The Digital Manufacturing Strategies Summit 2026 brings together a diverse lineup of industry leaders, innovators, and visionaries who are driving transformation across the manufacturing landscape. From C-suite executives to pioneering technologists, our speakers share invaluable insights, experiences, and strategies that are redefining the future of digital manufacturing.
Interested in joining this distinguished group of speakers?
Enquire now to explore speaking opportunities and contribute your expertise to this premier event.
Meet Our Speakers
Mohamad Sadek
Global Head of Continuous Improvement for Natural Ingredients Division
Mohamad Sadek is a Global Operations Excellence Manager with 15 years of experience in Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement, currently based in Chicago, Illinois. He has led demonstration projects across the automotive sector with Renault-Nissan in Japan, aerospace with Bombardier, and Cascades in Montreal, Canada. Mohamad brings deep expertise in Lean tools including value stream mapping, 5S, Kaizen, and Six Sigma, applying them to drive operational excellence across diverse manufacturing environments.
Justine Franchina
Chief Operating Officer
Justine Franchina is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Synergy Flavors. Prior to that, Justine was the COO of Greene Tweed, Ketjen (a subsidiary of Albemarle), and Chem-Trend, respectively. Justine earned her PhD in Polymer Organic Chemistry from Texas A&M University in 1999. She started her career with DuPont in Deepwater NJ, developing and manufacturing new products. Throughout her 17.5-year career with DuPont, Justine held various roles across Technology, Sales, Marketing, and Operations. In her COO roles, Justine has driven strong cultural change to meet strategic and profitability goals of the company through cross functional collaboration. Justine is married with three children. She enjoys playing pickleball and making chocolate confections.
Ravi Koppicheeti
Associate Director
Ravi Kiran Koppichetti is a business-focused technologist with over 8+ years of full-lifecycle experience in designing and building enterprise data and analytics solutions from strategy through delivery, including data acquisition, ETL/ELT, data quality, modern data architecture, and the socialization of analytic capabilities, including the adoption of solutions. He also focuses on providing strategic advisory services, process improvement, including change management, information delivery, and organizational/team structure, and helps drive alignment across key stakeholder groups. He has successfully led and delivered numerous data-driven business transformation initiatives, developing the solution architecture of a modern analytics consumption strategy, building an actionable roadmap, and ensuring the realization of the business/technology vision.
Richard Gordon
Operational Excellence & Digital Transformation Manager
Mayur Wakhare
Senior Operational Technology Engineer
Smith+Nephew
Mayur Wakhare is a Senior Operational Technology Engineer at Smith+Nephew with 11+ years of experience across medical device, automotive, and advanced manufacturing. His work focuses on Manufacturing 4.0, digital manufacturing, operational technology, eDHR, connected quality, automation, and AI-enabled manufacturing solutions. He holds an M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Ohio University and a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pune. Mayur is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a Medtronic DRM Green Belt, and a Senior Member of IEEE. He is also active in the engineering community through scholarly publications, conference activities, and peer review.
Michael Clark
Director
OPC Foundation North America
Michael Clark is an enterprise technology sales leader with extensive experience helping organisations adopt innovative software and AI solutions. Currently with Standard Intelligence, he works with customers to solve complex business challenges through strategic technology partnerships. Known for his customer-first approach, commercial acumen, and ability to build trusted relationships, Michael has earned a reputation for delivering successful outcomes and guiding organisations through the evaluation and implementation of transformative technologies.
Vijay Krishna
VP: Quality & Regulatory Affairs
Glanbia
Performance-driven executive and strategic leader with more than 20 years of experience across global and emerging food manufacturing organizations. Brings deep expertise in food safety, quality, regulatory affairs, risk management and governance, and people leadership, with a strong track record of building strategies, systems, and capabilities that enable business growth, strengthen brand equity, and create value for stakeholders.
Recognized for delivering best-in-class food safety, quality, and regulatory governance standards, programs, and solutions that consistently meet or exceed the expectations of consumers, customers, and regulatory authorities. Known for sound judgment, high-impact decision-making, creativity, and initiative, with a proven ability to position Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory compliance as a core organizational capability and a driver of performance, culture, and trust.
Nereida Parks
AI, Regional Privacy/HIPPA Officer
Nereida Parks is an experienced strategic and operational data privacy and AI executive with over 20 years of experience creating innovative solutions at the intersection of business, technology, and law. She has more than 12 years of specialized expertise in data privacy, AI, cybersecurity, breach notification, biometrics, and intellectual property law.
Nereida currently serves as Privacy, HIPAA, and AI Officer for the Americas at Olympus Corporation. In this role, she leads the regional strategy and implementation of Olympus’s global privacy, HIPAA, and AI programs across Canada, North America, and South America. She manages privacy operations, AI/Agentic AI governance, and regulatory compliance, and serves as the designated Data Protection and HIPAA Officer for the U.S. As the region’s top privacy leader and a member of the OCA and GRC executive teams, she collaborates with legal, IT/Information Security, M&A, and business units, chairs executive committees, and drives enterprise compliance, risk mitigation, and innovation strategies amid an evolving regulatory landscape.
