Caspar is a seasoned business process management professional, with significant experience in Business Transformation, Supply Chain, Logistics, Procurement and IT. He worked in the manufacturing industry for close to 20 years before transferring to the software development side as an executive advisor for operational excellence (first at Software AG and currently at Celonis). Furthermore, Caspar is a certified LSS black belt and has been chosen by PEX Network as one of the 2024 TOP 25 global thought leaders on Operational Excellence. He also co-hosts the BPM360 podcast.

Prof. Dr. Carsten Rennhak teaches Marketing at Bundeswehr University Munich. He received his Bachelor as well as Diploma degree in Business from Augsburg University, a Master in Economics from Wayne State University, Detroit, and his doctorate from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich. Before joining Bundeswehr University he held full professorships at ESB Reutlingen (2004-2013) and Munich Business School (2003-2004). He was a visiting scholar at ZSEM Zagreb, Haaga-Helia Helsinki, SP Jain Mumbai and St. Petersburg University. Prior to his academic career, Prof. Rennhak worked as a management consultant and project manager for booz & co. in the telco, media, high tech and utility industries for seven years. His primary research interests cover marketing communication, customer loyalty and corporate strategy. He has published articles and books on competitive strategies in the automotive, retail and fashion industry, market segmentation, customer loyalty and marketing communication. Prof. Rennhak has served as a strategy and marketing advisor to top management in numerous leading companies in Europe.

Dr. Miodrag Vidakovic is a distinguished Value Engineering Leader with expertise in AI, business strategy, and value-driven transformation for large enterprises. With over two years of experience in value engineering, he has successfully led end-to-end value journeys across multiple industries, including manufacturing, retail, public sector (NHS), and telecommunications. Currently, Dr. Vidakovic is responsible for driving value realization, overseeing pre-sales and post-sales processes, program management, stakeholder engagement, change management, and commercial strategy. His leadership ensures seamless value delivery across multiple business streams, optimizing both customer outcomes and enterprise success. Previously, as a Pre-Sales Solution Engineer, Dr. Vidakovic played a crucial role in aligning enterprise strategies with customer needs. He specialized in pain discovery, strategic alignment, business case development, and value selling, delivering executive-level insights and commercial recommendations. With a deep understanding of SaaS sales, business strategy, and enterprise transformation, Dr. Vidakovic continues to shape the future of value engineering by integrating AI-driven methodologies and strategic frameworks that enhance business efficiency and innovation.

Maarten is a recognized leader in digital Finance & Procurement transformation, operational excellence, and an expert on real-time information management with a career spanning both the corporate and military sectors. A former Officer in the Royal Netherlands Air Force, Maarten developed deep expertise in real-time intelligence management in mission-critical operations, and has played a pivotal role in Europe’s air defense modernization and large-scale technology deployments. These experiences now shape his approach to industrial process control, manufacturing efficiency, and digital execution. As Customer Transformation Director at Celonis, he helps global organizations bridge the gap between strategy and execution, unlocking true data-driven decision-making, automation, and operational efficiency at scale. He specializes in making complex transformations actionable and sustainable, ensuring companies realize the full potential of process intelligence, AI, and real-time process controls. At the forefront of process intelligence adoption in manufacturing and industrial enterprises, Maarten works with Fortune 500 companies to break down silos, optimize operations, and implement governance frameworks that drive measurable impact.

Thiago Souza serves as Corporate Director of Sourcing, Supplier Management, and Engineering at American Glass Product (AGP - Belgium) since March 2023. He has showcased exceptional leadership by managing large, multinational teams and successfully launching OEM glass programs for prestigious clients, including BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, and Tesla. Overseeing a corporate structure with over 100 FTEs, including project managers, product developers, and engineers, Thiago has led the implementation of eight industrialization lines with 50 robots and the development of several innovative products.

Jeroen is Partner & Product Director at 10X Growth - an Amsterdam based Growth Studio, developing and executing core growth strategies for global CPG companies. As a product strategist at heart, Jeroen excels in crafting cutting-edge growth strategies and seamlessly translating them into actionable execution plans. He spent the last 10+ years helping startups, investors and international organizations like FrieslandCampina, Nestle, Reckitt Benckiser and Unilever reposition established brands and spearheaded the creation and launch of innovative products and business models. Co-author of the book 10x Groth Machine, how companies can innovate, scale and win

Costas is a product innovation veteran and entrepreneur, contrarian thinker, impact investor and author of a handful of books on these topics. He has a particular knack for squeezing new products out of old factories. Co-founder of Una Terra, a Venture Capital Fund focused on Climate Change Mitigation and Biodiversity Restoration. Costas' is particularly keen on bringing commercial truths from his past in FMCG to scaling sustainable ideas the world cannot have enough of. Claim to fame: as Co-Founder of global creative agency Happen®, which created over $5Bn incremental revenue for its clients, now part of Accenture.

