Fox IT Innovator Award

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATOR AWARD

Venkatesh Prasad is a technical leader with a strong internal and external reputation for addressing large, complex, cross-national, multidisciplinary science and technology projects relating to automotive electrical and electronic systems. He is one of the masterminds behind the successful Ford SYNC® in-car connectivity system and was part of the extended team that launched Ford’s first telematics application (Lincoln RESCU). In 2012, he will help shape Ford’s new Silicon Valley Research Lab which will focus on developing mobility solutions to harness the power of seamless connectivity, cloud computing and clean technology.

Prasad is recognized for having created the formal technical specification for a built-in, brought-in and beamed-in connectivity system and led the prove-out of a number of enabling technologies and supported the core engineering teams to deliver what has become Ford’s industry leading family of connectivity technologies. Prasad also created a novel open-innovation approach by leading the design of the software system technologies and tools needed for trusted partners & third-party developers, including university students, to rapidly innovate with Ford in the creation of software applications.

Prasad has more than 20 years’ experience on the design of embedded electronics, software and associated communications systems. Previously Prasad has worked in Silicon Valley (Ricoh California Research Center) and prior to that was at Caltech and was affiliated with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

TWELFTH ANNUAL IT AWARDS

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATOR AWARD

Kurt Holstein is Vice Chairman and Co-founder, Rosetta. Kurt received his BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering in 1982 graduate from Cornell University. He then joined Procter & Gamble where he helped developed some of the industry’s first marketing analysis and optimization tools that utilized IRI’s new store-level scanner data. These solutions included tools now considered essential including in-store promotion and shelf optimization systems, ERP and marketing MIS systems. After, 4 years in their Management Systems Division, he moved into P&G’s world-class brand management organization where he spent 12 years at increasing levels of responsibility, building many of P&G’s major consumer healthcare brands including Crest, Scope and Pepto-Bismol. During that time, Kurt also spent 3 years in upstate NY as the Marketing Director of Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals. Kurt left P&G in 1998 to start Rosetta with another CPG veteran from J&J. The two entrepreneurs rented space in the back of another agency’s office and started with 2 employees.

Over the past 12 years, as Rosetta’s first COO, then President and now as Vice Chairman, Kurt has helped grow Rosetta into one of the top 5 digital agencies in the US with over $200 Million in annual revenue, 1,200 employees and offices throughout the US and Canada. Rosetta has emerged as the market leader in driving profitable share growth by understanding a brand’s customers and in turn translating these insights into interactive, digitally-enabled marketing programs that create and optimize customer connections. Rosetta serves clients in the Healthcare, Consumer Technology, Retail and Financial Services industries including market leaders like Bristol Meyer Squibb, Apple, RIM, Microsoft, OfficeMax and Nationwide. Kurt also heads Rosetta’s ongoing M&A activities.

Kurt is a frequent industry speaker at events like the DMA National Conference and a guest lecturer in digital and database marketing at both Cornell’s Johnson School of Business and the College of Engineering.

ELEVENTH ANNUAL IT AWARDS

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATOR AWARD

Anne Mullins serves as the Lockheed Martin Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Vice President of Corporate Information Security. In this role, she is responsible for Lockheed Martin’s information security strategy to assess business risks and deploy mitigating solutions across the enterprise. Her team is responsible for information policy, governance, security engineering, test, operations, vulnerability management, and cyber threat detection and response.

Anne has more than 23-years of extensive management and technology experience. She previously served as Lockheed Martin’s Corporate Vice President of Global Supply Chain Management with responsibility for enterprise supply chain strategy and policy, a supplier diversity program and more than 1,000 corporate sourcing agreements valued at $6B. She has also served as the Director of Systems Engineering and Technology at Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems and Global Services business where she led a matrix organization of engineers and technologists specializing in modeling and analysis of network, ground, space, remote sensing, and communications systems as well as enterprise cost, risk, and schedule assessment. Anne also held the position of Director of Information Access in Lockheed Martin’s Enterprise Information Systems, and was responsible for the cohesive strategy and rapid deployment of the Lockheed Martin enterprise portal.

Additional roles have included Transformation Manager with Lockheed Martin’s Management and Data Systems Company, Director of Branding and User Experience at Breakaway Solutions, and various positions with then General Electric/Martin Marietta including Program Manager, New Business Capture Manager and System Analysis Manager.

Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from George Washington University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Villanova University. She is a graduate of General Electric’s Edison Engineering Program and the Lockheed Martin Program Manager Development Program. Anne, her husband Bob, and their two children, Christian and Kathleen, reside near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

TENTH ANNUAL IT AWARDS

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATOR AWARD

Jonathan A. Brassington is the CEO and a Founding Partner of LiquidHub, a technology consultancy and systems integrator, where he manages Consulting Operations, Finance, and Personnel Development. In addition, he acts as a strategic consultant in engagements with LiquidHub clients.

Mr. Brassington was formerly a Partner with Broadreach Consulting, where he was accountable for the Consulting Services organization. Prior to his role as Partner, Mr. Brassington was the Vice- President of Management Consulting at Broadreach, where he managed and participated in eBusiness strategy and management consulting projects. Mr. Brassington also functioned in a variety of IT roles with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and Nabisco Brands.

He received his dual BS in Computer Science and Mathematics from College Misericordia, and a cross-disciplinary Masters degree in Telecommunications Operations from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Brassington is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, a Wharton Fellow, and a trustee of Misericordia University.

NINTH ANNUAL IT AWARDS

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATOR AWARD

Matthew C. Mullenweg is an entrepreneur who is the founding developer of WordPress, the blogging software that is used by thousands of bloggers and read by millions around the world. Mullenweg is also the founder, primary developer, and Chief BBQ Taste Tester of Automattic, a privately held firm that is responsible for WordPress.com, Akismet, an anti spam service, and other tools.

Previously, Mullenweg worked at CNET on blogs and new media offerings. WordPress was started in 2003, and since then Mullenweg has worked on developing the open source software and several related tools. He also co-founded the Global Multimedia Protocols Group, which was an effort to represent human relationships on the web. Later, he co-wrote Ping-O-Matic, a blog notification tool. More recently, he worked on releasing Akismet, a distributed anti spam service.

Mullenweg is frequently cited by the media on Web 2.0 and the open source movement and is a frequent speaker at conferences. He was one of the keynote speakers at BlogWorld Expo 2007. In March 2007, Mullenweg was named #16 of the 50 Most Important People on the Web by PC World. He also serves as an advisor to Sphere and WeGame. Mullenweg is an avid Jazz musician, photographer, and of course blogger.

EIGHTH ANNUAL IT AWARDS