Ruth Crowley has diverse experience across industries including Experience Design, Retail, Hospitality, Theme Parks, Entertainment, Brand Strategy, Licensing and Consulting. Ruth has worked with iconic brands including Lowe’s Home Improvement, Universal Studios, Harley-Davidson, Nickelodeon, M&M Mars and Host Marriott in the US and Global Markets. Ruth was head of Customer Experience Design at Lowe’s, a Fortune 100 Company. She has held positions across functions including Store Design, Merchandising, Brand Strategy, Product Design, Concept and Portfolio Development, Operations, Marketing and International Business Development. Currently Ruth works with Hudson Group, a Division of Dufry International, the largest travel retailer in the world.

Raghu Sagi serves as Chief Information Officer of Inspire Brands, a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes nearly 32,000 restaurants worldwide. Raghu is responsible for driving the technology strategy across Inspire, including the rapid evolution of digital and data capabilities through technology solutions. This strategy ensures systems and technologies used are profitable, secure and efficient, and are driving innovation across all facets of the technology organization. Prior to Inspire, he served as Chief Engineering Officer for Sephora Americas (an LVMH brand), where he was responsible for Omni-Channel Digital, Retail, Personalization & CRM, including Loyalty and Data Insights technology capabilities and platforms. Prior to Sephora, Raghu held technology leadership positions at Walmart and Best Buy.

Speaker bio coming soon!

Kemal Arin is the founder of Showtime Pictures, one of the most successful photography concession operator in the world for the last 30 years. His creativity, imagination, unique approach to business, competitive nature and love of technology, truly made him a pioneer in photography industry. His passion to make a change in anything he does in life, resulted in industry leading technology changes and single handedly altered the way photography concessions operate worldwide.

Gary Arwin founder of Gator Vending is an innovator in the vending industry having been one of the first vending companies in the US to bring the use of cell phones to the vending industry. In early 2012 Gary began beta testing a new platform called Vuwi (Coin Free) on vending machines that allowed you to use your cell phone to make a purchase. Since then, Gary has used technology throughout his business to increase customer service, improve sales, increase efficiency, reduce costs and continually provide the best end user experience possible. Gary is passionate about using technology to it’s fullest for Gator Vending and helping others to do the same.

Matt Ater is a subject matter expert on the user experience for people with disabilities and brings over 25 years of experience in developing solutions for people with disabilities. As a person who is blind himself, Matt brings a unique understanding of the barriers faced by people with disabilities. Matt has been supporting organizations in the design of accessible customer facing technology. Matt is the Vice President of Business Development and Software Engineering for Vispero, the world’s leading assistive technology provider for the visually impaired.

Managing Partner for Automat Kitchen which represents the future of food service, where a diverse range of premium meals are delivered to customers through a patented delivery wall system. Former VP of Earl Enterprises (New Brand development), Hard Rock Café International and classic dining restaurants including Earl of Sandwich.

Rob Bence, Director, Digital Technology, United Airlines ATW & Intelligent Airport, responsible for providing vision, direction and leadership for operational technology (IT) applications used by customers and employees in airports served by United. Rob joined United in early 2019 from Southwest Airlines, where he was a technology leader for 8+ years, responsible for the technology used to deliver an integrated customer experience in the commercial domain. Rob is an US Army veteran, passionate people leader and radical customer advocate with progressive technology experience across multiple business and technical verticals throughout his career.

David Berney is a global executive leader with extensive experience in creating and inventing new experience models that unlock value to deliver top line revenue and profitability. He is focused on inventing and operationalizing transformational digital-physical initiatives, funding innovation through cost savings. David has led the client Digital Innovation initiative with Board level funding of $1B to transform employee and customer experiences for a travel and hospitality company. He has partnered with Fortune 10 Retailer on the Finance of the Future initiative with projected savings of over $750 million over 5 years. He has launched an eCommerce partnership established $2.5M incremental profit to business within 6 weeks of launch.

