Speaker's Bios

Brian Slobodov
Global Vice President, Supply Chain Integration and Strategic Initiatives
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products

Brian Slobodow has been Chief Procurement Officer at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products since 2005 with board level responsibility and accountable for all direct materials and contract manufacturing, totaling over $1 billion in spend.

His recent accomplishments include "Flawless execution" of core manufacturing from J&J internal plants to third parties and he introduced a comprehensive "Strategic Supplier" initiative focused on the top contract manufacturing partners resulting in cost, delivery, and innovation benefits.

Ian J. Crawford
VP Global Sourcing & Greenock Site Executive
IBM

Ian Crawford joined IBM in 1978 as an Inventory Accountant at the Greenock, Scotland plant.  After various non-management appointments in the financial organizations, he was appointed to a management position as Cost Accounting Manager in 1982.  In 1987, he was appointed as Greenock Site Financial Controller.

In 1988, he moved to Paris as Administrative Assistant to JP Briant, then Vice President of European Manufacturing.  This was followed by two further jobs on the EHQ Manufacturing Staff as senior advisor responsible for IBM’s manufacturing plants in Italy (AS400/RS6000) and then the ES9000 plant in Montpellier, France.

Ian returned to Greenock in 1991 as European Fulfilment Manager.  During the next three years, he was responsible for the reengineering of the European fulfilment process from a build to plan, mass production environment with multiple finished goods stock locations around Europe, to the new build to order, mass customization process shipping product from the Greenock plant direct to customers throughout Europe.  This breakthrough in the fulfilment process has now become the model for the IBM PSG approach to fulfilment worldwide.

In September 1994, Ian was promoted to Director of Logistics Reengineering based at PSG’s worldwide headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina.  In this key role, he was responsible for redesigning the entire worldwide logistics network for PSG.  Logistics effectiveness is one of the critical success factors in today’s fast moving, low margin parts planning system, the introduction of the new mass customization production model, and PSG’s SAP project on a worldwide basis.

He was appointed Director of the Greenock Site on January 1, 1996.  During his tenure as head of the Greenock facility, Ian was responsible for a dramatic turnaround in the fortunes of the site.  Quality defects were reduced by a factor of 10, on-time delivery progress resulted in customer and business satisfaction improvements, all financial commitments were achieved or exceeded, and the overall reputation of the plant both inside IBM and across the industry improved significantly. 

In August 1998, Ian returned to the United States and was appointed Vice President of Procurement for the IBM Personal Systems Group.  In July of 2001, Ian was promoted to  Vice President of Production Procurement.

In January 2003, Ian was promoted to Vice President, Strategy and Process Transformation for the Integrated Supply Chain group, a position he held until July 2003.  At that time, he returned to his former position as Vice President of Production Procurement.

Ian became Vice President of Strategic Sourcing in August of 2004.  In August 2005, Ian returned to the UK, retaining the same role with additional responsibility as IBM Greenock Site executive.

Chris Foulkes
Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer
Eqos

A co-founder of Eqos, Chris's passion for technology and expertise in supply chain management led him to be the Chief Product Officer and visionary for Eqos. His customer centric role and hands-on technical approach stretches his expertise to an in-depth understanding of a wide range of collaborative retail business processes which can be managed by the Eqos solution.

Prior to Eqos, Chris held senior consulting positions with the former Coopers & Lybrand, subsequently joining GE Information Services European retail team, where he held responsibility for specification and design for the ECR product portfolio. Chris holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from University College, London, and is fluent in French and Italian.

Jane Biddle
Chief Marketing Officer
Eqos

A key member of the Eqos Management Team, Jane is instrumental in helping to shape the strategic direction of the company. Jane adds a wealth of expertise in strategic planning, industry analyst research and the marketing of supply chain technology solutions across many industries.

As Chief Marketing Officer, Jane works collaboratively with leading customers and alliance partners, while overseeing global marketing activities. Prior to joining Eqos, Jane held executive positions with companies such as SAP, G-Log, Rockport Trade Systems, and Hewlett Packard. Jane has authored numerous research reports and articles and is frequently quoted in the media. Jane holds a BS in Computer Science and an MBA from Rivier College in New Hampshire, USA.

Christian Verstraete
Senior Director Solutions & Technology Integration Worldwide Manufacturing & Distribution Industries
HP

Christian Verstraete, worldwide Senior Director for HP’s Manufacturing and Distributions Industries Worldwide Solutions & Technology Integration Group, has been a member of HP’s manufacturing team for more than 26 years. Verstraete is responsible for identifying and developing HP’s differentiated portfolio of horizontal and vertical solutions for the manufacturing industries. His group is tasked with creating field-ready solutions that meet the specific needs of customers, geographies and HP’s Technology Solutions Group (TSG) business units.