Pierre Larochelle serves as Department Head and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Previously, he served as an Associate Dean and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology. His research focuses on the design of complex robotic mechanical systems and enabling creativity and innovation in design. He is the founding director of the Robotics and Computational Kinematics Innovations (ROCKIN) Laboratory, has over 100 publications, holds three US patents, and serves as a consultant on robotics, automation, machine design, creativity & innovation, and computer-aided design. In 2012, at NASA’s request, he created a 3-day short course on Creativity & Innovation. This course has been very well received, and he has taught it exclusively more than 35 times at NASA’s various centers and laboratories across the nation to more than 700 of NASA’s scientists and engineers. He currently serves as the Chair of the ASME Committee for Engineering Education (2024-27). He is the past chair of the U.S. Committee on the Theory of Mechanisms & Machine Science and represented the U.S. in the International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism & Machine Science (IFToMM) (2016-24). He served as a founding Associate Editor for the ASME Journal of Autonomous Vehicles and Systems (2020-24). Moreover, he serves on the Executive Committees of ASME’s Department Heads Committee. He served on the Executive Committee of ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) (2017-24). He serves as an ABET Accreditation Visit Team Chair and Program Evaluator (2006-). He has served as Chair of the ASME Design Engineering Division (2018-2019) and the ASME Mechanisms & Robotics Committee (2010-2014), and as an Associate Editor for the ASME Journal of Mechanisms & Robotics (2013-19), the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design (2005-11), and for Mechanics Based Design of Structures & Machines (2006-13). He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of Tau Beta Pi, Pi Tau Sigma, ASEE, and the Order of the Engineer.

Adrian David Cheok AM FIET FIEAust FRSA is Full Professor at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Director of the Imagineering Institute, Malaysia, Visiting Professor at Raffles University, Malaysia, Visiting Professor at University of Novi Sad-Serbia, on Technical faculty �Mihailo Pupin�, Serbia, Faculty of Ducere Business School, and CEO of Nikola Tesla Technologies Corporation. In 2024, Professor Adrian David Cheok was honored with induction as a Full Member into Sigma Xi USA, The Scientific Research Honor Society, a recognition that not only signifies his dedication to scientific excellence but also aligns his contributions with those of groundbreaking researchers. Sigma Xi is a beacon of distinction within the global scientific community, boasting over 200 Nobel Laureates among its members, including luminaries such as Albert Einstein. This prestigious society is renowned for its commitment to the advancement of science and engineering and includes among its distinguished members other eminent personalities like Linus Pauling and Guglielmo Marconi, whose pioneering work has indelibly shaped the landscape of modern science and innovation. Professor Cheok�s association with Sigma Xi marks a pinnacle in his career, affirming his commitment to the ethos of rigorous and impactful scientific inquiry.

Laszlo T. Koczy received the M.Sc., M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees from the Technical University of Budapest (BME) in 1975, 1976 and 1977, respectively; and the D.Sc. degree from the Hungarian Academy of Science in 1998. He spent his career at BME until 2001, and from 2002 at Szechenyi Istvan University (Gyor, SZE). He has been from 2002 to 2011 Dean of Engineering, and from 2013 to 2022 President of the University Research Council and of the University Ph.D. Council. From 2012 to current he has been a member of the Hungarian Accreditation Committee (for higher education), appointed by the Prime Minister, and elected Chair of the Engineering and Computer Science sub-committee, member of the Professors and Ph.D. sub-committee, and had been a member of the National Doctoral Council between 2012 and 2022, etc. etc. He was a visiting professor in Australia (ANU, UNSW, Murdoch and Deakin), in Japan (TIT, being LIFE Endowed Fuzzy Theory Chair Professor), in Korea (POSTECH), Poland AGH University, Austria (J. Kepler U.), and Italy (U. of Trento), etc. His research interests are fuzzy systems, evolutionary and memetic algorithms and neural networks as well as applications. He has published over 850 articles, most of those being refereed papers, and several text books and numerous edited volumes on the subject. His Hirsch-index is 43 by Google Scholar (based on more than 8600 citations there). His main results are: he did introduce the concept of rule interpolation in sparse fuzzy models, and hierarchical interpolative fuzzy systems, fuzzy Hough transform, and also fuzzy signatures and fuzzy situational maps, further fuzzy signature state machines among others. He also proposed a family of memetic and hybrid algorithms (Bacterial Memetic Algorithm, Discrete Bacterial Memetic Algorithm, etc.) which, among others, provides the best solutions to the Minimum Latency Traveling Salesman Problem. His research interests include applications of CI for telecommunication, transportation and logistics, vehicles and mobile robots, control, information retrieval, etc. He was Lead Guest Editor at Complexity, Algorithms and Symmetry. He was an Associate Editor of IEEE TFS for several periods, and is now AE of Fuzzy Sets and Systems, Int. Journal of Fuzzy Systems, Journal of Advanced Computational Intelligence, Int. J. of Fuzzy Systems, Soft Computing, etc. He is a Fellow of IFSA, of ISME and of the Hungarian Academy of Engineering. He was the founding President and is the Life Honorary President and the Grand Prize recipient of the Hungarian Fuzzy Association, was President, etc. of IFSA, AdCom member of IEEE CIS, and of IEEE Systems Council, etc. He is a member of the St. Stephan Academy of Science (2016), and foreign member of the Polish Academy of Science (2017), he received Prof. h.c. and Dr. h.c. titles from various universities. He has the 2020 recipient of the IEEE Fuzzy Pioneer Award

