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Automation Fair Discover What's Possible

KEYNOTES

What do industry visionaries and inspirational leaders have to say about industrial automation and digital transformation? Find out during Automation Fair’s keynote presentations.
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Speakers

Blake Moret

Chairman & CEO, Rockwell Automation

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Cyril Perducat

Chief Technology Officer, Rockwell Automation

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Tessa Myers

Sr. Vice President Intelligent Devices, Rockwell Automation

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Judson Althoff

Chief Commercial Officer, Microsoft

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Anousheh Ansari

CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation

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Ali Bessette

Manufacturing Engineer and FIRST Robotics Competition Alum

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Dean Kamen

Founder, DEKA Research & Development Corporation

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Nick Thompson

CEO, The Atlantic

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Keynotes Schedule

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Tuesday, November 7 Chevron DownChevron Down

TUESDAY 3:30 – 5:00 pm

Inspiring Resiliency & Sustainability

Join us for an engaging conversation around how to ignite innovation, overcome adversity, accelerate development, and inspire the next generation of builders and makers.

Reaching for the Stars and Getting There

Anousheh Ansari is a pioneer in business innovation, integration, invention, ownership, and inspiration. An active proponent of world-changing technologies and social entrepreneurship, Anousheh’s resume is impressive, to say the least. In this presentation, Anousheh brings elevated, inspired thinking and ideas that create the space you need to advance and overcome your obstacles, inability to launch, and most importantly, an incredibly advanced way to approach personal and professional fulfillment. 

Anousheh Ansari

CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation

Engineering the Future

Discover what’s possible when the entrepreneurial spirit drives a vision for a better world. Prolific inventor Dean Kamen shares insights on tackling global challenges and forging a brighter future. Learn from his iconic creations and how he’s inspiring the next generation of workers.

Dean Kamen

Founder, DEKA Research & Development Corporation

Next Gen Workforce

Witness the future of innovation! Join us for a live demo of a FIRST Robotics' Technical Challenge. FIRST empowers young minds through STEM programs, fostering teamwork, problem-solving, and meaningful career paths. Experience how the next generation of builders and makers is shaping our future.

Ali Bessette

Manufacturing Engineer and FIRST Robotics Competition Alum

Wednesday, November 8 Chevron DownChevron Down

WEDNESDAY 8:00 – 9:30 am

The Future of Industrial Operations

Discover how we’re shaping the future of industrial operations with digital transformation solutions that simplify complex challenges, making you more resilient, agile, and sustainable.

Digital Transformation to Drive Resiliency, Agility and Sustainability

The promise of digital transformation is fundamentally changing the landscape of industrial operations. Expect more efficiency, resiliency, and sustainability. Blake Moret, CEO of Rockwell Automation, will provide invaluable insights into our vision of this not-too-distant future. In this enlightening discussion, he will shed light on how Rockwell Automation is actively preparing manufacturers and industrial companies to succeed now and going forward.

Blake Moret

Chairman & CEO, Rockwell Automation

Navigating the Industrial Metaverse

Join us for a captivating fireside chat featuring Rockwell Automation CEO Blake Moret and Judson Althoff, Chief Commercial Officer of Microsoft. In this engaging conversation, they will delve into the topic of the industrial metaverse and its potential to revolutionize the future of industrial operations.

Together, Blake and Judson will explore a realm of limitless possibilities, enabled by the transformative landscape where virtual and real-world elements seamlessly coexist. They will engage in a visionary discussion, contemplating how these technologies can enhance efficiency, quality, and sustainability.

Blake Moret

Chairman & CEO, Rockwell Automation

Judson Althoff

Chief Commercial Officer, Microsoft

Innovation in Smart Manufacturing

In this enlightening conversation, Tessa Myers, Senior Vice President at Rockwell Automation, will explore the evolving landscape of industrial technology and its practical applications. Tessa's insightful discussion will bridge the gap between visionary concepts and present-day reality.

With a keen focus on today's operations leaders, Tessa will showcase how cutting-edge technology is being harnessed to unlock new frontiers of possibility. From transforming production logistics, robust cybersecurity, and predictive data analytics and AI, she will highlight the transformative power of these innovations in real-world scenarios.

Tessa Myers

Sr. Vice President Intelligent Devices, Rockwell Automation

Thursday, November 9 Chevron DownChevron Down

THURSDAY 8:00 – 9:30 am

Innovations in Industrial Technology

The latest trends in technology are opening new opportunities in industrial applications. From AI to Robotics to mixed reality, you’ll hear big ideas and fearless takes on how we can thrive in a future defined by new possibilities.

Redefining What’s Possible

Technology is only valuable if it’s built for the people stewarding it. Rockwell Automation CTO Cyril Perducat will delve into the latest trends in technology, shedding light on the vast opportunities they create within industrial applications. From modern AI to collaborative robotics to knowledge augmentation, Cyril will unveil a landscape brimming with possibilities and pragmatic applications, an approach that empowers people to turn our fearless vision for the future into a reality.

Cyril Perducat

Chief Technology Officer, Rockwell Automation

The Future of Technology: AI, Robotics, Security, Privacy, and More

Technology is changing everything, but it’s also moving more quickly than we can keep up with – how can we make sure it works for us, instead of against us? Join trusted analyst, former editor-in-chief of WIRED and CEO of The Atlantic Nick Thompson for a conversation about navigating a future shaped by new rules, values, and endless possibilities. Nicholas Thompson has occupied the most prestigious positions in the world of tech writing and journalism – staking out a bold, optimistic vision for what our future will look like. His years of experience covering tech makes him a leading analytical voice in the field, where he uncovers how each new development in the world of tech will impact us all.

