at the company. His positions included Industrial Engineering & Methods Engineering, Tool & Machine Design, and Manager of Manufacturing & Plant Engineering. Prior to joining AAM, Willemse worked at Automotive Manufacturing Investments (AMI) & AS Transmissions & Steering (ASTAS) where he served as Director of Engineering and Group Manager Projects & Engineering. Willemse is a Professional Certified Mechanical Engineer.
Follow Norman Willemse:
About American Axle & Manufacturing, John Deere: AAM was founded in 1994, with manufacturing expertise rooted in more than 90 years of experience.
Christopher May
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of American Axle & Manufacturing
Christopher J. (Chris) May joined AAM in 1994 as a Financial Analyst at AAM’s World Headquarters. Since then, May has served in various financial positions with increasing responsibility including: Manager Financial Reporting; Finance Manager Three Rivers Manufacturing Facility; Divisional Finance Manager Metal Formed Products; Director Internal Audit; and Assistant Treasurer. Prior to his current position, May served as Treasurer. His experience includes various positions within AAM’s financial reporting, internal audit and operations finance departments. Over the last several years, he has led the company’s efforts to refinance our capital structure while building strong financial processes within the organization. Before joining AAM, May served as a Senior Accountant for Ernst & Young. May holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from University of Detroit – Mercy, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Canisius College. Mr. May also holds a CPA designation.
Follow Christopher May:
About American Axle & Manufacturing, American Axle & Manufacturing, Detroit Institute of Arts: AAM was founded in 1994, with manufacturing expertise rooted in more than 90 years of experience.
Michael Lynch
Vice President – Driveline Business Performance & Cost Management of American Axle & Manufacturing
Michael J. Lynch joined American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) in 1996 as a Financial Analyst at the Detroit Manufacturing Facility. Since then, he has served in various financial positions with increasing responsibility including Supervisor, Cost Estimating; Finance Manager, Albion Automotive; Finance Manager, Forging Division; Finance Manager, Detroit Manufacturing Facility; Director, Driveline Finance; Director, Commercial Analysis; Controller and Vice President, Finance & Controller. Lynch assumed his current position of Vice President, Driveline Business Performance & Cost Management in May 2015. Lynch began his automotive career with Concord Design. Lynch received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Walsh College. He also has earned a Master of Science in Finance and a master’s in Accounting from Walsh College. In addition, he has received training in Mergers and Acquisitions from the University of Chicago.
Follow Michael Lynch:
About American Axle & Manufacturing: AAM was founded in 1994, with manufacturing expertise rooted in more than 90 years of experience.
Terri Kemp
Vice President – Human Resources of American Axle & Manufacturing
Terri M. Kemp joined AAM in 1996 as a Productivity Manager, Detroit Gear & Axle – Plant 3. Since then, she has served in various manufacturing management positions with increasing responsibility including: Production Coordinator, Detroit Gear & Axle – Plant 3; GMT800 Launch Manager; IE Manager, Detroit Gear & Axle; Area Manager, Detroit Gear & Axle – Plant 8; Manager, Program Management; Area Manager, Detroit Gear & Axle – Plant 6; Personnel Director, Detroit Gear & Axle; Area Manager, Detroit Gear & Axle, Plant 1; Operations Manager; Director, Program Management – Driveline; Director, Human Resources; and Director, Human Resources Operations; Executive Director, Human Resources Operations. Prior to assuming her current position, Kemp served as Executive Director, Human Resources & Labor Relations. Kemp began her manufacturing career at Corning Incorporated as a Shift Supervisor. She progressed through a series of manufacturing positions with increasing responsibility including: Industrial Engineer, Department Head and Operations Manager. Kemp holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Follow Terri Kemp:
About American Axle & Manufacturing: AAM was founded in 1994, with manufacturing expertise rooted in more than 90 years of experience.
Timothy Bowes
Senior Vice President – Strategic & Business Development of American Axle & Manufacturing
Timothy E. Bowes joined AAM on December 7, 2015 as Senior Vice President – Corporate Planning and was named to his current role in April 2016. In this role, Mr. Bowes will support AAM’s business development initiatives. Bowes joins AAM having previously served as the CEO & President of Transtar Corporation, a privately owned company involved in the distribution & remanufacturing of drivetrain components in the automotive aftermarket, as well as manufacturing and distribution to the PB&E market. He held the position from 2013 to 2015. In this role, he was responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the company. Prior to assuming this position, Bowes was Executive Officer & President of Commercial Truck at Meritor Inc. where he was responsible for all OE activities in North America, South America and Europe. Prior to joining Meritor in 2005, he held various leadership positions during his 25-year automotive and industrial career managing business operations, strategic opportunities and sales & marketing for multiple organizations. In addition, to Transtar and Meritor, Bowes career also includes time spent at Hilite International, Wescast Industries, Intermet Corporation and ITT Automotive. Bowes holds a bachelor of science degree in Industrial Management from Lawrence Technological University and a master’s degree in business administration in International Business from Wayne State University.
