Ashwin Ballal joined Medallia, a market leader in customer experience management in 2016 as its first ever CIO. He is responsible for building best in class IT infrastructure, collaboration services, workplace services, and business systems that globally scale and provide a spectacular employee and digital systems experience. During his tenure at Medallia, Ashwin has been responsible for Customer Experience Management, including several transformational business programs and projects that drive the top line growth and go-to-market strategies. He also envisioned and developed a very unique product solution for CxO’s.

Prior to joining Medallia, Ashwin was Chief Information, Intelligence & Data Officer at KLA-Tencor, a market leading semiconductor capital equipment company globally responsible for driving business value, managing and supporting IT Infrastructure, Business Applications, Productivity and Collaboration tools, Advanced Data Analytics and Enterprise Risk Management. Ashwin was instrumental in several enterprise business transformations at KLA-Tencor, which included business process optimization, outsourcing, cloud migration, mobile solutions, big data analytics, NLP, ML & AI. Prior to serving as CIO, Ashwin was President and Managing Director for KLA-Tencor India. He was responsible for all offshore software development for KLA-Tencor products and all back-office managed and shared services, including Supply Chain, Finance, HR & IT operations. Ashwin’s tenure at KLA-Tencor also included being General Manager for the Macro Inspection product division for KLA-Tencor with full P&L responsibilities. Additionally, Ashwin held various executive and senior level positions at KLA-Tencor in Sales, Marketing, Engineering, and Program and Business Operations Management. He has also held various senior management positions at Electroglas Inc., Keithley Instruments, and Noran Instruments.

Ashwin earned his doctorate and post doctorate degrees in Material Science and Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park and his bachelor\’s degree in Metallurgy from the National Institute of Technology in India.

Ashwin has been the recipient of many leadership awards including the HMG strategy

most Innovative CIO award and CIO 100 Innovation awards. He continues to be a strong

advocate for women and an active mentor, including Womens unlimited. Additionally, Ashwin was a board member of the Children’s Discovery Museum. Ashwin continues to be an investor, business mentor for early startups, and very active in the CIO and VC communities. He is also a charter member of TIE.

Chris Bedi is the CDIO at ServiceNow and is focused on driving enterprise-wide?digital?transformation efforts?to accelerate growth and create scale. In addition, he is an industry thought leader on digital transformation, advanced automation, and practical AI/ML adoption in the enterprise,?and?works closely with many of the world’s leading CIOs to address key industry issues.

Prior to joining ServiceNow,?Chris?served as CIO of JDS?Uniphase,?where he was responsible for IT, workplace services, and indirect procurement. Prior to JDSU,?he?held various executive positions at VeriSign from April 2002 until August 2011, including CIO. Chris began his career at KPMG Consulting where?he?drove global transformations across a diverse set of industries.?He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan. 

Accomplished Executive with experience running complex, technology/business oriented, geographically distributed, and fast moving environments. Brings a strong combination of Applications, technology, Cloud, Business Process, and GTM. Capable of driving significant business results predicated on development of sound strategy and focus on execution. Excellent background in process and continuous improvement.

Specialties:
IAAS, PAAS, SaaS Enterprise transition and lifecycle model
Contracts/SLA, strategy, planning, business operations, portfolio management
Business applications implementation and delivery
Operations and Service Management applications
Help desks at scale both commercial and internal facing
Dev/Ops and tools for software Engineering
Technology architecture and design
Cloud computing architecture and support
Cloud revenue management and customer support models
Collaboration and Voice technology
Off-shore and near-shore support/development strategy
CRM,EDI, eCom, ERP, Enterprise back office
LAN/WAN, Data Centers – Private/Public
Supply Chain enablement
Omni Channel – Digital customer engagement
BOT and AI
Security compliance for infrastructure

Max Chan is a skilled, visionary technology executive serving as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Avnet. With a deep understanding of the latest digital trends and technologies, he leads all aspects of information technology (IT), including cybersecurity, digital strategy and transformations that position Avnet as a digital-first organization.

Chan oversees the resources and capabilities of the global IT team and ensures that the organization maintains a robust and optimized IT environment. He also leads the digital system integration business, which delivers digital services and solutions to internal and external customers.

Chan joined Avnet in 2013 as vice president of IT for Avnet Technology Solutions in Asia Pacific. He led critical system implementations and enhancements, helped build Avnet’s Global Development Centers and drove process improvement initiatives in the region. In 2016, he transferred to the Phoenix corporate headquarters to take on the global application and business relationship management role. Avnet named him CIO in 2019.

Before joining Avnet, Chan held several IT leadership roles, including CIO, Asia, at VF Corporation, and vice president, IT global supply chain, building efficiency, at Johnson Controls.

Chan earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Malayan University, Malaysia, and a Master of Business Administration in strategy from University of Birmingham, U.K.

Asheem Chandna is a Partner at Greylock Partners, where he is focused on helping entrepreneurs create and build the next generation of enterprise companies. His current companies include Aquantia, Avi Networks, Awake Security, Delphix, Innovium, Obsidian Security, Palo Alto Networks (PANW), Rubrik and Skyhigh Networks.

Previous company boards and/or investments include AppDynamics (CSCO), Arista Networks (ANET), Aruba Networks (ARUN), CipherTrust (INTC), Imperva (IMPV), NetBoost (INTC), PortAuthority Technologies (WBSN), Securent (CSCO), Sourcefire (CSCO), Sumo Logic, TechProcess (Ingenico), Xsigo Systems (ORCL), and Zenprise (CTXS).

Asheem joined Greylock in 2003 from Check Point Software (CHKP), where he was vice-president of business development and product management.

Asheem has been listed in the Forbes Midas List for the last six years. Full biography at http://www.linkedin.com/in/chandna and follow on Twitter @chandna.

Dr. Stuart Evans is a Distinguished Service Professor at Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley, where he teaches “Innovation & Entrepreneurship”. He is a board member, educator and author, focusing on dynamic high tech ventures. His professional career spans research (SRI International, Stanford Graduate School of Business,), teaching (The Judge Business School, Cambridge University), consulting (Bain and Company, Menlo Park, California), investing (Sand Hill Venture Group, Menlo Park, California) and executive management (Shugart Corporation, a Xerox subsidiary, Sunnyvale, California). He has published widely on high tech ventures. His latest book Super-Flexibility for Knowledge Enterprises (Springer, 2005, second edition, 2009) is co-authored with Prof. Homa Bahrami from the Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley. The book is based on their collective field research and practical experience in Silicon Valley since 1982. It puts forward a practical toolkit for dynamic adaptation in high tech ecosystems.

Patty Hatter has more than 20 years of experience leading operations and technology organizations at several Fortune 500 companies. Patty is a strategic adviser, working on product and go-to-market strategies for technology startups ranging from cybersecurity to IT service management to blockchain applications. From 2015 to 2017, Patty was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Services for Intel/McAfee, where she spearheaded the transformation of McAfee\’s support for enterprise customers. From 2015 to 2016, she was General Manager of Security and Software IT and Chief Information Officer at Intel Security Group, and from 2010 to 2015, she served as Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief Information Officer at McAfee, Inc. Prior to her employment with McAfee, Patty held executive positions with Cisco and AT&T.

Patty was chosen by the National Diversity Council as a \”Most Powerful and Influential Woman\” in 2015, and was named both \”Women of Influence\” and \”Power Executive\” by Silicon Valley Business Journal in 2016. Patty earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

Patty is a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce\’s Information Security & Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) and a Board member of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation.

Datta Junnarkar is the Chief Information Officer, Autonomous Maritime at Boeing. This division makes Autonomous Unmanned vehicles that are used by environmental, oil and natural gas, scientific and defense customers. Datta has been in his current rold for nearly five years. Datta has more than 23 years of experience with companies from startups to Fortune 50 in different verticals. In his current role, he is responsible for Infrastructure, Business Applications, Cybersecurity, Privacy and Complaince, Digital Transformation including industry 4.0, Customer Experience and M&A Integration.

Tony Leng was formerly Managing Director of Diversified Search and led the firm’s Digital Transformation and CIO practice from its San Francisco office.  Previously, Tony was Managing Partner of Hodge Partners. Tony has conducted many “C” level searches for organizations where leaders are transforming/building organizations that are taking advantage of digital technologies.  He has conducted “C” level searches conducted for organizations such as Aurora Healthcare, Axalta, Catholic Health Initiatives, Blue Shield of California, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Delta Dental, Dignity Health, Esurance, Kaiser Permanente, Novant Health, PG&E, Polycom, Sutter Health, Symmetricom, TE Connectivity, and Wellmark. 

