Anu Ramraj is a Partner with PwC's Cloud & Digital Practice, working with Fortune Global 500 clients in navigating fast-moving challenges, such as the digitization of health services, and the opportunities presented by cloud and AI. Previously, she was Vice President of Cloud Services with Unisys, responsible for expanding the cloud portfolio, working with analysts, and accelerating cloud journeys for global clients including cloud migrations, cloud security, cloud native application, and data transformations.

Ramraj’s career achievements include scaling and managing global cloud organizations, winning over $600 million in cloud transformation engagements, executing successful M&As, and earning several leadership positions for cloud practices from analysts. Ramraj is a member recipient of 3 U.S. patents, the Cloud Girls Rising Trailblazer Award (2022), and a Global Top 100 Influencer for Hybrid Cloud (Onalytica 2021).

Bharath Thota is a Partner of Kearney in the firm's Digital and Analytics practice. Since joining Kearney in early 2006, Bharath has been pivotal in scaling its analytics practice, and has since grown to be a leader in the digital and analytics domain. He is passionate about the potential of AI and data science to solve complex and challenging problems for clients across various industries and functions.

His work involves applying AI and cutting-edge technologies to help clients’ enhance their business performance, streamline operations, and foster an insights-driven culture. He is also a frequent speaker on the intersection of AI and business, often illustrating the transformative power of AI through tangible examples.

Besides his client work, Bharath spearheads Kearney’s AI program, aimed at nurturing an environment of AI innovation and integration across the firm. He is also the founder of Kearney's Data Science Center of Excellence, a global team of AI scientists that develops bespoke solutions for clients, and the Solutions Factory, a pioneering platform within Kearney for the innovation and incubation of digital assets, cementing his status as a trailblazer in the field of AI and digital transformation.

Bianca den Elsen is the managing partner at Valcon in the Netherlands and a member of the Valcon Group Board. Valcon is a European consulting, technology, and data company with over 1,750 employees, delivering sustainable transformation. She has more than 25 years of experience in managing large, complex transformation and transition programs.

Den Elsen has extensive board and leadership experience, having served as a member of the executive committee at Deloitte in the Netherlands, responsible for clients and industries. At Accenture, she was part of the leadership teams in the Philippines and the Netherlands. Den Elsen has led multiple global transformation programs, as well as shared services and outsourcing engagements. Additionally, she headed a delivery center with over 4,000 employees in the Philippines. Passionate about ensuring companies are optimally positioned for the future, Den Elsen takes a pragmatic approach from strategy to implementation across all levels.

An influential industry leader, she has published articles in Management Scope, Outsource Magazine, and Boardroom IT. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Open Universiteit.

Bob Ghafouri is a Managing Director and the Global Head of A&MPLIFY by Alvarez and Marsal, an AI-powered Digital Transformation unit focused on helping organizations reimagine customer experience, reinvent digital products, and optimize operations with AI. Ghafouri is an innovative founder and CEO with three successful exits. He is skilled generating value for clients with artificial intelligence and Digital technologies.

Prior to joining A&M, Ghafouri served as Chief Commercial Officer with Red Ventures and was a Senior Managing Director and founding member of Accenture’s Digital Business unit called Accenture Interactive. In addition, Ghafouri founded, launched, and scaled three digital businesses in the government, retail, and real estate industries.

As the inaugural Enterprise Digital Transformation Leader at RSM US LLP, Brad continues a career journey focused on a passion for technology. RSM is an audit, tax, and consulting firm for the middle market. It is the fifth largest accounting firm in the United States and employs more than 17,000 professionals across 93 cities nationwide and in Canada. Through RSM International, the firm brings together more than 51,000 professionals from over 800 offices located in more than 123 countries.

Under my leadership, our global team is pivotal in discovering cutting-edge technologies and startups, focusing on leveraging emergent tools like generative AI to foster growth and enhance value for RSM and its clientele. My tenure at RSM has been marked by the creation and leadership of the Center for Advanced Tax Technology (C.A.T.T.), a powerhouse of over 250 global tech-savvy professionals. C.A.T.T. epitomizes a startup's agility within RSM's global infrastructure, delivering groundbreaking software solutions to an increasingly sophisticated client base.

My passion for technology is not just a professional attribute but a personal commitment to innovation. With over 20 years of experience, I utilize my deep industry knowledge to address complex challenges, particularly in the evolving domain of financial services and family offices and their intricate data management needs. My belief in the power of technological curiosity drives our continuous exploration of digital transformation opportunities for our clients.