Before joining Networld Media Group as Vice President of Events, Cherryh Cansler spent several years as VP of Editorial managing the company’s nine B2B publications. Throughout her 20-year career as a journalist, she’s written about a variety of topics, ranging from the restaurant industry and technology to health and fitness news. Her byline has appeared in a plethora of newspapers, magazines and websites, including Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine. She also serves as the managing editor for FastCasual.com.

Bruno Carpreau is Director of Product Management in Mastercard’s Cyber & Intelligence group. His tenure in the payment industry spans 2 decades, with positions at Mastercard and American Express, alternating with ventures in the airline industry (Brussels Airlines) and in retail (Carrefour). He currently serves as the chair of the Retail & Payments group at NFC Forum. Bruno is a postgraduate researcher at the Newcastle Business School, he holds an MBA from Vlerick Business School, and MSc degrees in Business Engineering and in Marketing from the KU Leuven.

Brendan Carr has been leading business development for CPI’s Media network since 2018 introducing marketers to the largest place based digital out of home platform of its kind. Medianet connects marketers from fortune 500 brands to 25 million consumers monthly at roughly 50 thousand connected self-service screens worldwide. Brendan has been in sales and marketing for over two decades holding strategic positions with Nestle Foods, News America Marketing and start-up companies in the marketing services industry.

Mike Coffey has spent over 30 Years in the food service industry. His experience includes a variety of leadership roles in Canteen since 2002. Mike’s current role as Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer includes supporting Canteen IT system development, Avenue C Micro Markets, field implementation, Canteen Analytics, and Canteen Operations.

From 1994 to 2009, Wes Dunn worked in varying aspects of the Retail ATM Industry including processing, self service applications and manufacturing. In 2010 Wes helped form Genmega, an ATM and kiosk manufacturer and now serves as Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Genmega, to promote retail ATM and kiosk sales both inside and outside of the United States.

As CEO of the emerging Fast Casual restaurant brand Freebirds World Burrito and Managing Director for its ownership, international private investment company Tavistock Group, Alex Eagle played an integral role in strengthening the firm’s award-winning restaurant portfolio while delivering unprecedented growth at Freebirds World Burrito. As CEO for Freebirds World Burrito, he cultivated a dynamic 1,000+-employee service organization to deliver on a rapid eighteen-month transformation, enabling Freebirds to achieve four years of consecutive transaction and same store sales growth; three of which were double-digit with minimal price increase. Key to this success was a new vision for harnessing talent and an inspiring and clear leadership model.

Rebecca Faulconer is the Founder and President of Retail Automation Consultants and has spent 10+ years working in the Automated Retail space with brands like UNIQLO, Procter & Gamble, L’Oreal and JUUL to name a few. As the world is returning to in person retail shopping, in person work, and travel, Rebecca and her team focus on providing brands and retailers with Best in Class software and hardware solutions to address specific pain points. Retail Automation Consultants identify and vet solutions that are merging digital with physical to create business efficiencies and drive value based customer experiences. Examples of this include backroom inventory solutions, front of store solutions that address loss prevention, improved ROI and customer experience.

Tom Ferguson is founder and CEO of Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken, a fast growing franchise known for innovative, chef-inspired twists on favorite breakfast and lunch items, tight operating procedures and a corporate culture that promotes love and respect at all levels. The concept has grown from a single restaurant to 16 Rise locations now open in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia and Tennessee with over 100 units in development. Rise was named a Fast Casual Top 100 Mover & Shaker in 2016. Before starting Rise Biscuits Donuts, Tom was a pioneer in the NC Triangle’s food truck scene with Only Burger.

Albert Gonzalez is operations and sales manager for Best Office Coffee Service in Miami, a coffee service operation serving South Florida. Albert and his father, Juan Gonzalez, formed the company in 2006 after working for other coffee service companies and grew it into one of the largest OCS players in South Florida. The company has focused on matching every customer with the proper type of brewer.

