PI Apparel 2018 | Speakers

Alex Thomas is the Vice President of Manufacturing Excellence and Technical Services at VF. He has spent his professional life between Europe and Asia working with various brands and retailers. In the 1990's, Alex was based in Switzerland, India, Denmark and London working with various European fashion brands. In 2002, Alex moved to China to work with K-Swiss where he led the company's portfolio of brands in China and SE Asia in many functions from Design and Development through to Operations, Production and Quality over a 10 year period. In 2012, Alex joined VF Asia in Hong Kong, where he is currently based leading the Engineering teams and VF's 3rd Way program.

Avihay is a Co-founder of Browzwear and General Manager of Browzwear Israel and in this capacity, is responsible for the vision and delivery of Browzwear’s products. Avihay has over 20 years of experience in managing technology products, and in addition to Browzwear, led start-ups in e-retail and gaming. When he isn’t working, Avihay can be found on an SUP or a bicycle.

Denise is an accomplished Director of Technical Design for Men's, Women's and Children's wear with over 18 years of experience in Retail Ladieswear Technical Design and Product Development. With a focus on maximizing product value and facilitating speed to market, Denise worked in Technical Design for over five years at Dillards before coming to Walmart in 2003, where she has been for fifteen years in multiple leadership roles across Technical Design and Product Development.

José P. Chan has taught Retailing and Merchandising courses at Parsons School of Design for 10+ years. Additionally, Chan spent 20+ years in the retail sector and has worked for Richemont, LVMH and Roberto Cavalli. Chan has extensive experience in analytics, buying, marketing, merchandising, planning, sales and has grown and turned around retail store networks. He holds a master’s degree from MIT, an MBA from the University of Rochester, a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and AAS Fashion Institute of Technology.

Natalie Grillon is the Managing Director and co-lead of the Open Apparel Registry (OAR). Launching in summer 2018, the registry is the first open source map and unique identifier system for every apparel factory worldwide. Prior to OAR, she co-founded Project JUST, an online wiki of fashion brand practices and seal of approval for transparent sustainable companies. In 2017, Natalie launched her own consultancy to help innovative apparel sector brands evolve their supply chain practices. Natalie is an RPCV Mali 07-09 and has a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown and an MBA from Cornell.

Oshana Pinto is the Director of Business Development at BeProduct, a next-generation PLM solution built with comprehensive creativity and social collaboration at its core. Prior to working at BeProduct, Oshana served in Product Management and Analyst roles for companies in the fashion industry. Specializing in fashion technology, Oshana has designed and implemented software solutions with some of fashion’s biggest install bases. These solutions cover the areas of design, technical design, product development, production, merchandising and sourcing in the industry.

Palaniswamy “Raj” Rajan is currently the Chairman & CEO of Softwear Automation, Inc, an Atlanta, Ga. based company with the sole focus of developing innovative robots (Sewbot®s) for the apparel manufacturing and sewn products industries by harnessing its experience and expertise in machine vision, robotics, and computing. The Sewbot®s automate the transfer and sewing of fabric, eliminating the need for trained seamstresses. SoftWear technology allows for redesign of the apparel manufacturing supply chain and enables sewing to be performed locally resulting in a disruptive transformation of the industry.

Ron Grilli is Vice President of Business Development for NGC. Ron has over 35 years of experience with ERP, SCM and PLM software solutions for global manufacturers and distributors of fashion apparel, footwear, accessory, textile and home furnishing products. Ron’s extensive industry experience is an asset to NGC prospects and customers as they shape their future business initiatives. Ron’s understanding of the value proposition associated with NGC solutions facilitates the process of establishing ROI objectives and maximizing the capabilities of NGC’s PLM, Global Sourcing, SCM and ERP solutions.

Sarah Krasley is a mission-driven entrepreneur and CEO of Shimmy Technologies, an early stage company focused on an equitable and efficient future of work for the apparel industry. Ms. Krasley has worked at the intersection of design, sustainability, and technology for over a decade and has created design and manufacturing software for hundreds of thousands of designers, engineers, and factory owners all over the world.

Under Sarah’s leadership, Shimmy won the IEEE Grand Challenge for Retail Transformation in 2018, was a finalist for the Tommy Hilfiger Social Innovation Prize, and was accepted into the MIT SOLVE Work of the Future Cohort, and New York Fashion Tech Lab (Springboard). Prior to starting Shimmy, Sarah led Sustainable Product Design + Manufacturing programs at Autodesk where she focused on digital transformation in automotive and heavy machinery manufacturing.

Sarah has a BFA from Pratt Institute, an MBA from the University of San Francisco and joined the adjunct faculty of New York University ITP in 2015. Her work and writing has been featured in media outlets as diverse as Scientific American, Sourcing Journal, The Economist, San Francisco Chronicle, Cosmopolitan, Fast Company, and Al Jazeera America.

