About Me
Let's Get Acquainted
Career:
I'm a Sr. Solution Principal, Digital Manufacturing / Center of Excellence at German Enterprise Software cloud company, SAP SE. I've served in a variety of leadership, innovation and consulting roles over the last 25 years of my career, all of them rewarding in different ways. I began my professional career as a CPA serving clients across North America, then later as CFO, VP Operations and eventually President of an Advanced Network Technologies and Cloud Services start-up for 12 years. Thereafter I spent 10 years in consulting and leadership implementing Smart Manufacturing solutions in the automotive industry.
Since joining SAP almost 10 years ago, my focus continues on customer engagements that assess challenges and articulate strategies that drive business transformation. I'm responsible for helping new clients discover their capacity for digital transformation in Manufacturing. I also co-lead SAP’s Industry 4.0 Go-to-Market within the Digital Supply Chain Center of Excellence for North America. Pretty fascinating stuff if you're future focused, as I am.
Beyond that, I'm an aspiring broadcaster, as my domain name implies - I really dislike the term "podcast," too many negative associations with the word "pod" I suppose. While approaching retirement age, I see no point in planning for a so-called retirement, a largely dated concept that appeals to those with passions to occupy themselves with activities for which earned income is no object. Not me. I'll find a hybrid approach that suits my talents, interests and health, i.e. I'm going to know things, drink wine and opine.
UPDATE 3/1/2024: I have elected retire from SAP effective 4/30/2024 ("they made me an offer I couldn't refuse"). On to the next chapter, but now I'll have much more freedom to pursue passions outside of pure technology. Writing will certainly be an engaging activity, but so will my forest hiking, travelling with my wife across North America and when the skies permit, honing my astrophotography skills. I'll keep my hand in play with AI and creative applications. My avatar is anxious to go to work for me, and I'm fascinated to see how well he does.
Personal Musings:
Random recollections
I had dinner once with Gen. Alexander Haig, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO forces and US Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan. I liked the man, found him quite personable and a good listener and story-teller. I hope to be a good story-teller some day. Heck of a sharp dresser too that General. As Cary Grant showed in his films, a man in a sharp suit is never over-dressed. The General was fund-raising while exploring a Presidential run (my dad moved in those circles for a time). Among other things he was adjunct professor at the Univ. of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. That impressed me as well, I was considering their Executive Education MBA program at the time (considered, passed on it, realized I'm not the MBA type).
Being the take-charge personality that he was, I thought the former Secretary of State got a bit of a bum rap over the temporary "who's in charge here" and Presidential line-of-succession debacle, when Reagan suffered an attempted assassination in 1981 (I'm not alone in so thinking either https://www.discovery.org/a/14221/) That day was very strange, not least because it was at the hands of a man whose entire ambition in life was to meet popular film actress Jodi Foster, no less. At the time I'd have preferred to meet Robert De Niro or Cybill Shepherd, I suppose. I was glad President Reagan survived the episode with his usual good cheer and humor, the "Great Communicator.".
By contrast, many years earlier I simply tried to shake hands with then Senator Ted Kennedy. His SS detail demonstrated that a forearm to the throat is a highly effective maneuver when you want your VIP to keep moving. I try to avoid politicians and world leaders anymore, you only have so much time in this life. Now Red Skelton, the comedian and television Show host (briefly), there was a character who treated me well.
More to come...
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