Josh grew up in Chester, Virginia. He received a football scholarship to play Linebacker at Shippensburg University, where he set the career solo tackles record. Prior to founding the company in 2009, he worked in Business Development with Modis, an IT Staffing Firm. He was responsible for building the Baltimore Metro market for the company. He landed several blue-chip accounts that took that market from non-existent to top producing market in a matter of 24 months. His wife, Janette (Shippensburg University Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee), and their 2 children, Tyler and Brianna, live in Northbrook, Illinois.

Hank Green is the VP Food & Beverage Operations for AMC Theatres. Hank oversees Food & Beverage execution, innovation and technology for 600 locations across the US. Over his 25 year career in exhibition Hank has worked in the Food & Beverage area, Dine In Operations and Film Programming.

Kelsey Hall, Ed.M., M.S. CCC-SLP is a disability inclusion and digital accessibility practitioner overseeing the work of the Global Digital Accessibility Team at McDonald’s corporate who strives to build inclusive digital spaces for customers. Prior to her work at McDonald’s, Kelsey worked in public education for 15 years in a variety of roles, such as speech-language pathology, deaf education, assistive technology, accommodations, and accessibility. She has provided presentations nationally and internationally on augmentative and alternative communication, dyslexia, accessible procurement, and more. Kelsey’s primary focus is anti-ableist education and ensuring disabled people have a seat at the head of the table in determining the best end-user experience.

Ali Hassan is a founding partner of Perceptive Capital and Advanced Automated owns and operates 300 bitcoin ATMs across 22 states. He is also co-founder and CEO of Crescent Crypto Asset Management, a $380 million investment management firm.

Bryan Hebert is currently the EVP of Sales for Nayax and has been involved in the payments industry in various roles since 2004. Prior to serving the unattended market, he had an extensive career in restaurant management, food service and sales. He owned and operated several businesses including a full-service restaurant and banquet service, vending and snack stand business, and a consulting firm. Bryan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

Donnie Helms is the CFO of Pursuant Health, a digital health data platform with a network of over 4,600 health kiosks located in high-traffic retail pharmacies throughout the United States. Pursuant Health enables individuals to regularly check in with their health when it is convenient for them and connects them to the health resources they need most. Prior to joining Pursuant Health, Donnie worked in public accounting where he led audit and consulting engagements with a focus on software and health technology companies. His clients ranged from venture-backed startups to multinational publicly traded SEC registrants.

Joe Hessling is the Founder and CEO of 365 Retail Markets, the global leader in self-checkout workplace technology. 365 Retail Markets offers the best-in-class platform for MicroMarkets, vending, foodservice and hospitality. Under Joe’s leadership the company has been pioneering innovation since 2009. A serial entrepreneur, Joe has founded, owned, and operated several companies in the past twenty-five years in areas ranging from Distribution, Managed Services, Restaurants and other investments. Joe is the newly appointed Chair of NAMA Board of Directors for 2021/2022.

Co-founder and Principal of TORG (The Outlet Resource Group). TORG is a global retail real estate advisory firm with a specific expertise in the outlet sector. TORG is the operating partner of six outlet centers located coast to coast partnered with Private-Equity Real Estate Investment Group. David’s business career includes 17 years as executive and owner of a retail company. His retail experience coupled with his current business has provided great insight and experience with destination retail. All told, in the past 30 years he has conducted business in 44 states as well as consulted on projects in China, Europe and Latin America.

Louise Hudson has more than 27 years of marketing experience, specializing in building brands, enhancing the consumer experience and increasing customer engagement within the food service industry. She joined Aramark in 2012 with a primary focus on the education and healthcare sector. Today, as Vice President of Marketing Operations, she oversees corporate and regional marketing, strategy, program development, insights, and communications. Louise is a graduate of Memorial University; she studied Business Administration (Marketing), Nutrition and Foodservice Management, and has a Professional Facilitator designation.

Five decades of providing technology solutions to Intel, Microsoft, Siemens, ARM, Motorola, and other technology leaders. Glenn ImObersteg the leading provider of ecosystems and partner programs, pairing technology suppliers together to offer optimized engineering solutions for Semiconductor and Software companies. Glenn has started, built and sold successful businesses to Investors and Joint Venture partners including United News Media, USA Today, Arrow Electronics, and Hearst Corporation, among others.

