Tom Racette, Sr. Director, RFID Business Development, EM Microelectronic

Tom Racette brings more than 25 years of RFID industry experience to EM Microelectronic, most recently serving as Director, Global Business Development at Avery Dennison, and as Global Vice President, Market Development at Mojix, Inc., where he has been focused on the Food & Grocery markets. Tom also has an extensive background in retail technology and a track record of achievement in sales and market development roles. Prior to Avery & Mojix, he worked at Checkpoint Systems as Vice President North America RFID Sales, and prior to that, he worked at Motorola as Director, RFID Market Development bringing some of the industry’s first RFID retail deployments to light. Tom started his career at Sensormatic where he worked more than 10 years in a wide range of positions culminating in Director, North America Source Tagging where he was responsible for managing a $120 million EAS tag/label business. Tom holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration & Management from the University of Vermont and is an active member in the RFID marketplace participating in many GS1 and Auburn University RFID Lab events.  

Suresh Palliparambil, Head of Sales & Business Development, EM Microelectronic

Suresh is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience in the contactless and wireless technology ecosystem. He is the head of sales and business development for EM Microelectronic, a Swatch Group Company. His career span began at DHL where he was directly responsible for managing productivity, on-time shipment delivery and process improvements.  Suresh continued to NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ: NXPI) where he was directly responsible for the building of Retail RFID, NFC, Contactless Payments, Secure Identification and IoT business. He has a proven track record in both startup and high-growth companies delivering global growth through market and product line development. Suresh has testified on wearable technology to a subcommittee of the U.S. Congress’s Committee on Energy and Commerce. He has contributed to several patents and participated in standards development activities for UHF and NFC. Suresh holds an MBA from MIT, an MS in Industrial Management, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering. 

Aaron Sundman, Business Development, CCL eAgile

Aaron Sundman is a trailblazing RFID innovator with over 25 years in technology and business efficiency. Beginning as a software developer, his exploration of RFID technology led to significant industry advancements. At CCL eAgile, he merges technical expertise with business strategy, enhancing supply chains and inventory management. As a self-described techno-optimist he sees this technology as the way to help the entire world create a safer and more efficient pharmaceutical supply chain.

Mike Isabell, Principal Engineer, CCL eAgile

Mike has over 18 years of Radio Frequency and Electrical Engineering design management experience. He has been with CCL eAgile for 15 years where he oversees the company`s inlay design and RFID product development. Prior to joining CCL eAgile, Mike was a RFID Product Engineer for Avery Dennison. He has been awarded over a dozen international patents relating to RFID and electronic product innovation. 

John Hatfield, Executive Director, The Axia Institute, Michigan State University

John Hatfield is the Executive Director of Michigan State University`s Axia Institute where he is responsible for leading Axia`s strategic vision and guiding its mission to deliver innovative research and value chain solutions to Axia`s members in the health care, food and agriculture, and advanced manufacturing industries. He has a strong background in sales, business administration and innovation management. 

Prior to his current position, John held the role of Director of Marketing and Communications at Axia, where he played a pivotal role in refining the institute`s offerings to industry partners and crafting its consortium-based outreach strategy. In this role, he also helped define the Institute’s marketplace and competitive positioning. Additionally, he directed sales and marketing efforts aimed at securing new corporate partners and led the development of different client forums aimed at identifying and uncovering industry-wide challenges. Before joining Axia, John worked at various organizations in the financial and professional services industries, where he honed his leadership skills in addition to his extensive expertise in marketing and brand building.