This journey of over two decades focused on technological transformation has not only been about embracing change but leading it. By aligning cutting-edge technology solutions with efficient processes, my team and I have significantly enhanced operational efficiencies and client satisfaction. Our efforts underscore the belief that digital transformation is not just an operational necessity but a strategic lever to unlock new avenues of growth and value creation.

In essence, my role as a digital transformation leader is fueled by a relentless pursuit of excellence, a visionary approach to technology, and a steadfast commitment to empowering our clients and professionals alike. As we look to the future, I am excited to continue driving RSM's digital evolution, ensuring we remain at the forefront focused on a digital, compelling and global future for our firm and clients.

Carrie Steyer is the Chief Customer Officer at 66degrees, an AI and Data consulting and professional services company specializing in developing AI-focused, data-led solutions leveraging the latest advancements in AI, data, and cloud technology.

Previously, Steyer worked as the general manager at Slalom Consulting for over 10 years, where she focused on helping clients achieve their strategic goals. She also served as the director of the Analytics and Market Intelligence Center at Kurt Salmon, a global management consultancy. In this position, she led initiatives on operational analytics, business intelligence, and market research, working with various consumer-centric companies. Before joining Kurt Salmon, Steyer was a director at Ineum Consulting and a practice director at Parson Consulting and CBH, where her expertise in media and entertainment was particularly notable.

Steyer holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame. She pursued graduate work in applied statistics at Texas A&M University and also attended the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.

Conrad Heider is a Partner at Simon-Kucher and spearheads the firm’s digital team, Simon-Kucher Elevate, as its Global Head. With over 15 years of experience, he drives digital transformation and delivers measurable results for his clients. The “trademark” of his consulting work is to always aspire to deliver fast and hands-on impact on growth via fast piloting, MVPs and proof of concepts.

Simon-Kucher is a global consultancy firm with over 2,000 employees in 30+ countries focused on unlocking better growth that drives measurable revenue and profit for its clients. This is achieved by optimizing every lever of its clients’ commercial strategies – product, price, innovation, marketing, and sales – based on deep insights into what customers want and value. Elevate, Simon-Kucher’s cutting-edge digital consulting team, is dedicated to commercial growth through combining the latest technologies, experience design, artificial intelligence, and machine learning with commercial consulting expertise. This dynamic team of digital innovators and data scientists optimizes the entire customer journey across all sectors, serving clients ranging from Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 firms to unicorns.

Under Heider’s leadership, Simon-Kucher Elevate has witnessed remarkable growth, expanding into a global division with over 70 digital specialists across the globe. At Simon-Kucher, Heider specializes in digital sales and marketing transformation, B2B and B2C ecommerce, as well as advanced pricing and marketing optimizations through AI/ML. His extensive experience spans a wide range of industries – consumer goods, retail, energy, financial services, software, and mobile app businesses.

Prior to joining Simon-Kucher in 2020, Heider worked as a principal at Kearney, helping clients drive their growth and performance agenda by achieving excellence in digital customer experience. This included transforming their operating models as well as building up the right capabilities to unleash the vast potential of technology. His practical expertise is further highlighted by his past role as Director of Strategy and Intelligence at Freeletics, Germany's leading B2C app fitness scale-up.

Heider earned his Master of Public Administration from the London School of Economics and his Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin. He has a BSc in European studies from Maastricht University.

Dieter Gerdemann is a Senior Partner at Kearney with more than 20 years of strategy, operations, and high-tech experience. He is also the co-founder of BinaryCore, a pioneering technology transformation company supporting organizations with their technology investment and management, software development, and cloud strategies. Gerdemann has spearheaded numerous strategic initiatives throughout his career, driving business transformations, performance enhancements, and digital growth strategies for global enterprises.

Gerdemann is the new European lead for Kearney’s Digital & Analytics practice. He has published and spoken on a variety of technology and digital transformation-related topics in the national press and at conferences. He also served on the board of the German American Business Association in Silicon Valley. Before joining Kearney, Dieter worked as a consultant at Computer Sciences Corporation and Sapient. He earned his master’s degree in computer science from the University of Würzburg in Germany and his MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University in the Netherlands.