Nima is the co-founder and CEO of Assemble Labs. He is a hardware engineer by training and has spent his career in engineering organizations of small to medium-sized startups as well as larger tech companies. With a history of working in companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook, his main area of focus has been the earliest stages of product development. More recently he has spent the past few years in the research departments of larger technology companies helping the development of fundamental new technologies that will power the devices of the future

Brendan has extensive experience in discrete manufacturing across various industries. He resides in New Hampshire, USA, and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). His passion for operations began during internships at Hypertherm and SpaceX. After university, he received formal training through General Electric’s Operations Management Leadership program, which took him to over 20 global locations to drive continuous improvement. In 2020, he returned to Hypertherm Associates. As the Digital Manufacturing Leader, he aims to define and execute the transformation strategy for the company’s global manufacturing footprint. Brendan loves living in the mountains and cherishes spending time with his family.

Atef Haikal- Top performing engineering leader with 25 years of experience in Biotech (GSK Vaccines) and FMCG (P&G).Combining Biotech strict compliance needs and complex processes with the agility, attention to cost, efficiency and speed of FMCG. Mastery of portfolio and project management state of the art trends. Led projects worth �1.9 billion globally. PMP certified. Various business transformation awards related to project delivery excellence, new product launches, brown/greenfield projects, standardization, EPLCM, technical innovation in project and process design (3 granted patents). Managed global engineering teams and worked in North America, Europe, Asia, and MEA. Strong experience in organizational development and transformation leveraging scale, synergies, and external partnership.

Douglas Amante, an artificial general intelligence innovation pioneer, is leading the creation of ground-breaking new devices that integrate exoskeleton technology and artificial general intelligence. His imaginative approach focuses on developing adaptable exoskeletons that not only give physical support to workers, but also employ artificial intelligence to learn and respond to particular user demands in real time. This combination of mechanical help and intellectual flexibility promises to improve worker safety, minimize tiredness, and boost overall productivity. Under Douglas Amante's direction, these cutting-edge technologies are poised to alter industries by providing individualized ergonomic assistance that grows with the user, therefore setting a new standard for workplace productivity and wellness.

Dr. Nina Bijedic is an accomplished academic leader and expert in applied mathematics, currently serving as the Dean of the Faculty of Information Technologies at the University Dzemal Bijedic of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In her current role, which began in September 2019—and previously from May to November 2016—she has led the faculty with a strong focus on academic innovation and collaborative development within the field of information technologies. Dr. Bijedic is also an Associate Professor in Applied Mathematics and Formal Methods, a position she has held since October 2015. Her extensive background in academia and research has made her a prominent figure at the University Dzemal Bijedic, where she combines her expertise with a deep commitment to advancing education in mathematics and technology.

Dr. Rhonda Farrell is a transformational leader and executive advisor renowned for driving impactful change and strategic growth. With extensive expertise in digital transformation and aligning enterprise initiatives across CIO, CTO, CDO, and CISO roles, she has a proven ability to manage complex business and technical projects while identifying strategic gaps and re-engineering organizations to maximize their potential.Her skill set spans organizational development, strategic communication, change management, human capital optimization, process improvement, cybersecurity, AI, and innovation. Dr. Farrell offers a rare combination of deep technical knowledge and a profound understanding of business dynamics, enabling her to deliver tailored solutions that foster efficiency, governance, and sustainable growth. As a Baltimore-based veteran and former US Marine Corps member, Dr. Farrell brings discipline, resilience, and mission-driven focus to her advisory and consulting services. Guided by core values of service, excellence, and integrity, along with the principles of honor, courage, and commitment instilled during her military service, she consistently leads organizations through transformational challenges with clarity and precision.

Mariska Buitenhuis has completed her Bachelor Business Management (Hanze Groningen) and Technical Business Management (Hogeschool Amsterdam) 30 years ago. During her career as Manager (Planning, Logistics, Continuous Improvement) in the Manafacturing Industry, she has developed her theoretical skills even more and became a certified CPIM (APICS), Black Belt and Lean Expert. She is trainer and coach at The Lean Six Sigma Company and leader of large continuous improvement transformations in manufacturing and healthcare in the North of the Netherlands

Leandro is Production Engineer with MBA in Industrial Management and Black Belt LSS. He has been working in the industry for 23 years. Assuming leadership positions in Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, Quality and Project management. His experience in management roles stands for 8 years in Brazil and 6 years in Belgium. Career Highlights: >As Quality Manager, he developed and implemented an innovative QMS, that delivers for over 12 years, results, and engagement above the average, in all levels of the organization. Reduced customers complaints, cost of non-quality and excel in external audits like IATF and VDA. He wrote an e-book about this implementation, that is available in Amazon with the link https://amz.onl/63zAQXr >As Production Manager, he led process that boost productivity in the operation, through focused teams and governance. Led project of process change, following lean principles, ensuring operators focusing on VAA tasks, achieving step change in productivity. >As Project Manager, he was part of the team to install a manufacturing plant in Belgium. Worked from design till installation and commissioning. Working together with suppliers in Europe and Asia. >As Manufacturing Sr. Manager, Took over 1 unit of production. Built the team, by hiring 26 people for process engineering, quality, and production leadership. Established governance to focus on stabilization and process improvement. >As OpEx Sr. Manager, he developed the OpEx framework. Implementation prioritizing routines of problem solving and process improvement, connecting with strategic processes as S&OP and CapEx. Built the digitalization strategy, by focusing on data acquisition and streamline process aiming productivity. Built the "OpEx committee" to engage people and accelerate cultural change. Established Cost Reduction Program. Led the Global Manufacturing Standardization, focusing on creating network of process engineers to ensure best practices in the plants. Currently, Leandro is Continuous Improvement Manager at CNH Industrial in Belgium, and he is implementing the CNH Business system in the plant of Antwerp.

