Abstract & Bios

Bio:

Farhad Mafie,President and CEO of Savant Company Inc., has over 30 years of experience in high-tech industries including semiconductor, IoT, POS, and computer businesses; additionally, he has more than 20 years of university-level teaching experience. A seasoned technical executive with extensive global experience in sales, marketing, and engineering. He enjoys developing and training global sales organizations (Sales Enablement), product training, developing innovative business plans and go-to-market strategies, and creating eco-systems, strategic alliances, and partnerships. In 2017, as part of Savant Marketing consulting services, he became the CEO of Handycash Inc., for over 4 years (a newly formed startup in Switzerland) and developed an innovative mobile payment system (an eCash / private CBDC solution) based on Blockchain technology for the Vending and POS markets that will be launched in 2021. For almost six years at Microsemi Corporation, as Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing and Corporate Communications teams (in US, EU, India, and China), Farhad developed and managed the entire Microsemi’s worldwide outbound and inbound marketing strategies and programs; and worked directly with executive team on M&A projects and successfully integrating over 22 acquired companies. Farhad is also the former Vice President of Marketing, Business Development and Technical Sales Engineering at Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. He was responsible for marketing the entire Toshiba standard ICs products in North America, as well as engineering development for Toshiba's Embedded and Digital Consumer products based on ASSP and SoC models. Farhad has worked at Lucent Technologies on marketing communications ICs, Toshiba Information Systems on product definition for Toshiba's notebooks PCs and handheld products, Unisys on designing new processors and computer systems, Ocean Scientific on designing medical instrumentations, and MSI Data on designing data collection products. He has a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering from California State University, Fullerton. In 2003, Farhad designed, developed, and launched the annual Internationals System-on-Chip (SoC) Conference, Exhibits, and Workshops http://www.socconference.com. As the SoC Conference Chairman, he has driven the Conference leading-edge program at UC Irvine for the past 16 years. In 2019, Blockchain Technology Summit was launched to bring the latest blockchain-related technologies, applications and startups in an exciting and educational Summit for worldwide audience http://www.blockchaintechnologysummit.com. Farhad is an author and a translator and in 2003, he published Nader Naderpour 1929-2000 Iranian Poet, Thinker, Patriot. He is also the Editor-in-Chief for CRC Press on SoC Design and Technologies Book Series. Two New Books:

1. Low-Power NoC for High-Performance SoC Design
2. Design of Cost-Efficient Interconnect Processing Units

Farhad is a member of two UCI Advisory Committees: Communication System Engineering and Embedded System Engineering Certificate Programs. He is also the chair of IEEE Orange County Solid-State Circuits Society (SSCS), as well as IEEE Orange County Entrepreneurs' Network (OCEN).

Bio:

Rahul Mehrotra is VP of Marketing and Operations at Savant Company Inc. and CFO at It's Behavioral. He has over 25 years of experience in marketing and technical communications, content creation and management, and usability at HP, Agilent, Vitesse, Microsemi, and Microchip. He has led numerous global automation innovations to streamline processes and establish business metrics for exceptional results. He has also presented breakthrough talks on single-sourcing and content management at professional and technical conferences. He combines design thinking and forward-looking technologies for breakthrough solutions in the marketing and communications strategies and programs of his clients. Rahul led the merger and integration of marketing and technical communications and content management as the Worldwide Director of Technical Publications and a member of the Corporate Marketing team at Microsemi and Microchip. His content management and single-sourcing automation transformed marketing and technical content creation into an enterprise-wide shared service. Rahul led the content architecture initiative of the HP Learning Council and created the HP user feedback and interface guidelines. At Agilent, he led the transition to an award-winning collaborative authoring platform that was featured in the Nielsen case study of best practices of the top-10 intranets in the world. Rahul has a degree in Linguistics from Osmania University, a Blockchain Management certification from the Commonwealth of Learning, and IDF certifications in Design Thinking and User Experience Management.

"Improving Collaboration, Transparency and Economics in Healthcare with Blockchain."