Prior to his current position, Verstraete led HP’s global High-Tech Industry Group and its manufacturing industries Supply Chain go-to-market strategy where he was responsible for growing the company’s $300 million consulting and system integration business.

As vice president, Manufacturing Industry Practice, he headed HP’s manufacturing practice within the Consulting and Integration business unit from 2002 to 2004 The 1200 consultants he led created and delivered solutions in the areas of supply chain, procurement and sourcing, product lifecycle collaboration, demand chain and collaborative business integration. The team also developed specific offerings for customers in the automotive, high-tech, pharmaceutical, and energy sectors.

Prior to that, Verstraete served as the Global Lead in the Extended Manufacturing Practice and the Supply Chain Infrastructure and EAI. From his first HP job as a systems engineer through project, regional, district and global management, Verstraete has concentrated on developing, marketing and advancing infrastructure services.

Frequently published in periodicals, Verstraete has been a featured speaker at several global supply chain events. Verstraete’s latest book, Collaborative Sourcing, Strategic Value Creation through Collaborative Supplier Relationship Management, is currently available at www.i6doc.com.

Verstraete holds a mechanical engineering degree from the Universite catholique de Louvain in Belgium and a degree in industrial management from Katholieke Universiteit van Leuven, also in Belgium. He is based in Brussels, Belgium.

Bob Belshaw
Senior VP
GE Commercial Finance Trade Distribution Services

Senior Vice President of Trade Distribution Services (TDS) – GE Commercial Financial Services. Trade Distribution Services is a global business focused on optimising working capital in global supply chains. TDS will own the inventory within a supply chain, taking cost out of the supply chain, by freeing up working capital and reducing operating expenses.

Bob has recently joined GE, having spent the last 8 years with INSIGHT a leading supply chain design software and services firm, where Bob most recently was the Chief Operating Officer. Bob has been recognized by DC Velocity magazine wining Rainmaker 2004 recognition and as a 2004 Providers Pro to Know by Supply & Demand Chain magazine. Bob has been an often-quoted speaker on supply chain issues, including global sourcing and global supply chain design.

Mr. Belshaw is a graduate of Lehigh University. He received his BS Industrial Engineering Degree in 1982 and has taken additional coursework at the University of Pennsylvania.

Raymond McGuire
former VP of International Services
Kellwood New England

Ray McGuire currently provides advice, direction, and project management in a consultancy capacity to high fashion importers and international forwarders, successfully implementing international logistics, regulatory and vendor compliance, and US domestic cross-dock and pick & pack fulfillment and distribution solutions.

Ray’s most recent full-time assignment was Vice President of International Services for Kellwood New England, a division of Kellwood Company and a $2.6 billion marketer of apparel and consumer soft goods. Brands and private label products include Phat Farm®, Baby Phat®, Sag Harbor®, Koret, My Michelle®, Briggs New York®, and producing Calvin Klein®, XOXO®, Gerber®, Liz Claiborne® Dresses and Suits, IZOD®, and others under licensing agreements.

As in his engagement with Kellwood, Mr. McGuire successfully managed international and domestic logistics, as well as agent and vendor product, and safety and social compliance, for Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks Incorporated, and The Sharper Image. At Jefferson Smurfit Group (now Smurfit-Stone Corp), he also held positions in the Transportation, Quality and Safety areas.

In these roles, Ray’s main responsibilities included identifying, developing and executing the international and domestic logistics, inventory management, transportation, vendor and all governmental compliance success criteria (customs, C-TPAT, FDA, F&W, FCC, etc) for the import and export supply chains.

Experience of 16 years in Europe and 14 years in the United States has provided Mr. McGuire with extensive knowledge of international and domestic logistics, the ability and expertise to successfully implement more efficient distribution systems, and customs, security, and vendor compliance programs, while returning “hard-dollar” savings.

While in Europe, Ray co-founded and was the managing director of a successful international express transportation, warehousing, and forwarding company. He also held various positions at other international forwarding companies.

In addition to these “work” responsibilities, Mr. McGuire’s professional interest lie in advancing and furthering his own skill and knowledgebase in order to contribute his experience and knowhow by attending, participating in, and speaking at industry specific conferences including: Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and Trans-Pacific Maritime Conferences, and regularly contributing to industry publications including the Journal of Commerce.