Jonathan is a Principal (Partner) within Hackett’s Strategy & Business Transformation Practice where he helps clients optimize their efficiency and effectiveness through large scale transformation efforts across multiple functions and industries, with an emphasis on helping CFOs transform finance through value creation and capability building across the enterprise.

Johnson has proven success in advising executives on the creation and execution of multi-year strategies to transform and modernize finance organizations through strategically integrating and optimizing their processes, systems, and organizational structures. He is a strong believer in servant leadership and has a passion for mentoring and helping his clients and colleagues. He has served a number of industries, including Consumer Products, Lifesciences, Manufacturing and Telecom.

Johnson graduated with honors, high distinction from The University of Texas at Dallas where he earned a Master of Science in management and administrative sciences and Bachelor of Science in finance, accounting and information management; as well as a certificate in Data and Analytics from MIT. He is also a Charted Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and a licensed CPA in the state of Texas.

Jean-Laurent Poitou brings 35 years Digital & Technology consulting experience, most of which at Accenture, thereof 14 years member of Global Leadership Committee and Senior Managing Director with focus on Digital players (Technology/Telecom/Media) and Digital businesses (Launch and expansion of Accenture Digital’s Industry X.0, Accenture Interactive then Applied Intelligence businesses). As a former Chief Strategy Officer at Accenture, he led the due diligence, business decisions, integration and growth of a dozen Digital & Technology Services companies. He also serves as Senior Advisor to Private Equity Firms and Portfolio company CEOs.

His last role at Accenture was Senior Managing Director for Accenture Applied Intelligence – Europe. Jean Laurent helped Fortune 500 and public sector clients transform their business, applying Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Data Engineering, Robotics and Automation to create new sources of revenues, provide outstanding digital customer experience and leverage insights for competitiveness.

He was previously (2015-2018) the SMD - Global Consulting Lead for Communications, Media & Technology (CMT), launching and structuring the Consulting practices while also introducing globally a new Data Driven Consulting approach. Prior to this (2012-2015), Mr. Poitou served as the SMD - Global Growth & Strategy Lead for CMT, in charge of defining and implementing strategy and acquisitions in that operating group.

Before taking that role, Mr. Poitou was (2008-2011) Global Managing Director of the Electronics & High-Tech group, where he developed and implemented Accenture’s industry strategic programs and participated in larger deals for Accenture’s clients in the professional & consumer electronics, communication technology, aerospace, defense, semiconductor and software industries.

He had previously (2005-2008) run from Tokyo the Asia Pacific Electronics & High-Tech business, in parallel with CMT’s Management Consulting growth in that region, where he helped develop new strategies, execute major transformation programs and implement new business models in key countries including Japan, Greater China, Singapore and Korea.

Jean-Laurent holds an Engineering degree from Paris Ecole Polytechnique. He currently lives in Paris.

Partha Gopalakrishnan is a distinguished Senior Executive with 20+ years of global leadership experience. He is renowned as a Technology Thought Leader with a passion for digital innovation, sustainability, and cutting-edge IT systems, which combines business insights with Advanced Cognitive Technologies to create the next generation of integrated business platforms and services. Partha has served in various Executive Leadership positions with some of the World’s Largest Technology and Consulting Global System Integrators, as Senior Vice President. Across his career, Partha has led new technology practices, built high-performance teams, forged strategic global partnerships, led M&As, successfully turned around and scaled businesses, and won digital transformation engagements across ITO, BPO and Business Consulting in excess of $ 2 Billion. His expertise spans diverse industries, particularly in AI and Digital Transformations in heavily regulated environments around Governance, Risk and Compliance for Fortune 500 clientele globally. As a member of the Institute of Directors, Partha has been contributing his voice to various business issues, policies and regulations in the region.

Partha started his career with ITC, subsequently dedicating 17 years to Infosys, followed by a tenure at Tech Mahindra. He then served as Company Director at his firm, PG Advisors, offering Board Advisory and non-executive Director services, consulting for prominent Analysts and PE Firms focussing on Value Creation, Digital Risk Management, ESG and Responsible AI. Currently, at Brane Group, Partha serves as President and Partner, spearheading Business Development and Business Transformation Consulting centred around AI (software and Hardware) platforms and products, harnessing the capabilities of Natural Language Solutions, Large Language Models, and Generative AI.

