IoT: Where Data is the Center of Business and Process Decisions

Dave Vasko is director of Advanced Technology at Rockwell Automation. He is responsible for the applied R&D labs in Milwaukee and Shanghai, and manages Rockwell’s Global Product Standards and Regulations engagements worldwide. Dave has held leadership positions in development and research groups while at Rockwell. He managed the Distributed Control Research lab, where agent-based control systems were first developed and successfully deployed in industrial applications. He managed the Architecture Development group and contributed to the development of the Control Logix Architecture and CIP (Common Industrial Communication Protocol/IEC 61158) used in Rockwell products which generated over $3B in revenue. He led the team that developed the CIP Safety communication protocol (IEC 61784-3) and in 2005 he was recognized as Rockwell Automation’s Engineer of the Year for his contribution. He holds a MSCE (Computer Engineering) from Case Western Reserve University.

Arvind is Vice President, Industry Solutions and Process business, focused on developing Industry specific systems and solutions leveraging Rockwell and ecosystem portfolio. Prior to this role he was the Global Business Director, Information Solutions (IS), responsible for leading overall strategy and Product Management for our IS portfolio (resulting in strong double digit YoY growth) and leading the Rockwell-PTC Alliance. Arvind has also held positions in Global Business Development supporting strategy development and software alliances and in Global Sales & Marketing as the lead for the CPG Industry segment for North America, developing strategy and execution plans to drive revenue growth. Arvind holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, an MBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Bangalore University, Bangalore, India.

Leveraging Industrial Technology for the Future of Energy Generation

Achalesh is the VP for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation at GE Digital. In this role, he has been tasked to drive digital innovation and transformation across GE Vernova business units and GE Digital by defining and executing industrial AI strategy and use cases. Achalesh is leading strategy and initiatives in GE Digital Innovation Center to help drive innovation in energy transition area. He is driving several smart grid initiatives to deliever a reliable, resilient, and affordable clean energy grid. Achalesh holds a M.S. degree in Engineering from Purdue University, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Power Plant Engineering from National Power Training Institute in India.

Phoenix Contact: Connecting Engineers with Data Using Easy, Secure IIoT

Dave Eifert is the Senior Business Development Manager – IIoT for Phoenix Contact USA. Prior to accepting this role, he was the Industry Manager for Water Resource Management at Phoenix Contact. Earlier in his career he served in various business development, marketing and technical sales roles for various leading companies. Dave received a BS in Interdisciplinary Engineering and Management from Clarkson University. He currently resides in Cleveland Ohio, and when not working enjoys playing guitar and singing, road and mountain biking, traveling, writing, and hanging out with his wife and two adult children.