Kees Gerretse
Director
Supplies & Transport Corus

Kees Gerretse started his career in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. After 13 years of service, Kees took up a position in the private sector, working for the oil and gas company Total, and was based in The Netherlands, France and French Congo. Whilst serving in the Royal Navy and working for Total, Kees worked in the areas of Supplies, Logistics, and Finance.

In 1997 Kees joined Hoogovens as the Director of Logistics and Transport in IJmuiden (Strip Business). After 4 years in IJmuiden, he was appointed to the position of Commercial and Business Development Director for Corus Tubes in the UK, followed by a position as Director for Research and Development (Products and Application) in IJmuiden.

As of 1st June 2005, Kees became the new Group Director for Supplies and Transport, responsible for all Supplies and Transport across the Company with a spend of more than €10 billion.

Kees attended the Military Royal Naval Academy (Officers Training) and has an MBA and an Executive MBA qualification in Strategy and Business Development.

Peter Supron
Vice President Purchasing
Scotts

Coming soon...

Darrall Loggins
Manager - Strategic Sourcing
Coors Brewing Company

23 Years Procurement / Strategic Sourcing Experience

- Accountable for $700M in annual indirect spend
- Responsible for developing Strategic Sourcing initiatives at Coors
- Development of Strategic Sourcing methodologies employed to drive cost savings and supply management for US Division

- Department delivered over $12M in cost savings initiative for the US division in the past two years
- Developed Coors Procurement Strategy Council

Graduate of the University of Tennessee
Certified Purchasing Manager

Scott D. Burnette
Director, National Transportation
Coca-Cola North America

Director, National Transportation Coca-Cola North America
16 years with The Coca-Cola Company
21 years in the Transportation Industry

• Accountable for $300m in annual transportation spend.
• Responsible for developing Transportation Strategy and ensuring execution against the strategy.
• Business Owner of the Coca-Cola North America TMS system.
• Responsible for driving collaborative transportation efforts with Coca-Cola Enterprises the largest single Bottling organization in the US.
• Responsible for implementing standardized processes where none currently exist and revising existing processes as market conditions and/or systems capabilities change.

Personal
Married 16 years
2 boys 12 and 14

St. Claire Gerald
Director of Supply Chain Management
Foot Locker

St. Claire Gerald has been active in Finance and Logistics for over 20 years and is currently the Director of Supply Chain Management for Foot Locker, Inc. His areas of responsibility include Supply Chain Management, Vendor Relations and Compliance.

St. Claire joined Foot Locker in January, 1999 as the Corporate Vendor Relations Manager. He was promoted to the Director of Supply Chain Management position in 2004. Prior to joining Foot Locker, St. Claire held positions of Logistics Manager and Accounts Payable Manager at Brooks Brothers and G & G Shops.

St. Claire holds a B.A. degree in Business & Economics from The College of Wooster, Ohio and is a member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). He is also the Treasurer for the New York City Roundtable of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

Doug Shefsky
Quality Manager Global General Procurement Services
United Technologies Corporation

As Quality Manager for United Technologies Corporation’s (UTC) Global General Procurement Services group, Doug Shefsky is responsible for ensuring that ACE (Achieving Competitive Excellence) culture, competency and tools are a way of life in a group managing over $6 billion of UTC’s annual spend.  As Program Manager for the UT500 global savings initiative, he is responsible for the continuous improvement of a program that has already saved UTC over $1.5 billion.  UTC is a diversified company whose products include Carrier heating and air conditioning, Hamilton Sundstrand aerospace systems and industrial products, Otis elevators and escalators, Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines, Sikorsky helicopters, UTC Fire & Security systems and UTC Power fuel cells.

Doug began his career as a plastics design engineer and later worked to drive continuous improvement in various Operations positions with Danaher Corporation.  While at Danaher, he participated in and led numerous kaizen under the guidance of Shingijutsu sensei.  His experience in Supply Management began as a Materials Manager, where he achieved the status of a Master Black Belt in the Danaher Materials Process.

Born in Chicago, Doug received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.

Mr. Shefsky resides in West Hartford, CT with his wife and son.

Fernando Hernandez
Supplier Diversity Director
Microsoft

Fernando serves as Supplier Diversity Director for Microsoft Corporation. In this position, Fernando supports executive business leaders at Microsoft to achieve their supplier diversity goals and objectives. He is responsibility for Microsoft’s supplier diversity outreach efforts, and serves as the leader of the Corporation’s national team of supplier diversity advocates.