I am an entrepreneur, researcher, and AI evangelist with 10 years of experience at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). My career bridges both industry and academia, where I have contributed to the advancement of AI, with a particular focus on Variational Neural Networks, Bayesian Optimization, and Industry 4.0. I have been applying cutting-edge research to practical solutions, with my work published at top-tier AI venues. I am currently serving as the Technical Co-Founder at Renewcast, where I am leading efforts to revolutionize wind-power forecasting using advanced AI methodologies. With my contributions, Renewcast has achieved remarkable success, consistently surpassing industry standards in the day-ahead energy market across multiple global locations. I am passionate about fostering collaboration and pushing the boundaries of technology to create meaningful impact.

Gaia Guadagnoli is a cybersecurity expert with extensive experience in security engineering, governance, strategy and compliance. She is a keynote and TEDx speaker and has been shortlisted at the international Cybersecurity Woman Leader of the Year Prize 2024 and is currently a Security Strategy and Assurance Lead at Ericsson, where she bridges customer security needs with product development to ensure top level approach to emerging cybersecurity threats. After her time at Microsoft as Cybersecurity Technical Specialist, where she has also been awarded as Microsoft Event Speaker Silver, she has played a pivotal role as Security SPOC at an innovative security program in the Netherlands, leading initiatives that have streamlined security processes, removed legal blockers, and consistently delivered high-impact solutions. Her work extends beyond corporate security operations - she has been instrumental in mentoring women in cybersecurity through international programs such as Her CyberTracks by the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU), GIZ Germany and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. She also mentors with Women in Cyber network. A sought-after speaker and trainer, Gaia has delivered many cybersecurity trainings at industry-leading events, and also contributed to academic cybersecurity education like designing and coordinating Ericsson’s participation in the Avans Hogeschool cybersecurity course, guiding students through industry-relevant assignments, and with Talent Garden Innovation School. Her expertise spans security maturity modeling, governance, and risk management, making her a key player in shaping security strategies within the tech industry. Passionate about knowledge sharing and empowerment, Gaia continues to drive security excellence through thought leadership, mentorship, and hands-on engineering.

Seyed Ahmad Daliri is a highly experienced and results-driven professional with over a decade of expertise in Business Process Optimization and Automation. His career is marked by a consistent focus on improving operational efficiency and enhancing business performance through the application of modern methodologies and technologies. With a strong foundation in Business Process Management (BPM), Seyed Ahmad has coached and led numerous initiatives aimed at transforming business processes across a wide range of industries. His depth of knowledge has made him a sought-after expert for teaching BPM and Process Mining courses, having conducted training sessions for more than 40 companies. As a consultant, Seyed Ahmad has provided invaluable insights and strategic direction to organizations in diverse sectors, including insurance, banking, steel, gas, ICT, PSP (Payment Service Providers), and manufacturing. His ability to tailor BPM solutions to the unique needs of different industries has earned him a reputation as a leading figure in the field. In addition to his consulting and coaching roles, Seyed Ahmad Daliri is the author of the Business Process Roadmap, a comprehensive guide designed to help organizations navigate the complexities of BPM implementation and optimization

Dawn Ringrose MBA, FCMC is Principal of Organizational Excellence Specialists in Canada and has consulted to management in areas that positively contribute to organizational performance since 1984. With a passion for transferring knowledge, Dawn authored a turnkey toolkit for excellence professionals in 2010 that was designed to make the improvement journey more simple, straight fomard, time efficient and cost effective. Today, the tools are being used by professionals in over 70 countries, in a unique global research study to capture the current state of organizational excellence and to train Local professionals on nation building projects. Recognized by her peers with the Fellow Certified Management Consultant designation and as a Qimpro Certified Qualitist, Dawn has been asked to serve on the Executive Team of the Organizational Excellence Technical Committee QMD ASQ and Board of the ISCM Foundation and to author a Chapter on Organizational Excellence for The Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy and Governance (Springer International).