Abstract:

Blockchain's unique ability to create an environment of trust across disparate parties is creating new opportunities for collaboration in healthcare. Instead of silo'd data and custom feeds supporting business process we can now move to an environment of shared, transparent, and near instantaneous data exchange. In this session hear two case studies of how blockchain will impact the economics in drug delivery. In the first case you'll learn how blockchain is enabling outcomes-based contracting for a top 20 drug manufacturer. In the second case study you'll hear how blockchain is sitting front and center in rebate calculation between a PBM and a drug manufacturer. This session will be delivered by Dominique Hurley, an expert in Bio/Pharma commercial operations with a focus on commercial data enablement. Dominique is currently Vice President of Innovation & Strategy at HealthVerity, a cloud-based technology company enhancing the transparency, availability, and cost-efficiency in healthcare data access and management. In this role, Dominique created the first-to-market blockchain solution for digital rights management that allows companies to collaborate more effectively around patient and provider engagements in highly legislated environments.

Bio:

As VP Innovation & Strategy Dominique works across the organization and its customers to identify and develop innovative approaches to evolve the business and meet market needs. A big fan of distributed ledger technology, she is behind the creation of HealthVerity Consent a first-to-market, DLT-based solution for enterprise data rights management—currently live in a top 20 biotech. Prior to HealthVerity, Dominique was Senior Director, Commercial Operations at Biogen where she led global commercial data strategy and operations to standardize information access and use across the enterprise. In this role, she led enterprise measurement and reporting strategy, specialty pharmacy data aggregation, and several business process automation initiatives such as transparency reporting, GDPR compliance readiness, sales force enablement, and patient and HCP mastering. Other experiences include Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, where as Senior Director Commercial Technology, she led the ground-up creation of commercial information strategy and technology operations in advance of their first commercial launch; and Epsilon, where as GM, she was accountable for a life sciences portfolio exceeding $32 million. Dominique volunteers for MIT Venture Mentor Services (VMS) guiding entrepreneurs on commercialization strategies for their emerging businesses, and serves on the board of T1D Exchange, a nonprofit driving improved outcomes for patients with type 1 diabetes. Dominique is graduate of Lehigh University College of Business and Economics. She resides in Boston, and when she’s not working, she’s probably sailing.

"Revolutionizing Finance & Supply Chain Powered by Blockchain."

Abstract:

Blockchain can transform how businesses transact today. CFOs and Supply Chain Executives are looking for examples of how this technology can be leveraged as they drive toward touchless processes. Data verification is resource intensive with disconnected Finance and Supply Chain processes resulting from previously asynchronous data. Blockchain can provide a solution revolutionizing the way businesses transact through a shared secure data source trusted by all parties updated in near-real time. Learn how Deloitte’s offering provides the backbone for touchless processing enabling predictive insights, eliminating redundant activities plus improved controls/compliance and working capital.

Bio:

Nakul leads Deloitte’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications Blockchain Consulting practice, responsible for growing Deloitte’s brand and market presence, leading software alliances and ecosystem partnerships, and developing Deloitte’s blockchain capabilities. He has over 20 years of experience advising global clients on corporate strategy, innovation and business model transformation projects. He has implemented several blockchain solutions for TMT clients addressing use cases across hi-tech supply chain traceability, channel management, intercompany settlement, cross-border payments, digital rights management and programmatic advertising. Nakul loves evangelizing the benefits of blockchain technology at events such as Money 20/20, Consensus, Fintech South and Deloitte’s CFO Forums. Nakul holds an M.B.A. from University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in Computer Science from Allegheny College.

"Are Distributed Databases Blockchain's Killer App?"

Abstract:

Blockchain is a disruptive technology for many industries since it redefines the meaning of trust and data ownership and puts the trust in the technology itself, avoiding a single point of failure and concentrating power in one entity that brokers trust. However, the technology is still in the early stage and relative cost and speed of use are still obstacles to large-scale mainstream adoption. Apart from Bitcoin which was the first blockchain-based cryptocurrency, Ethereum is the most prominent general-purpose blockchain that acts as “the world’s computer” and can be used in a variety of use cases. All the data is immutably stored on all nodes in the network which makes the network extremely reliable, but also costly to use and slow for querying data. Tor most real-world use cases, “layer 2” solutions are being built on top of Etheruem blockchain and are bringing blockchain applications closer to business. In reality, most of the data does not need to be stored on the whole network and for eternity to achieve the value of the distributed database technology. An example is the open-source OriginTrail protocol that enables distributed database solution where complete data is stored on the OriginTrail Decentralized Network, on 2n+1 independent nodes for a defined period (e.g. weeks or years) but only hashes (“fingerprints”) of that data are directly stored on Ethereum public blockchain. The solution is based on the graph database (ArangoDB) that is more flexible and enables faster queries than more traditional relational databases. Such applications on top of the blockchain provide integration for a broad ecosystem and increase efficiency and integrity in supply chain management, insurance, banking, and other industries. Possible blockchain-enabled applications include track-and-trace, provenance, consensus check, and more.

Bio:

Tomaz Levak, Co-founder & Managing Director, Trace Labs - OriginTrail Core Developers. Tomaz Levak co-founded Trace Labs - OriginTrail Core Developers in 2013 with a mission to bring transparency to supply chains. Under Tomaz’s leadership, Trace Labs started developing blockchain-based traceability solutions involving major European food suppliers and blockchain integrations with the cloud computing platform Oracle, available to their users worldwide. Trace Labs became the blockchain technology provider for the EUR 20 million-worth program managed by the Wageningen University & Research, aimed at the digital transformation of the European countryside. Tomaz is a frequent speaker at industry events around the globe.

"Secure compute technology for blockchain based data center transactions."

Abstract:

The biggest challenge in todays blockchain eco systems are transaction between different devices and networks. AMD is developing a secure compute technology called PSP (Platform Security Processor) enabling root of trust level back to hardware providing evidence about data and services will be managed securely.

Bio:

Jörg Roskowetz is Head of Blockchain Technology within AMD’s Radeon Technology group. In his role he is responsible for defining and driving Blockchain related applications for the enterprise business segment. With AMD since 2008 and based in Germany, most recently Jörg served as Senior Manager, Channel Business Development where he focused on helping AMD’s customers to value the benefits of AMD’s innovative technologies both in the computing segment (APU, CPU) as well as graphics the graphic one (GPU). Mr. Roskowetz joined AMD from Fujitsu Siemens Computers where he held the position of senior project leader for high end mobile solutions developing first mobile solution with exchangeable graphics based on AXIOM and RAID functionality. Mr. Roskowetz is co-chairman of the Bitkom’s working group (Fachausschuss Produktneutrale Ausschreibungen) responsible of defining public tender guidelines for the procurement of PC client and server solutions in Germany. Mr. Roskowetz holds a degree in Computer Science from University of Applied Sciences in Augsburg, Germany.

"Blockchain: Extending Digital Transformation Initiatives Beyond Your Organizational Boundaries"

Abstract:

In recent years, we have seen numerous new technologies rapidly mature, resulting in enormous amounts of data being created. For organizations, this presents several digital transformation opportunities to address the current business needs as well as anticipate and plan their next innovative offering. Meanwhile, new business models are constantly raising the competitive bar. In such an environment, it has become imperative to think beyond one’s organizational boundaries and look for ways to efficiently collaborate with others in the business network. Blockchain technology is a key enabler for digital transformation at the business network level with the capability to realize far reaching benefits for all the constituents, including the end customer. This keynote presentation will cover how blockchain addresses the challenges faced in business networks today and how it can help augment, extend and innovate cross-company processes with examples from various industries.

