2024 Speakers

Gerardo de la Torre


Gerardo de la Torre

Regional Senior Director, Supply Chain Management USA and MEX

Nissan Group of North America


Gerardo de la Torre is an experienced automotive supply chain executive with extensive experience leading Nissan’s regional and global supply chain and manufacturing operations. He is currently responsible for leading supply chain improvements, innovation and digitalisation across supply chain management functions in North America, including the carmaker’s digital action plan. De la Torre recently led Nissan Americas Semiconductor Supply Crisis Management Strategy enabling incremental production volume during the severe global supply crisis, receiving the 2021 Global Nissan President Special Award in recognition of his leadership and his teams’ contribution. Since joining Nissan in 1989 he has successfully implemented global innovations, improvements and strategies across new model launches in Mexico, Brazil and USA, dealer and manufacturing order-to-delivery and vehicle allocation in the Americas markets, and global sales planning and car flow management in Japan. In 2015 Gerardo also received the Global Nissan-Renault Alliance SCM Innovation award in Paris.

Chandan Trehan


David Herb

Business Insights & Strategy Manager - Demand & Supply Management

Toyota North America



David is transforming Toyota’s supply chain using advanced analytics and digital integration, blending strategic vision with innovation in the automotive industry. Throughout his decade of experience, David has spearheaded data innovation and analytics into stakeholder processes across multiple automotive brands and business functions, including sales strategy, dealer development, marketing, and supply chain. Most recently, he has been working to intersect practical use, intelligent design, and seamless integration of AI/ML into Toyota’s demand sensing and inventory planning processes to proactively predict and efficiently orchestrate across stakeholders with a goal of achieving the mantra “right car, right place, right time” to maximize the customer experience.

Logen Lytle


Logen Lytle

HDMA Supply Chain Operations Tech Lead

Honda Development and Manufacturing of America



With over 15 years of experience, Logen’s career has been anchored in the dynamic world of Honda Logistics, Supply Chain, and Supply Chain IT.
In Honda Logistics, he played a pivotal role in managing complex supply chain operations and overseeing the flow of goods from procurement to manufacturing. He has ensured seamless production and delivery of products, while maintaining strict timelines and quality standards.
Transitioning to Honda Supply Chain, he focused on optimizing processes, reducing costs, and enhancing efficiency while maintaining the highest standards of quality and customer satisfaction. Through strategic planning and effective management, he consistently delivered results that drove business growth and profitability.
With his time in Honda Supply Chain IT, Logen leveraged his extensive experience in logistics to integrate innovative technology solutions. From implementing advanced inventory management systems to utilizing data analytics for forecasting and demand planning, he spearheaded digital transformation initiatives that enhanced efficiency and agility across the supply chain.

Becca Adam, Ford headshot


Becca Adam

Product Line Manager, Material and Vehicle Logistics IT

Ford Motor Company


In her current role, Becca has global responsibility for Ford's IT landscape across inbound material and vehicle logistics, covering the scope of yard management, transport management, freight payment and logistics visibility systems. Her team is focused on cloud modernisation and building data centric, shared architecture across supply chain and manufacturing systems. She has more than eight years of experience across a variety of material logistics, packaging, vehicle logistics, product and IT management. After starting her career at Ford, she spent two years in consulting at Deloitte before joining Rivian, where she led logistics IT and system integration and logistics product management across transport and yard management as the company launched their first vehicle. Becca Adam has a Bachelors of Science in Operations Management from The Ohio State University.

