Innovation Summit Paris – Opinion Makers agenda.pdf

Barbara leads Schneider Electric’s global Industrial Automation Business and has served on the company’s Executive Committee since 2019. Barbara joined Schneider Electric in 2016 as Country President of Germany, and expanded her scope to Zone President of DACH in 2017 (including Germany, Austria and Switzerland). In 2019, she was appointed Executive Vice President, Europe Operations and a member of the Executive Committee.  Barbara started her career as a development project manager for motors and drives at ABB Schweiz AG. She held various senior management positions in the ABB Group, including regional responsibility as Country Manager Czech Republic, Regional Manager for the Mediterranean in Italy, and leadership of the worldwide drives business. Barbara holds a PhD in Electrical Machines from ETH Zurich, and an MBA from IMD Lausanne. LinkedIn Profile

Pankaj Sharma serves as the Executive Vice President for Data Centers, Networks & Services at Schneider Electric.   The Data Centers, Networks and Services division provides complete physical infrastructure solutions for data centers, distributed IT environments, and industrial applications. In his position, Pankaj is responsible for leading all global functions including strategy, commercial operations, marketing, R&D, supply chain, services, finance, and human resources. He manages teams in numerous countries across Asia, Europe, The Middle East, Africa and the Americas, driving overall growth and profitability.    Most recently, he served as the Senior Vice President of the Home & Business Networks (HBN) line of business from August 2016 to December 2019. In this role, he was responsible for the future strategy, product and software landscape, and leading a global team of R&D, quality, software, program creation, and product management professionals.   Prior to this role, Pankaj served as the Regional VP for APJ, where he held responsibility for overseeing the business strategy across East Asia, Japan, India, and the Pacific – totaling 17 countries. Through his leadership, he ensured businesses across the region maintained a strong focus on customers and partners. He led the team of regional leaders and Cluster VPs in countries to develop customer-oriented processes, deliver innovative energy solutions in data centers, and build successful relationships with Schneider Electric stakeholders.   Since joining Schneider Electric in 2000, Pankaj has held a variety of roles including Business Vice President for India, Japan, South Korea, and East Asia; as well as roles in marketing & sales, strategy, and HBN & channels for the APJ region. Based in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States, Pankaj’s achievements include leading his team to turn around APW President’s rack business in India (a company acquired by Schneider in 2011), among other successful M&A activities performed for the formerly known, Secure Power Division.  Prior to joining Schneider, Pankaj worked with GE in the Services area and began his career on the shop floor manufacturing CNC machines.   Pankaj is a six-sigma green belt and ISO9000 certified auditor.    Connect with Pankaj on LinkedIn.  

Rohan Kelkar is the new Executive Vice President of Power Products' global business. Rohan will continue to drive the division's electrical distribution transformation business and to develop innovative solutions, delivering more sustainable, efficient, connected, and circular products to the market. Having served as Schneider Electric's Senior Vice President, Power Products, North America, since 2019, Rohan brings more than 22 years of experience working for leading multinational corporations. His experience spans multiple disciplines, including Global Operations, Services, R&D, Product development, and Business management. Based in Atlanta, Georgia (USA), Rohan will report directly to Philippe Delorme, Executive Vice President of Energy Management and a member of the Executive Committee at Schneider Electric. He will be charged with spearheading innovation to deliver a greener, future-fit portfolio of products that help every Schneider partner and customer worldwide to accelerate their digital transformation and sustainability journeys successfully. He will focus on building Schneider Electric's flagship Innovations and Solutions and work with customers and partners across the ecosystem. The divisions under his leadership aim to deliver simplified, open, and digital solutions to the marketplace, driving meaningful outcomes.