Wavelengths 2024 Speakers
APAC
May 14-15
Wavelengths APAC 24
JP, Tokyo, Grand Hyatt
Guest speakers
Phil Carlisle
Principal Solution Architect
Chorus New Zealand
Phil works as a Network Architect for Optical Transport Systems and Access Networks at Chorus NZ Ltd. He holds a Batchelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and has over 30 years of experience in the Telecommunications industry. He manages the architecture and high-level design for Core, Metro and Access DWDM systems and had key involvement with the introduction of XGS-PON technology in the Chorus network.
He is currently looking at the implications of rolling out Precision Timing across the Chorus network.
Principal Solution Architect
Chorus New Zealand
Yoke Kong Seow
Chief Technical Adviser
Globe Telecom
Junie De LeonYoke Kong Seow has led the Globe's Network organisation since Jan 2023, responsible for the strategy, planning, engineering and operations of Globe's mobile, broadband and B2B network to meet customer's expectation. Prior to Globe, he was leading IP Transport and subsequently the CIO in Optus. Prior to Optus, he led the development of Singapore's first video OTT service while in MediaCorp, and was instrumental in the formation and early years of Bridge Alliance.
Chief Technical Adviser
Globe Telecom
Robert (Bob) Brumley
Chairman and CEO
Laser Light Group
Robert (Bob) H. Brumley brings extensive executive experience in the management and financing of early-stage ventures, particularly in aerospace, telecommunications and defense. In 2002, he co-founded Marble Arch Partners and serves as its Senior Managing Director, and is the chairman and CEO of Laser Light group of companies and sister company Commstar Space Communications. He is currently the co-chair of the AIAA’s CIS Lunar Task Force Comms Working Group for Data Communications Infrastructure. Bob previously held executive positions at TerreStar, leading the business into the emerging field of Mobile Satellite and Ancillary Terrestrial Communications Systems, raising over $1bn in private investment, and launching TerreStar on NASDAQ [TSTR]. He was appointed by President Reagan as Chief Legal Officer of the Department of Commerce and Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and chaired the Reagan Administration policy working group that privatized commercial space transportation. He has extensive experience as an international law practitioner and as a senior executive with global communications firms such as Deutsche Telekom and Bell Atlantic International [Verizon], and US based optical networking provider Cambrian Communications. He has assisted clients in developing international business relationships in the fast-growing regions of Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia. Bob holds a B.A. in Political Science and History from East Tennessee State University and a J.D. from University of Tennessee, George C. Taylor College of Law. He retired Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.
Chairman and CEO
Laser Light Group
Masahisa Kawashima
IOWN Technology Director, IOWN Development Office, R&D Planning Department
NTT Corporation
Masahisa Kawashima is currently leading NTT's R&D of Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) as the IOWN Technology Director. He is also serving as the Chair of the Technology Working Group at IOWN Global Forum. He has been working as a bridge between technologies and businesses since he joined NTT in 1994. His expertise includes high-speed networking, SDN, cloud/edge computing, AI, and data management. Nowadays, he is exploring innovative ways of making products/services cloud-native levering the evolution of optical communication and optoelectronics integration technologies.
IOWN Technology Director, IOWN Development Office, R&D Planning Department
NTT Corporation
Ayaz Bankapur
Vice Division Head, IP & Transport Engg & Ops Division
Rakuten Mobile
Ayaz Bankapur is an experienced professional currently leading the IP and Transport Strategy & Architecture department at Rakuten Mobile. With over two decades of expertise in optical and IP technologies, Ayaz has a proven track record in building synergy networks, implementing automation frameworks. He played pivotal role migrating legacy to GMPLS based OTN networks for one of the largest Indian operator. Before joining Rakuten, Ayaz gained valuable experience on the vendor side, where he has mixed experience of R&D to implementing operators network. This experience has provided him with a comprehensive understanding of the industry landscape and the ability to effectively navigate complex challenges. He is currently focused on implementing cost-optimized networks through dis-aggregation models, continues to drive innovation and operational excellence in the industry.