Academically, Partha holds a Master’s in Business Administration (Gold Medallist Summa cum laude) from Pondicherry University, a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the University of Madras. He has further enriched his professional acumen through Executive Education at Stanford University, The Graduate School of Business, and The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. A staunch advocate for talent development, Partha actively engages in various STEM initiatives and mentorship programmes pro bono. He resides in London with his family.

As a Partner and the Digital and Analytics Practice Lead at Kearney for the Middle East & Africa region, Rob helps senior leaders in public and private sector organizations to address the demands of advancing technologies and digitization, to accelerate the region’s transition to a digitally enabled future, while safeguarding national sovereignty and security.

With 20+ years of international experience as a strategic advisor to industry CXOs and leaders of large government entities, he has a proven track record in digital transformation, telecom operator turnaround programs and national transformation strategies, addressing key business challenges such as top-line growth, B2B/ ICT expansion strategies, new digital products and services, cyber security, efficiency gains, M&A and, capturing sustainable, bottom-line results. His current focus is on equipping organizations and nations with the essential toolset, skillset, and mindset to navigate digital age complexities especially when it comes to AI & data, developing cutting-edge use cases, building innovative MVPs, and scaling alongside strategic alliance and innovation ecosystem partners.

Sabine Spittler is a Partner and Managing Director in Kearney’s digital and analytics practice and the global lead for Kearney’s customer and growth business area.
Based in the firm’s Berlin office, Her expertise includes enhancing digital strategy by developing road maps to customer experience, business model innovation, capability building and upskilling programs, and adjusting the operational setup and organization around new digital capabilities. Much of this work revolves around helping firms whose products and services end up in consumers’ hands, meaning everything comes back to people.

Spittler typically works with CPG clients in manufacturing, consumables, beauty, and electronics. She works collaboratively through long-term transformation projects by defining client goals and digital growth strategies and supporting them in fostering scalability and excellence in each area. Spittler and her team work alongside clients to set up their ecosystem to optimize their direct-to-consumer business, ensuring they regenerate their way of working from a product-centric to a consumer-centric operating model.

Spittler graduated from Otto Beisheim School of Management with a masters in international management, WHU and from EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Rech with an undergraduate degree in business law.

Shigeto is a seasoned digital transformation leader, renowned for his ability to devise and implement strategies that drive revenue, growth, and profitability to their zenith. With a wealth of experience spanning multiple industries, Shigeto specializes in the Asia-Pacific market, where he has achieved remarkable success.

Throughout his illustrious career, Shigeto has been dedicated to instigating large-scale cultural and procedural shifts to optimize business outcomes. His adeptness at navigating change management internally, while concurrently crafting strategic plans to bolster external business growth, sets him apart. Shigeto excels at managing competing priorities and fostering relationships with diverse stakeholders to propel initiatives forward.

Within the healthcare industry, Shigeto is esteemed as a visionary, possessing profound expertise ranging from digital marketing to non-market strategy. His comprehensive understanding stems not only from hands-on experience but also from his educational background, including a Global Executive MBA from INSEAD.

As a motivational leader with an entrepreneurial flair, Shigeto is renowned for his fervor and inquisitiveness in approaching business challenges. He approaches each task with zeal and is always ready to tackle new endeavors head-on.

Stephan Krubasik is the Global Co-Lead of Kearney Analytics. Krubasik and the Kearney Analytics team help clients to maximize the value from (Generative) AI and Data for their business model and market. In the current times of disruption, a focus area of Krubasik and his team is creating real impact with Generative AI, especially in clients’ operations. Here, Krubasik and his team leverage AI to forecast rapidly changing consumer demand, design AI-powered supply chain management and implement generative AI powered procurement functions. In this context, Krubasik is also co-responsible for Optano - a leading Operations AI firm that Kearney just acquired.

Krubasik and the Kearney Analytics team are helping multiple global clients in their comprehensive (Generative) AI transformation journey. A special focus is put on making the clients “AI ready” with powerful data architectures and operating models, also leveraging Cervello, a Kearney Company.

Under Krubasik’s co-leadership, Kearney Analytics almost doubled in the last two years. He is a sought-after speaker on topics like “Creating value with Generative AI,” where he shares the latest real-life examples of applied AI. Krubasik joined Kearney 19 years ago and held multiple leadership positions but still first and foremost enjoys the trust-based collaboration with his executive clients. He lives in Munich and earned a diploma in industrial engineering from the Technical University of Braunschweig.