Detlef Schultz, Global Supply Chain Management Director, CEO Vodafone Procurement Company

Detlef joined Vodafone in March 2003 to lead the Global Supply Chain team. His responsibilities include strategic and operational leadership of Vodafone’s Supply Chain Management across the globe in the areas of Network Infrastructure, IT and Services. Detlef also leads the Luxembourg-based Vodafone Procurement Company, which provides a single point of purchase for the Group.

Prior to Vodafone, Detlef spent more than 6 years in Santa Clara, California with the world’s largest semi conductor equipment manufacturer, Applied Materials where he held various Supply Chain, Planning and Operations Management responsibilities. 

Before moving to the US Detlef was a Member of the Board of Management for Babcock-BSH AG in Germany where he led the area of Supply Chain Management and financial controlling.  
Prior to that, Detlef worked for Siemens for ten years, more latterly as Purchasing Director based in Bocholt and Kamp-Lintfort, Germany.

He started his Supply Chain career with Siemens in 1985 in the area of Materials Management. Over the course of his career with the company he lived in Korea and Singapore. 

Detlef was born and raised in Germany and graduated from the University of Cologne with a master’s degree in business.

Jerry Wolfe, CIO and V.P. Supply Chain Strategy, McCormick & Company, Inc.

Jerry Wolfe is the CIO and Vice President Supply Chain Strategy for McCormick & Company, the global leader in the manufacture, marketing and distribution of spices, seasonings and flavors to the entire food industry.  Global information technology responsibilities include operation of a large SAP environment as the primary business solution architecture.  He leads the development and implementation of supply chain strategy focused on global capability optimization, network partnerships and risk mitigation. 

Jerry has 20+ years of experience in positions of increasing scope and responsibility within the disciplines of supply chain management and information technology. He has created and implemented business transformational strategy, and has been at the forefront of advancing supply chain theory, strategy, process improvement and the application of information technology. He has a Global perspective and his career includes assignments and responsibilities outside of the United States, with significant experience in consumer packaged goods.

Prior to McCormick, Jerry was a Partner in the Supply Chain Practice with Ernst and Young where he supported a number of major initiatives at global companies.  Before joining Ernst and Young, Jerry was part of the management team during the first 12 years of development at Manugistics, where he played a number of leadership roles in the development and implementation of the supply chain management solutions with leading Fortune 500 companies.

Karl L. Holz, President, New Vacation Operations, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts

Named President, New Vacation Operations, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts in August 2008, Karl Holz is responsible for determining effective operating strategies and leading the operational aspects of new areas that Walt Disney Parks & Resorts are exploring based on leisure trends. Including regional resorts, urban entertainment and spa and wellness businesses, recently launched businesses such as Adventures by Disney as well as existing businesses not located at a theme park site, including ESPN Zones and Disney Vacation Club sites at Vero Beach, Hilton Head and Hawaii.

Most recently, Karl held the post as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Euro Disney S.A.S. after joining the Euro Disney Group in 2004 as President and Chief Operating Officer.  His first position with Disney was at the Walt Disney World Resort in 1996 as Vice President of Downtown Disney.  He was Vice President of Epcot from 2000-2001, then was promoted to Senior Vice President of Walt Disney World Operations, responsible for the day-to day operation of Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Downtown Disney, and 11 Disney resort hotel properties.  He was promoted to President of Disney Cruise Line in 2003.

Karl, a native of Germany, received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in 1973 from the State University of New York at Fredonia.  He then took on increasingly responsible positions to become Regional Vice President for Sky Chefs Airport Concession, Inc.  He spent three years as President and CEO of Concession Air, Inc., and for nearly five years before joining Walt Disney World, he served as Vice President of theme park operations at Knott’s Berry Farm in Southern California.

Karl resides in Orlando with his wife, Wendy.  They have two children, Erik, a recent graduate of Syracuse University’s architecture program, and Kirsten, a graduate of Washington College of Law at American University.  He enjoys golf and cycling.