Dr Jay Daniel is an associate professor of digital supply chain and technology innovation research cluster lead at the Centre for Supply Chain Improvement at the University of Derby, UK. Before joining the Derby Business school, he was a lecturer in Supply Chain and Information Systems at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. Previously with DB Schenker, Australia, and Alliance International Registrar, Asia Pacific, Jay held positions of Senior Management Consultant, Supply Chain Solution Analyst, Project Manager, Industry Trainer, and Lead Auditor. He has published over 60 refereed papers in many prestigious journals and international conferences such as IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems, International Journal of Information Management, Service Research, and Innovation, amongst others. Dr Daniel is serving on the editorial board of several top journals such as Australasian Journal of Information Systems (ERA rank A), Quality Management Journal, Operations Management Research, etc. and on several leading scientific/program committees of national/international conferences. His research is funded by government agencies such as Economic and Social Research Council, InterAct, Made Smarter Innovation, UK Research and Innovation and industry collaborators around the World. Dr Daniel has been invited as a keynote speaker/invited speaker at international industry and academic workshops and conferences around the globe such as Keynote Speaker in Oracle Modern Business Experience Conference (Australia), and World-class speaking about sustainable Supply chain at IISRP (USA, France, Italy, China, Korea, Russia, Germany, Japan, Austria, etc.). Dr Daniel is honoured to be included in the Top 50 Thought Leaders and Influencers on Supply Chain developed by thinkers 360.

Data, Analytics & AI Product Manager at Mysolution, a leading company in Europe for staffing and recruitment solutions. Experienced Strategic Program Manager & Data Scientist with expertise in devising, building, managing, & delivering end-to-end solutions, specializing in machine learning & AI at Juniper Networks, a leading corporation in developing networking devices and software. Studied Data Science & Entrepreneurship in an International Master's program by European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT). Apart from the professional accomplishments, my interests lie in reading fiction, fantasy and poetry. Also an avid lover of Indie-Folk & Rock music and deeply enthusiastic in contributing towards social work & a sustainable future.

Dr. Sarper Önal is a highly experienced engineer and entrepreneur with a robust background in embedded hardware, system design, and team leadership. He has held various technical and managerial roles in prominent companies such as ASML, HIMA, Axxonsoft, PCC Electronics, and Rota Teknik. Over the years, Dr. Önal has served as an EUV Board Owner, Wafer Stage Engineer, PCB Layout Engineer, Technical Manager, and System Designer, contributing to critical projects across various industries, including manufacturing, Wafer, safety-critical systems, and automotive electronics. Dr. Önal's career began after completing his military service, joining HIMA, a German-based PLC producer, where he spent four years as a Hardware Layout Engineer. His expertise in safety-critical systems, particularly in control systems, redundant designs for extreme safety areas like pipelines and rail systems, and ASIL-related hardware design, has made him an industry leader in his field. His work included ISO 26262 guided hardware design for automotive-grade electronics, hydraulic system actuations, and ECU and TCU systems for diesel engines for military.

Jaco Voorspuij is a well-seasoned Supply Chain professional with some 35 years’ experience covering Manufacturing as well as Transport and Logistics. Starting 1990 he helped implement ERP software as well as design and develop add-ons in leading enterprises across Europe. From 1997 until May 2015 Jaco Voorspuij worked with DHL (and predecessors) on warehousing systems, transportation management, Business & Systems integration, Solutions Design & Architecture and IT Business Development for a number of the largest Clients of DHL and on some of the most challenging projects and Programmes that DHL has run and is running for those Clients. Supply Chain innovation is a key theme in Jaco’s career so he joined GS1 in 2015, where he took responsibility for developing the Transport & Logistics sector. The most powerful innovations only really thrive when they interoperate well with the existing environment using common global data standards. Jaco helped develop several of those innovations and standards over his career across all modes of transport and all distances including Inbound-to-Manufacturing logistics. In addition, Jaco managed the product development of location-based services as part of the GS1 Registry Platform (GRP) further facilitating the use of global data standards by supply chain stakeholders. Jaco has been and is currently involved in several ground-breaking projects funded by the European Commission developing and implementing innovative and effective solutions to facilitate much better collaboration between Supply Chain stakeholders and actors in Transport and Logistics also in the context of Maritime and Ports. Some of the results of those projects have now been adopted all over the world. He is a key player in the ASTM F49 committee “Digital Information in Supply Chain”, and chair of the subcommittee for Recommended Practices. For the past 10 years, Jaco has served as key member of the International Taskforce Port Call Optimization (ITPCO), of which well over 6 years as co-chair of the taskforce. Jaco is currently Chief Consultant at FixLog Consulting and member of the Smart Logistics Platform Alliance (SLP Alliance)

Nancy is a Certified Orgnanizational Excellence Specialists also seasoned expert with over 24 years of experience in driving organizational transformation and business excellence. As a Shingo Alumni, Chartered Business Excellence Expert, and certified Change Management Practitioner, she excels in cultivating cultural change. Founder of XcelliUm Consulting and XcelleratE CaaS, she leads the first Licensed Shingo Affiliate Company in the Middle East and Africa. Nancy's dual master’s degrees in Bioengineering and Total Quality Management and diverse career span scientific research, the food sector, and consulting. During her career, Nancy worked in interface with clients such as Nestle, Mars, ADNOC, Expo 2020, IKEA, NEOM among others. A PhD candidate, author, speaker, and trainer, she is also a member leader of the American Society for Quality, Associate Academician at IAQ, and a board member of the ISCM foundation. Nancy received the Global Women in Leadership Award in 2022.