Prior to his executive search experience, Tony was a Board member of three public companies and CEO of a $600 million Public Company. Before that, Tony ran a $1 billion division of a telephone company focused on corporate users and had responsibility for all data services and networking products. While at the telephone company, he was founder and Chairman of its ISP and a board member of its 2 million-subscriber cell phone subsidiary. 

Tony uses his operating experience from being a CEO, financial background as a CPA and CA, and technical knowledge from the work that he has done for Tech companies to drill down and understand at a nuanced level what his clients are seeking to achieve as they build their teams. He has written numerous papers on technology leadership and the challenges facing technology leaders today and authors a blog, ‘Resources for the Modern CIO” (www.tonyleng.com).

The core of Tony’s consulting has been with senior leaders who are seeking to transform their organizations as they face a future of rapid change, digitization, regulation, shifting markets, and increasingly connected and informed customers.

Tony has facilitated the Fisher CIO Forum for the past 12 years.  The Forum is a monthly venue for CIO’s and CTO’s to discuss topics of relevance in their daily lives, and has afforded these leaders the opportunity to develop a close network to discuss current challenges in a peer group environment on a confidential basis.  Participating companies have included: Blue Shield, Clorox, Cost Plus, Delta Dental, Dignity Health, Esurance, Facebook, FitBit, Franklin Templeton, Gap, Genentech, Kaiser Permanente, Levi Strauss, McKesson, Macys.com, Matson, Mulesoft, Okta, PG&E, Restoration Hardware, Ross Stores, Safeway, Salesforce.com, Schwab, Splunk, Uber, VMWare, and Williams-Sonoma among others. 

Tony received a Bachelor of Commerce (with honors), University of Cape Town, South Africa and is a Chartered Accountant and CPA.

As the CIO for El Camino Health, Deb Muro has transformed and improved the consumer and patient experience through innovation and partnerships in the Silicon Valley.   With more than 25 years of combined nursing, clinical, healthcare and technology experience, Deb has held various healthcare IT leadership positions focused on the delivery and realization of optimal technology solutions and best practices.  Prior to joining El Camino Hospital, she served in Executive level positions for multiple health care organizations leading large enterprise wide digital transformation implementations spanning multiple acute care hospitals, outpatient facilities, ambulatory clinics and community networks.   In her current role at El Camino, she is responsible for leading the technology strategy, resources and cybersecurity programs while re-defining services and products to meet today’s unique healthcare environment.      

Ms. Muro holds a Bachelor in Science in Nursing Degree from Baylor University and a Master of Science Degree in Human Relations and Business from Amber University.   Deb was nominated as a Finalist for the Iowa Technology Association “Women of Innovation” Award” and has been identified by Becker’s Healthcare as one of the “100 Community Hospital CIOs to Know.” 

Venky Rangachari has over 23 years of experience as a CISO/CIO. Most recently he was with Anaplan as VP Information Security and helped scale the company through a successful IPO and 50% YoY growth in revenues. During his tenure at Anaplan revenues grew 4x and Anaplan became the market leader in connected planning. Prior to Anaplan, Venky has held various CISO/CIO roles at various companies including Thomson Reuters, Wyndham Hotel Group and Exodus Communications. During his spare time he helps in advising startups.

Tony joined Sophos as Chief Information Officer (CIO) in 2016. In this role he is responsible for the strategy, security and management of the global IT organization, and the security of data for Sophos’ 53,000 partners and 4000,000 customers worldwide.

Prior to joining Sophos, Tony was chief information officer at GoPro, the camera maker and content enabler. Prior to GoPro, Tony served as senior vice president for Informatica Cloud and Subscription Sales where he was responsible for growing Informatica’s global Cloud business. During his career at Informatica Tony also served as chief information officer, and as executive director of North Asia based in China.

Prior to joining Informatica in 2002, Tony worked at Converge as the Director of Exchange Applications and Mindcrossing as vice president product development. Tony began his career at Hewlett Packard (HP) as a software developer and served for 11 years in a number of information technology and marketing roles. Tony holds a bachelor\’s degree in Information Systems and a master\’s degree in Business Administration from Santa Clara University, CA.

John Abel joined Veritas in 2018 at Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer. In this role, he is responsible for leading and transforming the Information Technology function for Veritas, including its cloud infrastructure, enterprise systems and processes, and cyber security.  With a passion for simplicity, John is helping Veritas become a more nimble, adaptive and resilient organization, by employing an IT strategy that benefits customers, partners and employees.

Prior to Veritas, John served also as senior vice president & CIO at Ellie Mae, a fintech SaaS company focused on automating residential mortgage industry. During his tenure, he was responsible for all aspects of the company’s internal information technology and systems and partners with business units for the planning and implementation of enterprise IT systems to align with Ellie Mae’s technology vision and business strategy in support of business operations.

Prior to joining Ellie Mae, Abel spent 8 years at Hitachi Data Systems, as Sr. Vice President of IT, where he helped drive the transformation of the company from a hardware-selling company to enable growth in cloud-based software and solutions. Before Hitachi Data Systems, Abel spent 3 years at Symantec which he joined shortly after the acquisition of Veritas. Abel played a key role in merging these companies together.

Earlier in his career Abel spent time in IT and Finance Leadership roles at JDS Uniphase where he joined following a 7 year start to his career at KPMG Consulting. With over 25 years working in the IT industry he is recognized as an established IT executive in Silicon Valley. Abel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems from Staffordshire University in England. 

Abhishek Agarwal was the Chief Security & Privacy Officer responsible for privacy compliance, cyber security and security risk management programs to assist the Company, including the Board of Directors, senior management, business corporate functions leaders (IT, HR, Finance, R&D etc.) to understand and adhere to legal and regulatory requirements. Abhishek has gained experience working at fortune 100 companies such as Kraft Foods, JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, and E&Y Consulting where he has worked on large Privacy, Information Security & Risk initiatives like HIPAA, Safe Harbor, EU DPD Compliance Programs, Global Data Transfers, Cybersecurity, Security Administration, Identity & Access Management, Information Risk Assessments, Third Party Compliance and Governance. Abhishek is well versed in prevailing regulations in Healthcare, Consumer, Financial industries such as OCC & OCR requirements, HIPAA/HITECH, GDPR (EU DPA), GLBA, PIPEDA, FACT Act, FTC regulations (COPPA, DNC), Privacy Shield (US:EU/Swiss Safe Harbor) and local country privacy/data protection regulations. He is experienced in establishing global compliance programs based on industry best practices namely, a unique combination of ISO 27001/02, GAPP, PCI, BITS. He is an active member International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US), a member of the Information Systems Audit and Compliance Association (ISACA), a certified Information Risk and System Control (CRISC) and certified with ISO 27001 Lead Auditor certification. He received both an Electrical & Electronic Engineering and a MBA from Pittsburg State University, and a

Snehal Antani is co-founder & CEO of Horizon3.ai, a cyber security startup focused on AI-enabled red teaming. Prior to starting Horizon3, Snehal served as CTO for the US Department of Defense, responsible for transforming the technology capabilities of the command to include cyber security, advanced R&D, AI, and data analytics. Snehal was formerly the CTO of Splunk, and before that, a CIO at GE Capital. Snehal started his career at IBM as a software engineer, where he earned 16 patents for his work in cloud, distributed computing, and large-scale data processing. Snehal earned in BS in Computer Science from Purdue, where as a freshman he watched Tom Brady play Drew Brees. He earned is MS in Computer Science from RPI, where he never attended an RPI football game.

At Podium, Noni Azhar, as the Senior Vice President of Information Technology, has been involved in several key projects and initiatives:

1. Digital Transformation: Noni has been leading efforts to modernize Podium\’s IT infrastructure, focusing on enhancing digital capabilities to improve customer engagement and operational efficiency.

2. Cloud Migration: He has overseen the migration of critical systems to cloud platforms, ensuring scalability, security, and cost-effectiveness.

3. Cybersecurity Enhancements: Noni has implemented advanced cybersecurity measures to protect Podium\’s data and systems from potential threats, ensuring robust data privacy and compliance.

4. Innovation and Automation: He has driven initiatives to incorporate automation and innovative technologies into Podium\’s processes, aiming to streamline operations and reduce manual workloads.

These initiatives have significantly contributed to Podium\’s growth and ability to deliver exceptional services to its clients.

