Speaker Profiles

Embedded Wireless Devices Interactive Executive Summit will feature experts, pioneers, and players on the subject of embedded devices. Check back often as we add new names to our roster of industry experts.

Fredrik Åkerlind, Head of Sales Region Americas, Telenor Connexion
Fredrik Åkerlind has more than ten years’ experience within the telecom industry, holding several different management positions. Prior to his assignment within Telenor Connexion, Fredrik held the position as Manager of Telematics/M2M in Telenor Sweden, the successful business unit out of which Telenor Connexion was sprung. Register Now!


Azita Arvani, Principal & Founder, Arvani Group
Azita Arvani has spent over two decades in senior-level assignments involving both Fortune 500 and start-up companies across the globe. Prior to founding Arvani Group, she served as VP of Business Development and Strategy at ActiveSky, an innovative developer of interactive rich media and video technologies for mobile applications based in Silicon Valley. There, she led the creation of commercial and product development relationships with content providers, content services providers, micro-browser vendors, wireless infrastructure companies, mobile carriers, and handheld device manufacturers, including the Cartoon Network, Sprint, Casio, Openwave, KDDI, and Nokia. Her previously held senior positions include those with the Xerox Corporation, working with the renowned Palo Alto Research Center, as well as pioneering start-ups in wireless and software industries. Register Now!

Danny Bowman, President, Integrated Solutions Group, Sprint
Danny Bowman is President of Sprint’s Integrated Solutions Group. His responsibilities include developing and delivering vertical, custom network and emergency response solutions. Bowman also oversees Solutions Engineering, providing customers with technical expertise and Emerging Solutions, responsible for developing business and consumer solutions for the rapidly emerging machine-to-machine (M2M) ecosystem. Register Now!

Jim Buczkowski, Henry Ford Fellow & Director of Global Electrical & Electronics Systems Engineering, Ford Motor Company
A 30-year Ford veteran, Jim Buczkowski, director of Global Electrical and Electronics Systems Engineering (EESE) for Ford Motor Company, leads the team responsible for all electronics on Ford vehicles, including taking a concept like Ford SYNC® and developing the built-in hardware and software needed to make it work. Through the handiwork of Buczkowski’s team, Ford SYNC is the industry’s first system to seamlessly integrate a variety of technologies to provide hands-free phone operation, media player control, emergency assistance, diagnostic and information services, as well as traffic reports and directions on the road.  The technologies that support these features include voice recognition, text-to-speech, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, an external and Internet-based information network, data-over-voice technology and a suite of off-board services with voice portal, text messaging and many more. Register Now!

Phil Goldstein, Editor, FierceWireless
Phil Goldstein is the editor of FierceWireless, and is the day-to-day editor of the publication. He also edits FierceWireless:Europe. Prior to joining FierceMarkets, he was the managing editor of The Daily Free Press, the independent student newspaper at Boston University, as well as an intern for The Times of London. He is based at the FierceMarkets main office in Washington, D.C., and can be reached at pgoldstein@fiercemarkets.com. Follow @FierceWireless on Twitter and find him on LinkedIn. Register Now!

John Horn, President, RACO Wireless
John Horn has joined RACO Wireless as President after serving as a leader at T-Mobile for over nine years. While at T-Mobile he developed and managed Indirect Distribution for the California launch - the largest launch in wireless history and then launched the M2M Channel. During the last six years he has focused specifically on developing the M2M program and go to market strategy and helped T-Mobile to earn recognition as the market leader for M2M services. John is heading the migration of the T-Mobile M2M business to the RACO Wireless platform. Previous to T-Mobile John has served as a Manager, Director and VP of other telecom companies for over 22 years. He has managed direct and indirect distribution models in both the business and consumer channels. John earned a degree in Political Science from the University of California at Davis. Register Now!

Donald Jones, VP, Wireless Health Global Strategy & Market Development, Qualcomm
Donald Jones is responsible for Qualcomm’s development of wireless technologies and platforms in the health, fitness and life sciences markets, and is recognized as a leader in the field. In 2005, he founded and is Chairman of the Wireless Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA), a 501c(6) trade organization (www.wirelesslifesciences.org),  which works with both the wireless and health industries to enable new business models, new businesses and clinical process improvements in all sectors, including consumer health, fitness, healthcare services, healthcare IT, pharmaceutical and medical devices. Jones holds a bachelors’ degree in biology and bio-engineering from the University of California, San Diego, and a Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine. Register Now!

Andreas Kohn, Director of Marketing for Transportation & Automotive, Sierra Wireless
Andreas Kohn, Director of Marketing for Transportation & Automotive at Sierra Wireless is responsible for defining the business strategy and related products for these segments worldwide. Before joining Wavecom (now Sierra Wireless) in 2008 he worked for more than 8 years in Product Management, Sales and Quality at Siemens VDO and Siemens Wireless Modules in USA and Germany. He has a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology from the Technical University of Munich and was an Assistant Professor at the University of London. Register Now!