Arvin Jawa is Vice President of Global Retail Strategy and Regional Vice President, Americas for Retail, at Diebold Nixdorf, a world leader in enabling connected commerce. In this role, Arvin is responsible for driving ongoing consumer-centric strategy for growth in the retail business. He has held various leadership roles focused on retail strategy throughout his career. Prior to joining Diebold Nixdorf, he served as senior director, strategic initiatives – strategy and business development at Vera Bradley Designs. There, he was responsible for the company’s long-range strategic planning, leading key consumer-facing initiatives to improve the brand’s perception, as well as facilitating the development and launch of new business lines.

Mary Jesse joined the MTI team in 2020 as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and in January 2021, she joined the MTI Board of Directors. She has an extensive background as a leader and operational expert. She brings 30 years of experience developing, commercializing, delivering and supporting technology products, services, and companies. Mary has served as CEO, CTO, COO, CSO, VP, board director, board chair, founder, consultant and advisor for private and public companies from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 across a variety of industries. A licensed Professional Electrical Engineer, P.E., Ms. Jesse holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering, and nineteen technology related patents.

Andrew Kartiganer, owner of Professional Vending Services in Deerfield Beach, Florida, has been in the vending business nearly all of his life, being a second generation vending operator. A graduate of Farleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford, N.J., Andrew served as senior vice president and director of operations for All American Hero, a restaurant franchisor, before owning and operating shopping mall restaurants on his own. He later sold his restaurants and re-entered the vending business with bulk vending. By 2000, he expanded his vending business to include office coffee service and water service. In 2011, he became a Canteen franchisee through an acquisition.

Steven Klohn serves as the Chief Information Officer for Main Event Entertainment, one of the largest Family Entertainment Center companies in the US. With a primary responsibility of creating technology strategies that result in business capabilities which differentiate the company, Steve’s organization is focused on delivering secure, reliable and scalable technologies to enable the business to best serve its guests and team members. For more than 23 years, Steve has been an innovative technology champion with a deep passion for growing people in their career journey. His technical career started in the United States Marine Corps where he served as a UNIX administrator. Prior to his role as CIO, Steve was the CTO for Brinker International.

Eric Lamb is SVP of Supply at Vistar Media, the leading provider of software solutions for digital signage networks. Eric leads all sales, technical support, and partnership development for Vistar’s digital signage and media owner clients. As part of the early team at Vistar, Eric began as a technical analyst, after which he moved into product management and eventually took over the supply side of Vistar’s business. Prior to joining Vistar, Eric was a Business Technology Analyst for StreetSolutions. Eric holds a B.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Adrienne Lin is a marketing manager at PepsiCo, where she manages the overall beverage and snacks strategies for the non-commercial channel within Foodservice. Prior to PepsiCo, Adrienne marketed personal care products at Unilever and wine and spirits at companies like Moet Hennessy. Before her transition to marketing and move back to the East Coast, Adrienne worked in investment banking and at an e-commerce ticketing startup in San Francisco. Adrienne earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics at Stanford University and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael Lovett is CEO of Capital Provisions, a breakroom food services provider in Southern California and also serves as a partner at Legend Capital, an investment fund focused on the convenience services industry that has made investments into over 100 vending operators. Michael’s work has included founding and serving operational roles at Vagabond, a technology provider, Legend Foods, an operator, and Capital Provisions. Prior to his time in the industry, Michael founded CirrusWorks, a network performance optimization company, and Critical Network Productions, a telecom systems integration business that was acquired by Swisscom, where Michael led the global enterprise solutions group.

Todd Madlener is an industry veteran with over 25 years of leadership experience building passionate teams and brand culture that drives quality and growth. At Coolgreens, Todd is leading the brand into its next phase of growth with culture-first programs like “coolstories” and an enhanced training program. He’s also leading key initiatives for the brand including a new prototype, catering program, and updated technologies all aimed at enabling restaurant teams to elevate the guest experience. Todd previously served as Vice President of Operations at MAD Greens and Senior Director of Operations for Red Robin where he spent over 20 years.