Bio:

Ganesh Wadawadigi has more than two decades of experience in the areas of Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing and has co-authored the book, SAP Leonardo: An Introduction to the Intelligent Enterprise. Currently he is responsible for driving SAP’s Blockchain for Supply Chain solution and go-to-market strategy while working closely with customers across multiple industries. During his fourteen-year tenure at SAP, Ganesh has led the go-to-market for SAP’s Demand Network, Manufacturing, and IoT solutions and has worked on various strategic and board level initiatives. He also served as the Vice-Chair of the International Board of Directors as well as the Chairperson of the Lean Manufacturing Strategic Initiative of Manufacturing Enterprise Solution Association (MESA) International. Prior to SAP, Ganesh was the Director of Corporate Development at Sterling Commerce (now IBM) where his focus areas were RFID and B2B supply chain collaboration. Ganesh started his career in Supply Chain Management at i2 Technologies (now JDA) where he held several leadership roles in consulting, High-Tech industry solution management, product marketing, and product strategy. While at i2, Ganesh was granted 3 patents by USPTO and played a pivotal role in launching several flagship supply chain solutions. Ganesh received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University while interning at NASA Ames Research Center, California, and his B.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Bio:

Jan Young is an expert in media technology, who discovered the possibilities of Blockchain and Decentralized Ledger Technologies. Now, fascinated with the emerging technologies that are on the cusp of transforming our society and economy, Jan has teamed up with some colleagues to develop creative labs on Emerging Technologies that help artists and technologists imagine a future in which these technologies address local and global problems for the betterment of all.

Bio:

Dale Chrystie is Business Fellow, Blockchain Strategist, domiciled in the Memphis, Tennessee area. He is Chairman of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) Standards Council, and is a member of the Blockchain Research Institute. He was awarded the inaugural Enterprise Blockchain Award in Enterprise & Industry Leadership. Dale's career in transportation began more than 30 years ago at Con-way, Inc. From there, he joined American Freightways, which would eventually become FedEx Freight. In addition to his work leading the first proof of concept at FedEx using Blockchain technology, he has extensive experience in Strategy, Quality, Process Improvement, Portfolio Management, Human Resources, Operations, Sales, Education, Risk, and Standards Development. He holds a degree in education from the University of Arkansas, with an emphasis in teaching adults. In his spare time, Dale enjoys riding and racing bicycles. He and his wife Gayle have two grown children, Teague and Taryn.

Bio:

Tony Costa has over 30 years of leadership experience from Fortune 50 to entrepreneurial start-up companies. An accomplished visionary leader, he has been recognized for establishing the first corporate online sales portal for Motorola cellular products and leading companies like Callaway Golf, Kawasaki Motors, Qualcomm, Mitsubishi Electronics, and Delphi Automotive through industry leading digital transformations. Tony established his strong quality and disciplined background from guiding his organization at Motorola through several successful SEI certifications and continued with his global IT responsibilities at Callaway Golf where he championed Six Sigma and Lean initiatives. In his current role as Senior Vice President & CIO for Bumble Bee Seafoods, Tony has been instrumental in creating the vision and strategy around a global corporate computing architecture focused on driving innovation, digital transformation, and strategic alignment with customers. Through his work with the Executive Leadership and Board of Directors, Tony has been able to implement state-of-the-art technologies like Blockchain to lead the seafood industry in traceability and transparency which has been recognized as one of the first of its kind on Blockchain. Tony’s strategic vision and execution leadership has transformed Bumble Bee Seafood’s business as an early adopter of cloud solutions and a globally integrated business. Tony is an active member of several industry groups including the Sharp Healthcare IT Advisory Board, Consumer Goods Technology Executive Council, SAP Customer Advisory Board, and Accenture Customer Advisory Board and other organizations where he contributes his broad background and experiences to collaborate on topics in the areas of strategic direction, product development, industry insights, and technology. Tony has been a keynote speaker and contributor to a broad group of industry leading conferences and publications including SAP, CIO Magazine, Consumer Goods Technology, Mid-Market CIO Executive Summit, and Accenture among others.

Bio:

Carlos Calegari is an Engineering Sr. Director with over 10+ years of experience in technology. He currently leads Product and Data Engineering for GE Transportation a Wabtec Company. He is responsible for the processing of 100s of data feeds into their software platform as well as their successful delivery to his customers. Previously, he held roles leading analytics practices at GE Digital where he was responsible for defining the data lake strategy and running business operations reporting. Also, he advises several AI startups on how to apply technology to solve real world problems in supply chains.