Frank has more than 30 years experience in different industries and project roles with a focus on servitization, collaborative customer experience, smart service and asset management, intelligent logistics and intelligent (enterprise) architecture in order to improve companies business models which create business value and ROI. Frank is the founder of the Dutch industry 4.0 SAP user group for which he regularly organizes workshops and seminars to discuss the impact of SAP solution architecture and the Industry 4.0 application portfolio from different companies. (e.g. digital twin, Smart factory, Smart IBP and profitability analysis) Frank has developed an industry 4.0 servitization solution architecture, which will help companies to extend the sales of intelligent industry 4.0 business services. (read his books and linked-in blogs).

20+ years of advanced analytics, data science, database design, architecture, and implementation on various platforms to solve Complex Industry Problems. Industrial Analytics is the fusion of manufacturing, production, reliability, integrity, quality, sales- and market-analytics and covering 10 Industries. By combining skills and experience, we are creating the next-generation AI & ML Solutions for our clients. Leveraging a unique formula which allows us to model some of the most challenging manufacturing problems while building, scaling, and enabling the end-user to leverage the next generation data products. Strategy & Innovation at Schneider is specialising on Industrial-Grade Challenges where we are applying next generation ML & AI methods to achieve state of the art results. Personally, I am driving my team and my own education to extend the limits of AI & ML beyond the current possible. I hold more than 15 patents and I am working on new innovations. I am working with our partner eco-system to enrich our accelerators with modern ML/AI techniques and integrating robotic equipment allows me to create next generation solutions

Hi, I'm Hany. I'm a Quality/Regulatory Professional with over 20 years of experience in developing quality systems and regulatory file Submission to Notified bodies. I specialize in QMS transformation and have worked with various frameworks such as ISO 9001 , ISO 13485 , MDR 2017/745 / MDD / 21CFR 820. In my previous role, I led a team of quality experts to build and maintain effective QMS that was certified against MDR and ISO 13485.I am certified CMQ/OE from ASQ since 2013 and approved ISO 13485 lead auditor.

He is Full Professor at the Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism (DEGEIT), University of Aveiro - Portugal. He is Coordinator of the Scientific Area of Industrial Engineering and Director of the 3rd Cycle (doctoral programme) in Industrial Engineering and Management. He holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (1994), a PhD degree in Production Engineering (2003) and Habilitation for Full Professor "Agregação" (2014) in Industrial Engineering and management. He is full researcher at the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP) and member of the Industrial Engineering and Management Research Group. His areas of research focus in Industrial Engineering and Management in general, and Green and Agile Management Systems and Eco-efficiency and Industrial Sustainability in Particular, mainly directed towards Enterprise Challenge Based Research. He has been involved in several research projects and is author or co-author of more than 250 articles published in several international journals and congresses proceedings.

Anivandro Bonatto, Asset and integrity senior manager, CMRP professional with strong expertise in oil and gas, mining and automotive industry, my approach integrates proactive strategies, from overseeing structural maintenance to driving special commissioning, reliability process maintenance and engineering fostered an environment where growth and operational excellence were paramount.

A results-driven C-level sustainability and transformation expert with a history of optimising performance by driving profitable revenue generation and organisational growth. Maximise results by creating and accelerating revenue and disruptive growth, cultivating and developing new business, and obtaining optimal levels of profitability in competitive market segments via innovative strategy development. A highly analytical leader converting complex requirements into actionable initiatives with time-boxed milestones. Effectively consult at the board level to prioritise activities and achieve defined objectives with the ability to translate corporate performance targets into significant revenue opportunities. Develop and lead top-performing teams that exceed performance targets in fast-changing, multicultural, and global organizations.

Farell Folly has established himself as a leading expert in cybersecurity, cloud architecture, and IT project management. His extensive experience in both military and civilian sectors showcases a unique blend of strategic leadership, technical expertise, and a deep commitment to enhancing security in diverse environments. Farell began his journey with a solid educational foundation, earning a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Telecommunications from the Royal Military Academy in Brussels. He further advanced his academic pursuits with ongoing Ph.D. studies at Bundeswehr University, Munich, focusing on IoT security and graph-theoretic approaches to mitigate malware propagation. His professional career is marked by notable positions and achievements. As a Senior Expert in Industrial Cybersecurity at T�V S�D Industry Service in Munich, Farell enriched the global service portfolio and developed comprehensive cybersecurity evaluation criteria and guidelines. His role involved supporting industrial clients, implementing pilot projects, and representing T�V S�D in national and international cybersecurity committees.

Kasper van den Broek is a Contamination Control Architect at VDL ETG, where he develops High-Tech systems that need to operate under extremely clean conditions. His passion is to design state-of-the-art solutions to enable sensitive substrate handling for the semiconductor industry and to improve the quality and speed of analyses in high-end subsystems for analytical equipment. He holds a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering, which helps to understand the mechanisms of contamination generation and contamination transport in both atmospheric and vacuum conditions. In recent years, Kasper has worked closely with Dutch Technical Universities to unravel the physics of contamination control. Since 2018, he is an active board member of the Dutch Society of Precision Engineering, encouraging professional contact, knowledge sharing and passion in the field of precision engineering.