Vadim Rogovskiy is the Founder and CEO of 3DLOOK, an AI driven technology company that is transforming the way people interact with their smartphones. 3DLOOK has built two mobile first fit technology and body scanning products for apparel brands and retailers. Vadim is a serial entrepreneur having successfully built and exited several startups. He was named one of Forbes 30 under 30 in eastern Europe and splits his time between the Ukraine and Silicon Valley. He is a contributor at Forbes Technology Council.

Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of 3DLOOK, the global leader in AI-first contactless body measuring and fit solutions. Whitney has spent nearly three decades working in executive leadership positions for some of America’s leading branded, celebrity licensing, and private label manufacturers delivering apparel products to the biggest names in retail. Whitney also holds a certification from MIT in Artificial Intelligence and is an expert at understanding the intersection of the fashion/retail ecosystem and technology.

Alexis Kantor is Target’s VP of Owned Brand Technical Development and Quality.
She leads multiple teams around the globe, focused on technical design, raw material development, and product quality assurance.

Through collaboration with cross functional teams across the enterprise and continuous innovations in technology, raw material development, body size studies, and construction standards, these teams focus on ensuring quality, fit, function, safety and value for the guest.

Prior to joining Target, Alexis worked for Victoria’s Secret in all aspects of product development including working overseas in Israel for VS/Mast. Alexis graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Women’s Studies.

As a leader of people, Alexis strives to maintain an environment where challenge is expected and risk is rewarded, where personal and professional achievements are celebrated, and where a balance between professional and personal growth is possible and encouraged.

In addition to responsibilities related to her title, Alexis is involved with multiple business councils at Target. She acts as an advocate for The African American, The Hispanic, and The Women’s Business Council(s), and is a sponsor for the Pride+ Business Council.

Alexis is very active with various local community organizations. She is on the Board of Directors for Family Equality Council and is very actively involved with Avenues for Youth, a local non-profit with national recognition. Her family has been participating as a Host home for LGBT homeless youth for multiple years.

Alisa has 15 years of experience in the fashion and apparel industry. She has extensive knowledge of the apparel product development process from beginning to end with expertise in pre-production, product sampling, fitting and costing. An expert in PLM, Alisa works closely with fashion companies and apparel manufacturers in customizing and implementing PLM systems.

Amanda Manna is the co-founder and COO of Uncommon Partners, a company that helps organizations do the things they say they want to do in order to transform. Previously, she was an innovation leader at Lowe’s in her role as head of narrative and partnerships for Lowe’s Innovation Labs, which established a global reputation for breakthroughs including the first AR/VR home design tools, in-store autonomous robotics, exoskeletons for store employees, and the first store in space - a 3D printer aboard the International Space Station. Her team was responsible for a narrative-driven approach to innovation strategy, an extensive applied neuroscience research program, partnerships and marketing and communications.

Amnon Shalev is the CEO of virtuality.fashion focused on supporting the international market by developing experience in industries such as Digital Printing and 3D Virtualization. Having discussed Fashion 3D Prototyping implementation with many top brands’ designers as well as Product and Production Managers in the last 7 years, Amnon has introduced 3DaaS (3D as a Service) concepts with the intention of making 3D more accessible and affordable to designers who wish to present their ideas at 3D true-to-life quality.

Ashesh Amin is CEO of the Jump Design Group based out of  New York. Spanning his career, he has played many roles as a leader in a number of global apparel brands with revenues of between $150M & 1B and has led teams of 3,000 across 25 countries, various products and procurement methodologies. Ashesh is specialized in global efficiencies, supply chain optimization, building teams and executing omni channel needs.

Bill Grindle is the Chief Marketing Officer for Gerber Technology. He is responsible for global marketing of Gerber’s industry leading software and automation solutions. His focus is on continuing to support the spirit of innovation at Gerber, leveraging and building upon the brand equity Gerber has established as the "gold standard" others strive to emulate. He works closely with product management and a global team of marketing leaders within each of Gerber’s core geographies to ensure the company is meeting the needs of its customers in its core industry segments.

Carlos Jimenez is a fashion and apparel professional with more than 12 years of experience in CAD solutions to improve design and product development. Throughout his career, Carlos has been able to combine his degree in International Business with his education in fashion design to analyze and implement projects with customers in different product areas, such as lingerie, sportswear and ready to wear. He is a true believer that technology is not used to replace people, but is a tool to boost creativity and productivity for a more efficient product development process.

