Archives: Speakers

Kirstin Sym-Smith is the Ericsson Global Head of Business Development for 5G Mining. She is a seasoned sales and business development leader with over 25 years in telecommunications. Kirstin has deep experience in both 4G/5G cloud-based private wireless solutions and federal government industries, receiving enterprise sales awards for mining and DoD spectrum solutions. She has an MBA from the Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt University.

Nachiket Deshpande is CEO of Impetus Technologies. With over three decades of experience across leading technology organizations, Nachiket brings an extensive understanding of how innovation and execution come together to fuel enterprise success. Prior to Impetus Nachiket was COO and President of LTI Mindtree’s AI business division. He was instrumental in leading the merger integrations effort for the merger between LTI and Mindtree, the largest integration in the industry to date.

Preceding this tenure, he held several prominent leadership roles at Cognizant, building the company’s Banking and Financial Services business and developing its global capabilities across data, cloud and AI.

Sue Graves is a hospitality executive turned entrepreneur at Experience Alive, LLC DBA SG Consulting Https://www.ExperienceAlive.com, sourcing, evaluating, and connecting affordable innovative technology solutions to the hospitality industry helping modernize the industry while adding value to the asset for owners and operators. Sue has an extreme passion for the industry and has vetted nearly 400 solutions for the industry ranging from labor solutions utilizing AI/ML to attract/retain and develop associates to autonomous robots supporting the industry with security, delivery and cleaning robots, reducing injuries while increasing guest satisfaction and preserving our most valuable asset- our people from boring, redundant tasks. Sue served as a board member for the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association and was the founding chair of the Innovation & Technology committee, a newly created committee. Previously, Sue spent 5 years as Assistant General Manager at the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) where she oversaw the ongoing development of the operations and staff of the Finance, Sales, Customer & Guest Experience, Marketing, Event Management and Parking Departments. She helped navigate the team through a $140M renovation and transformation of the center, bringing it to 5-star hotel standards while building a hospitality blueprint for the convention center industry. At the conclusion of her tenure the GCCC was named the best convention center in North America.

Prior to her convention center employment, she had a nearly 29-year career with Marriott International, where she served in 5 different brands as a senior leader for the company and finished her career with Marriott as the area general manager for the Kingsgate Marriott Conference Center in Cincinnati. While in Cincinnati, she served on the Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Committee and Board of Directors, as president and board member of the Cincinnati Hotel Association, chairperson of both the Greater Cincinnati Lodging Council and the Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky Marriott Business Council, and board member of the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association.

A Certified Tourism Ambassador, she has also received the JW Marriott Award of Excellence and been named a YWCA Woman of Achievement in Western Wayne County. She and the Marriott hotel properties she managed received the President’s Cup Award for outstanding sales achievement, gold and silver hotel ratings for guest satisfaction and the Pinnacle Award as a top meeting destination. A graduate of Central Michigan University, Graves earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in hospitality management and minor in food service.

Sue has been featured on podcasts and other key hospitality spaces supporting the industry with her knowledge of technologies that are affordably advancing and modernizing the hospitality industry.

Ivan Roca Brunet is a seasoned executive leader with over 25 years of experience driving growth and operational excellence across international industrial sectors. Currently the CEO of Tubing Food, Ivan, spearheads the company’s strategic vision and global operations. His extensive career includes high-level leadership roles such as CEO of Repeats Group – Iberia, General Manager of CELO Industry Europe, and Business Unit Director at ARaymond Network. An alumnus of the prestigious IESE Business School, Ivan combines deep technical expertise in engineering and sales with a transformative leadership style, making him a prominent figure in industrial management and business scalability.

Toine Walraven is an accomplished sales executive with over a decade of leadership experience in international markets. Currently serving as the Commercial Director at Tubing Food, Toine has been a driving force within the company for more than six years, previously holding the role of Senior Key Account Manager. His extensive background includes previous strategic roles such as Regional Sales Manager for Asia and Sales Manager. With a proven track record in commercial strategy and business development, Toine brings valuable expertise in navigating complex global markets and leading high-performing sales teams.

Alvaro Jurado is Sales & Business Development Director at Rieusset, part of Gerosa Group. With a background combining industrial operations and commercial leadership, he brings a broad perspective on how manufacturing expertise, innovation and customer focus create long-term value in packaging.

In this session, he will share Rieusset’s journey from its origins in 1870 to its position today as a trusted partner for beer brands seeking quality, reliability and continuous progress.