BG currently serves as the Chief Security Architect at Ross Stores. As one of the leader\’s in the security area, BG\’s passion with security has followed the evolution of Cyber Security. Today, besides being the primary technical resource within the overall security program, defining the strategy for security engineering, risk management and security operations he also oversees security as it relates to the overall enterprise, business and IT. Prior to Ross, BG has held various security architecture, leadership and technical positions at Safeway and Visa.

Ahsan provides strategic direction, policy guidance, and the IT services necessary to meet the AC Transit’s operational objectives, overseeing and coordinating all IT investments, initiatives, projects and programs. Ahsan has over 25 years of private and public sector Information Technology experience, leading and managing high-performing teams in critical, high-visibility projects. Most recently, with the City of Oakland, he spent 15 years in managerial and technical lead roles, such as Division Manager, Deputy CIO, and Interim CIO overseeing IT infrastructure, 911 public safety systems, mission critical radio systems, Project Management Office (PMO), and various strategic initiatives; NextGen 911, Machine Learning, Video Analytics, Cloud Computing, IoT and Smart City.

Ahsan has worked for Parsons Brinckerhoff, where he worked with Caltrans and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) on several smart transportation and transit related projects like 511, FasTrak, etc. Prior to Parsons Brinckerhoff, Ahsan worked as Director of Information Technology and Technical Support at several companies including MetaTV, Inc., Worldgate Communications, Inc., MFS WorldCom, and Raytheon.

Mr. Baig is a voting member of the Technology Working Groups (TWGs) in National Institute of Justice; Member of the IACP Technology and Communication Committee; and Chairman of the California Transit Association IT Committee. He is an active member of APCO, IEEE, APTA, CTA, IACP and PMI. He is a public speaker, and has published research and technical papers in various journals and magazines. 

As Senior Vice President, IT Services, David Beckerman is responsible for managing the business application and technical services teams within The Pasha Group. Mr. Beckerman joined The Pasha Group in 2004 to lead the design and implementation of The Pasha Group’s proprietary terminal system, On-Track Automotive (OTA). OTA was launched in 2005 at the company’s flagship marine terminal in San Diego, CA and is currently deployed in the company’s facilities in Grays Harbor, WA, Baltimore, MD and on all major Hawaiian island ports. Mr. Beckerman has over 25 years experience in the transportation and logistics field. Starting in the operating department of a Class 1 railroad, he has worked for U.S. flag steamship lines and intermodal service providers. In addition, he has been involved in many successful system deployments while working for software companies serving the transportation and logistics industry. Mr. Beckerman holds an M.S. in Information Systems from Golden Gate University and a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Social Science from San Francisco State University.

Sanjay Beri, CEO and founder of Netskope, is passionate about solving large customer and industry problems by building teams composed of the industry’s best and driving relentless innovation and a culture of intense collaboration.  He is focused on delivering great solutions and enabling customers to get the most out of technology. He has a track record of building and growing market-leading companies, and is a respected and trusted leader whose reputation, track record and vision helped him build a veritable dream team of industry veterans at Netskope.

Prior to Netskope, Sanjay was the General Manager of Juniper Network’s secure access business unit and in addition was the executive mentor of their India operations. Before that, he co-founded Ingrian Networks, which was later acquired by SafeNet. Sanjay also has held a variety of key roles at Microsoft, Newbridge Networks (now Alcatel) and McAfee. He holds numerous patents in the area of networking and Internet security, and has led the design, development and marketing of software, firmware, and hardware in various industries. Sanjay got an MBA from University of California, Berkeley, and has a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s Degree from University of Waterloo.  Sanjay has the unique habit of never drinking coffee.

Shaun Braun is the Senior Vice President of Digital Transformation at 3M.  In this role, Shaun is responsible for developing and leading the enterprise digital strategy including technical and commercial leadership across the business teams and enterprise operations.

Shaun was previously at Stryker Corporation for 12 years holding multiple leadership positions including Group CIO and the Vice President of Digital Technology and Innovation. Prior to his time at Stryker, Shaun held leadership positions at Oracle, PeopleSoft, and JD Edwards.

Shaun has a bachelor’s degree in Neurobiology from University of California Berkeley and a MBA from University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Shaun is a senior technology executive with leadership experience in medical science, software development, and global supply chains.  He was a founding member of AdvaMed’s Digital Health Executive Leadership Group, has been published in medical journals and was recognized by Fortune magazine as a top 10 Service Leader.

Andrew was the CIO at Dialog Semiconductor.

He was recruited to transform Dialog’s IT operations. Over the past 3.5 years he has transformed Dialog\’s core IT services to significantly improve engineering productivity and overall collaboration while maintaining best in class cost effectiveness. Successfully migrated to a hybrid cloud approach teamed with a high performing WAN to deliver quality services globally. This was all done while maintaining tight control of compliance and cyber security obligations. During this time he has also played a pivotal role in various M&A activities. He is now focused on improving organizational productivity.

Before joining Dialog, Andrew led the transformation program at Broadcom… it was $210M and two-year program that was completed on time, on budget, and completed with the business operating at full speed . This was one of the most ambitious single moment transformations to be attempted and it was completed on time, on budget and within days of completion had the business operating at full speed.

Prior to that Andrew has led or been integral to transformation programs at CBS, Disney, Allergan, Intel and Fujitsu.

A thoughtfully ruthless executive who delivers winning results through personal commitment and by developing world class teams.

Michael Brooker is Senior Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer at Synaptics.  He has over 20 years of experience with large scale ERP implementations, CRM, supply chain systems, M&A, data analytics and cloud migration.  He is a firmer believer in IT as a change agent and in addition to his IT responsibilities he is responsible for Synaptics’ Engineering R&D portfolio management and is their Chief Sustainability Officer.  Prior to Synaptics, Michael was Vice President of Information Technology Operations at Atmel Corporation. Prior to joining Atmel, Michael was president of his own technology consulting company and Vice President of Strategic Projects at Idea Integration. Michael has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Griffith University (Australia); a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Curtin University of Technology (Australia).

Herman Brown is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the San Francisco District Attorney\’s Office. He has a distinguished career in information technology, with over 30 years of experience across various industries, including defense, manufacturing, healthcare, software development, advertising, and local government. 

• IT Strategy and Leadership: Herman oversees all technology services for the San Francisco District Attorney\’s Office, ensuring that the IT infrastructure supports the office\’s mission of promoting public safety and justice
• Cybersecurity: In addition to his role as CIO, Herman also acts as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the office, collaborating with the city-wide cybersecurity team to ensure robust data protection and compliance
• Digital Transformation: He has led the transition from a pen-and-paper organization to a modern, technology-driven office, implementing advanced software solutions like Everlaw to streamline workflows and improve efficiency
• Community Involvement: Herman is also involved in community initiatives, serving as the Treasurer and CIO for Global RNSC, an organization focused on bridging talent gaps in cybersecurity and social skills through training and development programs

Herman’s visionary leadership and commitment to innovation have significantly enhanced the technological capabilities of the San Francisco District Attorney\’s Office, making a profound impact on its operations and public service mission.

Carter Busse is the CIO of Workato, where he leads business technology and best practice internal usage of Workato’s automation technology. His thought leadership has been quoted in Business Insider, Quartz, CIO Dive, VentureBeat, and more. As an IT executive, Carter has seen success in both private and public companies with a career spanning 3 IPOs – Excite@Home, Salesforce.com, and MobileIron. He was employee number 70 and the first IT leader hired at Salesforce.com. His leadership expertise spans automation, business technology, security, and IT operations. Current projects include using NLP to improve the employee experience, and driving security automations to new levels at Workato.

Ed Clark has served as a higher education CIO for over 20 years. He is currently the CIO, Chief Digital Officer, and Vice President for Information Technology for the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota\’s largest private higher education institution. His responsibilities include the university\’s online learning capabilities, information technology services and operations, institutional data and reporting functions, enrollment operations, and information security.

In 2020, he was appointed by President Julie Sullivan to co-lead the creation of the university\’s 2025 strategic plan.  This work included building consensus with board members, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the broader St. Thomas community. The strategic plan was approved by the university\’s Board of Trustees in January 2021 and now serves as the framework for St. Thomas\’s goals over the next five years.  

Ed is passionate about digital transformation and has been leading transformation initiatives at the University of St. Thomas. These initiatives have ranged from the establishment of critical digital capabilities and the transformation of student experiences to the creation of new lines of business for the university. The work of his teams has been featured by Salesforce, Amazon, Gartner, and Educause as best practices in the higher education sector. Ed won the Twin Cities 2019 Orbie CIO of the Year award for the Non-Profit sector.

