Chris Styles is vice president, supply chain management, North America. He was appointed to this position in March 2021. In this role, Styles is responsible for overseeing supply chain activities for all production parts and finished vehicle distribution in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Previously, Styles was senior director of supply chain logistics, Nissan U.S., where he was responsible for finished vehicle and inbound production parts logistics, supplier packaging engineering and logistics strategy for the U.S, Canada, and Mexico. Styles has worked as director of logistics for the U.S. and Canada in Nissan's supply chain management organization, director of purchasing for Nissan's Mexico operations, as well as director of purchasing for logistics and aftermarket and accessory parts for the Americas region. Styles joined Nissan in 2002. Prior to joining Nissan, Styles held logistics management positions in auto parts retail and third party automotive logistics companies in the U.S. and Mexico. Styles holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Kevin Austin is responsible for North American regional demand and supply planning, working in coordination with Toyota and Lexus brands and the North American manufacturing companies that are directly or indirectly owned by Toyota. In June 2022 he expanded his role to include supply chain transformation with specific focus on supporting Toyota's planned increased in electric vehicle production in North America. Toyota is planning to ramp up production, including of lithium-ion batteries at a new plant in North Carolina. Austin began his career at Toyota in 1999 starting out as an analyst within the Production Control division at Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America. Since then, he has held roles in Human Resources, Sales and Headquarters in various locations across North America, and completed a 2-year international assignment in Japan between 2012-2014. Prior to his current role, Austin was general manager within the Toyota Sales Operations team Plano HQ.

Flavio Batista is the Senior Vice President, Sales Americas for Wallenius Wilhelmsen, a global enterprise focused on developing sustainable shipping and logistics solutions for manufacturers of cars, trucks, heavy equipment and specialized cargo. He is currently responsible for the Sales Organization in Americas including all products within the WW portfolio. Mr. Batista was most recently Executive Vice President – Head of Commercial for Europe, Africa and Middle East at Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics based in Antwerp, Belgium. Prior to his time in WWL Europe, he was Vice President for Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics in Sao Paulo, Brazil responsible for WWL activities in Latin America. Mr. Batista is a graduate of Bandeirantes University in Sao Paulo, Brazil and holds a degree in International Business. Mr. Batista has completed an executive education program at International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland. He resides in New Jersey with his wife and son.

Sergio is a hands-on transformative leader and strategic thinker with 25+ years of experience in the automotive & logistics space. He has led several large organizations and teams with a highly proficient operational-centric trained acumen. Sergio's primary focus is to execute RPM's vision, mission, and core values while guiding RPM's continued organizational development, talent development, and service and product offerings. Sergio's global strategy to expand RPM and its services is based on offering best-in-class services, developing new and existing relationships with the largest OEMs in the world. Gutierrez initially joined RPM as the President of European Operations, leading its foundation in Europe, and then moved back to North America to lead RPM & Carvaygo on its evolution as a full-service provider, anywhere our customers need us.

Barry Williams is an automotive logistics veteran with over 38 years’ experience., having begun working in the auto haulaway sector in 1984, gaining experience with Ryder ACD, Hadley Auto Transport and Performance Transportation Services before joining Hansen & Adkins in 2004. Prior to his current position of Vice President of Operations, he held numerous roles with Hansen & Adkins, playing an instrumental role in growing the company’s fleet from 33 trucks to over 1340 today. Barry co-founded AHAA (Auto Haulers Association of America) in 2011 and is the current chairman, particularly passionate about addressing the driver workforce shortage within the sector. He is a proud graduate of Utah State University.

Brandon Mason is the lead analyst for the Global Market Intelligence group at power management provider Eaton, overseeing a team of industry experts that closely monitor automotive developments and technology-driven trends. Prior to Eaton, he spent nearly 15 years at PwC in a variety of roles, including leading its US mobility division and as chief of staff for its global automotive practice. He is the author of several thought leadership pieces on smart cities and the automotive value chain, and a frequent speaker and contributor high profile event and media outlets.

Hamed Bazaz is Seoul Robotics’s Director of Business Development. Bazaz oversees business development for the company’s Autonomy Through Infrastructure (ATI) technology. He has over 15 years of experience across a breadth of technology, product management and commercial roles at startups and mature, multinational organizations. Bazaz is a seasoned practitioner combining engineering with hands-on functional experience. He earned his Master of Science degree and Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.

