Keynote
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
9:00 am, Wednesday, October 23, 2019 – Welcome Addresses
9:30 am, Wednesday, October 23, 2019 – Opening Keynote I
Jatin Nathwani, PhD, P.Eng
Professor and Ontario Research Chair in Public Policy for Sustainable Energy
Executive Director, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE)
Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Environment
Fellow, Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA)
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Professor Nathwani is the founding Executive Director, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE) and holds the prestigious Ontario Research Chair in Public Policy for Sustainable Energy at the University of Waterloo.
Professor Nathwani, with Co-Director, Prof Joachim Knebel (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany) has established a platform for a Global Change Initiative – Affordable Energy for Humanity (AE4H). The consortium comprises 150+ leading STEM and social science researchers, energy access thought leaders and practitioners from 50 institutions in 30 countries committed to eradicating energy poverty by 2030.
WISE brings together the expertise of UW faculty members to develop and implement large-scale multi-disciplinary research projects in collaboration with business, industry, governments and civil society groups. The vision of the Institute is simple: clean energy, accessible and affordable for all.
Prior to his appointment at the University in 2007, Professor Nathwani worked in a leadership capacity in the Canadian energy sector over a 30 year period. He brings a unique combination of academic perspectives with extensive experience in the business sector that includes corporate planning and strategy, energy sector policy developments, power system planning, environmental and regulatory affairs and research program management.
Professor Nathwani serves on several Boards at the provincial and national levels and has appeared frequently in the media (print, TV, radio) and has over 100 publications related to energy policy, environment and risk management, including seven books. He is a Registered Professional Engineer (PEO) in the Province of Ontario, Canada.
Presentation Title: Science and Technology for Human Betterment
Abstract:
Professor Nathwani will focus on the role of energy as a fundamental enabler of human betterment. Delivering on the promise of ‘Affordable Access’ to energy is the key step on the ladder to an improved quality of life for billions without clean energy for heat, light, water, food or medical care. Solutions that are low cost, robust and scalable on a massive scale are required to deliver on the UN promise of sustainable energy for all. (SE4All).’
Professor Nathwani will highlight his work on advancing a global movement to improve the foundational basis of scientific, technological and social innovations needed to drive an energy revolution to make energy poverty a footnote of history.
10:15 am, Wednesday, October 23, 2019 – Opening Keynote II
Shalabh Bakshi
Director, Digital Enterprise and MindSphere
Digital Factory Division
Siemens Canada Limited
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Digital Enterprise “Industry 4.0” and Mindsphere “Open Cloud based IoT Operating system”
As Director of Digital Enterprise at Siemens Canada, Shalabh Bakshi is responsible for helping Canadian customers realize their “Digital Enterprise” by providing them with Digitalization and Industry 4.0 roadmaps and technological solutions that will drive the digital transformation within their organizations. In addition, he leads Siemens Canada’s MindSphere; Siemens open, cloud-based IoT operating system.
For both responsibilities, Mr. Bakshi sets the strategic direction, engages actively in business development, as well as marketing, integration and service delivery to support his teams and enable various product portfolios across software and automation.
His background is a mix of consulting, sales/business development, strategy and technology leadership. Prior to his current role, Mr. Bakshi has held many leadership positions with Siemens since joining the organization in 2012. These include Business Head for Digitalization Consulting, Division Sales Strategy and Business Development in the ASEAN region. Most recently he developed and established a new business model for Siemens which received funding from the Singapore government.
Mr. Bakshi is an established Technology thought leader thriving on engineering excellence, Cloud and Big data, Simulation and other digital technologies. Mr. Bakshi has extensive international and cultural experience and has worked globally with large multinational organizations.
In addition to being an Electronics & Communication Engineer, Mr. Bakshi also holds a Masters in International Business from University of Birmingham, UK. He spends his free time mentoring youngsters on strategy and technology projects and enjoys travelling.
11:00 – 11:30 Networking Break
11:30 am, Wednesday, October 23, 2019 – Tuesday Keynote III
Ahmad K. Elshennawy, Ph.D.
Researcher – Consultant – Academician
Professor
Executive Director of The UCF Quality Institute
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
University of Central Florida (UCF)
Orlando, Florida, USA
Ahmad K. Elshennawy, Ph.D. is Professor and Executive Director of The UCF Quality Institute in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Prior to joining UCF, he served as a Guest Researcher with the Precision Engineering Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland for two years.