Ed has authored numerous articles and been featured at many national and international conferences and events on digital transformation in higher education. He currently serves on the board for the Twin Cities CIO Association, the IT Advisory Board for Stratacor, the Educause Nominations and Leadership Committee, U4Uc\’s advisory board, and the University of St. Thomas College of Engineering\’s GPS advisory board. Ed holds a doctorate in Education from Minnesota State University, Mankato and a Master\’s degree in Technology Management from the University of Minnesota. He is an avid musician and loves traveling with his wife and four children.

Tim Crawford is ranked as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Chief Information Technology Officers (#4), Top 100 Most Social CIOs (#7), Top 20 People Most Retweeted by IT Leaders (#5) and Top 100 Cloud Experts and Influencers. Tim is a strategic CIO & advisor that works with large global enterprise organizations across a number of industries including financial services, healthcare, major airlines and high-tech. Tim’s work differentiates and catapults organizations in transformative ways through the use of technology as a strategic lever. Tim takes a provocative, but pragmatic approach to the intersection of business and technology. Tim is an internationally renowned CIO thought leader including Digital Transformation, Cloud Computing, Data Analytics and Internet of Things (IoT). Tim has served as CIO and other senior IT roles with global organizations such as Konica Minolta/ All Covered, Stanford University, Knight-Ridder, Philips Electronics and National Semiconductor. Tim is also the host of the CIO In The Know (CIOitk) podcast. CIOitk is a weekly podcast that interviews CIOs on the top issues facing CIOs today. Tim holds an MBA in International Business with Honors from Golden Gate University Ageno School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Golden Gate University.

Todd is the CISO at both Zluri and Scrut Automation. Todd has been in IT for 25+ years and more than 15 years of experience in Biotech/Pharma IT leadership and has had hands-on roles in designing, developing, and deploying enterprise architectures from the ground up for companies such as Airgap Networks, Armis, Genomic Health, Crescendo Bioscience, E2open and Versartis, fully modernizing their IT departments while working within aggressive and high-growth environments.

Jessica Denecour provides leadership for Varian\’s global Information Technology organization. Prior to joining Varian in January 2006, she served in a variety of management positions over a 20+ year career at Agilent Technologies and Hewlett Packard. Denecour received her BS in Business Administration and Management Information Systems from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She is currently serving on the boards of the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose and CapOneSource.

Christopher Desautel has over 20 years experience delivering innovative ways to use technology to enable companies to grow, reduce cost, delight customers, and achieve a competitive advantage.  He has expertise in business and IT strategy, group start-ups, turn-arounds, digital transformation initiatives, and M&A.  He also has extensive experience delivering successful technology solutions for e-Business, ERP, Supply Chain, Insurance, and Business Intelligence.

Mr. Desautel is currently SVP and Chief Digital Officer at Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies (BHHC), where he is focused on creating a market-leading customer experience, driving digital transformation initiatives, and leading the information technology group.  He joined BHHC in 2013, as Chief Information Officer.

Prior to BHHC, Mr. Desautel has held various leadership positions including SVP and CIO at SeaBright Holdings, VP in Information Technology at Safeco, and Global IT Executive at Delphi.

Mr. Desautel began his career as a management consultant with Andersen and Deloitte Consulting where he worked with Fortune 500 companies to implement IT and business improvement programs.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University in Engineering with a concentration in operations management.

Paul Fipps is an accomplished executive with over two decades of experience leading growth across B2B and B2C brands. As ServiceNow’s President, Strategic Accounts, Paul is focused on co-creating the future with ServiceNow’s largest, most strategic, and most innovative customers. Previously, Paul served as SVP, Customer and Partner Excellence and led the cross-functional effort to establish the new category of value acceleration. This included building, launching, and scaling ServiceNow Impact, a value acceleration solution that is now the fastest growing product in ServiceNow history.

Prior to joining ServiceNow, Paul spent seven-plus years at Under Armour as its Chief Experience Officer and Chief Digital Officer, where he was responsible for Under Armour’s direct-to-consumer business and led company-wide digital transformation. Paul currently serves on the board of MyFitnessPal. He is a proud U.S. Army veteran.

Anantha Ganga joined II-VI in September 2019 following the merger of II-VI and Finisar. As CIO, Mr. Ganga is responsible for global IT strategy, modernization, and effective delivery of IT solutions to support II-VI’s business objectives. At Finisar, he served in various roles from 2001 to 2019, including Vice President of Global IT. Prior to Finisar, Mr. Ganga successfully led large-scale enterprise systems implementations and managed services for numerous high-technology customers. He has over 25 years of industry experience developing global IT organizations with a proven track record of successful M&A integrations. Mr. Ganga holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India.

Nikhil Gupta is a successful serial entrepreneur. Nikhil is Co-Founder & CEO of ArmorCode Inc, a stealth-mode startup. Prior to founding ArmorCode, Nikhil was VP of Strategy, Cloud Security at Sophos. Nikhil joined Sophos through the acquisition of Avid Secure, where he was the Founder and CEO. Avid Secure built a market-leading AI-powered multi-cloud security analytics and compliance platform. Prior to Avid Secure, Nikhil held several leadership positions for 20+ years in organizations such as VMware, Cisco, ForeScout, Ericsson (Joined through the acquisition of Entrisphere, where he was the founding engineer), Alcatel, and Bell Labs. Nikhil holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS and MS in Computer Science.

Mike leads all of IT at Cruise Automation as the Vice President of IT and Enterprise Engineering. Mike has 25 years of experience in IT. He built IT from scratch at MuleSoft through their incredible growth, IPO, and acquisition by Salesforce where he led Enterprise Engineering and Business Intelligence. Prior to Cruise Mike was the VP of IT for Databricks. Mike volunteers through service on the Board for Genesysworks Bay Area and mentors future executives through Women Unlimited. He is an avid proponent of leveraging positive psychology in the workplace to empower people to do the best work of their lives.

Kevin Hart is vice president and business information officer, Northern California region, at Kaiser Permanente.  Kevin leads the Northern California Business Information Office (NCAL BIO), which provides technology products and services in support of KP’s Northern California region’s mission to deliver high quality, affordable health care to its 3.5 million members.

Kevin is responsible for leading an organization of more than 600 employees who support the region’s 8,000 physicians and 65,000 employees, who provide world class, high-quality care in 21 hospitals and 300 medical office buildings.

Functioning as the regional CIO, Kevin and his team work in conjunction with health plan, hospital and medical group business partners to deliver local, regional and national IT initiatives, while also supporting the most innovative technology solutions in health care.

Kevin’s career as a leader in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), manufacturing, and high technology industries spans more than 20 years.  During this time, he has led teams that develop, implement and manage technology to provide competitive advantage for Fortune 500 companies, professional services organizations and start-ups.     

He began his career at Bechtel Corporation, working in multiple engineering and technology management positions for more than 10 years, including senior manager of corporate collaborative systems.

Following his time at Bechtel, Kevin held positions at several start-ups in the high tech industry. 

At iMotors, an early, online, direct-to-consumer automotive sales company, Kevin was director of Supply Chain Solutions, where he was responsible for providing integrated technology that enabled seamless integration from manufacturing to consumer sales.

As director of professional services at TRIRIGA, he developed and managed a nationwide professional services team that implemented integrated real estate/facilities management business solutions for large global companies.

Kevin joined Kaiser Permanente in 2006 as director of IT capital projects for National Facilities Service (NFS).  Under his leadership, the team established standard processes and innovative delivery methods for IT products and services in support of capital projects across all regions, reducing costs by $30 million. 

In 2009, Kevin was promoted to vice president and business information officer of NFS, where he was responsible for delivering IT products and services to support Kaiser Permanente’s $36 billion capital construction program.  During his tenure, the team provided industry leading technology solutions for new construction of 24 hospitals and more than 100 medical office buildings.

Throughout his career, Kevin has been known as a collaborative leader with a “big picture” vision and the ability to create and implement innovative strategies leveraging technology to add business value.