Angel L. Mendez, Senior Vice President, Customer Value Chain Management, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Angel L. Mendez is Senior Vice President of Customer Value Chain Management. He leads a global organization responsible for helping Cisco provide customers with a total quality experience spanning collaborative planning, product design, manufacturing, product quality, order management, delivery and customer service. This includes the company’s supply chain, corporate quality and customer service operations.

Angel brings more than 24 years of management experience to Cisco Systems, along with proven expertise in developing and implementing comprehensive strategies to improve operations and supply chain performance. Prior to Cisco, Angel served as Senior Vice President of Global Operations for PalmOne Inc., where Angel’s operational excellence and transformation program fueled the company’s turnaround and return to profitability.

During his career, Angel has held leadership roles at leading companies in a variety of industries. A graduate of GE’s Manufacturing Management Program, he served 11 years with General Electric in increasingly responsible manufacturing and supply-chain management assignments. At Allied Signal he lead the aerospace sector’s international sourcing operation and later lead supply-chain efforts at Aerospace Equipment Systems, then AlliedSignal’s largest business unit. While at Citigroup, Angel served as a division executive for global procurement, leading the consolidation of supply-chain management activities during the merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group. At Gateway Inc. he was responsible for global supply-chain management, facilitating operational improvements by upgrading the supply-chain organization, improving supplier quality, and implementing Six Sigma.

A native of Havana, Cuba, Angel’s business background includes extensive international business experience in Canada, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. He was named by Business 2.0 Magazine to the “Business 2.0 Dream Team-All Star Executives any Company Would Kill For.” In 2005, Hispanic Business Magazine placed Angel on their list of the 20 Most Influential Hispanic Executives in Corporate America. He was also recently named on MACSA’s list of the 100 Most Influential Latinos in Silicon Valley.

Angel holds a master’s degree in business administration from The Crummer School at Rollins College and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Lafayette College. Angel serves on the board of directors of the Supply Chain Management Institute at the University of San Diego and the Lafayette College Board of Trustees. He is also a member of the board of directors at Springboard Forward, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit organization dedicated to deploying innovative coaching and career development programs for low wage earners.

Ralph Olney, Vice President, Global Business Operations and Lean, Carestream Health, Inc.

Ralph began a Kodak career in 1976 as an Industrial Engineer working in the Paper Manufacturing Division in Kodak Park, Rochester N.Y. In 1980, he relocated with his family to Harrow, England to become Manager of the Industrial Engineering Department. Upon returning to Rochester in 1982, Ralph held a number of increasingly senior positions in Kodak’s film business culminating in 1995 when he became Manufacturing Manager in the Advanced Imaging Media Manufacturing Division responsible for the first successful commercialization of Ink Jet Paper. In 1997, Ralph transitioned to the camera side of Kodak where he became the 35 MM Platform Manager for One Time Use Camera products. He held various positions in Camera Operations until in 2000 he was named as the General Manager of the Kodak Xiamen Company Limited Camera Manufacturing Business in Xiamen China. After nearly 5 years in China he repatriated to the U.S. and was shortly thereafter promoted to General Manager and Vice President of Global Manufacturing for the Kodak Health Group. After a successful 30+ year career at Eastman Kodak, Ralph maintained his position when Kodak divested the Health Group to Onex Corporation in May of 2007 and the new company became Carestream Health Inc., located in Rochester New York. In April of 2008, Ralph assumed his current position where he holds corporate-wide responsibility for Carestream’s global cost reduction programs.

Bob Parker, Vice President, Manufacturing Insights

As Group Vice President, Mr. Parker is responsible for the research direction at both Manufacturing Insights and Global Retail Insights, two of IDC’s industry research companies that provides global, fact based research and analysis on best practices and the use of information technology that assists clients in improving their capabilities in key process areas.