Vice Division Head, IP & Transport Engg & Ops Division
Rakuten Mobile
Nokia speakers
Luca Baragiola
WaveSuite Automation Product Line Manager Director
Nokia
Luca, after a Bachelor’s degree in Micro-Electronics engineering from the Politecnico University of Milano in 1997, moved into the telecommunications industry, where he has more than 20 years’ experience.
Since January 2022 he takes a new role inside the broader Nokia Optics community, as responsible for managing NFM-T Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) team, a Network Management System platform that is the core of the Optical Network. Till 2021 he had a PLM role in ION Service BU covering the Optical segment, with a focus on Automation, System Integration, Operational Enablement Solutions and Network Transformation area. In this role Luca was responsible for identifying consumer needs, developing and promoting specific Professional Services to improve customer experience on Nokia Optics network performances and indorsing the ION Professional Service portfolio internally and externally. With this position he developed a deep knowledge on the Nokia Optics product catalogue and related Network Management applications. Previously he was covering for 5 years a Product Management Role inside the Alcatel-Lucent Network Release Strategy Organization, following the homologation of specific Optics Mobile backhauling solutions.
WaveSuite Automation Product Line Manager Director
Nokia
Marco Bertolini
Product Line Manager, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Marco Bertolini is the Product Manager for the 1830 Network Element. Previous Product Management roles were focused on high speed coherent interfaces, photonic architectures and pluggable optics. Prior to joining product management, he was part of the R&D team that introduced the first generation of 100G coherent cards. Mr. Bertolini holds a Ph.D. degree in Information Engineering from University of Parma.
Product Line Manager, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Jens Blankenhorn
Product Line Manager, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Jens Blankenhorn is a member of the 1830 Network Element Product Management team with a specific focus on the GMPLS control plane software. Prior to joining product management, he was more than 10 years part of the Optics R&D team that is implementing the GMPLS control plane on the entire 1830 PSS family. Jens Blankenhorn holds a Diploma of Information Technology from University of Cooperative Education Stuttgart.
Product Line Manager, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Sylvain Chenard
Quantum-Safe Networks Solution Leader
Nokia
IEEE senior member Sylvain Chenard received his BScA from the Département du Génie Electrique at Université Laval, Québec, Canada in 1994. He also received a technical degree in microelectronics from Collège de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada in 1988. Sylvain is a member of the IEEE Communications and Computer Societies and the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. He is currently a senior product manager at Nokia with a focus on optical network analytics. He works closely with Nokia Bell Labs to define and productize state-of-the-art techniques and algorithms for estimating and monitoring transmission quality.
Quantum-Safe Networks Solution Leader
Nokia
Vito di Maria
Vice President, Head of Optical Networks APAC Regional Business Center, Network Infrastructure
Nokia
Vito Di Maria is currently Vice President Optics Business Development for Asia Pacific/Japan and India markets. Vito has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and worked in Alcatel, Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia holding leadership positions in Research&Development, Product Line Management and Business Development in several countries in Asia Pacific region. Vito holds a Master Degree in Electronic Engineering and a Master Degree in Information Technologies.
Vice President, Head of Optical Networks APAC Regional Business Center, Network Infrastructure
Nokia
James Doucette
Product Line Manager, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
James Doucette is Product Line Manager for WaveSuite Service Enablement software applications at Nokia. Prior to joining Nokia in 2017, he lead the software Systems Engineering team and was the lead Agile Product Owner for BluePlanet software at Ciena. Over the course of his career, he has specialized in launching new software initiatives that simplify network operations and control of Optical and Packet networks. He has held a variety of roles spanning Product Management, Systems Architecture and Research & Development. His has extensive experience in working with lead customers and development teams to launch new software applications with specialization in the areas of SDN control, network and service management, and Layer 2 metro ethernet networks. James holds a degree in Systems and Computer Engineering from Carleton University in Ottawa Canada.
Product Line Manager, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Pedja Dragovic
Product Line Manager, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Pedja has spent 17 years in the telecom industry with various roles ranging from network architect to systems engineering. His current role is Product Line Manager for Multi-service Transport platform, 1830PSS. He holds a Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Belgrade in Serbia. His career interests include: advancing technical and operational knowledge in transport network evolution, how emerging technology in optical and electronics domains enables network transformation, network functions virtualization, software aspects of transport networks evolution and extending expertise into other communication technologies that complement optical transport.