Kevin has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, with a minor in electrical engineering, from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Karl Hightower was formerly Senior Vice President of Enterprise Information Management and Chief Data Officer for Novant Health, where he and his teams oversaw the advancing of the use of information assets for the company. His teams delivered products and services ranging from advanced analytics and real-time messaging to delivering Cognitive Computing and AI solutions throughout the enterprise. He and his teams focused on simplifying how information is consumed within the decision-making processes through innovative and collaborative means. Karl has held executive roles in large retail and energy trading companies, and has held pivotal roles in telecommunications, manufacturing, supply chain, insurance, government, banking and finance, and food and beverage. In these roles, Karl set strategic direction and created alignment to direct structures during the pivot years of these industries, devised and led game-changing initiatives, increased revenue by millions – and in one case billions – of dollars, became an early champion and expert in cloud adoption, personalization through social media data, real-time pricing structures, and extreme automation through machine learning and AI-based algorithms. Karl has an undergraduate degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in PoliticalScience, and was in the first class to go through Carnegie Mellon’s prestigious ISRI Enterprise Architecture and Strategy program. Karl is the son of two college professors, and is from a long line of educators. This upbringing instilled a continuous thirst for learning and creating opportunities for others to learn. While in Dallas, Karl helped to found and build the STEAM education program for the district. The program included one entirely Spanish immersive middle school as well as associate degree paths in the high schools. Karl was heavily involved in the Texas Amateur Golf Association as well as the Dallas LPGA events. In Charlotte, Karl has joined the District Advisory Board for Career and Technical Education (CTE) for the Charlotte Mecklenburg School district.

Yasufumi (Yasu) Hirai is Group Executive Vice President, CIO and CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) of Rakuten, Inc. a leader in internet services and global innovation headquartered in Japan. In his role as CIO and CISO, Hirai is responsible for the evolution of Rakuten ecosystem services, as well as managing group-wide IT infrastructure and information security governance.

Hirai’s business career started with IBM Japan Ltd. in 1983 and he spent 20 years at IBM both in Japan and New York, taking on a variety of leadership roles including Director, Telecommunications Business Unit and Vice President of Software Group.

Prior to joining Rakuten, Hirai served as Senior Vice President of Cisco Systems, Inc. and President and General Manager of Cisco Systems G.K., responsible for management of its entire Japan operations.

He also served as Senior Managing Executive Officer for Microsoft Japan, with responsibility for its enterprise business.

He is currently Advisor of the Japan Association of New Economy (JANE), Board Member of Japan Institute of Information Technology, and Director of Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Hirai is a graduate of the Faculty of Science, Kyushu University.

Arthur Hu is SVP, Global CIO and Services & Solutions Group CTO for Lenovo Group. Named to this position in April 2017, he leads the global Business Transformation/Information Technology (BT/IT) organization which provides information services, manages critical systems to support the company’s worldwide operations as well as drives continued transformation for Lenovo.  
 
Mr. Hu joined Lenovo in 2009 as director of business transformation in the IT organization, where he oversaw IT strategy, security, enterprise architecture, and global business transformation. Mr. Hu was responsible for several large-scale IT projects critical to the Lenovo Personal Computer & Smart Device and Data Center groups, including major integration efforts after company acquisitions. Prior to joining Lenovo, Mr. Hu was an associate principal with McKinsey & Company focused on strategy and technology management to deliver transformation impact in global organizations.  He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in computer science from Stanford University.

Jacquet is responsible for enterprise information security, establishing and maintaining a corporate-wide information security program to protect Hitachi Vantara’s information assets. He and his team identify, evaluate and report on information security risks to meet compliance and regulatory requirements. Jacquet also leads enterprise security programs including security operations, incident response, vulnerability management, identity management, network security, disaster recovery and risk policies. He supports client services for Hitachi Vantara’s Managed Services offering, including governance and compliance. In September 2017, Jacquet’s role expanded to include the security governance of Hitachi Vantara’s products and services. Previously, Jacquet was senior director of cloud security and compliance, and acting CISO for cloud infrastructure at Marketo where he built and led cross-functional teams to secure their software products. Before this, his roles included senior director of global IT Security, compliance, risk management and governance at Symantec, and multiple leadership roles at Hewlett-Packard during his 26-year tenure there. Jacquet holds a marketing certificate from UC Berkeley and an engineering degree in computer science from Institut National des Sciences Appliqués (Lyon, France). He is fluent in French and conversational in German. He holds a private pilot’s certificate and is an active member pilot of Angel Flight West, a volunteer organization.

In addition to his role at Upwork, Rohit is a member of the Forbes Tech Council as well as the CIO for Harvard Business School Alumni Association. He has extensive experience in scaling, managing, and operating IT products for organizations at public and privately held Technology companies.

Satya is a seasoned Digital Transformation and CIO executive with 25 years of experience in engineering, product management and customer experience. Over his career, Satya has consistently driven innovation by launching new platforms, introducing emerging technology solutions, and executing multimillion-dollar operational strategies for new business models across various sectors. At Cisco Systems and VMware, Satya spearheaded transformative Cloud and SaaS/Subscription initiatives, exceeding $1 billion in revenue through the development, transformation, and scaling of multiple business models. His role as a founding member and internal evangelist at VMware inspired thousands of employees to embrace modern SaaS customer acquisition, growth, and retention strategies. Currently, Satya heads VMware\’s Digital and Commerce Platform product management, CX, and engineering delivery team. He is tasked with delivering VMware\’s multi-cloud commerce ecosystem, monetizing, and scaling a diverse and growing SaaS/Subscription portfolio. This includes overseeing 50 cloud services with a $4 billion ARR (25% Y/Y growth) and 150+ SaaS/Subscription features. Additionally, Satya is responsible for developing and implementing VMware\’s data and analytics strategy, fostering a data-driven and customer experience-centric culture to drive SaaS/Subscription transformation. Satya\’s collaborative and customer-centric approach consistently drives business results that surpass company goals. He\’s well-regarded for his role in implementing emerging technologies and XaaS business models, resulting in scalable ventures and significant incremental revenue. His experience spans prestigious companies like Siebel Systems, Oracle Corp, Sun Microsystems, alongside co-founding a technology startup. As a sought-after speaker, Satya frequently shares his insights at industry events and offers advisory services to startups. He holds a bachelor\’s degree in Instrumentation Technology, an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Finance from Babson\’s Franklin Olin School of Business, and has supplemented his credentials through technology and leadership courses and certifications from Stanford and UC Berkeley University.

Chad is a proven executive with over 20 years of technology, security, and Big 5 consulting experience. Throughout his career he has worked with companies large and small – from members of the Fortune 500 to pre-IPO technology startups – to strategize, implement, and re-factor their operations for hypergrowth, public company readiness, and long-term scale.  He has built successful teams spanning Production Operations/Engineering, Security and Compliance, Business Intelligence, and IT.  He currently serves as the head of Technical Operations at PagerDuty, the leading SaaS platform for real-time operations and incident response. 

Chad holds a BBA in Management Information Systems from the University of Notre Dame.  He is a non-practicing CISA and held his CISSP-ISSMP security certifications for over a decade. 

Sineesh Keshav is the CTO and CIO at Prologis.   In this role, he oversees all aspects of the technology strategy and is responsible for leading the company’s global data and digital technology transformation.   Sineesh and his team have been focused on a capability driven, customer centric approach to innovation and digitalization as Prologis continues its journey as the world’s largest provider of logistics real estate. 

Sineesh has had a career spanning over twenty-five years and spanning diverse industry segments and technology settings.  Prior to Prologis, Sineesh was the Senior Vice President of IT at Experian PLC.   In this role, he led all aspects of IT for the Data Science Solutions group and was responsible for the development, deployment and maintenance of credit and fraud/identity decisioning solutions that enable businesses to leverage internal and external data to exploit credit service opportunities for customers.   

Sineesh also has held leadership positions at Safeway where he led application development across all lines of businesses and at American Express where he led the global mobile development team and the digital customer acquisition teams.   Sineesh has degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and the University of Alabama and an MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business at the Arizona State University.  

Amith Kota is the Chief Information Officer of Landis+Gyr Americas. In this role, he is responsible for the Business Technology, cloud services offered to Landis+Gyr customers and digital initiatives that support the growth of Landis+Gyr. Prior to joining Landis+Gyr, he was the Chief Enterprise Architect and Global Head of Emerging Technologies at Gulfstream Aerospace, A General Dynamics company, where he was accountable for global enterprise strategy & architecture to create new revenue channels and optimize business margins through technology innovations. Earlier in his career, Amith held various leadership positions at Progressive Insurance and various startups across Architecture & Strategy, Sales, Business Applications organizations responsible for digital customer experience, Omni-channel engagement and systems Amith holds a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and an Executive Certificate in Innovation and Strategy from the Case Western Reserve University.