Throughout her 20-plus-year career in the healthcare ecosystem, Nereida has held executive leadership roles at Sanofi (Regional Privacy Officer, North America and Specialty Care), Anthem (Chief of Staff to the C-Suite and Chief Strategy Officer), IQVIA (Head of Information Governance and Data Privacy, RWE), UCB Pharma (Head of Global Digital Transformation), and GE Healthcare (Director of Global Product Management, DGS and Ultrasound). At GE Healthcare, she managed a $760 million P&L and led the ultrasound and global detection and guidance solutions (DGS) medical device product management team in Buc, France, driving product innovation and market growth. She graduated from GE’s esteemed Corporate Audit Staff (CAS) program and was named Marketer of the Year by GE’s CMO.
Earlier in her career, Nereida gained extensive experience in pharmaceutical and hospital sales, working with leading organizations such as Merck, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Par
Pharmaceuticals. Her unique blend of scientific knowledge and business skills, particularly in roles such as National Sales Trainer and Medical Science Liaison (MSL), consistently helped achieve key sales and business goals. She was recognized with Merck’s President’s Club award multiple years, highlighting her ability to deliver results.
Nereida holds both undergraduate and post-graduate degrees from Georgia Tech, the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Pritzker School of Law at Northwestern University. She also holds certifications as a Six Sigma Black Belt and a PMP (Project Management Professional).
Stefan Schwab
CO-CEO
Stefan Schwab is Co-CEO of Cybus. He brings more than 20 years of experience at Siemens, where he built and scaled industrial technology businesses across the globe – from early-stage ventures to large international organizations. At Cybus, Stefan leads the company alongside co-founder Peter Sorowka, pairing deep industry expertise with a shared vision for the future of manufacturing, and working jointly on Cybus’ Physical AI strategy. As he puts it: “As machines make decisions and act independently, the underlying data layer becomes a non-negotiable prerequisite” – a perspective that will help shape the next generation of manufacturing.
Sang Lee
Senior Solutions Engineer
Strategic pre‑sales professional with deep expertise in observability, cloud platforms, and enterprise transformation. Skilled at building technical champions, guiding customers through modernization journeys, and partnering with sales to drive measurable outcomes. With over 25 years of experience in the technology sector, 13 years as a pre-sales engineer and 12 years as a product manager, specializing in new technologies. I thrive in a collaborative environment, partnering with account executives to promote and deliver complex solutions involving hardware, software, and services to both Information Technology (IT) and Operation Technology (OT) markets.
Lauren Dunford
CEO & Co-Founder
Lauren Dunford is the Co-Founder and CEO of Guidewheel, where she helps manufacturers improve productivity, efficiency and sustainability by unlocking real-time visibility across factory operations. Passionate about empowering frontline teams, Lauren works with manufacturers around the world to accelerate digital transformation using AI and machine data. She is a recognised voice on the future of manufacturing and the role of technology in driving operational excellence.
Mike Weller
Global Head of Manufacturing Practice
As the Global Head of Manufacturing Practice at Verizon Business, Michael is responsible for driving strategic business development and high-level industry engagement. He plays a pivotal role in shaping how the industrial sector evolves, focusing on delivering cutting-edge thought leadership to address the complex innovation challenges facing modern manufacturers. Under his leadership, he bridges the gap between technology and industry, fostering digital transformation across the globe. With a deep commitment to the industrial space, he remains at the forefront of identifying and solving the unique hurdles of connectivity, efficiency, and scale in global manufacturing.
Colin Cosgrove
President/CEO
Colin Cosgrove is President and CEO of Laystrom Manufacturing, bringing more than 30 years of experience across production, engineering, project management, operations, sales and executive leadership. Having started his career on the shop floor, he has worked across a wide range of manufacturing sectors and is passionate about continuous improvement, digital transformation and helping manufacturers embrace new technologies while keeping people and processes at the heart of change.
Kevin Bugg
Account Executive
With over 17 years of experience at Oracle, I served as a Sales Solution Expert, focusing on SaaS, AI and Master Data Management solutions. In this role I work closely with strategic accounts , leveraging expertise in AI, ML, SaaS, MDM and EPM to deliver tailored solutions.
By leveraging my strategic planning and account development skills, I enable organizations to adopt advanced Enterprise Performance Management, Data Intelligence and Data Management solutions, driving growth and operational efficiency.
Howard Turner Jr
Director Supply Chain Systems
Accomplished supply chain professional with strong analytical, communication, and organizational skills. Experience providing operations and project management leadership.
Specialties: Distribution center design/layout, material handling equipment selection, WMS selection and implementation, distribution center process improvement, labor management and optimization, warehouse slotting expert, network optimization, inventory management, multi-modal transportation planning.
