About This Virtual Event

Justin furthers the mission of social innovation and building a more sustainable society through technology and business innovation. Justin has worked with both Silicon Valley startups and fortune 500s that are applying AI, IoT, and other disruptive technologies to improve our cities, commutes, and daily lives. He has worked in the US, Japan, and South Africa on projects that include smart cities, smart parking, electric vehicles, renewable energy, machine learning, and 3D printing.

Justin was the recipient of the THINK Prize for the Financial Empowerment Challenge from renowned innovation and design firm IDEO and holds an MBA in sustainable management.

Brijesh Khanna is Innovation Leader & Sr. Vice President for the Social Innovation Business, Hitachi America Ltd. Brijesh is responsible for incubating R&D solutions from beyond concept to commercialization through co-creation with customers and partners.

He is responsible for conceptualizing, creating and then Going-to-Market with end-to-end IoT and Big Data solutions across multiple verticals of Hitachi Ltd. These are unique one of kind big infrastructure solutions that reduce cost, increase profitability and radically change customer’s business.

Brijesh has EE Engineering degree from Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani, India.

Matthew North is the Head of Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) & Sustainability at Hitachi ABB Power Grids. Matthew joined our company in 2007 and has held various roles in the former Power Grids division of ABB. He worked as Head of HR for Business Unit (BU) Transformers, served as HR Manager for the Power Grids Power Up transformation program and Global HR and Safety Manager for BU Grid Automation.

Matthew holds an Executive Master’s degree in Strategic Human Resource Management from SDA Bocconi, Italy. Matthew is based in Zurich, Switzerland.

Andrew Barr was appointed in April 2019 as Vice President and Executive Officer of Hitachi, Ltd., and Group CEO of Hitachi Rail, a global, full-service provider of rail services and products, with a presence in 30 countries and over 14,000 colleagues.

Starting his career in rail in 1990 with London Underground Limited, Andrew held posts with UK train operator GNER, at Bombardier Transportation and with the Strategic Rail Authority. He went on to be appointed as Head of Maintenance Delivery and later COO at Hitachi Rail Europe, before being appointed CEO of the global business, Hitachi Rail STS, based in Italy.

He was awarded a BSc (Hons.) in Manufacturing Technology and Management from Brunel University and is a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

As of April 2021, as Chief Environmental Officer, Alistair Dormer is in charge of Environmental Strategy for Hitachi on a global level. He was appointed Representative Executive Officer in Hitachi, Ltd. leading the Mobility Sector in April 2019.

Alistair joined Hitachi in 2003 to establish Hitachi’s Rail business in Europe. He was promoted to CEO of Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. in 2007 and having built a successful business in Europe was promoted to Senior Vice President and Executive Officer Group CEO, Rail Systems Business Unit Hitachi, Ltd. in April 2014, responsible for Hitachi’s global rail business. Under Dormer’s leadership, the Hitachi’s rail business has globalized and grown by more than 300%.

Aarti Tandon is a smart cities leader and human rights lawyer who, through her work as a member of the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance, an Aspen/ADL Civil Society Fellow, and CEO of Smart City Expo Atlanta, is building smart, equitable, and sustainable 21st century cities. She has convened 1000+ global and local leaders on creating equity, resiliency, and economic mobility by harnessing the $1.6 trillion global smart city marketplace.

Previously, Aarti spent a decade at the intersection of entertainment, technology, and criminal justice law. She has represented Grammy-nominated and top Bollywood artists and worked with leading celebrities and global government officials on issues of sustainability, innovation, and equity. Aarti is a frequent speaker on bridging the racial and equity gap, smart cities and innovation, and 21st century public policy. She lives in New York City with her husband, Joseph.

Hicham Abdessamad currently holds roles as Chairman & CEO of Hitachi America, Ltd. and Corporate Officer for Hitachi, Ltd.
As Chairman & CEO of Hitachi America Ltd., Hicham’s responsibilities include leading Hitachi America in achieving its business growth objectives and delivering on Hitachi’s social innovation mission to provide social, economic and environmental value for our customers, partners and ecosystems. This includes ensuring all U.S.-based Hitachi group companies continue their growth trajectory across Hitachi’s key business sectors, including Digital, Sustainability, and Innovation. Other responsibilities include providing oversight as Hitachi Corporate Regional Head of Risk Management and supporting various Hitachi Group Corporate and strategic initiatives.
One of Hitachi America’s key growth areas is the Environment Business Division, with an emphasis on environmental and sustainability solutions. This division is focused on delivering a portfolio of transformational business solutions, leveraging Hitachi’s expertise in digital technology, energy, transportation and industrial capabilities while executing on a mission of powering good and driving meaningful business outcomes.
Hicham holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from Suffolk University, Massachusetts, and has completed the Executive Development Program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and the Executive Leadership Program at the International Institute of Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland.