IBIT

Engages with industry to develop digital knowledge and talent

Fox Information Technology Award Recipients

ALEEM WALJI

 aleem

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATOR AWARD

Aleem is the Director of the World Bank’s Innovation Labs. He oversees Open Government, Transparency and Accountability initiatives with particular interest in leveraging technology to increase social accountability and improve service delivery. He oversees the Development Marketplace program which provides social entrepreneurs access to growth financing with a focus on South Asia, East Africa, and the Middle East. Aleem also serves on the Global Advisory Council on the Future of Government at the World Economic Forum.

Prior to joining WBI, Aleem served as a Head of Global Development Initiatives at Google.org, with a focus on eastern Africa. He led efforts related to increasing transparency and accountability in government and supporting the growth of small and medium-size enterprises in Africa. Aleem was also the first CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation in Syria. He is a graduate of Emory University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Near Eastern Studies and Anthropology and his master’s degree in International Development and Regional Planning.

THIRTEENTH ANNUAL IT AWARDS

SUJA CHANDRASEKARAN

 suja-chandrasekaran_

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LEADER AWARD

Suja Chandrasekaran is the Vice President of Enterprise Information Management (EIM) of Walmart’s Information Systems Division. She is responsible for establishing the overall strategic direction of Walmart’s expanding EIM function. Suja leads the development, implementation and ongoing operation of EIM products and services and is technical subject matter expert for the future direction of information management initiatives.

Before joining Walmart in 2012, Suja was the Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer at The Timberland Company. She also worked at PepsiCo where she spent three years as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for PepsiCo, North America with responsibilities across Frito-Lay, Pepsi Beverages, Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade across all business units. Prior to her role at PepsiCo, Suja led business transformation at Nestle Americas.

Suja earned her Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Madras in Madras, India. She has a Master’s degree in Business Systems from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.  She has also received a bachelor’s executive development education from the London Business School in London, England.

THIRTEENTH ANNUAL IT AWARDS

MARC E. SNYDER

Marc E. Snyder - FOX IT AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI - 2012

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

Marc Snyder is a Managing Director in KPMG’s U.S. IT Strategy and Performance advisory practice, where he leads the Northeast practice. Marc helps client executives drive improved business performance through the strategic and effective use of technology.

Marc brings over 30 years of domestic and international hands-on experience in a wide-range of industries using state-of-the-art IT to establish and build new business capabilities, improve ROI on IT investments, navigate change such as post-merger integration, and transform IT capabilities. Marc has worked on numerous domestic and cross-border, cross-business unit projects, including a four year overseas assignment in European (based in Switzerland) where he worked with several multi-national European clients. Marc is recognized as an innovative and pragmatic thought leader on IT strategy and value, especially global and cross-business unit governance issues. He has received patents for his work and regularly speaks and publishes on contemporary IT topics.

Prior to joining KPMG, he was a partner in with Accenture’s Strategic IT Effectiveness practice, and prior to that, a member of IBM’s consulting practice. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in information systems and an MBA from the Fox School of Business, Temple University.

TWELFTH ANNUAL IT AWARDS

K. VENKATESH PRASAD

K. Venkatesh Prasad - FOX IT INNOVATOR AWARD - 2012

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

ADRIAN R. GARDNER

Adrian R. Gardner - Fox IT Leader Award - 2012

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LEADER AWARD

Adrian R. Gardner’s career includes more than 20 years of federal service enabling mission capability and readiness. Gardner was the recipient of 2005 Federal 100 award and was named to InformationWeek’s 2011 Government CIO 50 list.

Gardner currently serves as the Director of the IT and Communications Directorate and Chief Information Officer for the Goddard Space Flight Center. As part of this role, he manages IT as a strategic asset and all mission and satellite launch communications. Gardner also serves as the Chair of the federal sub-committee responsible for setting standards for sharing and reporting governmental data and was one of the key architects for the federal data.gov initiative.

He was previously CIO for the National Weather Service, Deputy Associate CIO, Department of Energy, and Deputy Associate CIO for Cyber Security, Department of Energy. Gardner is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Southern California where he holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration. He also holds an MSc degree in Environmental Studies from Hood College and is the recipient of an honorary doctorate degree, also from Hood College. Gardner holds a BSc in Biological Science and Ecology from the Tuskegee Institute. Gardner serves on the Board of the District of Columbia Urban League and is a volunteer and mentor to several academic and youth programs.

An Air Force veteran, Gardner was commissioned as a Launch Control Officer and served with distinction until he was honorably discharged. He received the Air Force Achievement Medal in 1987.

TWELFTH ANNUAL IT AWARDS