As Autodesk’s CIO, Prakash leads the company’s global information and technology organization, a group that manages critical technology systems supporting the company’s worldwide enterprise applications and infrastructure, including data and security operations and workforce collaboration and productivity services. Building talent, customer experience, operational excellence, industry collaboration and partnerships, positioning for global scale are top of his mind.

He is an experienced IT thought leader with a digital experience mindset who drives the culture of innovation and the company’s digital agenda. He has accelerated Autodesk’s digital transformation and customer-centric approach by providing customers and employees world-class experiences by embracing disruptive technology with the latest Silicon Valley start-up companies and introducing modern automation techniques such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotic process automation. His automation strategy generates competitive advantage and his expertise in digital transformation turns technology into a growth driver.

Successful track record of establishing organizational vision and strategy, leading large teams, executing global insourcing/outsourcing strategies, setting up onsite/offshore delivery models, and M&A (planning and integration). Efficient and effective at managing global IT operations for geographically and culturally diverse organizations. A skilled negotiator who maximizes value and manages the enterprise technology and services portfolio.

He builds social relationships with industry tech leaders, often participating as a panelist at Silicon Valley industry functions, hosting CIO Exchanges with Autodesk customer Fortune 500 leaders, and using his thought leadership platform to contribute to CIO magazine, Forbes, and Wall Street CIO journal about his expertise and strategies on digital transformation.

Kota has been with Autodesk for 15+ years and has held many roles within IT including, Vice President of Enterprise Infrastructure and Operations, Sr. Director of Enterprise Operations, and Director of DevOps. He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Oklahoma State University, and a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication from the University of Madras.

* * *

AUTODESK. (NYSE: ADSK) Autodesk makes software for people who make things. If you\’ve ever driven a high-performance car, admired a towering skyscraper, used a smartphone, or watched a great film, chances are you\’ve experienced what millions of Autodesk customers are doing with our software. Autodesk gives you the power to make anything. For more information visit autodesk.com or follow @autodesk. 

Shashi Kulkarni is Fabrinet’s Vice President of IT and Cyber Security. Fabrinet is the most trusted manufacturing partner of the world’s most demanding OEM’s and specializes in precision optical, electro-optical, sophisticated electronic PCBA and electro-mechanical process technologies for high-mix, any-volume production. Shashi joined Fabrinet in July 2017 and since has taken increasing responsibility by taking over the Cyber Security aspect of Fabrinet in addition to the IT side of the complex electronic manufacturing services organization.

Shashi is a down-to-earth IT Leader having extensive experience in Corporate IT as well as IT Consulting firms and is known for IT Strategy, Program Management, Cross functional team leadership and proactive IT – Business engagement, building trust and dependability with the business leaders and executives.

Prior to Fabrinet, Shashi has served over 25 years as an IT leader in High Tech companies like Seagate, Extreme Networks and Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd., as well as IT Consulting firms like Infosys, Wipro and HCL Technologies.

Shashi holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Shivaji University, India and a Diploma in Computer Software from Symbiosis Institute. Shashi enjoys sharing from his experience, the lessons learnt as well as thoughts and ideas, in his blog articles and through his YouTube channels.

Aaron Levie is Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder and Chairman at Box, which he launched in 2005 with CFO and cofounder, Dylan Smith. He is the visionary behind Box’s product and platform strategy, which focuses on incorporating the best of secure content collaboration with an intuitive user experience suited to the way people work today. Aaron leads the company in its mission to transform the way people and businesses work so they can achieve their greatest ambitions. He has served as a member of Box’s board of directors since April 2005. Aaron attended the University of Southern California from 2003 to 2005 before leaving to found Box.

Please add Etay Maor to the SVGIS AB. Photo is attached. Bio and contact info are below. Please note that Maor resides in Boston although frequently in SV. He is open to participating as a security panelist in Boston if HMG has an interest. Maor is also well connected to the Israeli security circles and is open to have a discussion on the subject.

Etay is Intsight’s Chief Security Officer and an industry recognized cyber security researcher and key note speaker.

Previously, Etay was an Executive Security Advisor at IBM where he created and led breach response training and security research. Prior to that Etay was the Head of RSA Security’s Cyber Threats Research Labs where he managed malware research and intelligence teams and was part of cutting edge security research.

Etay is an adjunct professor at Boston College and holds a BA in Computer Science and a MA in Counter Terrorism and Cyber Terrorism Etay contributed to the ICT (International Institute for Counterterrorism) in cybersecurity, fraud and dark web topics and is a frequent featured speaker at major industry conferences. He is often tapped by major news outlets for his astute commentary on and insights into the cybersecurity news of the day.

Klarissa Marenitch is the Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO) at Leaf Home. She joined the company in January 2023. Klarissa has a strong background in technology and digital transformation, having previously served as Global CIO at Hippo Enterprises and the first Global CIO at Anaplan.

At Leaf Home, Klarissa focuses on leveraging technology to maximize effectiveness and improve the customer experience. She drives digital transformation projects to ensure the team has the tools to be efficient and effective. Her career includes significant roles at Kohl\’s, Redbox by Verizon, and Macy\’s, where she led major transformations and scaled IT practices.

Erik Molitor is the CIO at Bio-Rad Laboratories, a $2B medical technology company born in the Bay Area 60 years ago, and a leader in Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics.   His team is focused on transformational initiatives including completing a global ERP rollout, migrating data centers to the Cloud, modernizing the network with SD-WAN, improving business analytics with data lake and data science capabilities, and partnering with R&D to develop their next generations of instrument software in the Cloud, while remaining compliant in a heavily regulated industry.

Prior to joining Bio-Rad in 2016, Erik was a VP of IT at BD (another leading medical technology company), where he spent 11 years in IT leadership roles in areas such as ERP, CRM, Analytics, and Business Partnership and moved from their Global HQ in New Jersey, to their Asian HQ in Singapore, to their Biosciences segment in San Jose.  Prior to BD, he started his career at GE, participating in their IT Leadership Program.  He graduated with a BS in Mathematics from the University of Massachusetts.

Gaja Nagarajan was Head of IT at eHealth Inc., and is thought leader in Enterprise & SaaS Strategy and Execution.  Gaja has been instrumental in rolling out several strategic, global transformation projects involving SAP, Oracle,Microsoft, Workday and major Cloud Applications for various High-Tech, Manufacturing, Semiconductor, Insurance Industry for large enterprises.  Propelling Growth with Customer First objective delivering Integrated Cloud Strategy, SaaS Implementation delivering Operational Excellence via innovation and technology harnessing are key focus areas.  

Rucha leads information technology for retail stores, merchandising and marketing, supply chain and manufacturing for Albertsons Companies – one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States with nearly 2,300 stores in 34 states and Washington, D.C. She is a strong leader with demonstrated experience in enabling business strategies through technology solutions. She oversees various digital transformation initiatives across her portfolios including legacy modernization, robotic automation and data science solutions. She also leads innovation and emerging technology trials across retail, merchandising and supply chain. Prior to joining Safeway in 2013, Rucha was part of Motorola’s technology team. She also has consulting background from working at PriceWaterHouseCoopers and more.

Phil Newmoyer is the Chief Executive Officer of PROVOSO, where he is responsible for directing the company’s strategy and growth as an innovative provider of Advanced Technology Supply Chain Performance software.

Phil is an award-winning technology and business leader, entrepreneur, and growth executive. He served as Chief Growth Officer for ICIX Software, Chief Information Officer for Toys\”R\”Us and Serta Simmons Bedding, and Chief Technology Officer of DFC Global Corp. He has also held executive positions in consulting, biotech, and banking, with leadership roles in more than 40 mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, early stage, and growth ventures.

Phil holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the Central Atlantic Advanced School of Banking. He is a keynote speaker, instructor, board member and active leader in important trade, technology, and charity organizations. Phil has served as a member of SAP\’s Executive Advisory Council and is the recipient of Oracle\’s Excellence Award. 

Dr. Gautham Pallapa is the award-winning author of \”Leading with Empathy: Understanding the Needs of Today\’s Workforce\”. He is the founder of Transformity, an organization that transforms humanity through empathy and technology, and a senior executive advisor at VMware. He has over 15 years of experience working with C-suite and executives at Global 2000 enterprises in transforming their processes, technologies, and culture to achieve their business outcomes. His mantra is \”Transform with Empathy,\” and he works passionately to promote empathy for employees, enterprises, and communities.