Follow Timothy Bowes:
About American Axle & Manufacturing: AAM was founded in 1994, with manufacturing expertise rooted in more than 90 years of experience.
Matt Light
Vice President, Strategy & Corporate Development of Planisware
Follow Matt Light:
About Planisware: Project Portfolio Management Software
David Wagner
Executive Vice President, Global Strategy & Growth Platforms of VF
David Wagner is Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Growth Platforms at VF Corporation. He has more than 15 years of experience in a variety of strategy positions. In his current role, David is responsible for leading VF’s Strategy, Consumer Insights and Innovation functions. He and his team work closely with VF’s business unit leaders and Senior Leadership Team to activate new consumer and market insights, to articulate and drive progress against VF’s strategy, and to support VF brand revenue growth across multiple innovation platforms. Prior to this role, David served as Vice President, Corporate Strategy from 2017 to 2018 and as Vice President, Strategy and Integrated Planning from 2013 to 2017. From 2010 to 2014, he was Vice President of Strategy for VF International in the company’s Lugano, Switzerland office. In Europe, he established the strategy and insights functions for VF EMEA and supported the development of VF’s Asia strategy capability. David has been with the company since 2006 in a variety of strategy positions with increasing responsibilities. Prior to joining VF, David worked in private equity for Banc of America Capital Investors and as a consultant for McKinsey and Co. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with Highest Distinction, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.
Follow David Wagner:
About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Laura Meagher
Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of VF
Laura Meagher is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at VF Corporation. She has been practicing corporate law for more than 20 years. Currently, Laura is responsible for VF’s Legal function, including compliance with securities laws, mergers and acquisitions, general corporate law and corporate governance, and intellectual property law and litigation. She joined VF in 2004 as Assistant General Counsel. Prior to being named to her current position in May 2012, she served as VF’s Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, where she provided expertise on securities laws, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters, as well as providing legal oversight for VF’s Outdoor and Action Sports and Contemporary Brands coalitions. Laura also served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Allen Telecom Inc. She began her career at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan and Aronoff in Cleveland, Ohio, where she served as an attorney specializing in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions and commercial lending. Laura received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. She earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Case Western Reserve University, where she graduated magna cum laude. Laura was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1989 and the North Carolina Bar in 2005.
Follow Laura Meagher:
About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Lincoln Cheng
Vice President, Corporate FP&A of VF
Follow Lincoln Cheng:
About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Martino Scabbia Guerrini
Executive Vice President and Group President of VF
Martino Scabbia Guerrini is Executive Vice President and Group President of VF Corporation, Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA). He has nearly 30 years of experience in the lifestyle apparel and fashion industries. In his current role, he is responsible for all of VF’s businesses in the region including: The North Face® and Vans®, and for Timberland®, Napapijri®, Kipling®, Eastpak® and icebreaker® at a global level. His VF career began in 2006 when he joined the company as President of the Sportswear coalition in EMEA, overseeing the Napapijri, Kiplingand Nautica®brands. Over time he expanded the scope of his responsibilities, adding oversight of the Eastpak brand in 2008, 7 for All Mankind in 2009, and the Lee and Wrangler brands in 2013. He also was responsible for the VF’s Sportswear, Jeanswear and Contemporary brands in the EMEA region until April 2017 when he was appointed President, VF Corporation, EMEA. Prior to VF, Martino was Board Advisor at Opera SA Equity Fund, and for many years he held several executive-level roles at Tod’s Group and Stone Island. He began his career at Virgin Group. Committed to mentoring and teaching younger generations, for the last 10 years he has given lectures in the postgraduate programs at Domus Academy Milan (Fashion), Polytechnic University of Milan (Industrial Design) and Luiss University of Rome (Economics). Martino holds a master’s degree in Economics and Political Science from the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.
Follow Martino Scabbia Guerrini:
About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Velia Carboni
Executive Vice President, Chief Digital and Technology Officer of VF
Velia Carboni is Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer at VF Corporation. She has more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles. Currently, Velia is responsible for the integration of world-class digital capabilities across all aspects of the company’s business, including VF, its brands and functions globally. In addition, she leads the company’s digital strategies to create meaningful connections and experiences for consumers and drive growth across all consumer touch points. Velia also oversees VF’s Analytics function. Velia joined VF in early 2018, following a 24-year career at Fidelity Investments where she held a series of leadership roles. Velia most recently served as Senior Vice President, Mobile and Emerging Platforms for the company’s Personal Investing/Retail Division, where she oversaw the strategy and development of mobile apps for smartphones, tablets, wearables and emerging platforms, among others, and helped lead the company’s Mobile First digital experience. With a keen focus on innovation, Velia helped identify and address new digital trends by creating scalable, customer-centric experiences and capabilities for new platforms. Previously Velia was Vice President, Mobile at Fidelity where she led all facets of mobile product development and expanded the company’s mobile program offerings, including building a mobile program for the company’s retail division. From 1993 to 2006, she also held positions in product management, finance and business analysis during her tenure with Fidelity. She began her career with Bull HN Information Systems, Inc., in 1992. Velia has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Boston University.
