Technology & Sustainability Awards Judging Committee
Chair:
Oleksa Stelmakh, CEO
Leobit, Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine
Oleksa Stelmakh is an entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of Leobit, a leading .NET, AI, and web application development company with representative offices in the USA, Estonia, Poland, and a development center in Ukraine. With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, Oleksa has built an impressive career. He started as a software developer and grew into a system architect, project manager, and delivery director, and became the CEO of his own development company, Leobit. He is a recognized AI practitioner and keynote speaker who has successfully led generative AI transformation initiatives in Leobit and for company clients across multiple industries. His profound expertise helped companies implement and use large language models and intelligent automation.
Oleksa is known in the global tech community for scaling IT outsourcing businesses and thinking ahead when it comes to technology and strategy. Under his leadership, Leobit grew from a small startup into a successful tech company with over 170 employees. In 2024, Leobit was honored with a Silver Stevie Award in the Customer Service category of The 2024 International Business Awards, which proved the company’s commitment to delivering outstanding client experiences. Oleksa’s deep understanding of the tech industry makes him a trusted voice in evaluating innovation, leadership, and sustainable growth in the IT sector.
Committee:
Experience Efeosa Akhigbe, Sustainability & Energy Finance Professional
University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Experience Efeosa Akhigbe is a sustainability & energy finance professional with expertise in M&A, fundraising, and financial modeling across energy and renewable energy infrastructure sectors. He brings a global perspective shaped by roles in Africa and the U.S., and is passionate about solving complex problems through data and collaboration.
Vijay Arpudaraj Antonyraj, Vice President, Data & Analytics
Equifax, Alpharetta, Georgia, United States
As a seasoned technology executive with over 20 years of experience, Vijay brings a wealth of expertise in data and analytics, coupled with a proven track record of leadership across the USA, Canada, and the UK. Currently serving as Vice President of Data and Analytics, Vijay is recognized as a visionary leader.
Paweł Bylicki, CEO
Public Dialog sp z o o, Warszawa, Mazowieckie, Polska
Executive Chairman, International Public Relations Network (IPRN), and has 17 years of experience in the professional social communication and media sectors. He specializes in Corporate Communication and positioning companies in the market. Juror in international competition: SABRE EMEA, PR International Stevie Awards, Golden Clips, Innovation Awards (SKM SAR) and EFFIE Awards (Poland).
Omer Fein, Chief Economic Consul
State of Israel, San Francisco, California, United States
Omer Fein is the Israel Chief Economic Consul to the U.S. West Coast, leading trade and investment efforts across 17 states. With 15+ years in global strategy, diplomacy, and tech innovation, he connects Israeli startups with Fortune 500 firms and VCs, driving cross-border growth, partnerships, and international business excellence.
Abhinay Gadikoppula, Senior Director of Software Engineering
Dynamic IT & Birchblue software services, Stamford, Connecticut, United States
Abhinay has 18 years of technology experience in multiple domains, including Web3. Ten years of leadership experience evolved from working in various n-tier business applications. Proficient in People, Product & Process Management (Agile, SDLC, CICD). Built enterprise-scale applications (High Availability, Low Latency) in multi-cloud architecture (AWS, Azure & GCP).
Reha Kamil Gerçeker, SVP, Service Resilience
Akbank, Istanbul, Turkey
As Head of Service Resilience at Akbank, Reha Kamil Gerçeker drives efforts to strengthen software reliability across the bank’s digital platforms. His work focuses on scalable system design, operational excellence, and building resilient technology infrastructure that supports modern financial services and ensures seamless experiences for millions of customers.
Kalyan Gottipati, VP, Principal Enterprise Architect
Citizens Bank, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Kalyan Gottipati is a Principal Enterprise Architect at Citizens Bank with over 17 years of experience in fintech. He is a patented innovator, digital transformation leader, and Forbes Technology Council member, specializing in AI driven banking solutions, cloud architecture, and scalable fintech platforms.
Martin Huberman, Strategy & Operations Program Manager
Google, New York City, New York, United States
Martin Huberman is a Program Manager at Google and a former Bain & Company consultant. Specializing in the technology industry, he leads complex strategic initiatives that drive significant financial growth. He holds an MBA with Honors and Distinction from Columbia Business School and an Industrial Engineering degree from ITBA.
Nikhil Jathar, CTO Director
Avansaber Inc, San Antonio, Texas, United States
Nikhil Jathar, a tech entrepreneur and ex-Accenture professional, founded AvanSaber in 2014. The company developed award-winning InventoryPath and AutoBotWriter, generating millions in revenue. Recognized with G2 and Crozdesk awards, AvanSaber is a SaaS leader known for innovation, cost-saving solutions, and a customer-centric approach.
Gauri Kulkarni, VP Development
Humanitarian Software, Central, South Carolina, United States
Gauri Kulkarni is the Vice President of Development and a board member at Humanitarian Software Holdings. She was also the sole representative of her company to set up a branch in the UK for Humanitarian Software where she managed teams globally. She has experience developing and managing ERP systems for over 10 years now.
Sudhir Makkar, Director
Accenture, Arlington, Virginia, United States
Senior SAP Supply Chain Implementation Executive with over 24 years of professional experience with 10 full life cycle implementations across multiple verticals (CPG, Retail, F&B, Agriculture and Healthcare). Successfully implemented SAP to run businesses with market cap of over $10B. Orchestrate & support pursuits in Gen AI and Sustainability areas and embed them in SAP methodology.
