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!

Speaker bio coming soon!

Ursina Beerli is the COO of Invenda Group, a swiss company focused on automated retail technology, where she is responsible for global customers, distribution, and commercial expansion. Previously Ursina lead growth and innovation projects as a member of the leadership team of Selecta, Europe’s largest vending operator. Before that she was a leader in Bain & Company’s retail practices in the New York and Zurich offices.

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.

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.

Capital Provisions’ CEO, Woody Kassin, is a senior-level executive with 25 years of management experience and proven expertise in driving value creation for growth-oriented companies. Prior to Capital Provisions, Woody served as CFO for Four Sigmatic, an investor-backed company specializing in “functional mushrooms”, used for their medicinal benefits in a variety of food and health products. Woody also founded JKC Brands in 2009, which provides strategic and interim management services for growth-oriented companies. That experience included serving from 2011 to 2019 as CFO of Body Ecology, a marketer of nutritional supplements and products, and serving from 2013 to the present as CEO and owner of Faucet Face, a marketer of consumer and promotional products.

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.

Speaker bio coming soon!

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.

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.