Dr. Elshennawy combines over 30 years of international experience with exemplary academic record in the areas of quality management and strategic improvement, as a researcher, academician and a consultant in the United States and different parts of the world. He is the co-author of the Certified Quality Engineer Handbook (1st and 2nd Editions), the Certified Quality Technician Handbook, and the Certified Quality Inspector Handbook (ASQ publications) and Manufacturing Processes and Materials (SME publication).
Elshennawy received a BS and MS degrees in Production Engineering from Alexandria University and M.Eng. & Ph.D. degrees in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University. His teaching and research areas of expertise include Quality and Reliability Engineering, Quality Systems and Management, Six Sigma Quality/Lean Six Sigma, Statistical Process Control, Lean Service, and Business and process Performance Improvement and Management.
Elshennawy is a Fellow of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), Senior Member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). He is an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) and a Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) and is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. Dr. Elshennawy has served on the Editorial Review Board of Quality Press of the American Society for Quality and currently serves on the Editorial Board of Quality Progress and is a Senior Editor for the Journal of management and Engineering Integration. He is also the Director of Development and Quality Control of the Association for Industry, Engineering, and Management Systems (AIEMS)
12:00 pm, Wednesday, October 23, 2019 – Tuesday Keynote IV
Jeffrey Jones
Plant Manager
Etobicoke Casting Plant
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Ontario, Canada
Jeff Jones is the Head of Plant Operations at Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA), Etobicoke Casting Plant (ECP) located in Toronto, Ontario. ECP was awarded Bronze status in World Class Manufacturing (WCM) in March 2019. In this role Jones is responsible for all day-to-day plant operations of High Pressure Die casting (Aluminum); including meeting quality standards, ensuring compliance with health, safety and environmental regulations as well as financial and production targets.
Prior to his current role, Jones spent 16 years in Powertrain Manufacturing at FCA and held positions of increasing responsibility ranging from operations in powertrain transmissions manufacturing to leading World Class Manufacturing expansion at several facilities in North America. Jones joined FCA in 2000 after a ten-year career in Law Enforcement and four years in the United States Air Force serving at Ramstein Air Base (Germany), the Headquarters for United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE).
Committed to community service Jones is involved in many Charitable efforts such as United Way, Salvation Army, American Heart Association, Habitat for Humanity, Down Syndrome (Indiana), Daily Bread Foodbank (Toronto).
Jones earned a Master of Science degree from Indiana State University (2005) and Master of Science degree from Purdue University (2006).
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm, September 23, 2019 – Wednesday Networking LUNCH Buffet
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm, September 23, 2019 – Wednesday LUNCH Keynote:
Dr. Gursel Suer
Professor
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Ohio University
Athens, Ohio, USA
Incorporating Recent Developments in Advanced Manufacturing into Hybrid Manufacturing System Design
Gursel A. Suer joined the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Ohio University after working 12 years at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. He is on the editorial board of various journals. He currently serves as the manufacturing area editor of the Computers and the Industrial Engineering Journal. He has co-chaired two Computers and Industrial Engineering Conferences (1997-Puerto Rico, 2005-Istanbul). He also initiated Group Technology/Cellular Manufacturing Conferences held in Puerto Rico (2000), Ohio (2003), Netherlands (2006), and Japan (2009). Most of his research has been motivated by his projects and observations in industrial settings. He has edited seven conference proceedings and three special issues with different journals. He has published more than 110 papers in journals, edited books, conference proceedings and made more than 100 technical presentations. He has also advised more than 40 graduate students. His research interests are cellular system design, production planning, inventory control and multiple assembly design. All Degrees Earned: Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, Wichita State University, 1989; M.S., Industrial Engineering, Middle East Technical University, 1985; and B.S., Industrial Engineering, Middle East Technical University, 1982. Awards are: ISE White Teaching Award, Ohio University, 2009, Baxter Distinguished Professor in Manufacturing, UPR-Mayaguez, Co-holder, (1999-2000), Distinguished Professor of the Industrial Engineering Department, UPR-Mayaguez, (1996-1997), Baxter Distinguished Professor in Manufacturing, UPR-Mayaguez, Co-holder, (1994-1995) and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
Abstract of the Talk:
In this talk, first manufacturing systems and assembly lines will be briefly classified and then their integration will be reviewed. Later, the influence of recent developments in the advanced manufacturing and industry 4.0 (particularly additive manufacturing, collaborative robots, flexible cells, connectivity, augmented reality, worker and task assignments, wearable robots) on the hybrid manufacturing system design will be elaborated.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
9:40 am – 10:20 am, October 24, 2019 – Thursday Morning Keynote I
Andrew K.S. Jardine, PhD, P.Eng., CEng, FCAE, FIIE, FISEAM (Hon.)