Emanuel Zeferino is an Industrial Engineer, currently working as a researcher at the University of Twente, in the Netherlands. In his role he is developing a digital modelling platform for the next generation of battery manufacturing process chains and factories. He previously worked as a Project Manager and Data Scientist at Sunstone Logistics Systems where he managed projects for digitalising and optimising end-to-end logistics operations for companies such as CCBA Africa (Cocacola Africa) across the African continent (10+ countries). Mr. Zeferino has experience in the plastic manufacturing industry, where he served as the continuous improvement coordinator at Gundle Plastics (Pty) Ltd in South Africa. This was between 2018 -2019, before returning to academia, and work in various industrial projects within the Research Chair in Intelligent Manufacturing, Skills Development and Business Incubation where he led the section in aircraft components localisation project. He holds a National Diploma, Baccalaureus Technologiae (B-Tech) and a Masters of Engineering (MEng) which he obtained Cumlaud, all in Industrial Engineering. In his MEng entitled, Development of a Framework for Implementation of a Wisdom Manufacturing System for Transport Sector, he deployed a machine learning concept used for Smart City management to the emerging manufacturing system. Mr. Zeferino is a candidate associate member of Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), the Southern Africa Institute for Industrial Engineering (SAIIE), the Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM) society where he served as the communication director for the TUT student chapter, as well as the International Network for Appropriate Technology (INAT). He has presented in various local and international events both in English and Portuguese such as CIRP Conference on Manufacturing Systems 2024, BRICS young scientist forum 2023, Global Conference in Sustainable Manufacturing (GCSM) 2022, Klevaclick Innovation Summit 2021 and Tropics Business Summit 2019, 2020 and 2024. Furthermore, he has featured in major media platforms in Angola, such as the ANGOP TV, Radio Nacional de Angola and Televisão Pública de Angola to advise on matters related to waste management, pandemic management, science and technology.

Janaína Nigrizoli is an accomplished Industrial and Mechanical Production Engineer with a master’s degree and over 18 years of experience in process engineering, quality management, continuous improvement, and logistics operations. Currently based in Sweden, she serves as the Quality & EMS Manager for the Nordic region, leveraging her expertise to implement Lean Manufacturing principles, enhance operational efficiency, and drive sustainable practices. Ms. Nigrizoli is certified as a Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma and has a proven track record of reducing costs, improving productivity, and elevating product quality. Her expertise includes conducting integrated management system audits (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, and more) and utilizing advanced tools like ARIS, Bizagi, Power BI, and MS Project to optimize business processes.

Ali Asghar Rahmani Hosseinabadi received the M.Sc. degree in software engineering from the Islamic Azad University of Ayatollah Amoli, Iran, in 2016. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in computer science with the University of Regina, Canada, in 2020. He has been verified as a scientific elite by the Young Researchers and Elite Club in 2015 and Iran's National Elites Foundation in 2016. He has published more than 50 papers in high-quality journals, including IEEE Internet of Things Journal, Applied Mathematical Modelling, Computers & Electrical Engineering, Fuzzy Sets and Systems, Neural Computing and Applications, Annals of Operations Research, Soft Computing and etc. He has been serving as a chair, organizing, keynote speaker and committee member in several prestigious international conferences and as a reviewer in many reputed WoS journals. He is currently member of a several Editorial Boards journals. Moreover, he has been serving on the Guest Editorial Board in several journals. Recently, he has been featured among the "World’s Top 3% World Scientists Rankings in 2024" and his five papers have been selected as Enriched Cited References by WoS. His research interests include Optimization, Computational Intelligence, Metaheuristic Algorithms, Vehicle Routing Problems, Wireless Sensor Networks, Cloud Computing and Internet of Things. He has registered six Iranian patents in the area of computational intelligence and nanotechnology. Besides, he is a member of several editorial boards and a member of several national and international journals and conferences

Joma Aldrini is currently PhD Researcher in Engineering Science at university of Luxembourg and R&D consultant. He received his master's degree in engineering management with a minor in lean manufacturing from University of Debrecen, Hungary, in 2020. He joint University of Luxembourg in 2022, leading research on the development intelligent fault diagnosis for resilience and sustainable industry. His research interests include fault detection and diagnosis, sustainble manufacturing systems, smart sensors, monitoring and Evalution, sustainability, and Industry 4.0

Adriano Fagali de Souza obtained his Dr in Mechanical Engineering from the University of São Paulo-USP, Brazil in 2004, manufacturing process. He is an associate professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina – UFSC, BRAZIL. He acts and coordinates several research projects, in topics related to the manufacture employing the chain CAD / CAM / CNC - CAx - manufacturing of complex shapes. He is the leader of the Computer Aided Manufacturing Research Group - GPCAM. Author of the book 4 books on this field. He is an associate Editor of the Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering - Springer. He has several scientific publications and patents. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Technology Areas of the ENADE (National Student Performance Exam). Evaluator of Higher Course of INEP - Engineering Department. Member of the technical committee of Engineering of Manufacturing of the Brazilian Association of Mechanical Sciences - ABCM.

Xiaoyan Dai Received her Ph.D. in image processing from Muroran Institute of Technology in Japan in 2004, specializing in computer vision and machine learning. Since then, she has focused on image processing and document processing at Canon Inc. In 2019, she joined the Research Center of Kyocera Corporation as an Expert. Her current interests include deep learning and computer vision for object detection, fraud detection, object recognition, and object tracking. She serves as a organizing committee member for multiple international conferences.