Bio:

Tram Vo is an interdisciplinary entrepreneur. She is COO and founder of MOBI, Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative; as well as founder of DREAM, the Distributed Registry for Entertainment, Art, and Media. Prior to working in the technology sector, Tram consulted for many global museums, universities, and NGOs such as UNESCO. She served the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles for almost two decades; leading highly specialized projects, conferences, and workshops for cultural heritage in the Middle East, North Africa, US, Europe, and Asia. She also holds graduate degrees in biochemistry/chemistry and art conservation.

Bio:

Mark Rakhmilevich is Senior Director of Blockchain Product Management at Oracle and is responsible for Blockchain Technologies strategy and products. He works closely with Oracle Development to evolve Oracle Blockchain Platform in the cloud and on-premises based on the needs of enterprise customers and SI & ISV partners for scalable, secure, production-ready platform for building and deploying enterprise-oriented blockchain networks. He helps set the strategy for Oracle’s blockchain efforts and guide customers and partners around the world in applying blockchain technology to deliver on key business outcomes – accelerating growth, reducing costs and friction in business ecosystems, reducing risk and fraud, and bringing to market innovative solutions that solve real-world societal challenges. Mark facilitates customers’ blockchain journey from rapid experimentation to live production through discovery, sharing industry use cases and best practices, recommending deployment models and integration architectures. He has broad experience in enterprise solutions leveraging distributed systems, SOA and OLTP middleware, and PKI in banks, payment networks, telcos, insurance, and government for over 20 years as a developer, architect, and product manager. He holds Master’s degree in Computer Science and is a member of Phi Betta Kappa honor society. Mark delivers customer workshops and seminars, writes on blockchain topics, frequently speaks at industry conferences on enterprise blockchain and hosts Hyperledger Silicon Valley meetups.

Bio:

Eric "The Coach" Bryant, Blockchain for Real Estate Solutions Design Architect, FIBREE - Southern Regional CA Chair. Highly accomplished executive with 25 + years of professional experience. Knowledge of market structure and the varied facets of creating and operating a business. Focus on Residential & Commercial Real Estate Services and Technology. A driven, creative, strategic innovator for Real Estate technology. Leading the business side of Data Exchange efforts and increase data transparency and sharing. Energized by Blockchain, as it applies to Residential & Commercial Real Estate, and it’s pending paradigm shift for our Industry. Foundation for International Blockchain & Real Estate Expertise (FIBREE) Southern CA Regional Chair, Member Government Blockchain Association (GBA) Land Titling Workgroup, and Member Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) Distributed Ledger Workgroup.

"Distributed Ledger Technology in Banking."

Abstract:

The banking industry utilizes technology to address core client requirements, including global reach, cost containment, and security. As payment options expand, and speeds increase, blockchain and related business models have become interesting alternatives. These alternatives have applicability in cross-border payments, but require effort to ensure scalability, security and legal compliance. Nonetheless, the opportunity to improve payment execution will continue to attract participation and investment.

Bio:

David Kretz is Managing Director and head of Global Strategy and Payments in the Global Transaction Services (GTS) business at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He is based in New York. David and his team work with GTS product and regional leadership to originate and execute a holistic, cross-product strategy. And, David’s team has direct responsibility for wholesale payments, inclusive of high value, low value, foreign exchange payments and banknotes, delivered to large corporate multinationals, commercial banking, business banking, financial institutions, non-bank financial institutions and public sector clients. Those line responsibilities include end-to-end product and P&L management, product development, pricing, training and marketing. Previously, David was head of Global Cross Currency (FX) Product Management. Prior to that, he was Chief Operating Officer for GTS. David has over 30 years of experience in financial services. Prior to joining Bank of America Merrill Lynch In January 2011, he spent seven years with J.P. Morgan in various senior roles within Treasury Services, including Global Head of Strategy and Western Hemisphere Liquidity Product Executive. Previously, he spent seven years as a banking consultant, and nine years in middle market banking. David is on the Board of Directors of the NACHA, The Electronics Payments Association and also on the SWIFT U.S. National Group. He is a graduate of Bradley University with a BS in finance and holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Bio:

Chad is an experienced technology consultant with a demonstrated history of working within various business development, data analytics, and blockchain departments graduated from UCLA.