Professor Emeritus, Industrial Engineering
Department of Mechanical and industrial Engineering
Founding Director of the Centre for Maintenance Optimization & Reliability Engineering (C-MORE)
University of Toronto, Canada
INDUSTRY/UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION: USE OF ANALYTICS FOR EVIDENCE BASED PHYSICAL ASSET MANAGEMENT
Dr. Andrew K.S. Jardine was Founding Director of the Centre for Maintenance Optimization & Reliability Engineering (C-MORE). He is author of economic life software AGE/CON and PERDEC, licensed to organizations in the transportation, mining, electrical utilities, and process industries, and author of OREST software used for optimizing component preventive replacement decisions and forecasting demand for spare parts. In addition to writing software, C-MORE has developed and commercialised two software packages: EXAKT for the optimization of condition based maintenance decisions and SMS for optimization of stock holding policies for slow-moving expensive capital spares.
Dr. Jardine is a prolific researcher and advocate of advances in maintenance decision-making and reliability engineering. His views are sought after by industry, he has published numerous books and papers, and he presents his work at professional seminars and conferences worldwide. His first maintenance-related book, Maintenance, Replacement and Reliability (1973) is in its 6th printing. He is co-editor with J.D. Campbell of Maintenance Excellence: Optimizing Equipment Life Cycle Decisions (2001); the second edition was published in 2010 as Asset Management Excellence: Optimizing Equipment Life-Cycle Decisions. The second edition of the bestselling Maintenance, Replacement & Reliability: Theory and Applications (2006), co-authored with Dr. A.H.C. Tsang, appeared in 2013.
In 1998, Professor Emeritus Jardine was the first recipient of the Sergio Guy Memorial Award from the Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association of Canada in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the maintenance profession and was elected a Fellow of both the Institute of Industrial Engineers and the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2013. In 2013 he also received the Lifetime Achievement award from the International Society for Engineering Asset Management. In 2014 he was admitted to the status of Honorary Fellow of the International Society of Engineering Asset Management.
10:20 am – 11:00 am, October 24, 2019 – Thursday Morning Keynote II
Peter Merrill
President
Quest Management Inc.
Canada
Knowledge and Skills for Industry 4.0
Peter Merrill is a Keynote Speaker on Innovation and has keynoted at events such as the World Conference on Quality. As Chief Executive of one of the leading Design Brands in the Europe he has been an Innovator in one of the most demanding markets. He is an Engineer, an Artist and a Writer and has led Innovation in the fields of both Graphic Art and Engineering.
He is Head of Delegation for the Canadian Committee to ISO/TC279 on Innovation Management. He is also chair of the ASQ Innovation Think Tank. He led the International Working Group which developed the ISO Guideline on ‘People Involvement’ in Management Systems and sees the best Innovation coming from the ‘Collective Knowledge’ of an Organization.
He is one of North America’s foremost authorities on Management Systems which he has implemented in such innovative companies as IBM, A.I.G., R.I.M. and Solectron. He is author of the books “Innovation Generation”, “Do It Right the Second Time”and ‘Innovation Never Stops’.
Peter Merrill emphasizes the importance of developing an Innovative Culture which leads to innovation of both your practices and your business model as well as your products.
11:00 Networking Break
11:30 am – 1:00 pm, October 24, 2019 – Thursday Keynote
Industry 4.0 and Talent Pipeline
David Pistrui, Ph.D.
Industry Liaison
Director, Graduate Recruiting
Clinical Professor of Engineering
College of Engineering & Science
University of Detroit Mercy
Detroit, Michigan, USA
David Pistrui, Ph.D., is an executive, educator, and entrepreneur, with over 35 years of experience serving the corporate, nonprofit, and education sectors. Dr. Pistrui has held corporate leadership positions with both Fortune 500, and midsized companies including VideoCart, MediaOne, Parade Publications, Time Incorporated, and Purex Industries.
Dr. Pistrui has worked with a wide range of organizations in over 60 countries including FCA, Ford, Tenneco, Siemens, GM, Eaton, Dentsu, FedEx, KPMG, AT Kearney, Motorola, Wrigley, IBM, GrubHub, Comarch, Minnetronix, Cleversafe, Automation Alley and the World Economic Forum among many others.
