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.
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
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.
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.
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, SAP Manager
PwC, Austin, Texas, United States
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.
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.