Featured Speakers

Jimmy Yeary

Jimmy Yeary is the rarest of speakers. Because his content is filled with instantly recognizable moments, audiences are quickly taken to a high level of energy. For well over a decade, he has influenced millions of people–how they think and what they think about–on a daily basis. Jimmy Yeary is not only a highly sought-after speaker, he is a hugely successful songwriter and his music is all around you.

Jimmy Yeary was writing songs long before becoming the lead singer of the Grammy Award winning supergroup SHENANDOAH. These were years that saw Jimmy performing #1 hits like Mama Knows, Somewhere In the Vicinity of the Heart, and Sunday in the South.

Today, in Nashville and Los Angeles, one of the most common calls in the music industry is from an artist’s representative to Sony Publishing requesting availability on songs from Jimmy Yeary’s catalogue of music.

It’s not surprising. Jimmy has written more than two-thousand songs, many of which have been featured on albums selling millions of copies–Grammy winners, gold and platinum awards among them. Nine of Jimmy’s songs have been certified “Number 1” hits as singles by Billboard Magazine.

Recently, both the CMA and ACM awarded Jimmy Yeary with “Song of the Year” for I Drive Your Truck–the inspiring song he wrote about the father of a fallen soldier and how he continues to remember his son. Jimmy’s most recent Number 1 was Everything’s Gonna Be Alright, a song he wrote for Kenny Chesney and David Lee Murphy.

He has also been called “one of the most engaging speakers in the country”. Jimmy takes the lessons he has learned and the experiences he has encountered in his music career and applies them to the process of creating results for businesses, organizations, and teams.

Facilitating growth while creating and maintaining significant relationships has become Jimmy’s trademark as a communicator. Emotional awareness, a greater understanding of other people, and the shared experiences that build an effective team herald the genius of Jimmy Yeary. Not only can he speak to who you are as an organization, he will put it to music!

Larry Walsh

CEO, founder and chief analyst
Channelnomics

Larry Walsh is a leading advisor in go-to-market strategies for technology executives, channel leaders, and solution providers worldwide. Renowned for his expertise in resolving challenges faced by vendors, distributors, and solution providers, Walsh offers invaluable advice on channel strategies and market trends. He founded Channelnomics in 2010 to deliver clarity, intelligence, and strategic guidance to the technology industry.

Walsh specializes in developing and executing channel programs, disruptive sales models, and growth strategies for companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 organizations. He oversees Channelnomics’ consulting and strategy services, providing channel assessments, program development, executive coaching, and communications support. He is also deeply involved in research and intelligence programs, delivering data-driven insights for improved go-to-market decisions.

Technology vendors, solution providers, and associations seek Walsh’s expertise on issues such as cloud computing, security, managed services, digital sales, and IoT. He is praised for integrating technology and channels into cohesive go-to-market strategies.

A passionate industry advocate, Walsh frequently speaks at global conferences, including Channel Focus, Channel Partners Conference & Expo, RSA Conference, Microsoft Inspire, and CompTIA ChannelCon. Walsh also hosts Changing Channels, a podcast featuring industry leaders, and In the Margins, a short-form podcast on topical channel issues. He a contributor to several industry publications including MSP-X, CRN Poland, ChannelPro and IT Channel Magazine Portugal.

Before founding Channelnomics, Walsh was vice president of channels and publisher of Channel Insider at Ziff Davis Enterprise, and editor of several technology magazines including VARBusiness, GovernmentVAR, Baseline Magazine and Information Security Magazine. He co-authored “The Power of Convergence,” outlining methodologies for aligning business and technology management.

Karon Evanoff

SVP Global Operations
QSC

Karon has over 25 years of supply chain experience and has been responsible for building supply chain teams and processes from ground zero in startup VC funded environments as well as revamping existing teams and processes within established supply chain enterprises. She has extensive knowledge and experience in establishing leading practice processes and systems enabling demand driven value networks in data storage, telecom, solar and security industries. She is sought out by various supply chain publications as well as leading supply chain conference events to speak about the importance of digital supply chains highlighting the value of multi-enterprise collaboration in achieving a positive customer experience. She holds a B.A. from California State University-Fullerton’s College of Business & Economics, attended USD’s graduate school supply chain program and achieved a certificate in Global Leadership from IMD’s Business School’s program in Switzerland in 2014.

Andrew Appel

Chief Executive Officer
e2open

Andrew Appel was named Chief Executive Officer of e2open in February 2024 after serving as Interim CEO since October 2023. He has been member of the Board of Directors since October 2023. Andrew is a successful and accomplished business leader, CEO, and trusted advisor to numerous global executives across multiple industries.

