Pieter-Jan Provoost, Director & Business Group Leader, Agoria: European Perspective on Innovation

“Energy”, “International” and “Business ecosystems” are the keywords that characterize Pieter-Jan “PJ” Provoost’s professional career. Since 2007, when PJ joined Agoria (the federation for the Belgian technology industry), he has been leading and developing an oil, gas & energy focused international business club. In 2016, he was appointed to coach Agoria’s business development team, consisting of 11 fantastic individuals. In this new role he also helped to encourage technology start & scale ups to pursue international business development.
An avid reader and music lover, PJ is also a proud promotor of the MyMachine Global Foundation (http://mymachine-global.org/), an extraordinary example of implementing and promoting creativity and entrepreneurship in education.
Shalabh Bakshi, Director Digital Enterprise, Siemens Canada: Digital Enterprise
As Director of Digital Enterprise at Siemens Canada, Shalabh Bakshi is responsible for Canadian customers to realize their “Digital Enterprise” by supporting them with roadmaps and technological solutions that will drive the digital transformation within their organizations. In addition, he leads MindSphere; Siemens open, cloud-based IoT operating system.
In addition to being an Electronics & Communication Engineer, Mr. Bakshi is also a Masters in International Business from University of Birmingham, UK. He spends his free time mentoring youngsters on strategy and technology projects.
Evert Nieboer, Manager, Finishing Automation Systems, ArcelorMittal Dofasco: Artificial Intelligence at ArcelorMittal Dofasco GP
Evert Nieboer is the Manager of Finishing Automation Systems at ArcelorMittal Dofasco in Hamilton, Ontario, which is part of the world’s largest steel and mining company. Evert has been applying software to the automation of manufacturing processes at Dofasco for 32 years and oversees a large team that supports software automation systems across the many steel finishing process areas. Evert has a passion for continuous improvement and innovation and is currently supporting the growth of autonomous logistics equipment at Dofasco.
Gina Succi, Executive Vice President, Westhill Innovation Inc.: SME perspective and advanced materials / manufacturing requirements
Gina Succi’s career in engineering spans three decades, in roles from design engineer to co – founder and Executive Vice President of Westhill Innovation Inc. For over 20 years, her main career interest has been on product development and commercialization, in four vastly different market sectors including steelmaking, logistics, mining and construction. She was born and grew up in Hamilton ON. She is a graduate of Civil Engineering from McMaster University. She is passionate about developing technologies that are uniquely made in Canada. Gina is an inventor with three current patents, four patents-pending and more in the making. She enjoys mentoring aspiring engineers and tradespeople. She is a wife, mom, daughter and sister and in her spare time enjoys mountain-biking and the creative arts.
Simon Drexler, Director LMT Products, ATS Automation: Supporting AI through integration of assets: Data collection and Action
Simon Drexler is the director of the Linear Motion Technologies (LMT) group at ATS Automation in Cambridge Ontario. With over 12 years’ experience in industrial automation innovation, Simon has earned himself a spot on Plant Magazine’s “Top 40 Engineering Leaders Under 40,” and was named Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine’s “Pro to Know.” Along with leading the LMT group, Simon currently sits on the Board of Advisors for Canadian Manufacturers and Explorers.