Product Line Manager, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Kevin Drury
Vice President, Strategic Business Development, Optical Networking Division
Nokia
Kevin Drury received his undergraduate degree in Electronical Engineering from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada where he specialized in telecommunications. Further in his academic career, he completed a Master’s in Business Administration. Kevin is the Strategic Initiatives PLM Leader for the Optical Networks business division at Nokia. Previously he has held several leadership roles at Alcatel-Lucent, including the Deployment and Professional Services leader for the Optical Networks business unit and the Optical Products and Solutions Marketing leader in the IP Routing & Transport Division. He has over 25 years’ experience in the Telecommunications industry with particular expertise in the areas of fiber optic transmission, wavelength division multiplexing, OTN switching, narrowband and broadband access, carrier voice and applications, and LAN/WAN networking. He has presented or co-authored papers for numerous industry events including WDM & Next Generation Optical Networking, ITPX/NCUG, ITU Telecom, Supercomm, OFC, NFOEC, Terabit Optical & Transport SDN and the Big Telecom Event.
Vice President, Strategic Business Development, Optical Networking Division
Nokia
Adam Grodecki
Product Line Manager, Optical Professional Services
Nokia
Adam P. Grodecki is an experienced ICT professional specializing in Digital Process Automation of optical solutions for large convergent operators and enterprises. With over 23 years of experience in the technology market, Adam has contributed his expertise to various renowned organizations, including Charter Communications (US), Orange R&D and Sofrecom, Al Jeel Al Jadeed, Orange Armenia, Orange Jordan, and leading suppliers such as Hewlett-Packard, Huawei, Alcatel-Lucent, and Nokia. At Nokia since 2015, Adam has played a pivotal role in defining new strategic directions in sales for technical solutions across Central Europe. His focus lies on driving innovation in new projects, leveraging products, solutions, and services to enhance the perception and awareness of the Nokia brand within the realm of Optical, IP/MPLS, SDN, NFV, network security, MBB, MBH, FBB, OSS/BSS, OTT, RCS, IMS, CS, MW, DWDM, ORAN, FTTx, RFOG, DoCsis, mobile core, and 5G RAN, including private wireless solutions. Adam's expertise spans technical architecture evolution, business development, service monetization, and smart offering strategies. He is dedicated to driving technical excellence while ensuring alignment with business objectives.
Product Line Manager, Optical Professional Services
Nokia
John Harrington
Senior Vice President and Head of Asia-Pacific and Japan
Nokia
John Harrington is the Senior Vice President and Head of Asia Pacific and Japan for Nokia, where he manages and oversees Nokia’s Customer Experience organization, business and operations for the region. John has over 25 years of technical sales, customer relationship management and business development experience in the telecommunications industry across Asia, Europe and North America. John was previously the Head of Japan for Nokia, leading networks solution sales before moving to North America to join the leadership team as Senior Vice President, US Major Accounts, where he led sales for a diverse set of wireless, wireline, cable and regional customers. In his career, John took charge of the AT&T Wireless account, one of Nokia’s largest accounts, and one of the most advanced CSPs in the world, in order to support 4G enhancement, IoT deployment, and 5G preparation. John has also held various international leadership roles as part of the acquisition of the Alcatel-Lucent business, which focused on the latest advancements in wireless technology. John started his career with Motorola as a system engineer for GSM/CDMA deployment. Born in England, John holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering.
Senior Vice President and Head of Asia-Pacific and Japan
Nokia
Josephine Lim
Sales Enablement and Transformation Lead APAC Regional Business Center
Nokia
Josephine is the Sales Enablement and Transformation Lead for Nokia’s Network Infrastructure APAC Regional Business Center, where she manages and oversees Nokia’s NI training needs, special projects and leadership communications. Josephine has over 20 years of corporate communications experience in various industries across Asia Pacific & Japan and she was previously the Regional Communications head for Asia Pacific & Japan for Nokia, leading internal, external and leadership communications for the region. In her career, Josephine has also held various senior communications roles with Motorola, City Gas and Seagate Technology. She holds a B.A degree from the National University of Singapore majoring in Political Science and English.
