Marcus Hedlund

Master of Science in Chemical Engineering with 25 years if experience from process automation and optimization in petrochemical and polymer industry. Leader of project, programs and organizations in digital transformation through implementation of advanced solutions, with a strong focus on together achieving new and better ways of working and optimizing assets. Dedicated to empowering and visionary leadership as technology always succeeds because of talented teams.

Riccardo Picca

Riccardo Picca is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in driving growth, building capabilities, and leading high-performing teams across global markets. Born in Milan, Italy, he has built a distinguished career in both general management and strategic consulting. Currently, Riccardo serves as the Executive Director of Strategy & Global Business Transformation at Sandvik, where he leads significant business overhaul initiatives. He also holds advisory roles at Microsoft’s Intelligent Manufacturing Board and IRSAP Group. Previously, he held leadership positions at ITT Inc., McKinsey & Co., and KPMG, among others. Riccardo is fluent in Italian, English, French, and Spanish, and has a solid academic foundation with an Executive MBA from SDA Bocconi and M.Sc. in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. His expertise spans strategy, operations, digital transformation, sustainability and M&A, making him an impactful leader in the industrial goods and mobility sectors.

Khaled Hajjar

Head of OPex and Quality. Accomplished, skilled Operations Management Professional with continually progressive experience in roles requiring expertise in global Lean implementations, digital transformations, operations, and supply chain management. Recognized as a meticulous team leader with ability to manage operations in collaboration with all levels of personnel.

Dr. Kristian Schatz

Kristian Schatz works as Principal Project Manager & Product Owner at M&M Software GmbH. He holds a diploma in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Construction Informatics from the TU Darmstadt. With 15+ years of experience in consulting, design and implementation of digital solutions in the area of digital twins and IoT platforms, he supports his customers to turn their vision for a digital world with the right partners into reality.

Ebose Okondo

Ebose is a GE Vernova Business Consultant with specialization in the Proficy Historian and Analytics products. With extensive experience across manufacturing and energy industries, he excels in designing and developing solutions that enhance key performance indicators (KPIs) and drive innovation. His expertise in advanced analytics helps clients optimize their operations and achieve strategic objectives. Outside of his professional role, Ebose is dedicated to continuous learning and staying at the forefront of technological advancements.

Manuel Ferreira de Almeida

Manuel Ferreira de Almeida, Ph.D., serves as the Vice President of Sales – Head of North America at Makersite, driving the company’s go-to-market strategy and commercial operations across the region. Based in Chicago, Manuel leads initiatives to expand market presence and accelerate growth by empowering manufacturers to make smarter, more sustainable product and supply chain decisions through advanced automation. With extensive expertise in enterprise sales and business transformation, Manuel plays a pivotal role in amplifying Makersite’s mission—delivering innovative solutions that enhance operational efficiency and sustainability at scale for businesses across North America.

Daniel Reed

Daniel has over a decade of experience as a digital transformation leader in manufacturing, applying his systems-thinking approach to design and build solutions across different industries and enterprise scales. His experience spans hands-on applications engineering as part of a small business through technology policy and collaborative R&D as part of an innovation institute.
As a technologist and advocate for the manufacturing industry, Daniel seeks to translate complex topics into a clear value proposition that connects solutions with the real world problems they can solve. Daniel has applied his agile interdisciplinary approach to a diverse range of projects including whole-factory production line conveyance control, physics-informed AI model development, and medical device digital twin innovation.
In his role at Baldwin Richardson Foods, Daniel owns the development and maturation of the overall digital transformation portfolio. He also leads programs and strategic architecture projects such as enterprise data mastery and workforce upskilling on new technologies. This work is informed by his practical solutionist approach to thought leadership and his passion for the potential of Industry 4.0 technologies to transform US/global manufacturing and the work of the future.

Barrett Hopper

Barrett Hopper is a leadership and operations executive with over 25 years of global experience transforming manufacturing and supply chain organizations. As Director of Operations for MKS Instruments Americas, and soon to be Global Operations Leader, Barrett has led large-scale digital transformations, including multi-site MES rollouts and Lean process improvements. He is the creator of the Stratical™ leadership approach, which fuses strategic clarity, tactical discipline, and cultural empowerment to drive exceptional results. A dedicated marathon runner since 1983, Barrett embodies his “one mile at a time” mindset in both his personal and professional life. He is a published author, frequent conference speaker, and passionate coach committed to helping leaders move from checklists to cultures that inspire lasting impact. Barrett currently resides in Charlotte, NC.

Gayle Bayer

Gayle Bayer is a seasoned Lean facilitator, problem solver, and coach with nearly three decades of experience championing operational excellence across global manufacturing organizations. Her energetic and relatable style has made her a trusted advisor to industry leaders such as Johnson Controls, Yanfeng, Whirlpool, and Grammer, where she's led more than 300 kaizen events resulting in over $22 million in documented savings. Gayle’s strength lies in demystifying Lean principles and making them actionable at every level—from shop floor teams to executive leadership. She empowers organizations to align improvement efforts with strategic KPIs, sparking measurable change through hands-on coaching and a collaborative approach. Based in Ohio, Gayle is passionate about developing future Lean leaders, sharing her expertise through international workshops, mentoring programs, and high-impact training engagements. Her global footprint and practical insights make her a powerful advocate for continuous improvement, no matter where the conversation begins.