Ricardo Manzanera


Ricardo Manzanera

Americas Purchasing Logistics - Transport Director

Forvia


Ricardo is the Americas Purchasing Logistics – Transport Director at Forvia, the world’s seventh largest automotive technology group following the merger of Faurecia and HELLA. He is responsible for purchasing logistics – transport across the Americas including North America & South America for Seating, Interiors, Clean Mobility, Electronics and Lighting.
Prior to his current role, Ricardo had a similar role at Faurecia where he established the Purchasing Commodity Transport Group across North America including for clean mobility, interiors and seating. His mission for developing this group was to drive the transformation in purchasing transport by creating state-of-the-art processes, improving procurement activities, creating value by sustainable productivities, harmonizing commercial practices, and digitalizing the procurement-supply chain.
Before Faurecia, he had various role at Siemens over 12 years (in Germany and USA) culminating as Director of North America Supply Chain-Logistics, where he set up a new supply chain – logistics department in the US with a focus on processes, performance, and strategic development with 12 manufacturing locations. He drove the modern supply chain logistics set up, including Digital Inventory Management, Source Processes Digitalisation and Modern Transport Management.
Ricardo holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and System Engineering from the Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez with Thesis on Development of Hybrid Problem Solving Method combining Kepner-Tregoe & Shainin. 

Ford


Alex Murray

Senior Manager, Global Supply Chain Management, Metal Forming Division

American Axle & Manufacturing


Alex Murray leads supply chain functions within the metal forming division at American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM), which includes over 40 plants supplying automotive OEMs and tier-1 suppliers. Based at the AAM headquarters in Michigan, Alex supports inventory management, forecasting and tracking, sales and operations planning, as well as providing guidance and leadership to plant supply chain teams. In this role, he also helps define and meet the supply chain KPI’s for the metal forming plants. Alex has more than 10 years’ experience within supply chain and operations, having held various corporate and plant roles in the automotive industry. He has a degree in operations management and marketing, from the University of Michigan – Dearborn.

Skotti Fietsam


Skotti Fietsam

Senior Vice President Supply Chain

Accuride



Since October 2021, Skotti has been responsible for Accuride’s global activities in the areas of procurement and strategic sourcing, logistics and distribution, supplier quality and development. She is a member of the Company’s Executive Committee and reports to the Board and President/CEO.
At Accuride, Fietsam has navigated a global supply chain freight shortage, unprecedented fluctuations in raw material and significant cost increase diversions.
Fietsam began her supply chain career at Chrysler where she worked in Finance, Purchasing, Supplier Quality and IT. She progressed onto BorgWarner as a strategy manager for the Global Supply Management team. She was responsible for setting the sourcing strategy for 61 plants across the globe. She was then first appointed to be a Plant Manager at a new site near Sao Paulo, Brazil and then to lead a larger plant ($110M) in Guadalajara, Mexico with customer base including Ford, Nissan, VW, and GM.
Immediately prior to joining Accuride, Fietsam served as Senior Operations and then Product Manager in IT Supply Chain at Amazon. She was responsible for developing mechanisms that decreased customer delivery time by automating supply chain process for procuring and delivering IT equipment over $1.2 billion spent annually across 3200 sites globally.

Ford


Ed Stachowski

Director, Data Science & Machine Learning, Supply Chain Analytics

Ford


Ed Stachowski is a Supply Chain expert with an impressive track record spanning over 25 years, particularly excelling in analytics-driven strategies. His expertise extends into the nuanced realm of strategic sourcing, where he employs data-driven insights to make informed decisions, optimizing supplier relationship management and minimizing risks. Within the realm of lean manufacturing,
Ed's analytical prowess is harnessed to dissect processes, identifying areas for improvement and implementing data-driven methodologies to eliminate waste and enhance productivity.
His insights extend into Cost and Risk management, where he leverages analytics to strike an optimal balance, minimizing total material costs while ensuring minimal disruptions in supply. In the sphere of new technology development, Ed's analytical mindset comes to the fore as he evaluates emerging technologies, identifying opportunities to integrate innovative solutions that enhance operational agility and competitiveness. His commitment to cost optimization is deeply rooted in data analysis, allowing him to identify inefficiencies and implement targeted measures to drive financial efficiency.
Ed's proficiency in supply chain processes and data integration, ensure that information flows seamlessly across systems, fostering a unified and streamlined operational environment.  Ed's commitment to business integration is underscored by his analytical acumen, aligning disparate systems and processes to create a cohesive and synergistic whole. Throughout his career, Ed Stachowski has been a visionary leader in supply chain analytics, using data-driven decision-making to propel organizations to new heights of efficiency and competitiveness with Billions of Dollars of business value delivered to Ford Motor Company.

