Information Technology Awards Judging Committee

Chair:                                                           

Sheryl Haislet, Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Adient, Plymouth, Michigan, USA

Sheryl is vice president and chief information officer for Adient. After joining Johnson Controls in 1988, Sheryl held various positions in engineering, manufacturing, and information technology. Most recently, she served as the company’s vice president of information technology for Power Solutions, where she helped drive commercial excellence programs and implement an enterprise-wide SAP system. Other notable moments during her Johnson Controls tenure include her role as vice president of information technology for the North American Automotive Division, and vice president of global infrastructure. Sheryl also served as interim chief information security officer from 2014 to 2015 for the enterprise. She is a graduate of the Johnson Controls Leadership Development program and the eXtreme Learning Program. In 2016, Sheryl was recognized by Computerworld as a “Premier 100 IT Leader.”

Sheryl earned a Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts in information systems from Grand Valley State University. She also holds a graduate certificate in SAP Business Processes from Central Michigan University.

Sheryl sits on the board of directors for the Southeast Michigan American Diabetes Association Community Leadership.

"It is inspiring to see the amazing things people are accomplishing with new technology and great talent."

Committee | HCL-Sponsored Category Judges:

Devanshu Bhatt, Consultant, IT App Development (Test Automation Lead / Architect)
Nationwide Insurance, Columbus, Ohio, USA
12+ Years of experience in software quality assurance and Test suite automation development for Desktop, client/server, web based (Front End / Back end), GUI, SOA, E-commerce and cloud based applications. Received number of Bravo rewards for exceptional work and helping and resolving critical problems.  IT Star Nationwide Level winner. Quick learner, self starter, strong team player with good work ethics and a good understanding of QA methodologies. Handles multiple projects.

Dr. Robert Bornhofen, Strategy & Innovation
IBM, Armonk, New York, USA
Dr. Robert Bornhofen is a practitioner-scholar with over 25 years of experience. His corporate career includes such Fortune 500 companies as Citibank, Delta Air Lines,  and Avaya. He is currently with IBM where he leads global strategy and innovation for the Enterprise Services Division.

Scott Cenci, VP IT
Biogen, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Scott Cenci is a senior IT leader with more than 25 years in Life Sciences. He has led small and large technology functions across both human and animal health companies. Scott is currently a Vice President at Biogen.

 

Michal Cenkl, Director of Innovation and Technology
The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, Massachusetts, USA
As the Director of Innovation and Technology in MITRE's Enterprise Computing Information and Security Center, Mr. Cenkl is currently responsible for MITRE's innovation program chartered with identifying and realizing disruptive and emerging technologies and practices into MITRE's knowledge management and IT strategies and practices.

Sayan Chatterjee, Data/Analytics Manager
ZealTech Inc, Fremont, California, USA
Sayan Chatterjee holds a BS in Computer Science Engineering. He has over 14 years of robust Data/Analytics management experience majority of which he spent building, scaling and managing Data/Analytics teams consisting of data engineers. As management consultant for ZealTech, he played key leadership roles at some Fortune 500 clients, including Wells Fargo, UCSF Health, Prime Healthcare, Scripps Health. Previously Sayan worked for Tata Consultancy Services (aka TCS - Asia’s largest software services company) for 5 years. For TCS, he managed a database administration project at British Telecom and also led a warehouse effort at Kaiser Permanente. Sayan is an active Silicon Valley angel investor and has invested in several early and late stage private startups.

Sanjay Choubey, Vice President, IT
Briggs & Stratton, Brookfield, Wisconsin, USA
Proven leader with demonstrated experience in defining (digital strategy, roadmap), implementing and sustaining business and technology transformation at global scale. Recognized for successfully developing and implementing differentiating solutions, strategic planning, and global delivery support for more than 20 years as leader of large global initiatives with budgets ranging from $40M to $800M and team size of 50 to 800 in a matrix environment.
 

Scott Epter, Vice President, Business Development and Technology
Exago Inc., Kingston, New York, USA
Over 20+ years, Scott has worked with Global Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries. For the past 7 he's enjoyed helping Exago become the best embedded Business Intelligence solution for SaaS. In 2000, Scott received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. When not in the office, he can be found with his family, in the mountains, or working on his house and large vegetable garden.

Matthew Fahnestock, VP & Chief Information Officer
DANA, Maumee, Ohio, USA
Mr. Fahnestock is responsible for the global IT function at DANA corporation in Maumee Ohio.   Previously, Mr. Fahnestock was the SVP & CIO at Columbia Pipeline Group and has held various mgmt. roles at Johnson Controls, Ford, and Ernst & Young.