Carolina Haddad is a Sr. Manager over Apparel Digital Innovation for Walmart Private Brand, leading the 3D program and exploring new technologies geared towards improving the entire shopping experience for the Walmart customer. Carolina is passionate about the changes Digital Sampling can bring to the often outdated apparel industry, improving product, speeding up process and most importantly reducing waste. Prior to coming to Walmart, Carolina was a designer for 20+ years working with companies like American Eagle Outfitters, Gap, Old Navy, and Nautica Jeans.

Cassandra Williams is a full-time Assistant Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, USA. In this capacity, Cassandra teaches both manual and computerized pattern drafting, grading, marker-making and production in the Technical Design major of the Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology. Our classes are supported with Gerber Accumark, Yunique PLM and Browzwear software.

As a Director of Innovation at DECKERS Brands, Chris Hillyer contributes to the evolution of the product development process as well as leading other innovation projects. Chris got his start designing climbing equipment but quickly fell in love with the dynamic pace of footwear design as well as the wide array of materials and processes available. His passion for innovation has allowed him to participate in the design of shoes for Olympic athletes, Mountain Bikers and even a penguin. With the exciting new tools available to designers, developers and throughout the supply chain, Chris has become focused on re-envisioning the entire product creation process.

Christian has a broad collection of experiences which include high-end womenswear design, menswear design, analog and digital patternmaking, garment design and engineering for extended sizes, 3D virtual sampling for apparel and software product management. Today, Christian is a Senior Technical Design & 3D Lead in athletic apparel. Christian has a BFA in Fashion Design and Marketing and an MFA in Fashion Design. He has earned accolades from publications like Elle, Esquire and Women’s Wear Daily.

Daniella Ambrogi has a Bachelor degree in Fashion Design from American Intercontinental University (AIU) and a graduate degree in International Relations from FESP, in Brazil. She began her professional career in California, where she worked for different women’s wear brands. In 2000 she moved to Brazil and worked in two fashion schools, SENAC and IED (European Institute of Design), coordinating undergraduate and graduate programs. She has been working for Lectra since 2011.

David Grant is a technology and business leader in the retail and apparel industry with 20+ years Developer, Project Manager, process flow, change management and Director-level experience. During this time David has implemented several award winning PLM solutions from both the consulting and internal project management sides. Other systems experience includes: ERP, PLM, Assortment Planning, Ecommerce, Workflow, Corporate Blogging, Pricing and Promotion, Social Media, Business Intelligence, Planograms, 3D/CAD.

David Macy is Chief Product Officer for Software at Gerber Technology, where he is focused on technology that drives the fashion an apparel industry - from product design and development all the way through production and retail or omni-channel experiences. Gerber’s software solutions of YuniquePLM and AccuMark are in use by brands and manufacturers throughout the world. Prior to serving as CPO at Gerber, David has over 25 years of experience leading product development at Silicon Valley based tech companies. He was VP of Product at Avametric, focused on 3D apparel visualization, and spent 10 years prior at Adobe where he managed many of the world’s most popular creative tools, including the venerable Adobe Illustrator. David trained as a visual artist, he studied illustration at the Academy of Art in San Francisco and enjoys painting portraits of musicians whose messages inspire him.

Dominic Sluiter leads PVH-backed startup STITCH, building software products & transformation services that enable fashion brand to scale their digital value chain with 3D capabilities. STITCH started its journey with the 3D transformation at Tommy Hilfiger & Calvin Klein and is now moving beyond PVH.

Gustavo Fontana is an industrial designer with 20 years of experience. He is the Founder and Creative Director at Fresco Design, a consultancy specializing in front-end creation, industrial design, and 3D visualization for the consumer products, electronics, and automotive industries.
Before starting Fresco Design, Gustavo founded and lead Bose Corporation’s Advanced Concepts studio. For 10 years he developed and executed the visionary strategy that transformed the speaker company into a key player in mobile audio experiences. In addition to being a successful front-end creation designer, Gustavo is also a 3D surfacing and visualization guru and lecturer, focused on bridging the gap between design creation and technology.

Heidi Goold is VP, Technology & Process Optimization at Kohl's Department Stores. Heidi has 30 years of Product Development experience in varied progressive leadership positions within Technical Design, Color, Raw Materials, Product and Technology. Heidi has been with Kohl's for 18 years, most recently focused on leading Kohl's Proprietary Brand speed to market initiatives and technology solutions such as PLM, 3D, Line Planning, etc. Prior to Kohl's Heidi was with Gap Inc, and JCrew.

Jason Berns is the Senior Vice President of Product Innovation Global Operations of Ralph Lauren Corporation with an 2016 published retail revenue of $942Million and 13,500 retail locations world-wide. With a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from the University of Cincinnati, Jason provides leadership in Product Innovation. After serving for Salomon, Arc’teryx Equipment, Fisher Price and most recently Under Armour Inc., Jason joined Ralph Lauren Corporation in 2016.