Fernando served as SVP of Multicultural & Diversity Strategy for Washington Mutual Bank where he lead, developed, and implemented comprehensive multicultural market strategic plans inclusive of all aspects of Washington Mutual’s mission, business goals, and representative diverse segments. Fernando drove the strategies, tactics, and investments in the multicultural markets.

He established and communicated the strategic importance of the multicultural markets to improve shareholder performance. He was responsible for translating and transforming the multicultural markets strategic objectives into profitable initiatives.

Fernando served as Executive Director of Supplier Diversity with AT&T.
He focused on providing strategic direction to AT&T’s Supplier Management & Business Unit clients in development and implementation of policies, strategies, and programs related to the enterprise-wide MWSDVBE (Minority, Women, Service Disabled Veterans, Business Enterprise) Business Development Program. In that regard, he served on various boards, including National Minority Supplier Diversity Council, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Business Consortium Fund, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Procurement Council, United States Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Billion Dollar Round Table, Telecommunications Industry Group, and NJ Board of Public Utilities/Supplier Diversity Development Council.

After starting his career as a commercial Real Estate Broker in New York, Fernando joined AT&T’s International Sales Group in 1990. He directed the development of Multicultural Marketing programs for both AT&T’s Business and Consumer Markets Divisions, headquartered in Bridgewater, NJ. A pioneer in the field of multicultural business to business and consumer marketing, Fernando launched AT&T’s first Hispanic, African American, and Asian business marketing programs in 1991. He and his team developed and implemented strategies to reach the growing number of U.S. multicultural business owners. Fernando’s experience includes leading AT&T’s National Multicultural Marketing and Marketing Communications Directorates, and managing four national advertising agencies with programs in seven languages.

He directed AT&T’s International Alliance Channel programs responsible for business development in Canada, Mexico, and Latin America.

Fernando’s commitment to the community goes beyond his professional responsibilities. He has served as Chairman of the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund New York City Walk-A-Thon and President of AT&T’s HISPA Association New York Chapter.

Fernando has taken every opportunity to leverage his bilingual and bicultural abilities throughout his professional career, using his numerous skills and multicultural sensitivity. This has served him well in successful launches of marketing programs, but has also made it possible for him to sell the original business case and concept for multicultural marketing to forward thinking senior management.

He holds a degree in Accounting from Saint Peter’s College and his Masters in Information Systems from Stevens Institute of Technology. He has also studied at the Wharton School of Business and has been recognized by the American Marketing Association for his leadership in sponsoring multicultural marketing conferences at the United Nations.

Fernando is an active speaker in professional and academic settings, and has authored various articles for national and business publications. He is frequently quoted on diversity and multicultural issues in national publications.

Mark Mirelez
Director of Global Procurement
National Instruments

Mark is the Director of Global Procurement for National Instruments (NI), a technology pioneer and leader in virtual instrumentation - a revolutionary concept that has changed the way engineers and scientists in industry, government and academia approach measurement and automation. Leveraging PCs and commercial technologies, virtual instrumentation increases productivity and lowers costs for test, control and design applications through easy-to-integrate software, such as NI LabVIEW, and modular measurement and control hardware.

Mark has spent the last 8 years with NI, where he’s held positions as the Strategic Components Commodity Manager, Tactical Purchasing Manager and his most recent position as the head of Global Procurement.  Mark currently spends the majority of his time in Hungary, at NI’s predominant manufacturing location, where he is also responsible for Planning and Manufacturing Business Analyst functions within Europe.

Before NI, Mark spent 5 years in Air Force as a Procurement Contracting Officer and Administrative Contracting Officer.

Jeff Meyer
Director Supply Chain Consulting
Corbus

Coming soon...

Paul de La Rochefoucauld
Managing Director
Mfg.com

As Managing Director of MFG.com Europe, Paul is responsible for leading MFG.coms European operations including overall management of the daily operations of MFG.coms Geneva-based office.

Prior to joining MFG.com, Paul was the Co-Founder and CEO of Geneva-based SourcingParts.com, an on demand supplier relationship software tool for the manufacturing industry. SourcingParts.com was acquired by MFG.com in June 2006. Under Pauls direction, the company averaged an annual growth rate in excess of 40% and hosted over 50 Fortune 500 customers. In 2005, SourcingParts was awarded the 2005 Strategis Award for excellence in innovation and management. Prior to his role at SourcingParts, Paul also Co-Founded a sourcing consulting company Performance Improvement Team in Zurich, Switzerland.

Paul received a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Advanced Mechanical and Digital Image Processing from the Swiss Institute of Technology (Zurich). He is a French native fluent in French, English and German.