Mahesh Babu Munjala, Associate Director, Data Analytics
CSL, Boca Raton, Florida, United States
Mahesh Munjala is an Associate Director in Data Analytics, driving digital transformation through data strategy, architecture, and insights. He specializes in building analytics solutions for regulated Biotech industries, enabling data-driven decision-making.
Claire Oatway, Chief Executive
Neon Juno, Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom
Kutluk Özgüven, Senior Consultant
Kutluk Ozguven Consultancy, Istanbul, Turkey
Kutluk Ozguven, PhD. is a professor of Management Information Systems and a management consultant. Having graduated from Bilkent University Faculty of Engineering Department of Computer Engineering and Information Sciences, he pursued master's and doctoral studies at the University of Manchester, UK. He has been a professor at Turkey's prestigious universities.
Thirupathi Naidu Paladugu, Systems Engineering, Vice President
MUFG bank ltd, Tampa, Florida, United States
Thirupathi has more than 14 years of experience in the information technology field. He has been involved in tech stacks in the industry and has worked at the MUFG Bank for the last 3 years. Thirupathi is responsible for migrating from OCP 3 to OCP 4 platform and addressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities through remediation efforts.
Jigar Patel, Senior Manager
Consulting, Lender, Texas, United States
Jigar is a SAP Certified Associate with S/4 HANA and mobility implementation experience. Over 20 years of total SAP technical and functional experience with different industries in the design, development, and implementation of large-scale business applications. Analytical and solutions-oriented with strong interpersonal skills, hands-on technical acumen with the ability to handle challenges.
Prashant Prasad, Vice President - Sales
Xoriant Corporation, Sunnyvale, California, United States
Prashant, a Vice President of Sales and Portfolio Leader at Xoriant, has over 25 years of experience in the Products and Services industry. An Electronics Engineer from Mumbai University, he also holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. His expertise lies in Sales, Customer Support, and Service Delivery.
Atul Punj, CEO
IBSFINtech USA Inc., Bridgewater, New Jersey, United States
With over 30 years of experience in the IT industry, Atul is passionate about delivering innovative solutions that empower businesses to achieve their goals. As the CEO of IBSFINtech USA, he led the expansion of our corporate finance platform, the TMS, into the US market, a strategic move to revolutionize global treasury operations.
Neeraj Ramesh, Executive Producer of Giving Experiences
Givelify, Dallas, Texas, United States
Neeraj is passionate about leveraging technology to tackle global challenges. With over 15 years of experience spanning healthcare, automotive, and financial technology industries, he helped start Givelify, a global giving movement. The Givelify donation apps have raised over 6 billion dollars with a 4.9 star rating across 100k+ reviews.
Rahul Ranjan, Lead Architect/ Director Solution Architecture
SAP America Inc, Newport Beach, California, United States
With over 19 years of SAP experience, Rahul is a distinguished leader in SAP solution architecture, product development, implementation, and global team management. He holds a master's and bachelor's degree in computers and is a certified SAP professional. Rahul's expertise spans a wide range of SAP and non-SAP cloud technologies.
Dippu Kumar Singh, Senior Solutions Architect For Emerging Data & Analytics
Fujitsu North America Inc., Irving, Texas, United States
Dippu is an experienced professional and thought leader in emerging data and analytics solutions, specializing in areas like Computer Vision and Generative AI/LLMs. He has experience in designing and implementing comprehensive data and analytics solutions, utilizing big data technologies like Hadoop, Kafka, and Spark. He focuses on North American sales opportunities.
Aditya Singh, HSE Manager
Oxy, The Woodlands, Texas, United States
EHS & Sustainability professional with 17+ years of experience in Oil and Gas E&P operations, EHS & Sustainability programs and adept experience in providing multi-media environmental & compliance assurance support for all North American and International Oil & Gas Business Units of Oxy.
Krishnakumar Sivagnanam, Solution Architect
Tech Mahindra (Americas) Inc, Arlington, Virginia, United States
Krishnakumar has over two decades of expertise in the IT industry. His passion lies in harnessing disruptive Cloud, ERP, GRC, and Web technologies to create robust and efficient systems. Throughout his career, he has held leadership positions for renowned IT consulting firms, leading the development of innovative solutions, and spearheading major initiatives.
Donna Stone, Senior Coach / Director
Stone Business Coaching, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Donna Stone is a multi-award-winning business coach with decades of experience, plus formal qualifications in Accounting, Marketing, Business Management and Training. She’s written seven books and has been an invited judge for multiple awards since 2019. Donna has spoken at a number of Universities, Chambers of Commerce, conferences and business events.
Zaid Thanawala, Senior Sustainability Scientist
Amazon, San Francisco, California, United States
Zaid Thanawala has 9+ years of experience working in various functions within the sustainability space. Zaid has assumed roles at organizations such as Salesforce, O-I, and Heineken, where he helped formulate and implement sustainability strategies, with a specific emphasis on enhancing transparency regarding carbon footprints and life cycle assessments.
Thangamuthu Kumaran Vaiyapuri, Resident Solutions Architect
Databricks Inc, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, United States
Thangam Vaiyapuri is a seasoned technology leader and Data/AI architect with over 22 years of experience in Banking and Financial Services. His expertise spans Investment, Consumer, and Retail Banking, and Wealth Management. He is currently a Senior Data/AI Solutions Architect at Databricks Inc., driving innovation and operational efficiency.