Jessica Murphy is the Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer at True Fit, the world’s leading data-driven personalization platform for apparel and footwear retailers. In addition to her responsibility for the growth and success of True Fit’s global customers, Jessica also oversees True Fit’s Genome, the largest data collective of user preference and product data across 65 million + users and 15,000 apparel and footwear brands. As co-founder, entrepreneur, retail leader, and fit expert, Jessica has advanced every aspect of the company’s development, from its patented fit science and methodologies to its recognized service commitment and execution with brand and retail partners.

Before joining Tailored Brands, Jim was EVP/Chief Merchandising Officer at Jos. A. Bank Clothiers where he spent 28 years in various management positions with responsibility for merchandising, product development, sourcing, and planning & allocation. After Men’s Wearhouse acquired Jos. A. Bank in 2014, Jim joined the Tailored Brands team as EVP Design & Global Sourcing, responsible for setting the strategy and ensuring the execution of the Design & Global Sourcing organization initiatives to support the business objectives. He manages the development, sourcing, and production for the private and exclusive brands for all divisions within the Tailored Brands, including Men’s Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank, K&G, Moore’s of Canada, and Joseph Abboud.

A driven leader with 20+ years of global experience and proven success digitizing the world’s largest fashion and retail brands. Highly skilled innovator in product, process, and business model change including Digital Product Creation, 3D design, visual product planning/merchandising, the digitized supply chain, digital sales tools, 3D retail planning, and digital consumer experiences.

Visionary public speaker focused on unlocking the “white space” of the digital commerce experience and incorporating gamification to drive consumer engagement. Ability to be successful in creating real, quantifiable and immediate success, while driving multi-year digital transformation roadmaps.

Karsten Newbury is the Chief Strategy and Digital Officer at Gerber Technology, an automation technology leader in the fashion, retail and flexible materials industries. His focus is on leveraging Gerber’s 50 year+ heritage of innovation to advance the company’s “Digital Solution” portfolio, working closely with customers to drive their competitiveness in the global marketplace.  Karsten has a 25 year leadership track record in transforming businesses through technologies such as e-Commerce, Cloud, and IoT. 

Keith Hoover's career in the fashion and textile industry has ranged from product and advertising illustration to technical product development and global digital color management for Ralph Lauren, Fruit of the Loom, Target Corp, Lands’ End, JCPenney, and Under Armour.  In 2017, he founded Black Swan Textiles, a software and consulting company specializing in color and fabric digitization for the apparel and textile industries. He developed and holds patents for the BlackOPS Fabric Decoder (BFD), an AI-driven technology that derives knit construction parameters from images of fabrics of unknown origin. He is currently completing the development of the BlackOPS Arsenal, a searchable fabric database that organizes fabric based on construction parameters as well as performance, haptic, and visual data.

Black Swan Textiles homepage

LinkedIn profile

BFD promo video

Dr. Lisa Parrillo Chapman is University Faculty Scholar and an Associate Professor in Textile and Apparel Technology and Management at NC State University. Dr. Chapman’s research focuses on digital design technologies that aid the transition from design to manufacturing. Expertise in this area allows application of specialized knowledge to a broad spectrum of research such as integral knitting; digital printing; color calibration; CAD process modeling; 3D simulation of knitted, printed and woven fabrics; rapid prototyping; mass customization; and sustainable product design. Dr. Chapman’s unique ability to bridge art and design with science and technology in engagement with industry has led to groundbreaking research in the areas of digital printing and knit product development.

As Former Director of Technical Design at Fullbeauty Brands, Marijo's primary job responsibilities included maintaining fit and garment construction standards, developing body measurement standards and mannequins, and training company partners overseas in our fit requirements. Marijo also lead a team involved with their latest venture into 3D product development. An active member of the ASTM D13.55 Subcommittee on Body Measurements for Apparel Sizing, Marijo worked with other professionals from industry to establish body measurement standards. 

With more than 20 years experience in the apparel industry, Mark Charlton is a technical leader who has worked with manufacturers, trading companies, direct-to-consumer retailers, omni-channel national and global brands. His key focus is product groups from M2M tailoring to lingerie and everything in-between. He has an uncompromising approach to understanding the complexities of apparel fit, both on a consumer and global level. Additionally, Mark has a proven record of driving and implementing organizational and process change from corporate teams throughout the global supply chain.

Meghan Willis is the Director of Apparel Development for Under Armour, leading the technical design/product development group for women's, youth, and graphic products. In addition to driving innovation and performance through fit and construction in her categories, Meghan is responsible for heading up Global Standards: creating and challenging best practices, product consistency, and sizing standards through Under Armour’s Apparel Development department.