Tom Porter

Tom Porter is a global director of Procter & Gamble’s “Product Supply Manufacturing, Innovation & Capability Center of Excellence”. Tom is based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with BS in Chemical Engineering. His 29+ years of professional experience in P&G spans multiple supply chains, manufacturing sites and corporate functions. He has worked in many areas of P&G product supply organization: at country, regional, and global level, from innovation planning & platform management to manufacturing execution roles which includes site responsible to manufacturing excellence within and outside P&G. He is recognized as a very pragmatic expert in applying and coaching the IWS Operational Excellence methodology. For the last 4 years, he has a leading role in consulting P&G’s manufacturing excellence methodology, “Integrated Work System” (IWS) in alliance with Ernst & Young Consultancy to coach the methodology at non-P&G’s companies. He has successfully coached this methodology in various environments (low & high tech) and various areas (from production line to boardroom) around the globe with multiple companies external to P&G.

Hao Dinh

Born in Vietnam and now based in the U.S., Hao has worked across the U.S., Europe, and Southeast Asia in manufacturing, finance, energy, extreme sports, and entertainment—as an innovation evangelist, digital transformation leader, and, most memorably, a pro skateboarder. He now drives initiatives that turn traditional organizations into digital innovation powerhouses by leveraging AI to accelerate transformation. Hao also founded two nonprofits to help students and non-techies unlock creativity, ignite innovation, and thrive in the digital economy.

Dr. Marcel Schaefer

Dr. Marcel Schaefer has been leading the Fraunhofer USA office in South Carolina since March 2021. He is the Senior Program Coordinator for Fraunhofer USA’s activities within the South Carolina Fraunhofer USA Alliance. Industry-focused projects cover a broad spectrum ranging from smart manufacturing, Industry 4.0, digitization to predictive analytics to sustainability, renewable energy, battery, hydrogen, and other innovative and emerging technologies. Dr. Marcel Schaefer has been a Senior Research Scientist for Fraunhofer USA since January 2019. From 2009 to 2018 he was with Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technologies SIT in Darmstadt, Germany. He holds a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Wuppertal, Germany, and a PhD in computer science from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. Marcel is thriving to institutionalize Fraunhofer USA as an established organization in the US and to bring the newest technology "made by Fraunhofer" from the global Fraunhofer network into the US.

Dr. Marcel Schaefer

Dr. Marcel Schaefer has been leading the Fraunhofer USA office in South Carolina since March 2021. He is the Senior Program Coordinator for Fraunhofer USA’s activities within the South Carolina Fraunhofer USA Alliance. Industry-focused projects cover a broad spectrum ranging from smart manufacturing, Industry 4.0, digitization to predictive analytics to sustainability, renewable energy, battery, hydrogen, and other innovative and emerging technologies. Dr. Marcel Schaefer has been a Senior Research Scientist for Fraunhofer USA since January 2019. From 2009 to 2018 he was with Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technologies SIT in Darmstadt, Germany. He holds a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Wuppertal, Germany, and a PhD in computer science from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. Marcel is thriving to institutionalize Fraunhofer USA as an established organization in the US and to bring the newest technology "made by Fraunhofer" from the global Fraunhofer network into the US.

Henning Bruns

Henning Bruns brings more than 27 years of international leadership experience from Daimler AG, where he held key management roles across Europe, the United States, Brazil, and China. In 1995, he was part of the pioneering engineering team that launched the Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As Global Product Line Manager for Mercedes-Benz Trucks in 2001, Henning successfully implemented a new truck family across Europe, Turkey, and Brazil. From 2007 to 2012, he served as President of Detroit Diesel Corporation in Michigan, overseeing the launch of a global platform of SCR heavy-duty truck engines. He later assumed global responsibility for Product Planning & Business Strategy at Daimler Trucks in 2012. Returning to the U.S. in 2015, Henning became General Manager of Freightliner’s Heavy-Duty Truck Plant in North Carolina, where he led the launch of two new Class 8 truck families for Freightliner and Western Star. In 2018, Henning joined ConMoto Consulting Group in Munich as President of its North American operations, headquartered in Charlotte, NC. His perspectives on manufacturing leadership can be found in “The Top 10 Lessons for a Future Plant Manager.” Henning earned a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University and a Ph.D. from the University of Clausthal-Zellerfeld, where he published his dissertation on “Lean Manufacturing and the Implementation of the Toyota Production System in Western Industries.” In recognition of his professional achievements, he was named a Distinguished Engineer by Texas Tech University’s Edward E. Whitacre College of Engineering in 2015. His core expertise lies in Lean Operations Excellence, Business Performance Turnaround, and Product Launch Management. Over the course of his career, he has successfully led multiple large-scale manufacturing turnarounds and managed eight major product launches—including cars, trucks, and engines—delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards. Since 2015, Henning has lived with his wife, Micah Stahmer, a liberal arts professor at CPCC in Charlotte, and their daughter Anna on Lake Norman, North Carolina.

Hannu Heinonen

Hannu Heinonen has over 30 years of experience in the global compressed air industry, with a career spanning sales, sales and marketing management, and executive leadership roles. He is currently Vice President of Americas at Tamturbo, where he leads operations and business growth across the region. With deep expertise in both commercial and strategic aspects of the industry, Hannu is recognized for advancing sustainable compressed air solutions worldwide. He is passionate culinary and cultural adventures.

Nasser Ahmad

Nasser Ahmad is the Director of Digitalization at Höganäs AB, leading digital transformation across manufacturing operations. Since joining Höganäs in 2005, he has held senior leadership roles including Vice President of Operations for High Alloys and Director of Engineering Services for North America. With over 25 years of experience in iron powder and high-alloy powder manufacturing, his expertise spans operations strategy, automation, process improvement, and capital investment projects. Before Höganäs, he served as Director of Engineering Services at Kobelco in the United States. His career has consistently focused on driving efficiency, safety, and sustainability through both technological and organizational innovation. Nasser holds a Master’s in Industrial Engineering, a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering, and an MBA. Born in Lahore, Pakistan, he now lives in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with his wife and three children. Outside of work, he is passionate about technology, enjoys golf, and supports continuous learning and digital innovation in manufacturing.