Follow Velia Carboni:
About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Anita Graham
Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer and Public Affairs of VF
Anita Graham is Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer of VF Corporation. She joined VF in January 2014 and is responsible for leading all aspects of human resources across the corporation globally, including developing integrated programs to support the company’s strategy, business plans and objectives. Previously, Ms. Graham served as Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources and Administration Officer at ADT Corporation, where she led the HR, EHS and Corporate Communications functions. Prior to that, Ms. Graham was Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer at Shire plc, an industry leader among worldwide specialty biopharmaceutical companies. Ms. Graham holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University and a master’s degree in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University.
Follow Anita Graham:
About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Tom Glaser
Vice President, VF Corporation and President – Supply Chain of VF
Thomas (Tom) Glaser is Vice President, VF Corporation and President – Supply Chain. His responsibilities include the oversight of all of VF’s global manufacturing and sourcing operations. Glaser joined VF in 2001 as Managing Director, VF Asia Ltd Sourcing in Hong Kong, where he played a key role in further diversifying and expanding VF’s global sourcing network in support of the company’s growing portfolio of brands. In 2006, Glaser was named President, Supply Chain, Europe/Asia and relocated to Lugano, Switzerland. In 2010, he was promoted to Vice President, Global Operations, a role that he held until being appointed to his current position in January 2012.
Follow Tom Glaser:
About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Curt Holtz
Executive Vice President & Group President of VF
Curt Holtz is Executive Vice President and Group President, Workwear at VF Corporation. He has more than 30 years of apparel industry experience spanning finance, operations, manufacturing and sourcing, product development, and brand management. Currently, Curt leads all of VF’s Workwear brands worldwide, including: Bulwark®, Dickies®, Horace Small®, Kodiak®, Red Kap®, Terra®, Walls® and Workrite®, and the Work Authority business. Prior to his current role, Curt was Group President, Americas East, responsible for VF’s Jeanswear and Workwear brands residing primarily in the Eastern portion of the Americas Regional Platform. He also led the ongoing development and management of capabilities that enabled the success of all VF brands operating in the region. Prior to this appointment, Curt was President, Workwear, Jeans and Sportswear Brands, and previously served as President of VF’s Image Apparel business and its Licensed Sports Group (LSG) brands. VF divested its LSG business in early 2017. He joined VF in 1990 with the Lee brand. Curt then moved to VF’s Intimates business in 1993 where he held a series of leadership positions, eventually becoming President of VF’s Global Intimates business in 2005. He led the organization through a period of transformational change, including its 2007 divestiture by VF to Fruit of the Loom, a division of Berkshire Hathaway. Curt rejoined VF in 2010 and quickly moved on to serve as Chief Financial Officer of VF’s International business. Curt has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Follow Curt Holtz:
About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Craig Hodges
Executive Vice President of VF
Steve Murray is Executive Vice President, Strategic Projects at VF Corporation. He has more than 30 years of experience in the apparel and footwear industry. In his current role, Steve partners with VF’s Senior Leadership Team and Brand Presidents to drive and deliver integrated strategic projects across brands, functions and the enterprise. Prior to his current role, Steve served as President of the Vans® brand following VF’s acquisition of the brand in 2004, during which time many of the Vans foundational strategies were established and annual revenue for the brand tripled to approximately $1 billion. In 2009, Steve was appointed President of VF’s Action Sports coalition, where he was responsible for overseeing the Vans , Reef and Pro-Tec brands . A British citizen, Steve left VF in 2010, moving back to his native UK, before re-joining the company in April 2018. He has held several leadership roles with iconic youth brands. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Airwair International (Dr. Martens) and was responsible for leading the company’s transformation from a manufacturing-led, family owned entity to a consumer-focused, private equity-backed, global retailer. He also served as Global Brand President, Urban Outfitters and EMEA President for Deckers Brands. Earlier in his career, Steve was the Global Head of Apparel for Reebok International. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Studies from Middlesex University.