Mike Maycock is the Senior Manager of Apparel Development at Under Armour, overseeing Team Sports (Onfield, Global Football, Side Line and Golf). Mike plays a key role in moving strategic business goals forward including the integration of 3D Technology in sports apparel while ensuring quality, fit and functionality is at a premium level for top tier athletes.

Natacha Alpert is specialized in 3D ecosystems and AR | VR | XR. She has recently led consulting projects for Meta, Neatsy.ai, Logitech and various startups. Natacha is the CEO of Natureverse, a Virtual Reality + 3D Immersive scientific immersive experience bridging sustainability education for brands. 

Previously she held executive roles with Timberland, Reebok, Caleres, Nike and Hewlett Packard. A guest lecturer at MIT, the Institute of European Design in Florence, Italy, the Boeing Center for Supply Chain and 3D print week NYC . She is on the advisory board for Iambic, Elmworks, and the IEEW  and is an ongoing adjunct Professor at Washington University – School of Engineering.

Pep Torres is a creative director and inventor. Pep is the founder of the Museum of Ideas and Inventions of Barcelona and CEO of Steronoise, an Idea and Invention Studio. Pep also leads the Head of Innovation at Happy Punt, a fast fashion manufacturer and Creative Marketing Manager for everis UK, an International consultancy firm.

Pete Santora joined SoftWear Automation in 2015 during the Research and Development phase. Today he helps support customers globally in home good manufacturing and has begun the commercialization of the SEWBOT® apparel automation, starting with the Digital T-Shirt Workline. Pete brings 10 years experience in growing high tech teams and commercializing IP. He was an Entrepreneur in Residence and research faculty member at the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech, a Forbes "Top 10 Technology Incubator", where he mentored startup CEOs including SoftWear Automation. He is a former professional soccer player and serial entrepreneur.

Robert Bangser, Siemens Director of Business Development for Apparel & Footwear, began supporting apparel brands and manufacturers in the mid-1980s. As production expanded globally, he shifted to support a global network of equipment providers, primarily in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Robert completed a transition from equipment to technology almost 20 years ago, focused on design systems, product development, and production execution solutions. In 2011, he joined Siemens to leverage its Digital Enterprise success from other industries to the benefit of the Apparel and Footwear markets.

Rudi Schubert is the Director, New Initiatives for the IEEE Standards Association, and lead for its Energy Practice. He leads the IEEE Industry Connections program, operating consensus building interest groups across a portfolio of emerging issues and topics including sustainability, renewable energy, autonomous and intelligent systems, big data, next generation vehicle technologies and many others. Before joining the IEEE, Rudi was a principal engineer for EnerNex, providing technical expertise on technology standards and testing programs to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He also spent twenty years in progressively expanding leadership roles with Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore) establishing technical criteria and implementation methodologies that become a mandated compliance and certification standard used by US telecom carriers for technology deployment. 

Rudi has a 25+ year record of leading, developing and implementing industry standards and testing programs, and facilitating teams to achieve consensus expectations for functional performance, interoperability, product robustness and safety.  He holds bachelors and masters degrees in mechanical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey.

Sandy is the Director of Apparel Innovation and 3D Digital Transformation at Target. Her role in Product Design and Development focuses on the application of 3D software and other emerging technologies to drive apparel development forward. She has over 20 years of experience leading apparel teams in technical design, product development, and sourcing. She is one of the founders of the 3D.RC, (3D Retail Coalition) a collaborative, industry wide group focused on providing direction, resources and networking opportunities to members to unlock and accelerate the value of 3D transformation.

Scout McDaniel is a Senior 3D Designer at Adidas, leading the team focused on Apparel Digital Creation. Prior to working at Adidas, Scout worked in design, development and tech design roles for companies in the fashion industry. Scout’s current role focuses on upskilling designers and exploring digital processes to enhance designers day to day. Coming from a design and development background, Scout strives to innovate the way we design and create apparel.

Sean Lane is the founder of A42 innovations. His recent endeavors included consulting for the largest eTail company in Europe, delivering a foundation for digital product creation (DPC) and a roadmap for the future. Before consulting, Sean was the Head of Product Technologies & Digital Innovation at Columbia Sportswear, where he was responsible for the technologies that supported Product Creation from design through development, sourcing, costing, and quality. Prior to Columbia Sportswear, Sean was with Nike for 15 years where he held several leadership roles in operations and technology, including Director of Product Creation Technology, focused on merchandising and analytics.

Steve is a senior consulting partner at Kalypso, A Rockwell Automation Company. In this capacity, Steve collaborates with clients, technology firms, academia and trade associations to identify and exploit new opportunities to transform or even positively disrupt their businesses – helping them translate what is possible to what is practical in the retail space. Steve currently leads senior product executives through the adoption of digital technologies and new business models to help these clients fundamentally change how they bring proprietary brands and products to market. 