Atul Gupta, Managing Principal
Capco, Houston, Texas, USA

Arnav Gupta, Lead Full Stack Developer
Cognizant Technology Solutions, Denver, Colorado, USA
Lead Full Stack Developer with Charter Communications with experience of 7+ years in guiding Software Projects and leading teams of 100+ developers.

 

Mehdi Hassan, Principal Consultant
Wipro Limited,  Painted Post, New York, USA
Mehdi Hassan is an IT Leader & Cyber Security Evangelist with 18+ years of international experience with multinational firms – PwC US, Wipro Limited and CMC Limited. He has experience working with many Fortune 500 customers. He has developed extensive Strategic Leadership, General & Project Management, Cyber Security Architecture and Business Development skills within a variety of business industries including Finance, Insurance, Telecom, Retail, Manufacturing and Healthcare across USA, Asia, Europe, Australia and Latin America. He has helped customers with IT Strategy, Solution Roadmap, Business/IT Alignment, Program Plan, Cyber security Implementation, Consulting and Solution Architecture & Design. He holds a Bachelor degree in Computer Science and Engineering.

Steve Iffie, President & CEO
Glossive Technologies, San Marcos, California, USA
Steve Iffie is the President and CEO of GlossiveTech. He has over 21 years experience in designing and programming highly responsive mission critical Enterprise and Cloud-based Business / Education software and services that is accessible on Desktop, Tablet and Mobile.
 

Kendall Knight, Senior Director of IT Transformation
Hertz, Estero, Florida, USA
I’m a decisive leader who fosters a collaborative environment by investing time in relationship development, active listening and talent management.  I seek alignment with my business partners and IT teams through frequent communications (group settings, one-on-one, social media).  I believe people are more motivated when they feel like they are respected and that their input is valuable to the success of the organization.  I realize the importance of motivating staff to deliver their best and I’m tactful and diplomatic when dealing with potential problems; I believe a lot will be achieved through effective communication.

Arvind Kumar, Advanced Solution Architech/ Information Technology Project Manager
Derex Technologies, Inc, Portland, Oregon, USA
Senior Certified ERP Solution Architect & IT Manager with 20 years of Experience in Implementing SAP & IT Projects across the globe, project execution & control, planning, vendor and Client management & new system implementation. Pioneer in analysis, design, development, testing & implementation of customized ERP (SAP) solutions for new implementations and upgrades. Experienced in delivering complex solutions in various IT SAP projects using expert level skills He is PMP, SAP OTC and HANA certified. In 2014-2015, Arvind Kumar developed a complex solution to transfer ‘Third party order processing’ to ‘Statistical third party order processing’ in ERP, his solutions acclaimed lots of kudos and awards. He is Masters in ‘Systems’ and Bachelors in ‘Electronics’. Arvind is HANA, ERP-OTC and PMP Certified.

Rishit Mishra, Senior Associate
PricewaterhouseCoopers, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Rishit Mishra is a Senior Associate in the PwC - Enterprise System Services practice. For over 8+ years Rishit has worked in the Information technology space specializing in SAP implementations, SAP Security Strategy and Governance along with ongoing Risk Mitigation and management serving lot of the top 500 clients. Rishit also has a diverse experience having spent his time working in IBM and Accenture in the past.

Chris Morrison, Director of Infrastructure Cybersecurity
Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation, Plano, Texas, USA
Chris has been in Information Technology for over 29 years in the Oil & Gas, Consumer Product Goods and Financial industries.  As an Information Technology executive, accomplished with extensive experienced gained from Fortune 5 and Fortune 50 global corporations working in application development and support, all areas of infrastructure and now cybersecurity.

Rajesh Kumar Mudiakal, SAP Senior Project Manager
Ernst & Young, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Rajesh Kumar Mudiakal is a Senior SAP Project Manager with Ernst & Young, Malaysia.  He has an overall Experience of 20 years in areas like IT Project Management. He has been a Commonwealth Scholar and has expertise in areas like IT Project Management, Strategy Consulting and SAP Consulting.

Ravi Nandivada, Vice President
Intueor Consulting, Inc., Irvine, California, USA
Experienced professional with proven track record of assisting Government and Public Sector Agencies leverage information technology to create, deliver and enhance value to their constituents (citizens and businesses). Passionate about enabling positive change in Government Operations and Service Delivery.

Satprem Pamudurthy, Senior Quantitative Developer
Ellington Management Group, Old Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
Software professional with over 10 years of experience architecting and developing large-scale financial analytics platforms. He has successfully delivered innovative and critical solutions at leading financial institutions using a wide array of technologies.