Kamin Mohoney
Business Transformation Management, Stratigic Advisor
At SAP America, Inc., my role as a Business Transformation Strategic Advisor leverages my extensive experience in driving business transformation enabled by SAP solutions forward. My mission is to empower organizations to navigate their digital transformation journeys effectively.
Dr. Joe DeFeo
Chief Quality & Advocacy Officer
My mission is to help organizations transform quality into a strategic business advantage.
I began my career as a public school teacher, then moved into quality leadership and eventually joined the Juran Institute, where I learned directly from Dr. Joseph M. Juran, a founder of modern quality management and pioneer of the Pareto Principle and Quality by Design. I rose from junior consultant to CEO and Chairman of Juran Inc., leading global quality transformations across life sciences, manufacturing, aerospace, defense, healthcare, and government.
Today, as Chief Quality & Advocacy Officer at ComplianceQuest, I help organizations use digital quality management, AI, and enterprise quality strategy to boost performance, cut the Cost of Poor Quality, and build competitive advantage. I believe the organizations that lead their industries in quality will ultimately lead them in business performance.
What Sets Me Apart
- Trained directly under Dr. Joseph M. Juran; I still apply and evolve his principles for the AI era.
- Led enterprise transformations for Fortune 500 companies across industries and geographies.
- Advise executive teams and boards on aligning quality, operational excellence, risk, and compliance with business goals.
- Deep experience implementing QMS frameworks including ISO 9001, AS9100, and GMP.
- Educator, speaker, and mentor on operational excellence, quality leadership, and Lean Six Sigma.
- Champion of “Big Q” thinking: extending quality beyond products and compliance to every process and experience that touches the customer.
Christopher Marek
Program Manager
Amplify the voice of the customer to drive customer success and ensure the delivery of exceptional service.
With a strong background in technical support across diverse industries, I bring expertise in troubleshooting and support to ensure customer satisfaction. Additionally, my skills in team building, continuous improvement, and product development have enabled me to deliver results and drive growth.
Jayakrishnan P
Associate Vice President & Regional Head– Enterprise Sales & Strategy
A proven business & technology strategist and innovative leader with track record of developing new initiatives, expanding markets, establishing partner relationships, Joint GTM delivering revenue goals with operational excellence, customer satisfaction, and enhanced competitive advantage.
20 years+ of IT journey spanning management, leading a large team of Business Development/ Account management with large Service Provider and Consulting experience with wide industry experience with track record of success in achieving sustained revenue and profit gains. Global outlook and exposure, with experience in delivering business results in both domestic and international settings.
Experience in handling Large Transformation deals, Enterprise Architecture, end to end Solution Architecture for mission critical apps cutting across network, unified communications & Collaboration and Infrastructure services
My specialties include: Value-add approach * Technological * Team management * Account management * Business development * Product design support * Project management
I have a number of personal interests and passions within the telco and technology industries, in particular around the Future of Work, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Cloud. I believe that by working directly with I am helping enable business transformation within a number of vertical industries with my partners and Enterprise customers
Anthony Offredi
Director of Manufacturing Product Management
Anthony is a highly experienced engineering and operations leader with over 25 years in manufacturing, digital transformations, and military service. His automotive career spans major OEMs including Ford and Stellantis, where he led multi-million-dollar tooling launches, plant operations, and lean manufacturing transformations. At Ford, he managed stamping and assembly projects for vehicles like the Mustang, Focus, Taurus, and Explorer, overseeing capital investments exceeding $30 million and driving quality improvements that set warranty records. At the Stellantis Toledo Assembly Complex, he led the Body-in-White center for the Jeep Wrangler, managing 480 employees and 26 lines producing 1,100 vehicles daily, while implementing World Class Manufacturing (WCM) and deploying digital lean systems using low & no-code platforms. At Amazon, he led the last-mile delivery network in the MidWest, launching 61 delivery stations and integrating 78 disconnected tools into a unified digital platform for startup execution. A retired U.S. Army Engineer Officer and West Point instructor, Anthony combines deep technical expertise with a coaching leadership style, driving innovation and operational excellence across every role.
Tiago Machado
Co-Founder
Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of an IndTech startup. With experience working at multinational companies across different industries, he has extensive skills in programming and automation. His international experience across different regions of the world has helped him develop strong soft skills, particularly leadership.
Cory Rich
Senior Operations Consultant
Cory Rich is a Senior Operations Consultant at Vsimple, helping manufacturers explore how AI Agents can simplify complex processes and reduce manual work. He works with business leaders to identify opportunities to improve quoting, order intake, and project coordination. At DMSS, Cory will share a practical perspective on putting AI to work across manufacturing operations.
Indu Vijayan Pillai
Digital Manufacturing Industry Advisor
I lead Data & AI driven transformation for industrial clients across the Americas – owning advisory strategy, solution architecture, and commercial outcomes.
Commercial accountability: practice sales, pre-sales, GTM strategy, and domain consulting — driving market expansion, pipeline generation, and revenue growth. I have held regional P&L ownership as a country head, built practices at global firms, and now shape manufacturing advisory at scale.
