Technology & Sustainability Awards Judging Committee
Chair:
Oleksa Stelmakh, CEO
Leobit, Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine
Oleksa Stelmakh is an entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of Leobit, a leading .NET, AI, and web application development company with representative offices in the USA, Estonia, Poland, and a development center in Ukraine. With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, Oleksa has built an impressive career. He started as a software developer and grew into a system architect, project manager, and delivery director, and became the CEO of his own development company, Leobit. He is a recognized AI practitioner and keynote speaker who has successfully led generative AI transformation initiatives in Leobit and for company clients across multiple industries. His profound expertise helped companies implement and use large language models and intelligent automation.
Oleksa is known in the global tech community for scaling IT outsourcing businesses and thinking ahead when it comes to technology and strategy. Under his leadership, Leobit grew from a small startup into a successful tech company with over 170 employees. In 2024, Leobit was honored with a Silver Stevie Award in the Customer Service category of The 2024 International Business Awards, which proved the company’s commitment to delivering outstanding client experiences. Oleksa’s deep understanding of the tech industry makes him a trusted voice in evaluating innovation, leadership, and sustainable growth in the IT sector.
Committee:
Experience Efeosa Akhigbe, Sustainability & Energy Finance Professional
University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Experience Efeosa Akhigbe is a sustainability & energy finance professional with expertise in M&A, fundraising, and financial modeling across energy and renewable energy infrastructure sectors. He brings a global perspective shaped by roles in Africa and the U.S., and is passionate about solving complex problems through data and collaboration.
Omer Fein, Chief Economic Consul
State of Israel, San Francisco, California, United States
Omer Fein is the Israel Chief Economic Consul to the U.S. West Coast, leading trade and investment efforts across 17 states. With 15+ years in global strategy, diplomacy, and tech innovation, he connects Israeli startups with Fortune 500 firms and VCs, driving cross-border growth, partnerships, and international business excellence.
Kalyan Gottipati, VP, Principal Enterprise Architect
Citizens Bank, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Kalyan Gottipati is a Principal Enterprise Architect at Citizens Bank with over 17 years of experience in fintech. He is a patented innovator, digital transformation leader, and Forbes Technology Council member, specializing in AI driven banking solutions, cloud architecture, and scalable fintech platforms.
Sudhir Makkar, Director
Accenture, Arlington, Virginia, United States
Senior SAP Supply Chain Implementation Executive with over 24 years of professional experience with 10 full life cycle implementations across multiple verticals (CPG, Retail, F&B, Agriculture and Healthcare). Successfully implemented SAP to run businesses with market cap of over $10B. Orchestrate & support pursuits in Gen AI and Sustainability areas and embed them in SAP methodology.
Thirupathi Naidu Paladugu, Systems Engineering, Vice President
MUFG bank ltd, Tampa, Florida, United States
Thirupathi has more than 14 years of experience in the information technology field. He has been involved in tech stacks in the industry and has worked at the MUFG Bank for the last 3 years. Thirupathi is responsible for migrating from OCP 3 to OCP 4 platform and addressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities through remediation efforts.
Jigar Patel, SAP Manager
PwC, Austin, Texas, United States
Atul Punj, CEO
IBSFINtech USA Inc., Bridgewater, New Jersey, United States
With over 30 years of experience in the IT industry, Atul is passionate about delivering innovative solutions that empower businesses to achieve their goals. As the CEO of IBSFINtech USA, he led the expansion of our corporate finance platform, the TMS, into the US market, a strategic move to revolutionize global treasury operations.