Natasia Malaihollo is the Head of Business Development for PopCom, where she leads sales, tracks new markets and emerging trends, and develops strategic partnerships to guide long-term business growth and revenue. Prior to PopCom, Natasia was the co-founder of Wyzerr, a tech startup that gamifies surveys. At Wyzerr, Natasia grew its customer base to over 2,100 businesses in 42 countries, which included directly closing deals with 37 Fortune 1000 companies such as Google, Facebook, P&G, Unilever, Kroger, and Walmart. Natasia has won multiple business and innovation awards for her work with Wyzerr. In 2017, Smithsonian Magazine named Natasia to their annual Eight Innovators to Watch List.

Elliot Maras brings a background covering the retail, foodservice and payments industries, having served as the editor of Automatic Merchandiser Magazine for 20 years and as the founding editor of VendingMarketWatch.com. He is a graduate of the National Automatic Merchandising Association/Michigan State University Executive Development Program, a former board member of the International Foodservice Editors Council, and a winner of the Journalism Award of the Office Refreshment Development Foundation.

As Co-Founder and CEO of GoMoto, Todd Marcelle oversees growth and operations for the company. Having started GoMoto in January of 2013, Todd brings more than 20 years experience in building, leading and scaling organizations positioned for high growth. Prior to starting GoMoto, Todd acquired and sold (18 month turnaround) Multimedia Research Group and served in senior executive positions at, Frontier Strategy Group, LRN and the Corporate Executive Board. At FSG he oversaw worldwide sales, commercial operations and strategy quadrupling sales. At CEB, he led all commercial efforts for the Finance Practice in the western half of the United States & Australia and held positions prior to that in Investment Banking.

Ryan McWhirter is the VP of Product Management at 365 Retail Markets, located in Troy, Michigan. A graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in Telecommunications, he has a decade of experience in the interactive self-service technology field. Ryan is a solution-oriented professional who has implemented kiosks, digital menu boards, mobile apps and much more across the restaurant, airport and casino industries.

Speaker bio coming soon!

Drew Munro is the co-founder and CEO of UpMeals, a Vancouver food tech start-up on a mission to make healthy food accessible 24/7 through technology solutions, such as customized healthy SmartVending machines powered by proprietary management software. Prior to starting UpMeals, Drew founded an award-winning catering company based in Vancouver. He has 12 years of experience curating corporate event experiences, working with organizations such as Facebook, Ferrari, and Amazon to create memorable food experiences. Drew is passionate about the intersection of wellness and technology, food waste reduction, and sustainability.

Derek Myers is the CEO & Founder of Advana, a performance marketing & technology platform for retail and digital signage. Advana applies advanced data science techniques to help marketers understand their audience and take instant actions to drive growth across 30,000 locations worldwide. Prior to Advana, Derek advised leading companies on strategy, products, and marketing programs in consumer products, retail, technology, logistics, and travel industries. He also spent 16 years at The Coca-Cola Company with roles leading strategy, commercialization, marketing, and digital transformation.

Mitul Patel has been part of the Information Technology and Telecommunications industry for more than 20 years. During his career he has held several key roles from product management, business operations, and sales leadership. He has years of experience working with several of the largest retail, healthcare, transportation, and logistics organizations around the globe. His current role is the Director of OEM Sales for the Americas at Zebra Technologies. Mitul’s primary focus is to drive sales of component technologies critical to the advancement of self-service across multiple industries.

Sharon Peyer leads business development for CPI’s retail systems, data analytics, and consumer engagement offerings. She was recruited by Crane in 2016 to develop the product strategy for Medianet, CPI’s place-based out of home digital media network. Today, Medianet counts over 50 thousand connected point-of-sale screens worldwide and engages over 25 monthly consumers, while delivering key insights to improve self-service retail user experiences and business outcomes. Prior to CPI, Sharon co-founded and led two venture-backed online media startups following an earlier career in investment banking and as a hedge fund portfolio manager.