Currently Dr. Pistrui is leading a consortium of ten Michigan universities and colleges (and their industry partners) in a multi-year applied research project focusing on Industry 4.0 (the fourth industrial revolution). Dr. Pistrui has served as an economic advisor to the states of Michigan, North Carolina and Illinois, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, AutoCluster Styira (Austria), Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance, Middle East Economic Digest, and the Family Firm Institute.
As an educator, he has held faculty appointments at the University of Detroit Mercy, Fayetteville State University (North Carolina), Illinois Institute of Technology, DePaul University, and Alfred University. He has held endowed chairs in entrepreneurship and family business. Dr. Pistrui has co-authored over 60 publications in the areas of talent development, artificial intelligence, robotics, technology entrepreneurship, strategy, family business, and engineering education.
Dr. Pistrui holds a Ph.D. in Applied Economics (Cum Laude) Entrepreneurship and Strategy, from Universität Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain, and a Ph.D., in Sociology from the University of Bucharest, Romania. He earned a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree from DePaul University (Chicago) and a Bachelor of Business Administration, in Marketing and Economics from Western Michigan University.
Dr. Darrell Kleinke
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Director of Professional Engineering Programs
University of Detroit Mercy
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Dr. Darrell Kleinke, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM), teaches Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Management, Technical Entrepreneurship and Product Development courses. His courses include topics on innovation, creativity, and the innovation culture.
Dr. Kleinke is currently the Director of the Detroit Mercy engineering graduate programs and he was formerly the Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department. He holds BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and he holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State University.
Dr. Kleinke gained extensive industrial experience prior to joining UDM in 2008. His work included design and release of automotive body systems at Ford Motor Company, structural testing and servo-hydraulic road simulation testing at a tier 1 supplier, as well as product development engineering at General Motors corporation.
Dr. Kleinke’s research interests and publications are related to mechanical design, multi-disciplined collaboration, engineering education, innovation, entrepreneurship, and systems engineering. Dr. Kleinke provides consulting services through Innovation in Action Inc., where he conducts workshops in the application of systematic innovation tools, product architecture and systems engineering.
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm, October 24, 2019 – Thursday Networking LUNCH Buffet
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm, October 24, 2019 – Thursday LUNCH Keynote
Eric Ayanegui, CPMM, CRL
Director Operations Engineering
Cintas Corporation
Houston, Texas, USA
Mr. Eric Ayanegui is currently the director of Operations Engineering of CINTAS. As one of the technical leaders at CINTAS, he has been directing engineering, reliability, quality and safety initiatives across 210 industrial sites across North America and China. He has over 20 years of experience in the industrial laundry industry and has been involved in industrial leading efforts in Reliability and Safety. He is a member of the CINTAS Corporate Executive Faculty teaching Reliability and a certified Plant Maintenance Manager and Certified Reliability Leader. He is a member of Industrial Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni of UH and has served on the advisory board of Industrial Engineering Department at UH since 2015. He holds a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Houston.
Friday, October 25, 2019
9:40 am – 10:20 am, October 25, 2019 – Friday Morning Keynote I
Todd Deaville
Director of Engineering and R&D
Magna International Inc.
Toronto, Canada
Todd Deaville joined Magna International in 1997 and currently serves as Director, Engineering and R&D, supporting Magna’s Corporate Engineering and Research and Development team on a global basis.
In this role he works with academic, industry and startup company partners to identify, technically assess and lead and/or support product development activities for new technology commercialization.
Todd has worked for Magna in the automotive industry for 20 years, beginning with an apprenticeship in tool and die engineering and plastics molding. This was followed by various engineering, customer liaison, operational improvement and product and process development roles in plastics/composites and Class A paint facilities.
Todd has been involved with numerous advanced engineering projects, business analysis and R&D strategy development for both Magna’s automotive and non-automotive businesses. He has worked on and/or directed advanced R&D programs with OEMs, startup to multi-national scale partners, government agencies and University and private research organizations globally.
A native of Canada, he received his Bachelors of Applied Science Degree from Dalhousie University in 1997 and Masters’ of Mechanical Engineering Degree from the University of Toronto in 2010, based on the development of a novel automotive acoustics actuator. Todd has coauthored research papers and has been awarded several patents related to automotive products and manufacturing methods.