Aleksandar Drenovac is Experienced Consultant, Coach, Manager, Trainer, Facilitator, Mentor, with 18+ years in Business Improvement. Aleksandar Drenovac focused on Business Performance Improvement, Business & Digital Transformation, Strategy Execution, System Establishing and Improvement, Process Optimization, Value Delivery, Efficiency & Effectiveness. Oriented to developing Agile / Lean / Adaptive / High Performance Systems, Organizations and Teams.

Thobile Dlamini, is a dynamic Certified Organizational Excellence Specialist (COES) based in Gaborone, Botswana, originally from the Kingdom of Eswatini. With over five years of transformative leadership in quality management and continuous improvement, she has established herself as a trusted consultant and thought leader. Her extensive expertise is backed by prestigious certifications, including Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and ISO 9001:2015, complemented by a Master in Technology (Chemistry) and an MBA. As the founder of Systems Excellence QM Consult, Thobile partners with organizations to streamline operations, enhance performance, and foster a culture of sustainable excellence. Her impact extends across various sectors, where she has successfully led QMS implementations, internal audits, and continuous improvement initiatives aligned with ISO 9001 and ISO 17025 standards. Notably, she spearheaded a fuel testing laboratory project that earned recognition as the Best Government Laboratory for its quality management strategies and received the National Quality Award in 2017.

Alessia Corami completed the degree in Earth Science at the University of Rome La Sapienza with a dissertation “Characterization of mortars and plasters from the archaeological site of Elaiussa Sebaste (Turkey) and from Quintili’s Villa on the ancient Appian way in Rome” in 1998. Later, she won an EC fellowship regarding isotopic chemistry at Geokarst srl AREA Science Park, analyzing organic and inorganic samples. In 2001, she won a fellowship at the Georesources and Geoscience Institute of Italian CNR for “Investigation on ancient emeralds to determine the original mine.” In 2002, she won a Ph.D. fellowship at University of Rome La Sapienza for “Phosphate-induced heavy metals immobilization in aqueous solutions and soils.” During her Ph.D. work, she spent seven months in the United States at Miami University (Ohio) working with Professor John Rakovan, attending the GLG 699.E course “Scanning Probe Microscopy: Theory and Application,” and analyzing samples with AFM under Professor Rakovan’s supervision. Later, she moved at University of California, Merced, working with Professor Samuel J. Traina and analyzing samples at high temperature and high pressure. In 2005, 2006 and 2008, she went to ESRF in Grenoble, working with Dr. D’Acapito and analyzing her Ph.D. samples. From 2007, she was a professor at Guglielmo Marconi University for five years, teaching two courses, Environmental Geology and Geomorphology. In 2014, she was a visiting professor at Karl Eberhard University of Tübingen (Germany) teaching (Bio)- remediation Technologies and Climate Change. During her career, she published articles about archaeometry, geochemistry and remediation techniques in soils and water. She is a thesis supervisor and reviewer, and she is on the international editorial boards for some scientific journals as well as a member of many scientific organizations. She is a scientific expert for European Environmental Agency (EEA), Member of Technical Committee CESRA (Centre of Excellence for Soil Research in Asia) Thailand (FAO), Associate Board of Directors Earth Science woman’s Network (ESWN), Co-leader for Women + in Geospatial programme, Expert Evaluator for European Commission. After two years as visiting assistant professor at University of Louisiana, Lafayette she joined le Cerege at European Centre Research and Teaching in Geosciences de l’environment Technopôle de l’Arbois-Méditerranée

Adriano Fagali de Souza obtained his Dr in Mechanical Engineering from the University of São Paulo-USP, Brazil in 2004, manufacturing process. He is an associate professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina – UFSC, BRAZIL. He acts and coordinates several research projects, in topics related to the manufacture employing the chain CAD / CAM / CNC - CAx - manufacturing of complex shapes. He is the leader of the Computer Aided Manufacturing Research Group - GPCAM. Author of the book 4 books on this field. He is an associate Editor of the Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering - Springer. He has several scientific publications and patents. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Technology Areas of the ENADE (National Student Performance Exam). Evaluator of Higher Course of INEP - Engineering Department. Member of the technical committee of Engineering of Manufacturing of the Brazilian Association of Mechanical Sciences - ABCM.

Xiaoyan Dai Received her Ph.D. in image processing from Muroran Institute of Technology in Japan in 2004, specializing in computer vision and machine learning. Since then, she has focused on image processing and document processing at Canon Inc. In 2019, she joined the Research Center of Kyocera Corporation as an Expert. Her current interests include deep learning and computer vision for object detection, fraud detection, object recognition, and object tracking. She serves as a organizing committee member for multiple international conferences.

Aleksandar Drenovac is Experienced Consultant, Coach, Manager, Trainer, Facilitator, Mentor, with 18+ years in Business Improvement. Aleksandar Drenovac focused on Business Performance Improvement, Business & Digital Transformation, Strategy Execution, System Establishing and Improvement, Process Optimization, Value Delivery, Efficiency & Effectiveness. Oriented to developing Agile / Lean / Adaptive / High Performance Systems, Organizations and Teams.