William Leak, Nissan


William Leak

Senior Manager SCM Innovation

Nissan Group of North America



Since August 2023, William Leak has been playing one of the leading roles in Nissan’s digitalisation strategy across operations, leading the teams on the development and implementation of the digital strategy for the carmaker’s supply chain management department in North America. He has also lead the department’s data analytics and strategy team since 2021, playing a key role in making data-driven decision and optimisation across operations. William Leak joined Nissan in 2005 and has worked across a range of functions in manufacturing, total cost analysis, purchasing, logistics and digitalisation. He has a Bachelor of Science in industrial and organisation psychology and an MBA in international business from Middle Tennessee State University.

Eric Eilliot, Nissan


Eric Elliot

Senior Manager, SCM Supplier Security

Nissan Group of North America



Since 2023, Eric Elliot has been responsible for Nissan’s suppler cyber security programme for the North America region, focused on identifying and addressing risks across the carmaker’s supply chain partners and taking proactive measures to protect logistics, production and distribution operations. He has a unique background in supply chain management, having previously worked for ten years in Nissan’s information systems department, including as IS manager for supply chain. He therefore has an in-depth understanding of the digitalisation, IT and security protocols required across the automotive supply chain. Eric Elliot has been with Nissan since 2014, having previously worked in IS, IT and project management across a range of industries and companies, including healthcare and lab testing.

Chandan Trehan


Chandan Trehan

Lead, Digital Supply Chains and Logistics

Bosch North America



Chandan leads the digital supply chain and logistics service line for Bosch, where he is responsible to build sustainable, resilient, and efficient supply chain solutions harnessing the power of “Digital”. He is recognized as Top 50 global thought leaders at Thinkers 360. His insights have been highlighted in prominent publications such as NASSCOM, Data quest, Efficient Manufacturing, Toolbox.com, among others, where he explores the role of technology in addressing practical logistics and supply chain problems.

Scott Sloan


Scott Sloan

Chief Architect, Automotive Industry

Kyndryl



Scott Sloan is an accomplished and visionary Senior Business and Technology Executive known for his expertise in driving strategic decision-making among organizations. With a passion for optimizing organizational performance, Scott has been a trusted partner to numerous Fortune 100 firms across industries. His innovative strategies and ability to integrate diverse stakeholders have made him a catalyst for change, addressing the pressing challenges faced by today's leading organisations. By spearheading digital transformation and leveraging agile, business-driven approaches, Scott has successfully led the ideation of transformational solutions, crafting the organizational support for the deployment of these next-generation platforms.

Keith Schall


Scott Mabry

Manager, Cross Border Logistics

Volkswagen Group of America



Scott Mabry is responsible for coordinating cross-border vehicle logistics flows across the Volkswagen Group in North America, working with sales and logistics teams in the US, Mexico and Canada, and with logistics teams in Europe. As part of a new regional alignment in vehicle logistics, he is also responsible for leading on an integrated control tower for North America, developing visibility and data analytics to help optimise logistics and inventory. Scott Mabry has been working across digital supply chain and logistics roles for more than 25 years, including with Volkswagen Group since 2004, in IT processes for supply chain and logistics operations, logistics planning and strategy for parts and vehicles.