He has served on e2open’s Advisory Board since 2022 and brings over twenty-five years of management experience and extensive expertise in business strategy and innovation for the technology industry.

Andrew previously served for nearly a decade as President and CEO at IRI (now Circana), the leading provider of big data, predictive analytics, and forward-looking insights solutions for consumer packaged goods brands, retailers, and media companies. During his tenure at IRI, he oversaw the launch of multiple transformative initiatives that repositioned the company as the innovation leader. Before joining IRI, he served as Chief Revenue Officer of Accretive Health, Chief Operating Officer of Aon, and was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company.

He serves as Lead Director on the Board of Constant Contact, is a member of the Board of Advisors for the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and currently serves on the advisory boards of multiple leading data and technology companies. He previously served on the board of IRI, Machine Vantage, and Alight, the world’s leading human capital administration firm.

Andrew holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an MBA from the University of Chicago, where he was the Henry Ford II Scholar. He and his family reside in the Chicagoland area.

Greg Randolph

Chief Commercial Officer
e2open

Greg Randolph joined e2open in July 2023 as Chief Commercial Officer to lead the global commercial organization, responsible for the company’s go-to-market strategy and execution, including marketing and training. Greg brings to e2open more than 25 years of experience as an executive with a record of leading high-performance sales teams and business segments at fast-growing public and privately owned software companies.

Prior to joining e2open, Greg served as Chief Revenue Officer at Quest Software, a global enterprise management and security software provider. At Quest, he led comprehensive go-to-market transformation efforts that grew sales productivity, increased partner-sourced bookings, and drove organic revenue growth. Greg’s prior experience includes multiple sales and business leadership roles at CA Technologies, one of the world’s largest independent software firms at that time. At CA Technologies, Randolph led global go-to-market efforts focused on selling a diverse portfolio of software products, managing complex sales cycles with large enterprise clients, and increasing penetration with existing customers.

Greg holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Pawan Joshi

EVP, Product Management & Strategy
e2open

Pawan Joshi joined e2open in 2003 and currently serves as Executive Vice President, Product Management & Strategy. In this role, he is responsible for corporate strategy as well as product and technology strategy. Pawan works closely with customers to understand and address their complex and evolving supply chain needs while ensuring alignment across customer-specific solutions, e2open products, and the overall company goals and strategic direction. He is also responsible for the evaluation of new technologies and products along with e2open’s acquisition strategy. Pawan has been with e2open for over a decade and has held multiple leadership roles in Product Management, Professional Services and Sales.

Prior to serving at e2open, he spent three years at i2 Technologies in Product Management, where he helped companies in the manufacturing, transportation and retail sectors optimize key business processes for maximum profitability.

Pawan received his undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (New Delhi) in manufacturing sciences and engineering. He then completed his master’s degree in manufacturing systems engineering and ultimately his Ph.D. in industrial engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Pawan has also taught graduate courses in manufacturing systems and distributed supply chains.

Mehmet Demirci

SVP, Global Solutions Consulting & Product Marketing
e2open

Mehmet Demirci joined e2open in 2021 and currently leads e2open’s Global Solutions Consulting & Product Marketing teams who help e2open customers solve the most challenging end-to-end multi-enterprise supply chain problems. He has 20+ years of experience in supply chain management and transformation in a wide variety of settings: including developing AI/ML algorithms for supply chain optimization, supply chain solutions consulting and product management leadership, Big-4 management consulting, and supply chain & operations leadership in industry.

Prior to joining e2open, he served as the Global Head of Supply Chain & Logistics at Kennametal – a global manufacturing leader for industrial materials and tooling solutions where he led all aspects of the global supply chain and its transformation with a large talented team. He also spent time at Viatris Pharmaceuticals in a variety of roles in supply chain and operations management – including leading the North America Oral Solid Dose Supply Chain team. Mehmet’s prior experience also includes Solution Consulting and Product Strategy / Management leadership at SAP, and management consulting leadership at EY (Ernst & Young).

Mehmet holds his Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Pittsburgh, and his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey.

Mandeep Sahota

Director of MP&L Strategy & Planning
Ford

Mandeep brings extensive experience leading global manufacturing operations and supply chain material planning. He is currently the Director of MP&L Strategy & Planning at Ford, responsible for leading digital transformation and innovation projects aimed at modernizing the entire Materials Management process. This initiative focuses on improving overall visibility and enhancing the stability of Ford’s manufacturing operation.

Prior to joining Ford, he served as the Vice President, Supply Chain Operations at Johnson Controls (JCI), following 15 years at General Electric in a number of growing leadership positions in the US and Europe. He holds a Bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Cleveland State University. His global expertise and strategic vision make him a sought-after speaker on operational excellence and supply chain innovation.

Speakers