Follow Craig Hodges:
About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Cameron Bailey
Executive Vice President of VF
Cameron Bailey is Executive Vice President, Global Supply Chain at VF Corporation. He has more than 25 years of manufacturing and operations management experience. Currently, he is responsible for the oversight of all aspects of VF’s global supply chain, including manufacturing, sourcing and operations, as well as leadership of the 23,000 associates working across VF’s supply chain worldwide. Prior to his current role, Cameron served as VF’s Vice President, Supply Chain – Global Product Supply, with responsibility for the direct and indirect procurement of all materials and the manufacturing of all products for VF’s diverse portfolio of brands. Cameron began his VF career in 1989. Over the following 20 years, he held multiple manufacturing and operations management roles within VF’s Intimates Apparel business. He continued with the Intimates Apparel business through its divestiture by VF to Fruit of the Loom, a division of Berkshire Hathaway, holding a series of supply chain leadership roles with increasing responsibility, including serving as Senior Vice President of Product Development and Sourcing. Cameron returned to VF in 2016 and has since played a vital role in the company’s global supply chain organization. Cameron has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of West Florida.
Follow Cameron Bailey:
About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
David Mroczka
Executive Vice President, Executive Officer of ClipFix
David Mroczka- Vice President 28 years of experience in product and service development and business management. Over 25 US patents and applications for products in electronics, automotive, aerospace, military, consumer goods, software, materials, consumer products, and search and rescue. Degrees earned: BS Mechanical Engineering, MS Business/IP Law, MBA Marketing from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute & University of Hartford.
Follow David Mroczka:
About ClipFix: ClipFix was founded by Michael Strahl and David Mroczka to sell a revolutionary product that fixes broken computer network wires.
Jason Byrne
VP of Software Development of FloSports
Jason Byrne is VP of Software Development at FloSports. He was Founder/CEO at MileSplit, Inc.
Follow Jason Byrne:
About FloSports: FloSports is a media and events company that provides live streaming of premier events, original video programming, and weekly studio shows.
Tina Chang
SVP Corporate Services of Nexgrill Industries
Tina Chang has been serving as SVP Corporate Services of Nexgrill Industries since March 1993.
Follow Tina Chang:
About Nexgrill Industries: Nexgrill Industries manufactures and supplies stainless outdoor cooking products.
Alan Johnson
Vice President of Engineering of Abstract
Alan Johnson is the Co – Founder at Treehouse .
Follow Alan Johnson:
About Abstract: Abstract is the design workflow management system that empowers design teams and stakeholders to seamlessly manage, version and collaborate.
Matt Colyer
VP of Product & Design of Abstract
Follow Matt Colyer:
About Abstract: Abstract is the design workflow management system that empowers design teams and stakeholders to seamlessly manage, version and collaborate.
Chad Darbyshire
EVP of Marketing & Communications of Chaotic Moon Studios
Follow Chad Darbyshire:
About Chaotic Moon Studios: We transform business for the world’s biggest brands by designing, developing and delivering digital experiences of consequence.
Ivan Cook
EVP of Design of Chaotic Moon Studios
Follow Ivan Cook:
About Chaotic Moon Studios: We transform business for the world’s biggest brands by designing, developing and delivering digital experiences of consequence.
Michael Hall
VP of Client Services of Chaotic Moon Studios
Follow Michael Hall:
About Chaotic Moon Studios: We transform business for the world’s biggest brands by designing, developing and delivering digital experiences of consequence.
Justin Kershaw
Corporate Vice President and CIO of Cargill
Justin joined Cargill in 2012. He has held several roles within Cargill; Food Ingredient Systems (FIS) platform Information Technology leader and Business Partner, Technology Service Operations, VP of Global IT services including Cargill’s Applications and SAP program in 2014. In 2015 he was appointed Corporate Vice President and CIO. Justin leads the Global IT function, which is responsible for all aspects of information technology, common processes, data, information and technology across Cargill business units and functions. He is an executive leader on the Process, Data and Technology committee, Business Ethics and Compliance committee, and Office of Data and Digitization across Cargill. Prior to joining Cargill, Justin worked at Eaton since 2006 as VP of IT for the Fluid Power Group and most recently as the SVP / CIO of Eaton’s Industrial Sector since 2009. Prior to Eaton, Justin worked for W. L. Gore and Associates, Inc. (the makers of Gore-Tex) for 10 years in various roles including CIO. Prior to Gore, he worked for F. Schumacher as Director of IT and spent 9 years at General Electric’s Military and Data System’s Division. He serves on the Board of Atkore International.(ATKR: NYSE) Justin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Follow Justin Kershaw:
About Cargill: Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services.
Ruth Kimmelshue
Corporate Senior Vice President, Business Operations and Supply Chain of Cargill
Ruth Kimmelshue leads Cargill’s Business Operations & Supply Chain, an organization in Cargill including strategic sourcing and procurement; plant operations; transportation and logistics; environment, health and safety; food safety, quality and regulatory; and research and development. This team is responsible for delivering efficient and effective supply chain capabilities and functional expertise to the corporation and its businesses. She began her career in 1986 at Continental Grain. She held roles in grain and oilseed merchandising and trading, facility and general management, economic analysis, and marketing and sales in the U.S. and Europe. Cargill acquired Continental Grain in 1999. Kimmelshue earned a B.A. in international relations and an M.A. in agricultural economics from Stanford University.