Ayman Rida has over fifteen years of experience in the ATM and Merchant Card Processing industries and more recently founded a cryptocurrency company. He serves as President of all his companies and is focused on driving growth using his real-world experience in deploying/managing self-serve kiosks. Ayman’s successful strategic planning has expanded his companies’ footprint nationwide and led to the startup of Cash2Bitcoin. Cash2Bitcoin started from humble beginnings in local Detroit, experiencing steady exponential growth in its short five-year existence, enjoying a footprint that expands into 17 states and growing.

Alejandro Rodriguez is the Founder and CEO of Pharmabox and its subsidiaries AmeriKiosk and SmartBox Retail. In 2014 Pharmabox was born out of the idea of providing customers with the best over the counter products using the latest technologies in the most convenient way. Seven years later and Pharmabox is more than an idea – it has grown into a huge success. Pharmabox is currently providing services to more than 100 locations around the US and has grown to include subsidiaries like AmeriKiosk – offering Hardware and Software solutions to brands and retailers in a variety of sectors – and SmartBox – an in-store robotic technology solution that addresses shrink while improving the customer experience and increasing ROI.

Josh Rosenberg is a former Executive in the Coca-Cola system, with over 18 years developing his skills from merchandising, service, call center management, sales, marketing, and operational roles. Josh left in 2013 to invest and lead as CEO at Accent Food Services. Josh led Accent from a single state operation to one of the largest multi-state operators in the Convenience Services industry. Over six years, Josh scaled Accent through top line revenue growth of more than 6x, by adding strategic acquisitions, strong existing customer retention, and building a strong culture before moving to an active advisory role in 2019. Since leaving Accent Josh has serviced both private and public boards, executive consulting, speaking, and fundraising.

Driver of strategy, growth, and, most importantly, client success for ath Power’s research division since the firm’s inception. Passionate believer that trust creates the strong relationship between people (employer, employee, client) creating an environment that can sustain almost any issue that may arise. Leader, by example, to ensure ath Power continues to earn its reputation as a credible and trusted advisor. Devoted to service: boards, committees, and advocate for empowering and educating youth through martial arts practices. Elected to Mystery Shopping Providers Association Board of Directors as first two term President. Subsequently served as North America’s representative to the MSPA’s Global Board.

Raza Shah has over twenty years of experience in Product Design and Management, Consumer Electronics, System Integration and Embedded Software. Currently, Raza leads the Technology Strategy and Design Engineering for Jabil’s Smart Home and Appliances Sector, providing product accelerators and helping customers create and own end-to-end solutions. Raza holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Osmania University and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Brian Shimmerlik is the co-founder and CEO of Vengo, a leading platform for digital out-of-home (DOOH) screens on kiosks and in locations frequented by consumers. A serial entrepreneur since founding his first company at 19, Brian left a career in finance to launch Vengo, which he has led for nearly a decade, growing and evolving the business to address ever-changing market needs for connecting brands and consumers. Brian leads all aspects of the business from strategy and fundraising to product and management. Over the years, Brian has forged partnerships with leaders across different industries that touch the business including vending operators, media agencies, and locations including leading gym chains and universities.

James Siggers moved to Dubai from the U.K. to start his career with Tom James, the world’s largest custom clothing company. After three successful years running the Dubai office, James identified a need for a more sustainable approach to bespoke menswear and created Benjamin Siggers. The company quickly became the leading provider of bespoke menswear in the Middle East region and was the first luxury brand to offer a full range of organic garments. Passionate about innovation and growing and developing new concepts into new markets, James joined Invenda to help the automated retail industry.

Mark Smith is a 20+ year veteran of the ATM industry and has excelled in both the retail and financial sectors to deploy and manage fleets of terminals. Mark began his career with a major ATM manufacturer and has also worked with ATM distributors and ATM remanufacturing companies. He has vast experience with deployments and developing efficient partner relationships for major rollouts, including ATMs, Smart Safes, and Bitcoin Kiosks. His knowledge of the industry and ability to execute successful programs has awarded him a high level of trust and confidence among peers and colleagues.