Having 38 plus years in the automotive industry, Anthony Monteiro is currently the President of Automotive for DRAIVER the nation’s top On-Demand Driver network all powered by an AI logistics platform. Over his career, he has been leading the charge on several large innovation projects and currently works with 100's of large organizations to provide the most robust and cutting-edge products and services in the industry.  With a long track record of success at the Nation’s Top-Rated and Leading companies like: DRAIVER, DealerX, ELEAD CRM, Sonic Automotive, Prime Motor Group, CDK Dealer Services and Dealer Consulting Services, Monteiro offers a wide variety of Consulting services in this space from BDC process improvement, Digital Retailing and Website expertise to Product Development business plans and full SDLC specifications.

Sam Veitz is the Director of Automotive for ABI Tape responsible for brand strategy, OEM commercial account development, technical support and next generation product development for their global Automotive segment. Sam has worked for ABI Tape for the past 28 years in a variety of positions in technical business development working closely with design engineers, OEM plant personnel, and port operations as a damage prevention specialist. He has expertise in materials and product application to ensure AutoWrap® brand products offer the best customer value in component and transportation paint protection. Sam has recently been focused on the development and launch of ABI Tape’s first-to-market environmentally responsible AutoWrap GreenLeaf®. This new product offers the many benefits of manufacturing and transit protection with an environmentally friendly product.

Christine has over 25 years of experience in logistics, supply chain and purchasing and prior to joining FreightVerify held progressively responsible roles at Cooper Standard, Jack Cooper Holdings, General Motors and Ford. Christine, who has an executive master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in materials and logistics management from Michigan State University, was named in the Automotive News 100 Leading Women in the North American Automotive Industry list in 2015. She is actively involved in a number of charitable causes, including being a co-founder of shoe distribution organisation, Lace Up Detroit.

Coming soon

Rory has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Juniata College and a Juris Doctorate from Temple University. She began her career with MBUSA in 1991 and has held many positions there, including corporate counsel, field operations, national network development, and sales operations. In her current role, she is responsible for the finished vehicle logistics for all MB vehicles distributed in the USA and all export vehicles produced by MBUSI in Vance, Alabama. In addition, she is responsible for both import and export customs operations on behalf of MBUSA.

Michael joined Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) in 2008 as a vehicle shipping analyst. Since 2008, he has held several operational positions of increasing responsibility including rail operations, port operations, and has led the logistics diesel remediation team. In his current position, Michael has responsibility for VWGoA’s 8 port locations, domestic truck transportation, and U.S. rail operations. Michael has served on the board of directors for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) from 2014-2017. He holds a MBA from the University of Maryland, a B.S.B.A. in Logistics Management from Central Michigan University, and a lean six sigma yellow belt.

Tom has 20 years of experience in various segments of the Automotive Industry, spanning from Design & Quality Engineering, and Finished Vehicle Logistics. He is currently responsible for FVL Business Transformation projects, helping drive FVL into the next era of digitalization. He is also responsible for Nissan Canton Finished Vehicle Logistics Operations, which encompasses all aspects of vehicle processing, shipping, quality, and Kaizen development. His Automotive experience includes: design – electrical testing/development, electrical architecture design, new model development/launch, supplier and completed vehicle quality engineering, Quality standards & system (QMS) development. Logistics quality, FVL operations.

Travis Black is the team lead for Port Development & Intermodal Planning Program of the Maritime Administration (MARAD). He has more than 25 years of experience in the transportation planning field. He joined MARAD in 2015. He is working with ports, State DOTs and MPOs to offer technical assistance and share best practices for applying for federal grants and financing and incorporating ports into local, regional and State transportation programs. His office is also developing tools in waterfront asset management and intelligent transportation system (ITS) integration for ports. Prior to his service at the Maritime Administration Travis worked for the Federal Highway Administration where he provided developed projects and programs on international transportation issues of the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders and land ports-of-entry (LPOEs). He previously worked for Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and county government serving the regions of Beaumont, Texas; Houston, Texas; and Seattle, Washington. He has a BA in International Relations from Brigham Young University and a Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning from Texas A&M University.