Dr. Pallapa is also an Agile coach, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, SAFe Agilist, and an Ambassador for several organizations. He writes/talks/works on transformation, helping underprivileged people, and giving back to the community.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gpallapa/

Twitter: @gpallapa

Blog: Transformity

Gautham\’s latest book: Leading with Empathy: Understanding the Needs of Today\’s Workforce

Josh Poduska is the Chief Data Scientist at Domino Data Lab. He has 18 years of experience in the analytics space. As a practitioner, he has designed and implemented data science solutions across a number of domains including manufacturing, retail, insurance, higher education, and public safety. As a leader, Josh has managed data science teams and driven strategy initiatives for several analytical software companies. Josh has a Masters in Applied Statistics from Cornell University.

As Chief Information Officer at Rubrik, Avon is responsible for the company’s global information technology organization, including the infrastructure and security to support its rapid growth. He has more than 20 years of experience in executing and driving business transformation initiatives at both Fortune 100 companies and Silicon Valley-based high tech firms. Prior to joining Rubrik, Avon served as Vice President of Business Applications at VMware. During his tenure, he lead IT transformation across People, Process and Technology areas for nimble and agile delivery, among other strategic initiatives. Avon also served in IT leadership positions at Franklin Templeton Investments and Deloitte. He holds an MS in Computer Science from Pace University in New York.

Alan is the Corporate Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a leading provider of microprocessors and related technologies for the business and consumer markets.    Alan is responsible for the company’s Information Technology strategy, architecture, development and management of the information systems portfolio, continued evolution of digital platforms, and operation of all supporting infrastructure.  Prior to AMD, Alan served as VP & CIO at Altera Corporation, and after acquisition by Intel, served as the GM of the Intel Programmable Solutions IT Group.  Alan received his EE bachelor\’s degree from the University of Coventry, UK, and his Masters in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the University of Warwick, UK.

Information security and risk management professional with repeated success in design, redesign, and launch of leading-edge security solutions addressing business objectives. Valued for thought leadership with a business-positive approach and a strong technical background in enterprise risk management, information security, and privacy. Repeated success in developing key continuous improvement strategies with high-impacting results using data-driven methodology with a risk-based approach. Able to translate complex security and compliance requirements, provides a unique perspective to information security, privacy, governance, and compliance.


Specialties: Information Security; Enterprise Risk Management; Network Security; Emerging Technologies; Physical Security; Compliance; Risk Analysis; Incident Response; Operational Risk; Personnel Security; Disaster Recovery; Business Continuity Planning; Governance Models; Strategic & Tactical Planning; Budget Planning & Management; Cost Reduction Strategies; Project Management; Consulting Services; Operational Excellence; Partnership Building; Business Management

Suraj Rao has over 20 years’ experience leading, formulating, and delivering analytics solutions in diverse industrial settings spanning Semiconductors, Telecom, Industrial Products, and Metal Fabrication.

At present, Suraj Rao leads the Digital Analytics Office (DAO) at Western Digital Corporation to deliver enterprise-wide analytics solutions and insights for capturing business value and creating competitive advantage. His office uses advanced analytic methods and Industry 4.0 technologies to solve tough factory and customer problems. These diverse problems span Predictive maintenance, Image analytics and Fault prediction, Autonomous robot vehicles routing, Adaptive test, Dynamic factory optimization, Fleet management of products in field, etc.Prior to joining WDC, at IBM, he led business value and analytics solution implementation for Semiconductor and Industrial Products practices. 

Earlier at PDF Solutions, a niche Semiconductor consulting firm, he led rapid yield improvement engagements in some of the largest fabs in Asia such as, TSMC, Toshiba, Sony and Renesas.

He is passionate about energizing organizations with value from using analytics through quick-win initiatives in cost reduction, and quality, productivity, and revenue improvement. He champions analytics mindset and strives to influence culture change towards analytics adoption with keen business focus. 

Suraj holds a Ph.D. in Statistics from Carnegie Mellon University, an MBA from The Wharton School, and an undergraduate in Sciences from Indian Institute of Technology (KGP).

Carrie Rasmussen was the Chief Information Officer at The Save Mart Companies.  In this role, Carrie oversaw the company’s security and information technology organization, with responsibilities for developing and launching business solutions that support the company’s objectives, as well as innovative technologies that create a competitive advantage.

Prior to joining The Save Mart Companies, Carrie was the Group Vice President at Albertsons Companies (Safeway, Inc.). Carrie has more than 20 years working in retail technology and is a seasoned IT leader with expertise in M&A, digital platforms, advanced analytics and cloud migration strategies.

Carrie holds a master’s degree in Agriculture Business Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, both from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly).

Jon Roller is Chief Information Officer at Horsley Bridge Partners, LLC.  Jon has worked for Horsley Bridge (www.horsleybridge.com), a private equity partnership (Fund of Funds) since 1999.  Horsley Bridge invests funds from corporations, endowments, foundations, and pension groups in global venture capital and buyout partnerships.

Jon combines his accounting, finance and information system experience managing all IT and IS functions across the firm’s global offices and developing decision-making and investment management resources.    Beginning in the early 2000s, Jon worked to develop the firm’s investment data systems and since 2009 has controlled all design and development of those systems.  Jon’s responsibilities include oversight of teams of accountants and international software engineers, tasked with data capture. 

Since moving into the CIO position in early 2015, Jon developed and implemented the roadmap to move the firm’s infrastructure from entirely on premise to a refreshed, hybrid-cloud strategy.  Jon led an implementation of Backstop CRM at Horsley Bridge in 2017.  Jon also is developing a roadmap for the next generation of investment management and data systems for the firm.

Jon grew up in rural northwest Ohio and graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a B.S. in Business Finance with an emphasis in Political Science.  Jon began his career in finance at the Harbor Funds in Toledo, Ohio before moving California in early 1999.

Jon lives in the East Bay with his wife and children and enjoys baseball, college football, hiking and cooking in his spare time. 

Nishit Sahay is the Chief Information Officer at Marvell Technology, leading the IT strategy, including digital transformation, cloud adoption, and cybersecurity enhancements. In addition to his CIO responsibilities, Nishit oversees the Data Office and the AI Office, driving innovation and operational efficiency through data and AI initiatives. Previously, as VP of IT at Marvell, he led data-driven transformations, executed key digital initiatives, and managed M&A integrations. Before Marvell, Nishit held leadership roles at Maxim Integrated. Nishit holds master’s degrees from UC Berkeley and Wharton and a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering.

Parul has recently joined Uber, as the Global Head of Business and Enterprise Applications. There, Parul leads a global IT team that serves Uber’s customers and its employees. In this role, Parul has led HR Systems and CRM transformation to support Uber’s employee and business growth. 

Prior to her current role, Parul served as an IT Executive at Splunk and led the transformation of Collaboration, Infrastructure, and Identity platforms for the IT organization. These transformations enabled businesses to be productive and efficient with a focus on great user experience. Parul has served in leadership positions at Splunk, Zuora, PwC and Adobe.

Amit Shah servers as CIO for Excelitas Technologies Corp. His responsibilities include all aspects of – IT Enterprise Applications, IT Architecture, Application development, IT Infrastructure, Service delivery and Cybersecurity. Furthermore, he works very closely with SBU CTOs on adoption of AI, Machine Learning etc. in product development efforts. He works in close collaboration with COO staff in design, development and deployment of IT/OT toolsets based on Industry 4.0 framework.

He has worked in Semiconductor, Life Sciences, Consumer Electronics and Optoelectronics/Photonics industries. Prior to Excelitas he has worked at Philips, PerkinElmer, Electronics Arts, and Mizuho-OSI, KLA-Tencor in various Technical & Strategic leadership roles.

Amit has earned his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (Focus on Instrumentation & Control) from DDIT (India) and MBA from UC Davis (focus on Technology Management & Strategy).

People-Centric Technology Leader with 20+ years of experience developing progressive technology and business strategies, with an emphasis at scale and complexity and delivering cost-effective solutions that aligns with the philosophy of an IT-driven business transformation. Strong communication, organizational, and analytical skills to design, develop, and build technical solutions for solving digital business transformations, that deliver business results while supporting high-growth environments. History of leading large teams at companies ranging from startups to Fortune 100. Versed in technology governance and building organizational vision & strategy. Pranav has the framework to apply technology to achieve rapid value for business.