Bio:

Christian Kameir is a managing partner at blockchain venture fund Sustany Capital in Newport Beach. Mr. Kameir has been a technology entrepreneur since the dial-up days and led the merger of two of the earliest internet service providers in Europe, after which he immigrated from Germany to California to establish a international technology investment firm. After founding a Yelp-predecessor in 2004, and selling the operation in 2008, Christian joined the board of several high-tech companies. In addition to majoring in business, he studied classical literature, is certified in NLP and a graduate of Muenster's School of Law. He is known for publishing one of the first law blogs in Europe and drafting laws for the open telecommunication market, specifically innovative services. Mr. Kameir is a member of Forbes Finance Council and seasoned public speaker on topics ranging from high-tech investing to blockchain technologies.

Bio:

Steve Ellis is a special advisor to Agingo, which is pioneering a Data Banking system based on its proprietary Not-Only-One-Blockchain (“NOOB”) platform. Steve was previously an executive vice president and head of the Wells Fargo Innovation Group, an enterprise-wide organization devoted to accelerating the company’s delivery of next-generation, customer-inspired technologies, products, and services. Prior to this assignment, Steve was head of the Wholesale Services Group, which included Treasury Management, Wholesale Banking Technology and Operations, Wholesale Social Strategies, Innovation and Research and Development, Wholesale Marketing, and the Enterprise Payment Strategies Group. A 30-year company veteran, Steve’s previous responsibilities included starting up and running the Wholesale Internet Solutions group, which launched Wells Fargo’s award-winning Commercial Electronic Office® (CEO®) portal in 2000 and CEO Mobile® in 2007. The fast pace of Wells Fargo’s early move into online and mobile financial services was due in large part to his commitment to fostering workplace creativity. Prior to starting up Wholesale Internet Solutions, Steve held senior finance and operations roles in Wells Fargo Commercial Banking, Real Estate Group, and Wholesale Banking. He has a B.S. in economics from Pennsylvania State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Oregon. Steve served as chairman of the board for NACHA, The Electronic Payments Association, from 2005 to 2008 and was vice chairman from 2009 to 2010. He was also a board member of First Graduate, a nonprofit focused on helping young adults become the first members of their families to graduate from college, from 2010 to 2016.

Bio:

CEO of blockchain company LedgerDomain, created in 2016 to build enterprise-grade blockchain solutions on Hyperledger. After doing undergraduate and gradate work at MIT, spent a quarter of a century incubating and investing in early-stage technology companies. These experiences that drove me to join forces with my co-founder Dr. Victor Dods and Hyperledger to fundamentally change how global enterprise does business, leveraging the immutability and security of blockchain to drive a single version of the truth. Member of the Clinical Supply Blockchain Working Group and currently partnering with UCLA to deliver a blockchain pilot to the US FDA.

Bio:

Parul Gujral is a philanthropist and entrepreneur with a life purpose to positively impact the lives of a quarter of the world's population. As the CEO and Founder of Snowball Money, his mission is to unravel global financial inequality by giving access to crypto portfolios and strategies previously only available to the privileged. Outside of Snowball, Parul is a co-writer on Finding Product Market Love on Forbes, a contributing writer at The Data Driven Investor in blockchain and cryptocurrency, as well as an advisor for Andra Capital, Wyzzdom Inc, Butter App, and Crypto Savannah. He believes that “the secret to living is giving” and focuses his philanthropic efforts to groups including Harmonic Humanity, Battery Powered, Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation.