Follow Ruth Kimmelshue:
About Cargill: Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services.
Keith Narr
Chief Technology Officer & Vice President of Cargill
Keith is responsible for leading Enterprise Architecture, the Cloud team, the Enterprise Data Platform team, the Immersive Learning Center (ILC) and the Apollo team. He is also filling an interim role as the Data and Business Intelligence (D&BI) Lead. Prior to joining Cargill in May of 2016, Keith spent 20 years at the North American retailer Target. During that 20 year tenure Keith held positions as a Software Developer, Database Administrator, Server Administrator, Information Security Consultant, Directory Services Manager, Lead Data Architect and Principal Architect for Data and Cloud.
Follow Keith Narr:
About Cargill: Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services.
Debra Bauler
VP of IT, CIO Cargill Protein, Salt and Animal Nutrition & Health of Cargill
Debra is the IT Leader for Cargill’s Protein and Salt (CPS) Enterprise. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of information technology for Cargill’s Salt, Poultry and Protein businesses. She is also a member of Global CIO Senior Executive Team and reporting to Cargill’s Corporate CIO. Prior to this role, Debra has held a number of roles leading IT teams across our Cargill Business Units, including Commodity Trading Business and Food Processing Businesses. Her leadership responsibilities have spanned global transformations, business intelligence teams, application teams and infrastructure teams. Debra brings a mixture of business accumen, technology expertise and innovation to her leadership approach. Debra was born and raised in rural Minnesota. She currently lives in Chanhassen, MN with her husband and two children (ages 12 and 14) who help keep her very active when not at work.
Follow Debra Bauler:
About Cargill: Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services.
Jeffrey H. Vanneste
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Lear Corporation
Jeffrey H. Vanneste is senior vice president, chief financial officer and a member of the Company’s Executive Council. He is responsible for Lear’s global financial strategy and financial activities, including Accounting, Financial Transactions and Controls, Financial Reporting, Corporate Business Planning & Analysis, Treasury and Tax matters worldwide. Prior to joining Lear, Mr. Vanneste served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for International Automotive Components Group (IAC). Jeff joined IAC in March 2007 as chief financial officer for IAC North America. In January 2011, he was elevated to EVP and CFO of IAC’s global operations. Prior to joining IAC, Mr. Vanneste was with Lear Corporation in positions of increasing responsibility over 15 plus years including: vice president of Finance, European Operations, vice president of Corporate Business Planning and Analysis, vice president of Finance, Seating and vice president of Finance for the Ford and GM Divisions. Vanneste joined Lear in October 1991 as controller of the Detroit plant. Before joining Lear, he was assistant controller for Champagne-Webber, Inc. in Fraser, Mich. and prior to that was an audit senior at Cooper & Lybrand in Detroit, Mich.
Follow Jeffrey H. Vanneste:
About Lear Corporation: The Lear Corporation is a Fortune 500 company with world-class products designed,
Mike Page
VP, Quality, Regulatory & Compliance of Kimberly-Clark
Mike Page is Vice President of Quality, Regulatory and Compliance with Kimberly-Clark. Mike has more than 27 years of leadership, quality, regulatory and product safety experience with Kraft Foods, Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, The Starbucks Coffee Company and Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Prior to joining Kimberly-Clark, he was Vice President, Global Quality & Regulatory for The Starbucks Coffee Company, the world’s largest coffee procurer and retailer. Over the course of his career, Mike has successfully led teams through transformational change to deliver against challenging objectives. Mike is active in the community and, in his spare time, he gives back through chairing a United Way advisory board and serving in leadership roles with several other nonprofit organizations. Mike has earned a B.S. in Biology and Food Science from Virginia Tech and an M.S. in Food Science from Virginia Tech.
Follow Mike Page:
About Kimberly-Clark: Kimberly-Clark ranked among the top 10 World’s Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Places to Work Institute for the third year in a row.
Robert Davis
Senior Vice President For Special Assignments of Mazda Motor
Robert T. Davis is senior vice president special assignments for Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). In his current role, Davis oversees the company’s recall operations, including Takata-related activities; liaison with regulatory agencies such as the U.S. EPA and California Air Resources Board; and cybersecurity issues related to in-car connectivity. Prior to this appointment, Davis most recently served as senior vice president U.S. Operations, responsible for all operational activities including sales, marketing and dealer operations in the United States. In his nearly 30 years with MNAO, Davis has held various key management positions in sales, marketing and dealer development. As well as managing the company’s Southeast regional office, he opened Mazda’s Midwest regional office, when the company purchased the last of the private distributorships operating in North America, to create a national sales company. Additionally, Davis has held the positions of senior vice president, marketing and product development; and vice president, product strategy and development. Under Davis’ direction, Mazda became—and still is – a leader in North American motorsports, participating in the sport at all levels from karting to the highest levels of sportscar racing. He also oversaw the creation of the MAZDASPEED Driver Development Ladder, which was the first time a manufacturer had ever charted and supported young drivers as they climb the ladder from amateur to professional road-racing. Prior to joining Mazda, Davis worked for Chrysler Motor Corporation in Atlanta, Ga., as district sales manager for the Atlanta zone. Davis earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Clemson University and his MBA from Georgia State University. He lives in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. with his wife.