Sales Enablement and Transformation Lead APAC Regional Business Center
Nokia
Matteo Lonardi
WaveSuite Product Line Manager, Nokia Bell Labs
Nokia
Matteo Lonardi received his MSc in Communications Engineering (2016) and PhD in Information Technology (2020) from the University of Parma, focusing on the quality of transmission estimation and monitoring in modern optical transmission systems.
In November 2019, Matteo joined Nokia Bell Labs Smart Optical Fabric and Devices group as a Research Scientist, applying machine learning techniques to estimate and monitor the quality of transmission in optical networks. Since January 2022, Matteo has embarked on a job rotational position as a product line manager at Nokia. In this role, he focuses on investigating and developing monitoring and sensing technologies in subsystems, expanding his expertise and exploring the potential of machine learning in optical modules and transponders.
WaveSuite Product Line Manager, Nokia Bell Labs
Nokia
Giovanni Manto
Strategy & Advanced Technology Leader, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Giovanni has global product management responsibilities for Nokia’s Optical portfolio, covering all aspects of product management and future portfolio strategies. Giovanni has over 25+ years of industry experience and has held several senior management positions at LG, Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, and Nortel Networks. During his tenure at LG, Giovanni was the general manager of the Fiber access business unit with responsibility for the productization and commercialization of an innovative optical technology for the fiber access portfolio serving a diverse global customer base. Giovanni holds a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering from Concordia University in Montréal, Canada and is based in Ottawa, Canada.
Strategy & Advanced Technology Leader, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Vincenzo Mautone
Head of Optical Professional Services Product Line Manager
Nokia
Vincenzo Mautone leads the Optical Professional Services business for Network Infrastructure in Nokia. In this role he is globally responsible of the PS portfolio including the Digital Transformation, System Integration and Network Renewal services. A growing part of the portfolio is linked to the SaaS and Automation of the network. Previously Vincenzo was the Head of the Multivendor Business Unit as a worldwide supplier of 3rd Party Equipment support used by the largest Global Service Providers. His responsibilities included Portfolio Strategy, Commercial Management, Delivery Management and Global Technical Competence Centre. Prior to that, Vincenzo took various positions in Alcatel-Lucent, including the role as Head of Care for Fixed Networks for South Europe. Vincenzo Mautone holds a bachelor in Telecommunication Engineering and an Executive MBA from Bocconi University in Italy.
Head of Optical Professional Services Product Line Manager
Nokia
Dat Ngo
Product Line Manager
Nokia
Dat Ngo received his B.S. in Physics from Carnegie Mellon University, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from New Mexico State University. His post-doctoral research on applicability of light scattering was done at the Army Research Lab in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He has been with the company since 1996 during its transformation from AT&T/Lucent/Alcatel-Lucent/Nokia. Dat has in-depth knowledge and experience in IP/Data & Photonics/Optical Networking, having worked as system engineer and system architect in various product lines throughout the years. He has published technical papers in peer review journals, and holds a number of patents related to his work. He likes to dabble in security enhancements in his spare time. Dat is currently the Product Line Manager (PLM) for the 1830PSS Engineering Planning Tool (EPT).
Product Line Manager
Nokia
Ravi Parmasad
Head of Optical Network Automation, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Ravi Parmasad is Head of the Network Automation Group in the Optical Networks Division at Nokia. Previously, Ravi held several senior leadership roles at Nokia and its predecessor, Alcatel-Lucent, including was Vice President Global IT Infrastructure, Vice President Global Real Estate, Vice President - IP/Optical Networks, Vice President R&D Strategy, Vice President / General Manager - Fiber to the Home Business Unit, and Vice President R&D Strategy. He enjoys acting as an ambassador for many Nokia programs, including student programs aimed at facilitating entry into the technology workforce, and is a former contributing member of the Telecom Industry Association QuEST Forum. Ravi earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Science from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa, where he has also returned to instruct executive MBA students.