Before joining to IDC to oversee the launch of these practices, Bob spent six years with AMR Research as a Research Vice President covering emerging technology, enterprise software, and industry IT strategies. While there, he launched the e-commerce research program, the most successful new program in the company's history.

Before entering the research field, Bob spent more than fifteen years in technology and operations management. He was Managing Director at TDI, a technology based company that included distribution, systems integration, and Internet Service Provider (ISP) business units. He was also corporate CIO at Eastern Technologies, a manufacturer serving the defense and commercial vehicle industries and division CIO at the Acoustic Research business unit of International Jensen, a publicly traded consumer electronics company. Parker began his career with Sanders Associates, a Fortune 500 defense electronics company and also held a management post with publicly traded firearms manufacturer, Sturm, Ruger.

Mr. Parker holds an MBA, with a concentration in decision support systems, from New Hampshire College. His undergraduate work was done at Rivier College where he received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Accounting.

Bob is a frequent speaker at industry conferences including NASSCOM, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), and various technology vendor events, He is frequently quoted in business, technology, and industry publications.

Kevin O’Marah, Chief Strategy Officer, AMR Research, Inc.

As chief strategy officer for AMR Research, Kevin O’Marah brings a unique blend of intellectual prowess, practical business experience, and energy to AMR Research’s clients. During his nearly seven years with the firm, Kevin has worked with hundreds of companies on manufacturing, product lifecycle management (PLM), and supply chain strategy.

Kevin launched AMR Research’s PLM practice, and is a seminal author on PLM, having been included in over 100 articles defining the application's footprint, business impact, and market dynamics. He has also contributed to the firm’s definition and coverage of demand-driven supply networks (DDSN), having authored several reports, including the AMR Research Supply Chain Top 25, defining the link to business operating metrics. He was named an AMR Research Fellow in 2002.
Prior to joining AMR Research, Kevin worked on supply chain projects in a variety of industries including telecommunications, semiconductors, and chemicals.

As a vice president at Oracle Corporation, Kevin focused on supply chain and product data management strategy. He spent several years with Gemini Consulting, now part of Ernst & Young (GCE&Y), working with manufacturing companies on supply chain and product strategy. He worked with Mercer Consulting in London and Company Assistance Limited in Warsaw earlier in his career.
Kevin is a graduate of Boston College, Oxford University, and Stanford Business School.

Lora Cecere, Vice President, Consumer Products, AMR Research, Inc.

Lora Cecere is a Vice President, Consumer Products at AMR Research.  She is responsible for the research and analysis of market trends and developments in consumer products and retail. Prior to her current role, Lora was a research director on AMR Research’s supply chain team.

Before joining AMR Research, Lora held progressive roles in corporate marketing, product marketing, and sales at Manugistics and Descartes Systems Group. 

Prior to her tenure in the software industry, Lora worked in logistics, engineering project management, procurement, new product launch, and manufacturing operations for Procter & Gamble, Kraft General Foods, Clorox, and Dreyer’s Ice Cream.  She also spent two years at Gartner, where she was a supply chain analyst.

Lora received her BS in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee and her MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.  She has also completed postgraduate studies in organizational development at Georgetown University.

Rick Hoole, Lead Director – Supply Chain Innovation, PRTM

Rick Hoole is Lead Director – Supply Chain Innovation at PRTM, a global management consulting firm. He has helped companies integrate their supply chains and achieve excellence in operations for over 28 years. Mr. Hoole has led projects in North America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, working in numerous industries encompassing complex process and discrete manufacturing technologies. His expertise in both product and service supply chains includes overall strategy formulation, demand forecasting and planning, strategic sourcing, implementing high performance JIT factory operations, and order fulfillment and distribution activities.

Mr. Hoole also developed and managed PRTM’s competitive benchmarking practice and led the formation of the first multi-company Supply Chain Benchmarking Consortium that ultimately evolved into the Supply Chain Council. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Northeastern University.