Follow Robert Davis:
About Mazda Motor: Mazda Motor Corporation has built outstanding vehicles and a strong motorsports heritage marked by breaking records.
Daryl Bowden
Senior Vice President Of Technology of Fox Networks Group
Daryl Bowden is Senior Vice President of Technology at FOX, overseeing the consumer data, marketing technology and digital video teams. Since joining FOX, Daryl has held leadership positions at FX, FOX Digital Consumer Group and now FOX Consumer Product and Engineering. At FX, Daryl led the engineering efforts for the launches of both FXNOW and Simpson’s World. In joining the DCG technology team, Daryl and his teams led the rollout of national live streaming for all FOX affiliates as well as the first unified FOX profile system. More recently, Daryl has led the strategy and engineering of the consumer data platform for FOX, ensuring that our data science, marketing, product and sales teams have a solid data platform to drive their business forward on. Prior to joining FOX, Daryl led the Los Angeles engineering team for the agency HUGE working on projects such as HBO GO, FX Networks, FOX, Ikea, ABC and more.
Follow Daryl Bowden:
About Fox Networks Group: Fox Networks Group owns and operates television broadcasting stations.
John Garbarino
EVP Business Development of Five
Follow John Garbarino:
About Five, WhoWeUse: Five is a development firm that offers product design, development, growth marketing, mobile apps, and software services.
Carrie Brodmerkel
Vice President Exploratory Biology and Scientific Strategy Janssen Biotherapeutics of Janssen Belgium
Follow Carrie Brodmerkel:
About Janssen Belgium: Janssen Belgium is a pharmaceutical company providing medicines for an array of health concerns in several therapeutic areas.
Christoph Inauen
Vice President Strategy MindSphere of Siemens Digital Industries Software
Christoph joined Siemens in 2017 from SAP, where he had an accomplished 5-year career. His roles at SAP included Vice President – IoT Strategic Partnerships and Vice President – Product Management for the SAP IoT Cloud Platform Services Suite. He started his career at SAP in 2012 as the Vice President, IoT Global Business Incubation. Previously, he had an international career with Nokia Networks for 14 years, working in Switzerland, the UK and the USA. Positions included Head of Network Solutions North America, as well as leadership positions in Product and System Marketing, and Network Architecture Design. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Product Manager for communication systems and system controllers in the machine industry and as an IT and Telecom engineer. Throughout his international career of 25 years, he has leveraged his passion for defining solutions and partnerships that address industry challenges and deliver a measurable business impact. Christoph lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with his wife, where they have raised two daughters. In his free time, you will see him riding his motorcycle in beautiful Texas, or skiing in the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico.
Follow Christoph Inauen:
About Siemens Digital Industries Software: Siemens Digital Industries is a world-leading provider of product lifecycle management and manufacturing operations management software.
Sunil Karkera
VP and Global Managing Director of Designit
Follow Sunil Karkera:
About Designit: Designit makes product-service experiences, making business transformation happen.
David DeSonier
Senior Vice President – Strategy & Investor Relations of Leggett & Platt
Dave DeSonier joined the Company as Vice President – Investor Relations in 2000. He served as Vice President – Investor Relations and Assistant Treasurer from 2002 to 2007, was appointed Vice President – Strategy and Investor Relations in 2007, and was named Senior Vice President in 2011. Prior to his employment with Leggett & Platt, Dave worked for Atlantic Richfield (a major integrated oil company) from 1980 to 2000 in strategic planning, investor relations, financial management and analysis, and technical positions.
Follow David DeSonier:
About Leggett & Platt: Leggett & Plat, which pioneered sleep technology when it introduced its bedspring more than 125 years ago.
Dennis Park
Senior Vice President, President – Commercial Products Segment of Leggett & Platt
Dennis Park was elected President of the Commercial Fixturing & Components Segment in 2006. He joined the Company in 1977, and after several years in sales and marketing positions, he served as President of the Home Furniture and Consumer Products areas of the business from 1994-2006. He was elected a Vice President of the Company in 1996.
Follow Dennis Park:
About Leggett & Platt: Leggett & Plat, which pioneered sleep technology when it introduced its bedspring more than 125 years ago.