10:20 am – 11:00 am, October 25, 2019 – Friday, Morning Keynote II
Samir Elhedhli, PhD, PEng
Professor
Department of Management Sciences
Faculty of Engineering
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Dr. Samir Elhedhli is Professor and Chair of the Department of Management Sciences at the University of Waterloo. He holds a BSc and MSc from Bilkent University and PhD from McGill University. He has research interests in Large-scale Optimization and Data Analytics with applications in Logistics, Supply chain, and Service Systems Design. His work has appeared in scientific journals such as Management Science, Mathematical Programming, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, INFORMS Journal on Computing, IISE transactions, and European Journal of Operational Research among others. He held grants from NSERC, CFI, OCE and MITACS and collaborated with industries in aircraft manufacturing, airline scheduling, and warehouse management. He was Chair of the Department of Management Sciences from 2014 to 2018. He served as president of the Canadian Operational Research Society (CORS) in 2011-2012. He is currently the Education Chair and co-Editor-in-Chief of their flagship journal INFOR. He is the recipient of the CORS Service Award in 2013 and the University of Waterloo’s distinguished and outstanding performance awards in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2016.
11:00 Networking Break
11:30 am – 12:00 am, October 25, 2019 – Friday Keynote III
Birsen Donmez, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Canada Research Chair in Human Factors and Transportation
University of Toronto
Ontario, Canada
Birsen Donmez is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering and is the Canada Research Chair in Human Factors and Transportation. She received her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Bogazici University in 2001, her MS (2004) and PhD (2007) in industrial engineering, and her MS in statistics (2007) from the University of Iowa. Before joining the University of Toronto, she spent two years as a postdoctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on operator attention in multitask activities, decision support under uncertainty, and human automation interaction, with applications in surface transportation, healthcare, and unmanned vehicle operations. Her selected honors include the inaugural Stephanie Binder Young Professional Award from the HFES Surface Transportation Technical Group and an Ontario Early Researcher Award. She serves on multiple Transportation Research Board committees and as an associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems.
12:00 am – 12:30 pm, October 25, 2019 – Friday Keynote IV
Cheryl Thompson
Founder and CEO of CADIA
Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement
Detroit, Michigan
Talk Title: Hitting the Gas to Excel in Diversity and Inclusion within the Industrial Sector
Bio
Cheryl Thompson is the founder of the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement (CADIA). CADIA supports Diversity and Inclusion for the Automotive Industry by providing professional development for individuals, along with resources, programs and tools that drive organizational evolution.
A veteran of the automotive industry, Cheryl has over 30 years of experience at Ford Motor Company and American Axle and Manufacturing in positions ranging from skilled trades, operations, engineering and global leadership.
She is trained in diversity and inclusion, career and leadership coaching and is Six Sigma trained and certified as a Black Belt. Cheryl has been recognized as a 2019 Influential Women in Manufacturing Honoree, a 2019 Corp Magazine Salute to Diversity award winner, and is the recipient of two Diversity and Inclusion Awards from Ford Motor Company.
A sought-after voice and speaker in the automotive, manufacturing and aerospace & defense industries, Cheryl has performed keynote addresses, workshops and breakout sessions for a number of companies and events, including TEDx Windsor, Women in Manufacturing (WiM), the American Automotive Summit, and Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
12:30 pm – 1:00 pm, October 25, 2019 – Friday Keynote V
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm, October 25, 2019 – Friday Networking LUNCH Buffet
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm, October 25, 2019 – Friday LUNCH Keynote
Mr. Lee Childers
Chief Executive Officer
Tooling Tech Group
Macomb, Michigan 48042
Lee Childers is the Chief Executive Officer at Tooling Tech Group (TTG), a provider of highly engineered automation and tooling solutions to a variety of industries. He has over 30 years’ experience leading multi-site global operations, focusing on improving revenue streams and integrating companies though implementation of metric driven world class processes and systems. At TTG, Childers is driving the business units to function as one company through the integration of standardized reporting metrics, implementation of lean manufacturing, best practice sharing, visual management and operator engagement. Under his leadership, the company’s revenue has grown by more than 35% to become the largest tooling company in North America.