Alexander Style


Alexander Style

General Manager, Americas

Vinturas



Alex has a wide breadth of supply chain and logistics experience spanning Asia and North America in CPG, Automotive and Logistics Tech. He started his career in the Coca Cola System in Greater China before founding and managing SWITCH Electric Motorcycles in Shanghai/New Zealand in 2018. He stepped into a board role during the pandemic and moved to New York where he built the full operation for FINN Car Subscriptions as they entered the US market, processing $100M in inventory and taking them from $0 to $15M ARR in the first 18mo. He is now General Manager at Vinturas Americas, who he joined in early 2023, and is bringing true interoperability to automotive supply chains and logistics, making it easy for OEMs and trading partners alike to fully digitize their entire supply chain networks and automate data sharing.

Mike Ueland


Mike Ueland

Chief Revenue Officer

Cognosos



For the past 26 years, Mike has been helping companies navigate through their digital transformation journeys. With a focus on wireless technologies, Mike has had a front row seat to the IoT revolution, having been part of the digital transformation journey for companies like UPS, The United States Postal Service, Progressive Insurance, Lyft and the City of New York.
Mike is currently the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at Cognosos, Inc. where he leads the sales, marketing, and customer success teams. Cognosos has developed a solution for OEMs & LSPs to better manage vehicles from point of production to point of transportation.
Cognosos illuminates the ‘black hole’ in your yard to improve performance against your operational KPIs. It is done in a way that leverages machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide a highly accurate solution that leverages an ultra-lightweight, highly-accurate solution that delivers value on day one.
Prior to joining Cognosos, Mike was the President of IoT Products and Services for Digi International. He is a graduate of Kenyon College with a Bachelor of Arts and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in marketing and finance from the University of Chicago.

David Eyes


David Eyes

Vice President, Automotive Solutions

TrueCommerce



David Eyes has long been an influential figure in supply chain management and digitalization markets. With more than 25 years of expertise in supply chain business development, David has helped hundreds of businesses leverage integration and automation for greater success. In addition to his position at TrueCommerce, he also serves on the advisory boards for the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and Georgia Automotive Manufacturers Association (GAMA), acting as Chairman of the GAMA Supply Chain Committee. When he isn’t helping business owners, David uses his knowledge and passion to support supply chain education in younger generations, regularly visiting and speaking at schools, colleges and universities about opportunities in the field. 

Jennifer


Jennifer Coulter-Lissman

CEO & President

NTG Supply Chain Solutions



Jennifer Coulter-Lissman brings nearly two decades of experience working with international logistics and supply chain management. In her past leadership roles, she’s achieved incredible results, including growing a company from $15 mil to $150 mil, securing company-wide IATA and Customs Brokerage licenses, and growing teams by 1000%.
In her new role as NTG SCS’s CEO/President, Jennifer focuses on organizational growth, strategic planning, and finding new and innovative ways to provide value to clients and the NTG community.

Hanno Focken


Luis Solano

Manufacturing Industry Lead

Google Cloud



Luis Solano has 30 years of experience having held various roles in industry and consulting organizations. His career has always been centred on driving business outcomes, driving transformational change and implementing enabling technology in manufacturing firms. He has held various roles including Production Supervisor, Maintenance Team Leader, and Plant Manager. Specific vertical experience includes stamping, machining manufacturing, appliance, and device manufacturing.
He has had four business turnaround engagements including a Tier 1 Automotive supplier as well as wider experience of ERP and CRM implementations in electronics manufacturing, food, and apparel sectors. He has been involved with business process improvement and process reengineering, organizational change management as well as data analytics, AI and ML driven Industry 4.0 engagements.
Luis has delivered engagements in over 8 countries, and he is fluent in Spanish and English.

Matt Walker


Matt Walker

Business Solutions Manager

TransmetriQ



Walker and his team are the go-to experts for rail shipment optimization and rail supply chain digitalization. With more than a decade of experience at Railinc, the rail industry’s data steward, Walker leverages a keen understanding of rail data and operations.
In his current role, Walker helps shippers implement supply chain visibility and management solutions that close inbound and outbound visibility gaps, monitor cycle times, and identify impactful rail trends. Walker’s expertise includes rail event visibility, fleet monitoring, and supply chain digitalization.
In 2024, Walker was recognized as a Railway Age “Fast Tracker”, an award recognizing outstanding individuals under 40 who have made a substantial impact on the rail supply chain. In his free time, Matt is a panelist for America's Greatest Golf Courses Rankings with Golf Digest. Matt plays and scores courses based on layout variety and shot options—helping to determine America's greatest golf courses.