Gary Stant has over 30 years’ experience in business. His knowledge is broad and in depth from hardware to total solutions. He is well respected in the Hospitality and Retail industry. Over the years, he has seen the many changes how business is conducted and valued the relationships with customers and colleagues. He is ready to lead again in the digital transformation and self-service innovation.

An innovative serial entrepreneur, Zachary Stein brings a multi-faceted expertise in growth, strategy, supply chain, and business development. Zack Co-Founded Raw Republic in 2014, a cold pressed juice bar which grew to 4 locations in South Florida and franchised to Mexico City. Zack Co-Founded and is Managing Partner of 3LB Capital, an investment and advisory company providing exceptional early-stage companies with access to capital and a team of savvy marketing, business development, legal, finance, and operational professionals. Zack Co-Founded and is currently CEO of SupplyCaddy, a leading global manufacturer of food packaging and disposables for the food service industry with clients such as FedEx, Popeyes, Focus Brands, CKE, and more.

Bill Stutzman, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives is a networking industry change agent helping today’s Self-Service and Connected Retailers solve technological challenges and meet networking demand. Bill’s expertise in network services has allowed him to support retailers as they implement many transformational changes that positively enhance their customers’ experience in reaction to the evolving retail environment. Bill holds an M.B.A from Columbia University and throughout his career, including senior roles at Time, Inc’s Fortune.com, Entertainment Weekly’s EW.com, and Sprint he has demonstrated a talent for anticipating trends and developing forward-looking solutions.

Neil Thompson joined HMSHost in 2012 as Vice President, Canada. In this position he was responsible for the company’s operations in Canadian airports and motorways. Neil was assigned to Vice President, Digital in 2020 and is responsible for overseeing the company’s digital strategy and vision. Prior to joining HMSHost, Neil worked as an executive for some of Canada’s most recognizable restaurant brands including Tim Hortons. Neil holds a B.A. from the University of Toronto, and his passion for food led him to attain a Culinary Arts Certificate from George Brown College. He also completed the Hospitality Managers’ Development Course at University of Guelph, and has a Certificate in Finance from McGill University.

Anthony Uhrick is a global business development executive with extensive experience developing new markets for emerging display and UI technologies. He has been at the forefront of companies on the leading edge of interface development and has been instrumental in unlocking value and delivering top line revenue and profitability for startups and multinational companies. He recently joined Neonode and is tasked with developing markets utilizing the company’s unique optical sensing technology for contactless and gesture based applications.

Ravi Venkatesan was appointed Chief Technology Officer in December of 2020. He is responsible for leadership of the company’s architecture, development, network operations and product teams. A proven technology leader with extensive expertise in product development, information systems, software development and program management, Ravi brings more than 20 years of experience in driving innovative change within technology environments. Previously, he was Head of Innovation at Bakkt. He held the dual roles of Chief Technology Officer and Chief Product Officer at Bridge2 Solutions, preceding its sale to ICE, the parent company of Bakkt. Prior to his position at Bakkt, he was the Vice President of Information Technology Strategy and Delivery at Cbeyond.

Kevin Williams is the director of KWP and The Stinger Report, an interactive out-of-home entertainment news service covering the immersive frontier and beyond. He is also a regular contributing editor to Vending Times.

Speaker bio coming soon!

Dr. Nima Ziraknejad is the founder and CEO of NZ Technologies Inc. (NZTech), an advanced technology and manufacturing firm with mission to democratize touchless control for public health and safety. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of British Columbia, with a specialty in machine vision and robotics. Nima is a serial entrepreneur and a Professional Engineer, as well as an inventor with over 40 international patents and journal publications. He has built a track record of success over the last 20 years, bringing novel and award-winning products from R&D to the mining, oil & gas, automotive, healthcare, and vertical transportation industries.