Security Strategy Leader with 10+ years of achievement delivering solutions and capabilities that reduce risk while accelerating growth in Fortune 500 settings. Rare blend of hands-on technical expertise and strong business acumen with the ability to serve as a vital bridge between business and Cyber Security.
Proven track record of planning, building and leading high-performing, secure systems supporting business operations across 200 countries. Trusted business partner and strong organizational leader who has built and coached cross-functional internal/external teams.

Ed Solomon has over 30 years of IT Services, Consulting and Staffing experience with the focus on building high performing fast growth businesses. Ed’s relationships with “C” level IT Executives helped him to transition to successfully grow Genesys Works and Year Up Bay Area Corporate Partnerships in Northern California, LA, Phoenix, DC, & NY.  Ed has helped to build and manage a series of CIO Roundtables in Northern & Southern California to help CIO’s network and share best practices.

Prior to Non Profit Consulting, Ed was President & CEO & Co-Founder of an International Nurse Recruitment business. During most of his career Ed was the Senior U.S. Partner and SVP of a Technology Consulting and Staffing Business Division responsible for the six technology offices in the western U.S.

Ed has his BS degree in Industrial Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and an MS in Management Science from Stevens Institute of Technology. He is a long standing volunteer at the Berkeley Haas School, Institute for Business Innovation, Fisher Center for Business Analytics and has co-managed many Executive IT Seminars and MBA Tech Competitions over the past years.

Ricardo Sunderland is a member of Egon Zehnder International’s San Francisco office where he focuses on the Talent Management needs of the Financial Services sector in the West Coast of the USA, with particular focus on Banking and Insurance services. He also leads the Firm’s “FinTech” practice group globally.

Hanan Szwarcbord is a visionary leader with a 25+ years track record of driving business transformation through process improvement, innovative technology solutions, and engaged workforce. He has a strong background managing global, large-scale IT and Cyber transformations and is skilled at overcoming challenges and meeting demanding, time-sensitive objectives.

As the VP and Chief Security Officer at Micron, Hanan is responsible for defining and implementing the company\’s cyber security transformation strategy and protecting customers and the company from cyber threats in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. He leads a global team of over 300 full-time security professionals and has implemented a number of initiatives to enhance the company\’s security posture, including a \”Zero Trust\” program, a continuous validation program to automate risk- based vulnerability discovery and remediation, and has been recognize as leading one of the 200 most secure companies in the US by Forbes . In addition, he has established and leads the Semiconductor Industry Association\’s (SIA) CISO work group driving collaboration and sharing of threats intelligence between 40+ semiconductor companies. 

Prior to joining Micron in May 2021, Hanan served as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Marvell leading strategic security transformation and driving change across security and IT. Hanan also served as the Head of Global IT for Sapiens, where he was responsible for developing and deploying a new IT strategy across multiple combined companies. Prior to that, he work in pms-sierra, as a senior IT manager.

Hanan also served in the Israeli Air-force as Intelligence security non-officer.

Accomplished IT Leader with Solid Business and Technology background combined with 20+ years of success in designing, building, and rolling out multi-million dollar strategic and tactical IT solutions in complex multi-vendor environments. Swiftly comprehends the \”Big Picture\” and executes the boldest of organizational visions. Superior communicator – easily interacts with executives, regulatory agencies, customers, vendors, and staff. Always abreast of the latest in Technology, a regular speaker in Tech conferences. Core competence includes Supply chain design, various planning strategies, S&OP, and Logistics management.

As a CTO of Ericsson Silicon Valley, Dr Mallik Tatipamula leads evolution of Ericsson’s technology and champion the company’s next phase of innovation and growth. Prior to Ericsson, he held several leadership positions at F5 networks, Juniper networks, Cisco, Motorola, Nortel and Indian Institute of Technology (Chennai). During 30 years of his professional career, he has played a very unique leadership role in delivering industry’s most powerful innovations, standards contributions, products/solutions, design implementation of early real-world deployments working with telecom operators, and also innovating for the future, working with academia, by anticipating what might happen next, to accelerate the architectural transitions in the telecom industry. He has identified strategic opportunities, and implemented programs that have brought world-leading innovations to the telecom sector with a multi-billion dollars impact, launching over 50 products/solutions that are deployed in global telecom networks to enable these major network transitions from 2G to 5G. Since 2011, he has been a visiting professor at King’s College London, where world’s 1st 5G network was demonstrated together with Ericsson and Vodafone. He is a Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) and The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET, UK). He received “Univ. of California, Berkeley’s Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation Award,” “CTO/Technologist of the year” award (sponsored by NTT) by World Communications Awards (WCA), “IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) Distinguished Industry Leader Award,” “CTO of the year (2021) award from Silicon Valley Business Journal (SVBJ)”, and also “IET Achievement medal in telecommunications”. He has Ph.D. in Information and Communications Engineering from the Univ. of Tokyo, Japan, Master’s in Communication Systems from Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, India and Bachelor’s in Electronics and Communications Engineering from NIT, Warangal, India. He delivered lectures and taught courses at UC Berkeley, Univ of Tokyo, Stanford and other universities. He mentored over 100 undergrad/graduate students, delivered 400+ keynote/invited talks/tutorials/lectures, co-authored 2 books, 100+ publications/patents, served on 40+ IEEE conferences committees. He has been involved in developing industry-academia partnerships in Canada, US, UK and India for future technology innovations. He serves on several advisory boards including Global Semiconductor Alliance, Gartner/Evanta CIO Council, Digital India Initiative, London Digital Twin Research Center, and Chair for the Industry Advisory Board for Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation and Advisor to Center for Growth Markets at Univ. of California, Berkeley.

Reena Tiwari is a technology executive who creates strategic alliances with organizational leaders to effectively align and enable key business initiatives. As CIO and Board Advisor, she has built high-performing global teams to digitally transform companies and help them grow and scale. She currently serves as VP & CIO for LexisNexis Legal & Professional. In this capacity, Ms. Tiwari is responsible for global technology strategy, bringing together the company’s business systems to deliver world-class commercial-focused solutions to its customers in innovative ways. Before LexisNexis, Ms. Tiwari held multiple technology executive leadership roles. This has included ServiceTitan, where she served as the company’s first CIO and helped establish the IT / Corporate Engineering function; Symantec, where she built the strategy for creating a Cybersecurity-as-a-Service revenue stream backbone; and Cisco, where she defined and led Data and Analytics strategy to increase Marketing effectiveness and attribution to revenue. She also has held technology leadership positions at American Express and VMware. Ms. Tiwari is an Advisory Board member of Stitchflow.io and the Data Analytics & Data Science program at UC Berkeley Extension. She helps and advises founders and startup CEOs on product, go-to-market, and pricing strategy. Additionally, the Women in IT Silicon Valley Awards nominated Ms. Tiwari as Digital Leader of the Year. Throughout her career, Ms. Tiwari’s passion has been to help people and companies create a more diverse and inclusive culture while driving impacts and outcomes for the business. To that effect, she has sponsored DEI groups at her companies and supports non-profit organizations focusing on Women in Tech and Dress for Success. She is also an avid outdoors person. Her time spent in the mountains skiing, hiking, and backpacking makes her a better strategist and visionary. She holds a Master\’s in Computer Science and a Bachelor’s in Mathematics and Economics.

Pankaj Tiwari is EVP IT & Sales Ops, CIO for Penumbra Inc. Penumbra, Inc. is a global interventional therapies company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets innovative medical devices. In his current role,  Mr Tiwari is responsible for all IT functions with primary focus towards partnering with business to streamline business processes and build IT Infrastructure and team to help scale the company . Prior to joining Penumbra, Pankaj held various senior management positions at Atmel, Maxim Semiconductor, Nanosolar and Marvell Semiconductor. Pankaj previously served as a Founder for BUmmos Inc , enterprise business and artificial intelligence company.

Pankaj earned his bachelor\’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Varanasi, India, and an MBA in Information Systems and Marketing from California State University, East Bay.

Nick Yoo is Chief Information Security Officer at Noodle.ai.  Noodle.ai\’s applications and platform apply advanced data science to industries at the core of the global economy to create a world without waste.  He has more than 20 years of IT experience and served as Chief Security Officer at BMC Software, where he was responsible for product security. His previous roles included Chief Security Architect at McKesson Corporation, leading its global security architecture and strategic cybersecurity initiatives, and VP of Software Engineering at Samsung SDS, among other roles. He holds BBA and MS, and numerous professional certifications including CISM, CISSP, and Advanced Stanford Security Program.