Steven Frumkin is the Dean of the Baker School of Business and Technology. Dean Frumkin joined FIT in 2012, coming  from Philadelphia University, where he was an Associate Professor in the School of Design-Engineering Commerce and  School of Business Administration. His experience combines academic achievement with business experience in the textile and apparel industries.

Tim Devlin is an experienced technologist and is the CEO and co-founder of Yellowjacket Technologies. He has a passion for digital product creation and likes working with companies to help figure out the best strategies and the right technology to unlock their digital value chains. Prior to founding Yellowjacket, Tim was leading the Global 3D practice for TPC and helped to open the Bridgetown Innovation Center in Portland Oregon where he also worked for Columbia Sportswear leading strategy for Digital Product Creation.

As GM of Human Solutions NA, Andre oversees all operations and business areas including all Fashion Software Products, Body Scanning products and the RAMSIS Digital Human Modelling software. Over the last few years his focus has transitioned from automotive to fashion given the many parallels in design and development between the two. Andre's biggest interest within the last year has been helping companies improve the overall shopping experience, as well as improving sizing and fit.

André Wolper, CEO & Founder of Embodee, has led the development of Orchids, a web-based 3D collaborative platform that improves engagement between supply and demand by boosting the productivity of interactions between designers, manufacturers and brands. André started the company after his tenure as CEO of the U.S. subsidiary of Mental Images, Inc., a company now part of NVIDIA and specializing in image rendering and 3D modeling. André also had a diverse 20-year career at Intel, including as co-architect of the company’s first superscalar microprocessor and as general manager and director of its venture arm, Intel Capital.

Andrew is Founder and CEO of Devery which focuses on providing verification services on the Ethereum network. It is an open-source, blockchain powered verification system aiming to unify seperate verification platforms on the Ethereum blockchain. Andrew is a strong engineering professional with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Macquarie University.

Barry is the Group Vice President of the newly formed Innovation Next division of PVH; his team serves the innovation needs of all brands at PVH, one of the worlds largest importers of apparel, who’s brands include Calvin Klein, Tommy Hifiger, Izod, and Speedo. Barry's experience as the VP of Hardgoods Speedo, where he used his knowledge working with outdoor athletes to help train Olympians by advancing ideation in the hydrodynamic space using physics, engineered innovation and biomimicry to create cutting edge technical swimming gear, made him a perfect candidate to lead the wider Innovation Next division.

Cheryl Layne is Director, Customer Success for the Supply Chain Collaboration customer base at Amber Road. In her role, Cheryl manages the business and systems analysis, product delivery, and account management teams in the US and Asia, ensuring the success of every client implementation. Prior to joining Amber Road, Cheryl served as the Letter of Credit/Contract/Project Manager for JCPenney Purchasing Corporation.Throughout her career, she has held various management positions in retail merchandising, including Project Manager for International e-commerce projects at JCPenney's Purchasing Corporation. In this position she managed programs that brought JCPenney to the forefront of merchandising e-commerce technology.

David Bourne is the Principal Systems Scientist of The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. David's research is focused on building intelligent systems for automated manufacturing. The ultimate goal is to design an artifact and send the design to an automated production facility that would produce it. He is currently investigating several research issues in the design area.

Elizabeth Rich is a Coordinator for Forum for the Future, an international non-profit working with businesses, governments, and civil society to solve complex sustainability challenges. She believes that the fashion retail industry can become a model of social and environmental responsibility and is working to prove the business case for sustainability.

Gary is responsible for developing strategic product marketing direction and presenting the Amber Road brand and solutions worldwide. As the platform evangelist, Gary develops and launches customer insights, go-to-market plans, product messaging and content, and field marketing tactics which establish Amber Road’s solutions as a standard in the Global Trade Management space.  

Hal is the CEO and co-founder of Unmade and has a background in engineering and sustainability. Unmade is a complete digital solution that enables the world’s most innovative brands to create unique customisation experiences at an industrial scale. The team call this curated customisation: brands have control but the consumer is more involved and engaged in the experience and product. Once consumers have created their unique item, Unmade handle all the steps from online order to factory floor in your existing factories. Unmade generates every file you need to manufacture, pack and ship bespoke orders. This means that individual and short run orders can be made at the same cost and speed as mass-produced items.

Jackie Trebilock is the Managing Director of the New York Fashion Tech Lab. The Lab is a community-driven, relationship building, collaboration, and business development platform. The nonprofit program was co-founded by Springboard Enterprises and key fashion retailers to support women-led companies that have developed innovations at the intersection of fashion, retail, and technology.