Perry Davis
Senior Vice President, President – Residential Furnishings Segment of Leggett & Platt
Perry Davis has served the Company in various capacities since 1981. He became a Vice President of the Company in 2005, and President of the Bedding Group in 2006. In 2012 he was named a Senior Vice President of the Company, and President of the Residential Furnishings Segment.
Follow Perry Davis:
About Leggett & Platt: Leggett & Plat, which pioneered sleep technology when it introduced its bedspring more than 125 years ago.
John Moore
Senior Vice President – Chief Legal & Human Resources Officer and Secretary of Leggett & Platt
Follow John Moore:
About Leggett & Platt: Leggett & Plat, which pioneered sleep technology when it introduced its bedspring more than 125 years ago.
Tammy Trent
Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of Leggett & Platt
Since joining the Company in 1998, Tammy Trent served the Company in a series of progressively more responsible accounting capacities and served as Staff Vice President – SEC and Financial Reporting from 2007-2015. She was appointed Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of the Company on May 5, 2015.
Follow Tammy Trent:
About Leggett & Platt: Leggett & Plat, which pioneered sleep technology when it introduced its bedspring more than 125 years ago.
Michael Margolies
Vice President & Creative Services of Leggett & Platt
Michael Margolies has worked in the advertising and marketing industries for nearly 30 years with executive leadership with companies as diverse as macy’s west, FootSmart, The Dept. Of Energy, Cabela’s, Emergency Medical Products, Amazon, and Leggett & Platt. Michael is currently the VP of Creative/Marketing Services for Leggett & Platt, a leading B2B engineering and manufacturing corporation with divisions world wide. Mr. Margolies has consulted with and for many retail, B2B, internet, and manufacturing companies across the globe on subjects such as; digital workflow, DAM, e-commerce, traditional print and catalog production, digital marketing, commercial photography, fashion, color theory, graphic design and advertising management, marketing, executive coaching, marketing related social profiling, and business development.
Follow Michael Margolies:
About Leggett & Platt: Leggett & Plat, which pioneered sleep technology when it introduced its bedspring more than 125 years ago.
Michael Margolies
Vice President & Creative Services of Leggett & Platt
Michael Margolies has worked in the advertising and marketing industries for nearly 30 years with executive leadership with companies as diverse as macy’s west, FootSmart, The Dept. Of Energy, Cabela’s, Emergency Medical Products, Amazon, and Leggett & Platt. Michael is currently the VP of Creative/Marketing Services for Leggett & Platt, a leading B2B engineering and manufacturing corporation with divisions world wide. Mr. Margolies has consulted with and for many retail, B2B, internet, and manufacturing companies across the globe on subjects such as; digital workflow, DAM, e-commerce, traditional print and catalog production, digital marketing, commercial photography, fashion, color theory, graphic design and advertising management, marketing, executive coaching, marketing related social profiling, and business development.
Follow Michael Margolies:
About Leggett & Platt: Leggett & Plat, which pioneered sleep technology when it introduced its bedspring more than 125 years ago.
Dominic Dannessa
Executive Vice President, Chief Operations and Innovation Officer of USG Corporation
Dominic A. Dannessa is Executive Vice President, Chief Operations and Innovation Officer. He also oversees USG’s Corporate Innovation Center in Libertyville, Ill. Dannessa graduated with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Youngstown State University. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His previous assignments include vice president, Global Supply Chain, Information Technology and Corporate Efficiency Initiatives; executive vice president, Manufacturing, Building Systems; senior vice president, Supply Chain Management, Customer Relationship Management and Information Technology; senior vice president, Manufacturing, Ceilings and Supply Chain Management, Building Systems. Dannessa joined United States Gypsum Company in 1978. Dannessa currently serves on the board of directors of USG Boral; USG Zawawi Gypsum LLC; USG Zawawi Wallboard and USG Middle East. He also serves on the board of directors of Gypsum Engineering Company. Dannessa is active in the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. He is also an advisory board member for Catholic Charities of Chicago. Dannessa is a member of the Naval War College Foundation, the United States Merchant Marine Academy Superintendent’s Council and Parent’s Association, and the Rhode Island School of Design Parent’s Association.
Follow Dominic Dannessa:
About USG Corporation: USG is North America’s leading producer of gypsum wallboard, joint compound and a vast array of related products for the construction.
Matthew Hilzinger
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of USG Corporation
Matthew F. Hilzinger is executive vice president and chief financial officer, USG Corporation. Hilzinger received his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1985 from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and received his certification as a certified public accountant in 1987. Prior to joining USG in 2012, Hilzinger’s career spanned more than twenty years of financial and operating experience in a variety of international and domestic operations. His previous positions include senior vice president and chief financial officer with Exelon Corporation; vice president and corporate controller with Exelon; and vice president, controller, assistant treasurer and divisional vice president, logistics finance and planning with Kmart. Hilzinger previously held various financial and operating positions at Handleman Company. He began his career at Arthur Andersen & Co. in Detroit.