Keith Schall


Keith Schall

Global Director of Digital Solutions

CHEP



An expert in technology & finance with more than 25 years of experience, Keith spent 19 of those working specifically with digital reusable asset management systems. He has been part of designing, implementing, and optimizing digital customer solutions in the automotive industry for the CHEP Digital team since 2005.
Keith holds a B.A. Accounting degree from Alma College, and M.B.A. from the University of Detroit Mercy.  He is a recognized subject matter expert in the reusable packaging industry with multiple published articles, educational seminars, and national tradeshow presentations surrounding asset tracking technologies, specifically RFID, BLE and NB-IoT solutions.

Chris Waters


Chris Waters

Vice President

AFMS



Chris boasts a distinguished 40-year career in the Small Parcel & LTL industry, beginning right out of college with Purolator Courier. After successfully securing some of the largest accounts in New York's financial sector, he was recruited by FedEx. As an accomplished sales and account management professional, Chris rose to lead the headquarters-managed Private Equity Pursuit Team. Based in New York, he managed prominent private equity firms such as Blackstone, Primaria, Cerberus Capital, and Berkshire Hathaway, overseeing a global portfolio that generated over $180 million in annual revenue. In 2022, Chris joined AFMS as Vice President. In this role, he has negotiated over $10 million in savings for his clients. Leveraging his financial expertise, Chris excels at developing strategies that quickly secure increased discounts from carriers. Chris holds an MBA from Dowling College. He is an active member of the American Red Cross logistics team and a dedicated volunteer for Long Island Cares.

Rick Walker


Rick Walker

President & CEO

GAMA – Georgia Automotive Manufacturers Association



Rick started his career with Ford Motor Company as an engineer, was the Executive Vice President of a major Tier 1, NYSE-listed, automotive supplier for 14 years, and is now President and CEO of GAMA (Georgia Automotive Manufacturers Association), as well as a Director of SAMA (Southern Automotive Manufacturers Alliance).
Rick is also currently a Partner at Clements Bernard Walker PLLC – a law firm specializing in Intellectual Property (patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and related matters), and Trade Association Law. He is a Registered Patent Attorney. His specialties include various automotive and industrial technologies, as well as cybersecurity, trade associations, and corporate governance.
He is the author of numerous published articles on innovation, quality, and profitability. In addition, Rick has been named the “Automotive Leader of the Year” by the State of Georgia and is a recipient of the prestigious International Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Society of International Business Fellows (SIBF).
He holds both undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees from the University of Detroit, a law degree from the University of Detroit, and completed The Executive Program at the University of Michigan, School of Business Administration.

Rajeev Puri, Kyndryl


Rajeev Puri

Chief Technology Officer - Industrial, Communications & Power sector

Kyndryl



Rajeev Puri oversees Kyndryl's manufacturing and energy business across North America. He directs a large team of senior technical experts experienced in the market to lead technology innovation across the customer environment. He is responsible for developing and executing successful market expansion, managing alliances, partnerships and C-Suite customer relationships, with the goal of positioning innovative business solutions that align to the future technology landscape. He is a master inventor and distinguished engineer. Rajeev Puri’s success story has been around IT optimisation at scale, including data centre consolidations to virtualisation to the journey to cloud. He is currently focused on digital transformation with containerisation, application migration and management deployment of artificial intelligence, automation, edge computing and much more.

For Speaking Opportunities Contact:

Riad Mannan
Riad Mannan
Content Producer
E: riad.mannan@ultimamedia.com