Janett is a creative and systems thinker with a passion for user experience. Her role is to optimize and scale LOOMIA's suite of patented core technologies, and drive strategy. Janett is responsible for managing key supply chain partners, growth, business development, customer acquisition, and manufacturing.

John Graebin is a supply chain professional and has been working in the leather and footwear industry since 1992. Having graduated from the Tanning School SENAI RS in Brazil, John has spent the last 26 years working in various positions across R&D, Sourcing and Operations within the industry. John has been featured as a guest writer for Leather International and ILM (International Leather Maker) publications and more recently actively contributed to the creation of the RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) Protocol by the Textile Exchange as well as an Advisory Member for the GRS (Global Recycled Standard) International Working Group on Implementation Manual 4.0.

John C. Havens is Executive Director of The IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems. The IEEE Global AI Ethics Initiative has two primary outputs – the creation and iteration of a body of work known as Ethically Aligned Design: A Vision for Prioritizing Human Well-being with Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, and the identification and recommendation of ideas for Standards Projects focused on prioritizing ethical considerations in A/IS. Currently there are thirteen approved Standards Working Groups in the IEEE P7000™ series.

Lee Wellington has dedicated her career to industrial development for over a decade. Before joining the UMA as our Founding Executive Director, Lee directed a New York City Council Member’s land use decisions and legislative portfolio as Chief of Staff; helped create NYC’s Industrial Business Zones and a broader industrial policy for the NYC Mayor’s Office; and administered a New York State tax incentive program, expanding incentive boundaries to include new industrial neighborhoods.

Marleen Vogelaar is the founder and CEO of Ziel which is on-demand apparel manufacturing platform and retail service that creates customer apparel collections for brands and retailers so they can successfully sell quick rotating private label collections without investing in inventory. Previously she was co-founder of Shapeways, the world's leading 3D printing service and marketplace. In 2008, she and her co-founders launched Shapeways’ upload-to-3D-print service, and she’s built it out to the current community of buyers and sellers for 3D designs with HQ in New York City and two other factories.

Matt has a 20 year track record in global business, technology startups, and product launches. He has launched three companies since 1999, as well as working with global firms such as the Advisory Board Company, Gannett, and Dubai Holding to create unique lines of business that combine online automation with offline business models. Matt worked with Harvard in 2007 to build a new generation of intelligent hospitals in Dubai, before returning to his roots and co-founding Knot Standard in early 2012. Matt has a degree in Finance from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.

Michael Reidbord is a technology and apparel executive experienced in building companies in the U.S., Asia, Latin America, and Europe and involved in numerous start-up successes within the technology and consumer products sectors. Currently Mr. Reidbord has been tasked with developing a Wearable Technology business for MediaTek, one of the world’s leading chip design companies, and advising them, and other leading technology providers, on entering the emerging Wearable Technology sector. Building this business involves bridging a very wide gap between how the fashion/apparel industry functions and the engineering, design, development and manufacturing processes of the electronics business. Michael also is a Professor at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

Shaul Cohen was raised in Israel, served in the IDF, graduated from Hebrew University, and obtained his MBA at Tel Aviv University. He was a journalist, construction project management executive and corporate finance executive at IDB before joining the apparel industry more than 20 years ago. Shaul was the general manager for Jordache in Hong Kong, and is now an EVP in the Company’s New York HQ. Keen on technology for continuous improvement, Shaul has successfully rolled out multiple technologies, the most recent being 3D technology.  

Diane Buonpane's background is in textile printing, dyeing and finishing. Her hands on experience and color technology knowledge enables her to lay out workflows that allow design and color teams to work seamlessly.

Erik Olson runs global innovation for Crocs. Crocs has gone from creating 10 new styles per year when Erik joined the company in 2005 to introducing 350 new styles in 2016. 3D tools, including additive manufacturing, have been used since the beginning. Erik’s early career was focused on consumer electronics product development. He used 3D printing in product development since the 1990’s. Education consists of Mathematics and MBA degrees from the University of Colorado.

Isaac Korn is the Director of Innovation at Perry Ellis International Inc., the Miami-based leading designer, distributor and licensor of high-quality men’s and women’s apparel, accessories and fragrances. Isaac has over 10 years of experience in domestic and global sourcing, product development and quality assurance for apparel, textiles and accessories, and developed an interest in innovation and technologies that led to the creation of his current role at Perry Ellis International. He seeks to innovate within the 50-year-old firm through product development, consumer interaction, tech integrations to further streamline internal processes and improve clients’ in-store and online experiences, and more.