Follow Matthew Hilzinger:
About USG Corporation: USG is North America’s leading producer of gypsum wallboard, joint compound and a vast array of related products for the construction.
Mary Martin
Vice President and Associate General Counsel of USG Corporation
Follow Mary Martin:
About USG Corporation: USG is North America’s leading producer of gypsum wallboard, joint compound and a vast array of related products for the construction.
Srinivas Veeramasuneni
VP of the Corporate Innovation Center of USG Corporation
Srinivas Veeramasuneni is vice president, Corporate Innovation Center (CIC), USG Corporation. He leads the CIC organization and the promotion of collaborative research to enhance USG’s competitive position and profitability by continuously developing effective research programs. Veeramasuneni has held various research and management positions at USG since 1998. Most recently he served as senior director at the USG Corporate Innovation Center. Throughout his career, he has been involved in innovation strategy, talent management, change management, technology roadmapping and process improvements. Veeramasuneni received his Ph.D. in metallurgical engineering from the University of Utah.
Follow Srinivas Veeramasuneni:
About USG Corporation: USG is North America’s leading producer of gypsum wallboard, joint compound and a vast array of related products for the construction.
Nicole M. Maddrey
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of Graham Holdings
Nicole Maddrey joined The Washington Post Company in August 2007. Previously, she served as attorney-advisor and later as special counsel at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Corporation Finance. Before joining the staff of the SEC, she was an associate in the law firm of Miles & Stockbridge, PC, in Baltimore, MD. Maddrey received a BA in communications from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law.
Follow Nicole M. Maddrey:
About Graham Holdings: Graham Holdings Company is a diversified education and media company whose operations include educational services.
Ruth Thomson
SVP – Global Consumer Business of Cambridge Consultants
Ruth Thomson leads the Consumer business at Cambridge Consultants. She has more than 10 years’ experience of working with consumer brands, using technology to deliver innovative customer experiences across a range of products and services. Over the last five years she has focused on the sports and fitness market, and the development of novel connected systems that monitor performance/technique to provide actionable information to the consumer. With many of the technical building blocks now available at an accessible cost, it is an exciting time to be working on the next generation of products and services that can support people in their fitness goals. Key to Ruth’s work is bringing together technical teams of the right engineering, scientific and user interface skills with the system architecture to ensure the balance of the requirements of a connected system.
Follow Ruth Thomson:
About Cambridge Consultants: Cambridge Consultants provides product development consultancy services to well-established companies.
Michael Ashbaugh
VP of Operations, Partner of Coplex
Originally from Ohio, I’ve been in Arizona for about 5 years, and have been lucky enough to witness and contribute to the growth of the local startup community. Currently I work with Coplex, a startup studio that helps early-stage startups with product development. I also am an organizer for 1 Million Cups.
Follow Michael Ashbaugh:
About Coplex: Coplex is a Corporate Startup Studio. We turn the art of building businesses into a repeatable science.
Bill Maffucci
Vice President & General Manager of Kopin
Follow Bill Maffucci:
About Kopin: Kopin Corporation’s voice-activated, wireless, hands-free Golden-i mobile computing headsets, power-efficient, ultra-small liquid
Bor-Yeu Tsaur
Executive Vice President of Display Operations of Kopin
Follow Bor-Yeu Tsaur:
About Kopin: Kopin Corporation’s voice-activated, wireless, hands-free Golden-i mobile computing headsets, power-efficient, ultra-small liquid
Dustin Henderlong
Vice President, Digital of Threadless
Leading the 11 person Digital Team at Threadless to build new experiences and optimize older ones, across all the devices!
Follow Dustin Henderlong:
About Threadless: Threadless is a global community-driven design platform featuring designs created by various designers, artists and general consumers.
Tom O’Rourke
Vice President, Retail of David Yurman
Tom is the VP of Retail at David Yurman. He is a results oriented business leader with a proven track record in sales and sales management. Focused on profitability, brand management, process improvement, customer relationships and technology advancement, Tom is a proven leader and strategic planner with a wide range of knowledge and skills ranging from sponsorship negotiations, marketing, training and development, merchandising, operations, financial planning, international expansion and public speaking. He is a widely respected and influential executive who excels in collaboration, motivating, inspiring and leading.
Follow Tom O’Rourke:
About David Yurman: David Yurman Inc. is a privately held American designer jewelry company founded by David and Sybil Yurman and headquartered in NYC.
Stephan Rosner
Vice President, Software and Systems Engineering of Cypress Semiconductor
Stephan Rosner is Board of Director at JEDEC.
Follow Stephan Rosner:
About Cypress Semiconductor: Cypress Semiconductor delivers various high-performance, mixed-signal, and programmable solutions.