Nick Thompson

CEO, The Atlantic

Blake Moret, Chairman and CEO of Rockwell Automation, photographed at Rockwell headquarters in Milwaukee, WI in December of 2021.

Blake Moret
Chairman & CEO
Rockwell Automation

Blake Moret is Chairman and CEO of Rockwell Automation, the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation. As CEO, Blake is dedicated to delivering the company’s strategy to bring the Connected Enterprise to life. Under his leadership, Rockwell Automation integrates control and information to help make industrial companies and their people more productive and the world more sustainable. Blake is accelerating the Rockwell Automation strategy by focusing on understanding customer needs and their best opportunities for productivity, combining our technology and domain expertise to deliver positive business outcomes, and simplifying our customers’ experience. Key to this strategy is Rockwell’s culture, the foundation for the company’s accelerated profitable growth.

Tessa Myers
Sr. Vice President Intelligent Devices
Rockwell Automation

Tessa Myers is senior vice president, Intelligent Devices. She is responsible for leading strategy, people and talent development, and the worldwide growth of the segment, which includes drives, motion, safety, sensing, industrial components, and configured-to-order products that are the foundation of smart production systems. Since joining Rockwell Automation in 1999, she has built global industry expertise with leadership roles in sales, channel and partner management and business unit and product development across hardware and software, working in the U.S., Canada and Singapore. With a passion for developing talent and culture, she is the executive sponsor for the ADVANCE Young Professionals employee resource group.

Cyril Perducat
Chief Technology Officer
Rockwell Automation

Cyril Perducat is senior vice president and Chief Technology Officer. Cyril and his team focus on growing Rockwell’s already broad technology offering and expanding what is possible in the industrial automation space. He charts the company’s technology roadmap, our reusable intellectual property library, and research related to core technology. Cyril has developed innovative solutions to enhance manufacturing technologies. He has an extensive background as a technology strategist, particularly in systems, software, networks, and solutions businesses. Cyril joined Rockwell Automation after 25 years with Schneider Electric. He has a passion for innovating and building teams, and implementing successful outcomes based in effective change management.

Dean Kamen
Founder
DEKA Research & Development Corporation

An inventor, an entrepreneur, and a tireless advocate for science and technology, Dean Kamen’s roles as inventor and advocate are intertwined—his own passion for technology and its practical uses has driven his personal determination to spread the word about technology's virtues and by so doing to change the culture of the United States.

Dean is the founder and president of DEKA Research & Development Corporation. Examples of technologies developed by DEKA include the HomeChoice™ portable dialysis machine, the iBOT™ Mobility System, the Segway™ Human Transporter, a DARPA-funded robotic arm and the Slingshot water purifier.

One of Dean's proudest accomplishments is founding FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use and enjoy science and technology. This year FIRST® will serve more than 2,500,000 young people, ages 6 to 18, in more than 113 countries around the globe.

Judson Althoff
Chief Commercial Officer
Microsoft

Judson Althoff is executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Microsoft. He is responsible for the sales strategy, execution and revenue growth of the company’s commercial business, which spans enterprise, public sector, small and medium businesses, services, developer and partner communities in more than 120 regional and national subsidiaries globally. Althoff is passionate about co-innovating with customers to democratize and scale digital experiences across their organization — from the boardroom to the factory floor — and in the marketplace. Under his leadership, Microsoft has posted uninterrupted commercial cloud revenue growth, powered by close partnerships with customers that are driving business outcomes through digital transformation.

Nick Thompson
CEO
The Atlantic

Nicholas Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic and the former editor-in-chief of WIRED. He is a former contributor for CBS News and a cofounder of The Atavist, a National Magazine Award–winning company that was sold to WordPress. Thompson previously served as editor of NewYorker.com and as a senior editor at WIRED. He has long been a competitive runner; in 2021, he set the American record for men 45+ in the 50K race. He is currently building SpeakEasy.ai to encourage people to engage in positive and productive conversations, alongside writing a book on the way the mind of a runner works.

Anousheh Ansari
CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation

Anousheh Ansari, Chairman of Prodea Systems has decades of entrepreneurial success and a lifelong passion for groundbreaking technologies. Recognized as the first female private space explorer, she became the fourth private explorer and first person of Iranian heritage to venture into space.

Her family's sponsorship of the Ansari XPRIZE, a $10 million award for the first non-governmental organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks, made history in 2004 under legendary aerospace designer Burt Rutan.

Prior to founding Prodea Systems, Anousheh co-founded, served as CEO, and chaired the board of Telecom Technologies, Inc. Her visionary leadership led to significant growth, including three pivotal U.S. patents and a merger with Sonus Networks, Inc., a prominent IP-based voice infrastructure provider.

A living example of the American Dream, Anousheh emigrated to the U.S. as a non-English-speaking teenager. She earned a bachelor's degree in electronics and computer engineering, a master’s degree in electrical engineering, and is now pursuing a master's degree in astronomy.

Beyond her business achievements, Anousheh is dedicated to enabling social entrepreneurs to bring about radical change globally. She works with a number of non-profit organizations, including the Ashoka Foundation in support of social entrepreneurs.

Ali Bessette
Manufacturing Engineer and FIRST Robotics Competition Alum

Ali Bessette, a New England biotech manufacturing engineer, epitomizes STEM dedication. She champions inclusivity in STEM and actively engages in K-12 robotics programs. As a First Robotics Competition (FRC) alum, Ali's robotics roots run deep. She's a former First Lego League coach, mentor, and Robotics Institute of Maine board member, nurturing young minds in science and tech. Beyond mentoring, she embraces the role of emcee at global FRC events, with a focus on the vibrant New England Region.