Prior to joining Tooling Tech Group in March of 2018, Mr. Childers served as COO of Crowne OE Group and has also held multiple leadership positions with IAC and Lear Corporation. Mr. Childers is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, with a BA in chemistry and a BS in business and administration, with a focus on business management and operations. He is also a member of the Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board for Lawrence Technological University.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm, Friday, October 25, 2019 – Conference Awards Dinner
7:30 – 7:45: Conference Awards Keynotes
Dr. Devashis Mitra
Dean
Faculty of Business Administration
University of New Brunswick
Fredericton, Canada
Devashis Mitra, Dean of the Faculty of Management, and Professor of Finance and Entrepreneurship, joined the faculty in 1991 and is a member of the Entrepreneurship and Finance Areas. Dr. Mitra’s teaching interests are in Corporate Finance, Entrepreneurial Finance, and International Financial Management in the BBA and MBA programs. He received a UNB Merit Award in 2001 and again in 2012 for his performance in research, service, and teaching. He also was a recipient in 2002 of the faculty’s Excellence in Research Award for performance across his career. Dr. Mitra was Associate Dean, Research and Strategic Initiatives from July 1, 2012 until June 30, 2013. He previously served as Associate Dean, International Programs, from 2004 to 2008 and Associate Dean (Accreditation and Research) during the 2010-11 academic year. Prior to pursuing an academic career, Dr. Mitra worked for Price Waterhouse and for Indian Aluminum Company, then a subsidiary of Alcan Aluminum. He also holds a Fellow designation from the Institute of Chartered Accountant of India. He has been a visiting scholar has held teaching assignments at institutions in India, Indonesia, Trinidad, Poland and Singapore. His research interests are entrepreneurial finance such as venture capital and crowdfunding, financial institutions, governance, dividend policy, corporate capital structure, international capital budgeting and financial markets. He is the co-author of a widely adopted textbook on corporate finance and his research has been published in journals such as: Applied Economics, Financial Management (FM Letters), the Financial Review, Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, the Journal of Financial Studies, the Journal of Small Business Management, Journal of Economics and Business, Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, International Journal of Corporate Governance, Mid-Atlantic Journal of Business, and Midwestern Journal of Business & Economics. Dr. Mitra is co-author of a widely adopted textbook in Corporate Finance published by McGraw-Hill Ryerson, now in its 6th Canadian edition.
Dr. Abdur Rahim
Professor of Quantitative Methods
Faculty of Faculty of Business Administration area
University of New Brunswick
Fredericton, NB, Canada
Abdur Rahim joined the Faculty of Business Administration in 1983 and is a member of the Quantitative Methods area. He teaches Production and Operations Management, Total Quality Management, Project Management and Advanced Statistics for Finance & Economics in the BBA and MBA programs. Dr. Rahim received the UNB Merit Award in 1992, 2000, 2009 and 2014 for his performance in research, service, and teaching. He received the 2012, 2015 and 2018 IEOM Award on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM) in recognition and appreciation of his outstanding lifelong contribution. He received the Faculty of Business Administration’s Excellence in Research Award in 1999 for outstanding performance across his career. In recognition of his performance in research on integrated optimization modelling in quality control, production planning and control, inventory control and maintenance, Dr. Rahim has been awarded continuous funding from Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) since joining UNB.
Dr. Rahim is a recognized world expert in Total Quality Management. He has taught a wide range of courses in universities in Canada, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia. He has worked as a consultant for UNDP (United Nations Development Program) and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations). Dr. Rahim has delivered numerous invited talks around the world that have dealt with statistical process control issues.
He is a member of the Editorial Boards for Journal of Economic Quality Control, Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, Journal of Quality Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Six-Sigma and Competitive Advantages, and International Journal of Experimental Design and Process Optimization. He also served as a member of the Advisory or Editorial boards for: Engineering Optimization, Quality Engineering, International Journal of Production Research, and International Journal of Systems Science.
Dr. Rahim’s research interests are quality control, inventory control, reliability, maintenance and production and operations management. He has published three books and more than 100 refereed journal articles. He has also published 6 refereed book chapters.
Dr. Rahim has been active in conducting international conferences on industrial engineering and operations management (IEOM) at various parts of the world. He supervised several masters and doctoral candidates at the University of New Brunswick and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Rahim and his colleague Dr. Pradeeb Banerjee have the rare distinction of having mathematical models named after them as they together developed the Rahim-Banerjee Models in Statistical Process Control. He also served as an honorary Chair, Program Chair, Session Chair of numerous international conferences.
Past Keynotes
- IEOM 2010 – Dhaka
- IEOM 2011 – Kuala Lumpur
- IEOM 2012 – Istanbul
- IEOM 2014 – Bali
- IEOM 2015 – Dubai
- IEOM 2015 – Orlando
- IEOM 2016 – Kuala Lumpur
- IEOM 2016 – Detroit
- IEOM 2017 – Rabat, Morocco
- IEOM 2017 – Bogota
- IEOM 2018 – Bandung
- IEOM 2018 – Paris
- IEOM 2018 – Washington DC
- IEOM 2018 – Pretoria
- IEOM 2019 – Bangkok