Jay Iorio is the Director of Innovation and futurist for the IEEE Standards Association. His focus is mixed reality, virtual worlds, and their ultimate convergence with the internet of things, artificial intelligence, wearables, and the built environment. Jay has spoken at a number of high profile events on these topics and on the future of the arts and the urban space in this new technology landscape. Jay has published in a variety of publications, is often interviewed by the tech and general press and is currently co-chair of the mixed-reality committee of The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems.

Prior to joining Shinola, Jen Guarino was honored for her revitalization efforts as CEO and co-owner of JW Hulme.
Now, as the Vice President of Manufacturing for Shinola, Guarino continues to capitalize on her passion for domestic manufacturing
by leading the development of Shinola’s Detroit-based manufacturing efforts. With her focus placed on job creation, state-of-the-art
training and increasing efficiency within Shinola’s manufacturing facets, Guarino works with the City of Detroit, the Urban
Manufacturing Alliance, The Makers Coalition and ISAIC in assisting with the development in the next generation of manufacturing
workers. In 2016, Guarino was named as one of Michigan’s 100 Most Influential Women by Crain’s Detroit Business.

Josh Mallett is a Senior Manager at Kurt Salmon, a part of Accenture Strategy, and leads Analytics Thought Leadership for Accenture’s Retail Strategy practice. He has spent the past 10+ years designing and implementing transformational strategic and operational change at the world’s leading retailers. His recent focus has been identifying new ways to leverage applied intelligence and digital innovation in the areas of merchandising, planning and product development.

Julian Mussi is VP, Business Solutions for Discover e-Solutions Ltd. (DeSL), a global company delivering integrated web-based solutions for the Fashion, Apparel, Textile and Footwear sectors. Based out of DeSL’s San Francisco Bay Area office, Julian is product manager for DeSL’s range of color solutions as well as responsible for general business development. He has had the pleasure of working closely with leading organizations such as Target, Kohl's, Abercrombie & Fitch, Macy's, Nike, Pixar, Under Armour and Gap on software adoption and business process improvements.

Kimmy Schenter is Sr. Color Application Innovation Lead at Nike, Inc. With over 20 years of global color management with Nike's products, within both apparel and footwear, Kimmy has vast experience with the industry’s demands on color definition and accuracy, technology in the space, and collaboration with internal departments and external partners. Kimmy is also responsible for color excellence across the digital platform. Prior to her time with Nike, Kimmy was with X-rite and GUESS? Jeans.

Linsey Griffin is an Assistant Professor of Wearable Product Design at the University of Minnesota and co-director of the Human Dimensioning Lab where she combines new technology research and 3D data to enhance the development of wearable health and safety products. She has conducted wearable product design research with a range of organizations including NASA and 3M. Linsey’s design, research, and teaching perspectives are informed by eight years of international apparel industry experience in the United States, England, South Korea, India, and Spain. She received a Ph.D. and M.S. from the University of Minnesota and a B.S.from Cornell University.

A passionate creative who sits at the intersection of design, technology and education, Safir Bellali’s 25-year experience leading design and digital innovation initiatives spans across multiple brands and industries.

Safir was an early adopter of digital creation technology and carried his experience from the automotive world into the fashion and footwear industry. As Head of Innovation for the industry’s leading Action Sports brand, Vans, he oversaw a number of initiatives that spanned across product and experiences, from highly technical footwear and equipment for action sports to the revolutionary Vans Customs platform. In his last corporate role, leading Digital Innovation for VF Corporation’s Apparel, Footwear, and Accessories brands (Vans, Timberland, The North Face and Dickies) he explored opportunities offered by digital tools and workflows and helped imagine the future of Product Creation and Brand Experiences. He now leads the Digital Innovation practice at Moonflare, consults for Epic Games and LVMH, sits on the board of advisors of several startups and non-profits and is working on two stealth projects involving an educational program in design and innovation in Morocco to serve the African continent as well as an autonomous living technology.

He is an Aspen Institute First Mover’s fellow, chairs the 3D Retail Coalition’s Education Committee, and teaches Design and Innovation at Art Center College of Design as well as at USC's Iovine and Young Academy. An advocate of purposeful and responsible design, Safir believes that our society has an incredible opportunity to harness its collective creativity and today’s technological affordances to tackle the world’s social and humanitarian challenges. 

Tabea is a business strategist, connecting product, process and sustainability within the apparel industry. She is a co-founder of and managing partner at Futuremade, a business integrity and sustainable innovation agency. There, she and her partners build strategies for apparel companies, both established and nascent, considering people, planet and profit. Besides strategic consulting through Futuremade, she mentors two digitally-native apparel start-ups, focusing on product and customer experience. She is also co-founder of AFO Collective, an intimate content series for industry professionals, offering three unique perspectives on challenges and possible solutions within the fashion industry.