Julie Ragland, Vice President, IT
Adient US, LLC, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
IT executive focused on the intersection of technology and business to drive strategic value. Differentiated by demonstrating an ability to influence business priorities, contribute to business strategies, establish multi-year road-maps that drive business benefits, and deliver complex initiatives that span organizational boundaries. Frequent champion for change initiatives to transform the operations and strategic contribution of IT. Respected and collaborative leader in highly matrixed organizations. Successful working at both head office and divisional levels. Extensive international experience including eight years living overseas as an expat in London, UK and Dubai, UAE.

Ioannis Saratsidis, President & Founder
PC Pal Global, Norwalk, Connecticut, USA
Ioannis is a dynamic and highly skilled information technology and business professional with industry certification in a plenitude of disciplines. From technology and corporate consulting to business development services he has brought an appreciation and understanding of complex concepts to the everyday workforce without jargon or gimmicks.

Chad Steighner, Vice President Information Technology
Johnson Controls, Inc., Glendale, Wisconsin, USA

Subash Thota, Data Manager
Data Diverse, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
I have been working in the area of Data Analytics, Big Data, and Cloud Computing for more than a decade. My research in these scientific areas resulted in several publications.
 

HCL-Sponsored Category Judges

Devanshu Bhatt, Consultant, IT App Development (Test Automation Lead / Architect)
Nationwide Insurance, Columbus, Ohio, USA  
12+ Years of experience in software quality assurance and Test suite automation development for Desktop, client/server, web based (Front End / Back end), GUI, SOA, E-commerce and cloud based applications. Received number of Bravo rewards for exceptional work and helping and resolving critical problems.  IT Star Nationwide Level winner. Quick learner, self starter, strong team player with good work ethics and a good understanding of QA methodologies. Handles multiple projects.

Sanjay Choubey,  Vice President, IT   
Briggs & Stratton, Brookfield, Wisconsin, USA   
Proven leader with demonstrated experience in defining (digital strategy, roadmap), implementing and sustaining business and technology transformation at global scale. Recognized for successfully developing and implementing differentiating solutions, strategic planning, and global delivery support for more than 20 years as leader of large global initiatives with budgets ranging from $40M to $800M and team size of 50 to 800 in a matrix environment.

Syed Fazal, Vice President, Global Compliance Operations   
JPMorgan Chase, New York, New York, USA   

Mehdi Hassan, Principal Consultant
Wipro Limited, Painted Post, New York, USA
Mehdi Hassan is an IT Leader & Cyber Security Evangelist with 18+ years of international experience with multinational firms – PwC US, Wipro Limited and CMC Limited. He has experience working with many Fortune 500 customers. He has developed extensive Strategic Leadership, General & Project Management, Cyber Security Architecture and Business Development skills within a variety of business industries including Finance, Insurance, Telecom, Retail, Manufacturing and Healthcare across USA, Asia, Europe, Australia and Latin America. He has helped customers with IT Strategy, Solution Roadmap, Business/IT Alignment, Program Plan, Cyber security Implementation, Consulting and Solution Architecture & Design. He holds a Bachelor degree in Computer Science and Engineering.

Steve Iffie, President & CEO
Glossive Technologies, San Marcos, California, USA
Steve Iffie is the President and CEO of GlossiveTech. He has over 21 years experience in designing and programming highly responsive mission critical Enterprise and Cloud-based Business / Education software and services that is accessible on Desktop, Tablet and Mobile.  From 1990 -1995, his programming skills as a Small Talk, Fortran, Cobol, C, C++ programmer was noticeable obvious.  From September 1996, when he started his very first software company, he quickly became an Enterprise Java software, Database and Data Warehouse solutions provider.

Arvind Kumar, Advanced Solution Architech/Information Technology Project Manager   
Derex Technologies, Inc, Portland, Oregon, USA   
Arvind Kumar is Advanced Certified Senior ERP Solution Architect & Information Technology Manager. He has 20 years of enriched experience in designing solutions in SAP/ Big data/ SAP HANA & IT Projects across the globe. He is Pioneer in analysis, design, development, testing & implementation of customized ERP (SAP) and Big data solutions for new implementations and upgrades. Experienced in delivering complex solutions in various IT SAP projects using expert level skills. Arvind Kumar began his Information Technology career in 1998. From there, he progressed through several IT leadership roles in diverse industries and technologies. Arvind Kumar is a technology expert and passionate problem solver. He is SAP OTC, SAP HANA and PMP Certified.

Viurniel Sanchez, Information Management
Infrastructure Technology Services, Miami, Florida, USA       

Chad Steighner, Vice President Information Technology
Johnson Controls, Inc., Glendale, Wisconsin, USA

Subash Thota, Data Manager
Data Diverse, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
I have been working in the area of Data Analytics, Big Data, and Cloud Computing for more than a decade. My research in these scientific areas resulted in several publications.

Mike Ulicki, Vice President, Information Technology
Uline, Pleasant Prairie,  Wisconsin, USA