Sam Lucero, Director, M2M Connectivity Practice, ABI Research
As head of ABI Research’s M2M Connectivity group, Sam Lucero manages the firm’s strategic and quantitative assessment of the global markets for Cellular M2M Connectivity, Wireless Sensor Networking, Home Automation, and Wireless Healthcare/mHealth technologies. His extensive research experience across multiple networking and semiconductor markets gives him a broad perspective on how wireless connectivity markets are evolving. Prior to joining ABI Research, Lucero was a networking equipment analyst at In-Stat, where he managed that firm’s Ethernet switch market tracking service. Register Now!

Glenn Lurie, President of Emerging Devices, AT&T
Glenn Lurie is President of Emerging Devices, Resale and Partnerships for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. Lurie leads AT&T’s strategic initiative to drive innovation in bringing wireless connectivity to a host of new devices and applications — including personal computers, eBooks/eReaders, in-car entertainment and portable navigation devices, digital cameras, and machine-to-machine communications solutions. Lurie also has responsibilities for AT&T’s on-going operations and relationship with Apple Inc., having led negotiations to bring the iPhone and iPhone 3G to AT&T. In addition, Lurie has responsibility for AT&T’s National Resale business. Register Now!

Sue Marek, Editor-in-Chief, FierceWireless
Marek, previously executive editor at Wireless Week, serves as Editor-in-Chief of FierceWireless, the flagship publication of parent company, FierceMarkets. Marek also heads FierceMarkets' Wireless Telecom Group of publications, including FierceBroadbandWireless, FierceDeveloper, FierceWireless:Europe, and FierceMobileContent. Marek is the Chairman of Embedded Wireless Devices Interactive Executive Summit. Register Now!

Robert B. McCray, President & CEO, Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance
Robert B. McCray leverages over 25 years of experience as a business owner, senior operating executive, and legal and transactional advisor to private and public companies. McCray has served as President, COO and an early investor in Digital On-Demand, Inc., a retail services technology company that operates under the brand name RedDotNet in chains including Barnes & Noble, Circuit City, Best Buy, Blockbuster and Fred Meyer. Previously, he served as Chairman, President and CEO of HealthCap, Inc., a venture capital-backed physician practice management company that returned 90% CAGR to its investors. Prior to his success as a business operator, he was a Managing Partner in his law firm and a partner in a predecessor and transactional legal and consulting services to the healthcare industry for over 20 years. Register Now!

Mansell Nelson, VP, M2M, Rogers Wireless
Mansell Nelson is responsible for the M2M business and partnership programs within the wireless community. Nelson first joined Rogers in January of 2001 to lead the newly-created Interactive Mobile Services division of Rogers Wireless and has been involved in all facets of wireless data.  Previously, Nelson held senior business development roles at Look Communications and TELUS Corp. in Vancouver, BC. Nelson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of British Columbia. Register Now!

Steve Pazol, President, nPhase
Steve Pazol is the president of nPhase, a Verizon Wireless / Qualcomm joint venture, where he directs all aspects of the company's operations, strategic development and execution. Pazol has a 20+ year track record of successful startups and was the founder and CEO of the original nPhase which was acquired by Qualcomm in 2006. Pazol is a recognized thought leader and industry expert. Steve has a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan. Register Now!

Jody Ranck, DrPH, Director of Thought Leadership, Policy and Advocacy, mHealth Alliance
Jody Ranck has a career in health, development and innovation spanning nearly 20 years in his work with foundations, non-profits, the United Nations and governments. His current work has emphasized global health innovation and health technologies for the poor.  His primary role is leading the Thought Leadership and Policy programs at the mHealth Alliance/UN Foundation and also consults with NGOs, the UN and private sector on mHealth and innovation strategies. He played a leadership role in the Rockefeller Foundation’s Global eHealth initiative that was launched in Bellagio, Italy in 2008.  He has a doctorate in Health Policy and Administration from UC Berkeley as well as an MA in International Relations and Economics (Johns Hopkins University, SAIS), and a BA in biology from Ithaca College.   Register Now!

Janet Schijns, VP Business Solutions Group, Verizon Wireless
Janet Schijns is responsible for shaping and delivering global business and government solution strategies and ensuring ROI from strategic solutions and product plans implemented across M2M Product Management, Enterprise and SMB Wireless Product Management, Enterprise Verizon Developer Community, and Vertical Solutions. Schijns applies her extensive experience of linking market needs, business strategy and technology evolutions to the development of market leading solutions. Her deep expertise in vertical markets, 3rd party channel product partnerships, and application development are being leveraged to ensure Verizon Wireless continues to enhance its competitive advantage. Register Now!

Michael Tidwell, Vice President, Business Development, BSQUARE
Michael Tidwell is responsible for corporate development, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining BSQUARE, Tidwell was VP of North American Sales at Discretix, a leader in embedded security solutions, and Vice President of DRM Solutions at Irdeto, a leading content protection company. At Discretix and Irdeto, Tidwell worked with mobile device OEMs, ODMs, mobile operators and silicon vendors to provide leading edge security and content protection solutions. Previously he held management positions in corporate development, business development and product management at Bsquare. Tidwell has a B.E.E. from Georgia Tech and an M.S.E.E. from the University of Washington. Register Now!

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