Head of Optical Network Automation, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Perry Poehlmann
Head of Field Marketing
Nokia
Perry has been leading the Field Marketing team in APJ for the last 2.5 years, driving campaigns, roadshows, brand awareness, media releases and supporting cross Business Group activities. Perry is a long time Nokia employee with tenure nearly 35 years. Perry managed the MN pre-sales team across APJ, involved with radio business nearly 12 years bringing in OI over a billion AUD. In addition to radio, prior to that he was Sales director for Fixed Networks in Oceania has long time sales experience in optical covering diverse geographies including Europe and Middle East in addition to APJ.
Head of Field Marketing
Nokia
Mike Reeves
Professional Services Product Manager
Nokia
Mike Reeves is a senior product manager for professional services with more than 20 year in the telecommunication industry. His experience spans the areas of software development, IP/MPLS system consultation, product management and most recently product management for services and solutions. He has worked with customers to help them deploy IP/MPLS core networks, migrate from legacy infrastructure and move from 3G to 4G mobile infrastructure. He is now involved in the evolution of mobile core networks toward a cloud based infrastructure and software defined networking environment to help provide a more flexible and scalable solution for our 5G customers.
Professional Services Product Manager
Nokia
Stephan Roullot
Director Product Line Management, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Stephan Roullot is Director of Product Line Management for Packet, TSN, Synchronization and MEF services in the ION Business Group. He holds a master degree in Electrical Engineering from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) of Lyon, France. After starting his career as R&D engineer (System Test, System Engineering & Architecture), he held several positions in technical sales, network architecture and business development on a broad range of technologies: SDH MSPP, WDM, Carrier Ethernet Switch/Router (Riverstone), xDSL Broadband Access, Mobile backhaul products, before moving into Product Strategy and Product Line Management for a number of Carrier Ethernet packet optical products, including the 1830 PSS since 2011. Stephan is MEF CECP certified and is owning the various global packet-optical and synchronization programs on the 1830 PSS and TPS platforms. His functions encompass strategy, standards, feature definition, R&D management and customer pre-sales and post-sales support.
Director Product Line Management, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Daniele Silva
Global Subsea Business Devevlopment Manager
Nokia
Daniele Silva is currently Global Subsea Business Development Manager for SLTE in NOKIA Optical Networks. He was formerly the Customer Engineering SUBSEA Leader for EMEA, with global coordination responsibilities for trials and projects execution. He has more than 20 years’ experience in the telecommunication industry, covering in the past several technical and management roles in R&D.
He holds a degree in Telecommunication Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy.
Global Subsea Business Devevlopment Manager
Nokia
James Watt
President and General Manager, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
James Watt is Vice President and General Manager for the Optical Networks Division at Nokia. Prior to this, James was the Vice President and General Manager for the Services Business Unit, IP/Optical Networks, at Nokia and its predecessor in Alcatel-Lucent, President of the Optics Business Line in Alcatel-Lucent and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Alcatel-Lucent Carrier Product Group. Until 2008, James held the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Alcatel-Lucent’s IP Business Division and had previously held the role of Vice President Network Strategy for Alcatel. James joined Alcatel in 2000 as Chief Technology Officer of the Carrier Internetworking Division through the acquisition of Newbridge Networks, where he was Assistant Vice President, Access and Network Management Strategy. During his 15 years with Newbridge, James held a variety of positions within the research & development, product management and marketing organizations. James holds multiple patents, primarily in the areas of traffic management and Internet Protocol. He received a B.SC. in Electrical Engineering from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario in 1986.
President and General Manager, Optical Networks Division
Nokia
Mohamed Zakaria
Optical Network Architect Team Lead APAC
Nokia
Mohamed has a 23-year journey in the Optical Networks Domain from hands-on experience in execution and operation, providing a solid foundation for the subsequent transition into the domain of Technical Sales and Presales Management. With a focus on Solution Consulting and Technical Sales With a robust career spanning over two decades, with a remarkable 16 years shaping the optical landscape within Nokia Optical Networks, solidifying his reputation across the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific) regions.
Optical Network Architect Team Lead APAC
Nokia