Panelists will discuss the business transformation to a more efficient software model that provides quick access to application for an entire workforce and through out the business. Learn about effective cloud computing strategies and best practices for implementation and data integration.
Moderator:
Mark Willaman, CEO, HRmarketer & SocialEars
Panelists:
Mark Smith, CEO & Chief Research Officer, Ventana Research
Robert Kugel, CFA, SVP & Research Director, Business Practice, Ventana Research
Aiaz Kazi, SVP, Technology & Innovation Platform Market Strategy, SAP
Bio
Aiaz Kazi
Aiaz’s areas of focus include technology, vision and market strategy for innovations such as in-memory/Big Data, Cloud, and Mobile platforms. His responsibilities cover SAP HANA platform, Database & Technology, Mobile, Analytics, Cloud Platform, Developer Evangelism, and the Startup Focus Program.
He has over 22 years of experience building and marketing enterprise software solutions, at SAP, TIBCO, webMethods, BEA, Advent Software, and TCS.
Aiaz has a master’s degree in business administration from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Bombay.
Robert Kugel
Rob heads up the CFO and business research focusing on the intersection of information technology with the finance organization and broader business applications. The financial performance management (FPM) research agenda includes the application of IT to financial process optimization and collaborative systems; control systems and analytics; and advanced budgeting and planning. Rob also covers the areas of GRC and Sustainability that span across business and IT.
Prior to joining Ventana Research he was an equity research analyst at several firms including First Albany Corporation, Morgan Stanley, and Drexel Burnham, and a consultant with McKinsey and Company. Rob was an Institutional Investor All-American Team member and on the Wall Street Journal All-Star list. Rob has experience in aerospace and defense, banking, manufacturing and retail and consumer services.
Rob earned his BA in Economics/Finance at Hampshire College, an MBA in Finance/Accounting at Columbia University, and is a CFA charter holder. As an industry veteran with more than 30 years experience.
Rob can be found on Twitter at @rdkugelvr and on LinkedIn and reached via email at robert.kugel@ventanaresearch.com and read his blog at robertkugel.ventanaresearch.com.
Mark Smith
Mark is responsible for the overall business and research direction of Ventana Research and drives the global research agenda covering both business and technology areas. He defined the blueprint and methodology for improving business by using benchmark research to provide guidance across people, processes, information and technology. Mark is an expert in enterprise software and business technology innovations including: business analytics, big data, cloud computing, business collaboration, mobile technology and social media.
Mark started Ventana Research more than a decade ago; he has worked in the software industry for 25 years leading innovations in research and technology. Mark has held CMO, research and product development roles at research and software companies.
Mark was rated the 2011 software industry analyst of the year by The Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR). Mark is also ranked as one of the top ten technology influencers in 2012 by Human Resources Executive magazine.
Mark can be found on Twitter at @marksmithvr, on LinkedIn, on Google+ and can be reached via email at mark.smith@ventanaresearch.com and read his blog at
marksmith.ventanaresearch.com.
Mark Willaman
Mark has over 20 years of executive-level experience in business-to-business marketing and software product development. In 2000, Mark founded Fisher Vista LLC, a highly successful marketing software and services company in the Human Capital/HR marketplace. The company’s flagship product, HRmarketer.com, is one of the largest online marketing/PR software platforms in the HR marketplace while the company’s services division, Fisher Vista Creative Marketing Group, is a leading provider of Internet marketing solutions.
Previously, Mark held executive marketing and product development positions at LifeCare, Inc and helped contribute to the company’s dramatic growth in the 1990s. While at LifeCare, Mark led a team that introduced one of the first web-based services for the delivery of employee benefits. Prior to this, Mark worked in sales and marketing for the Ortho Biotech division of Johnson & Johnson.
Mark received his BSBA in Marketing from the University of Denver and his MBA from Pennsylvania State University. Mark can be found on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/markwillaman.
Amit Sinha, Head of Database & Technology Marketing at SAP, argues that cloud computing gives startup companies and entrepreneurs more space for innovation with less investment.