Bio:

Holding over 13 years of experience in data analytics, Saritta Hines is a trusted leader at bridging strategic business initiatives with expert IT implementation. Saritta has successfully spearheaded projects in the tech world for industry leaders including Cymer, Allergan, Bank of Montreal, Novartis and Dow Agrosciences. Her expertise brings technical innovation and business teams together to transform the customer experience. Saritta is at the forefront of improving operational efficiency and testing new use cases through the use of blockchain technology. As the head of TrustaBit, Saritta has established a key utility for businesses to streamline the delivery of products and services to customers through blockchain technology.

"Blockchain at USC Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things."

Abstract:

As blockchains continue to mature and gain traction, research on blockchain and distributed ledger technologies continues at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering's Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things (CCI). Efforts have been underway to develop novel blockchain-based protocols and systems focused on data economics, micropayments and decentralized marketplaces for real-time data, network resources as well as computation services. A double-deposit escrow based smart contract design for buying and selling digital goods without trusted third parties has been designed. New distributed consensus protocols suitable for mobile networks have been developed. The Center continues to explore novel schemes and results pertaining to token economics.

Bio:

Bhaskar Krishnamachari is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California. He is Director of the USC Viterbi Center for Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things (CCI). He has expertise in designing algorithms and software for the internet of things, connected vehicles, distributed computing, machine learning, and blockchain technologies. He has co-authored more than 300 papers, and 2 textbooks, collectively cited more than 25000 times (per Google Scholar). He has received the NSF CAREER Award and the ASEE Terman Award for outstanding electrical and computer engineering educators. In 2011, he was listed in MIT technology review magazine’s TR-35 list of top 35 innovators under the age of 35, and in 2015 was named one of Popular Science magazine’s “Brilliant 10”.

Bio:

Utpal Mangla is a Global executive and leads Watson AI, IoT and Blockchain Innovation competency in our Global Telecommunications, Media and Entertainment (TME) Industry at IBM. Utpal leads a team of global practitioners in providing thought leadership and developing leading edge digital cognitive transformative solutions focused on improving customer experience by using IBM’s AI, Blockchain, IoT technologies as an enabler. Utpal and his team are at the forefront in building, piloting and deploying these solutions for our Telecommunication and Media clients globally. With over 20 years of consulting, system integration, program delivery and industry experience, Utpal brings a depth of expertise and knowledge on building next generation of client interactions providing seamless customer experience across multiple platforms for telecommunications industry. Utpal has deep experience across all pillars of TME industry including next-gen BSS, OSS, Analytics, Content Enrichment and Network customer analytics. Utpal holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and master in business administration jointly from Schulich and Kellogg School of Business. He has also completed studies in the Wharton School and Harvard University’s executive curriculum programs. Utpal holds several designations in areas of project management, engineering, consulting and industry design thinking.

Bio:

Earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Chemical Engineering at Drexel University and has worked as a systems engineer for several Fortune 500 companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Gilead and Shire. CEO & Owner of Cryptosomniac, a Crypto Digital Marketing & Media Agency who’s assisted 70+ Crypto Projects.

Bio:

Ashwini Rao is a security and privacy researcher. She has most recently been a CISO at Spring Labs, a blockchain fintech startup. She has worked in a multitude of roles including Lead Architect, Director of Research and Software Engineer. She has published in top-tier venues, given invited talks at regulatory agencies such as the FTC and received press coverage by NPR, Scientific American etc. She holds a PhD from Technical University of Munich and MS from Carnegie Mellon University and IIT Bombay.

Bio:

Born and raised on a farm in the countryside made him acknowledge the benefits of local origin. He co-founded Trace Labs while finishing his MBA in Ljubljana and soon recognized the importance of GS1 standards for business data exchange and introduced them to OriginTrail’s service. He managed the OriginTrail pilot projects in China and is now in charge of the strategy, business development and partnerships. He is often the ‘face’ of the company at global events, but few know that Ziga is also the authority on topics of data integrity and using blockchain technology to solve supply chain challenges. His goal is to help unlock new value in fragmented supply chains. Ziga loves being in nature and enjoying quality, origin traced food