Mr. Gronski joined Cisco Systems, Inc. as a Director of Software Development for IOS. He subsequently managed groups involved in developing Voice and Security software for Cisco platforms. During his career at Cisco Systems, Inc. Mr. Gronski was responsible for software development on various hardware platforms including AS5300, AS5800 and Cisco 12000.

In the summer of 2004 Mr. Gronski assumed the responsibility for the establishing and managing Cisco China R&D Development Center. He is presently stationed in Shanghai and manages the site as well as product development activities.

Prior to Cisco Systems, Inc. Mr. Gronski spent over 20 years working in Data and Telecommunications Industries. He managed software and hardware development groups for Hybrid Networks, Silicon Graphics, Xerox and General Electric.

Mr. Gronski obtained his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Illinois in 1974.

Lothar Katz is a management advisor in the field of international business and founder of cross-cultural consultancy Leadership Crossroads in Dallas, TX. He has a wealth of experience in achieving productive cooperation across cultures and driving business success on a global scale, and has helped many large and small organizations grow their global competence and international business. A former Vice President with a Fortune 500 company, Lothar has led international organizations that included several teams in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Over the course of more than 15 years, he has negotiated and worked with countless customers, employees, outsourcing partners, and third parties in China and several other Asian countries.

Lothar is an executive board member of the DFW Asian American Citizens Council. He is the author of the book “Negotiating International Business – The Negotiator’s Reference Guide to 50 Countries Around the World”, teaches International Project Management at the University of Texas at Dallas’ School of Management, and is a Business Leadership Center instructor at the Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business and a guest lecturer at the University of Washington’s Business School.

Roger N. Nagel is a Senior Fellow in the Enterprise Systems Center at Lehigh University. He is also the Harvey Wagner Professor, in the CSE department and the former CEO and Executive Director of the Iacocca Institute. Business Week, Forbes, and Fortune magazine have cited him for his visionary efforts as the father of the virtual corporation concept. He is co-author of the widely influential business book, “Agile Competitors and Virtual Organizations: Strategies for Enriching the Customer” and the more recent book “Cooperate to Compete: Building Agile Business Relationships.”

Roger’s current research activities center on the concept of smart business networks and innovation networks. In extending his work on virtual organizations to collaboration and innovation networks, Nagel has traveled extensively in China and worked with Chinese Business leaders in their desire to be world class competitors and participate in global partnerships. He is an honorary professor at Jiaotong University in Xian and teaches in their executive MBA program for Chinese business leaders. On the domestic side he is collaborating with Henry Chesbrough on the development and application of open Innovation concepts for local companies. Working with Chesbrough he will be developing executive level and semester long courses for business executives interested in collaborating through open innovation networks.

Dr. Ike Nassi and his group explore advanced enterprise technologies and applications for use in the multinational corporate environment.

Immediately prior to joining SAP, Dr. Nassi founded Firetide Inc., a wireless mesh networking company and served as its Executive Vice President, CTO and member of the Board. Ike also helped start the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, where he currently serves as an active member of the Board of Trustees.

Ike held executive positions at Cisco Systems, InfoGear Technology Corporation (acquired by Cisco), and Apple Computer. He also helped start Encore Computer Corporation, a symmetric multiprocessing pioneer, and before that worked at Visual Technology, Digital Equipment Corporation and SofTech Inc.

Ike holds a Certificate for Distinguished Service from the Department of Defense, was a member of the Advanced Research Projects Agency's Information Systems and Technology group and testified before Congress on the Emerging Telecommunications Act of 1991.

Ike has done a number of projects in China and Taiwan. While at Apple Computer, his group set up a development center in Zhuhai. At InfoGear, Cisco, and Firetide he helped arrange for several product lines to be co-designed and then manufactured in China and Taiwan. He has given several talks in China, most recently at the 2005 Red Herring conference in Beijing. He has been interviewed by the popular press in China.

Dr. Alan Paau is Vice Provost for Technology Transfer and Economic Development at Cornell University and President of the Cornell Research Foundation. Until January 2007, he was Assistant Vice Chancellor for Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Services at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Paau held various research and management positions in the Cetus Corporation and the W.R. Grace & Co. organization for 12 years. He is the inventor to 8 US patents and has contributed thirty peer-reviewed research articles to scientific journals and six invited reviews/chapters to technical books. As a director of intellectual property and a licensing executive, he supervised the execution of over 850 licenses and option agreements and the formation of over 90 startup companies using university innovations.

Dr. Stout leads Merck Research Laboratories' global outsourcing support for medicinal chemistry. Dr. Stout began his career as a medicinal chemist in the cardiovascular area with American Critical Care near Chicago, which ultimately became part of DuPont Pharmaceuticals. He then joined Abbott Laboratories, working as a medicinal chemist in a variety of therapeutic areas. In 2001 he started the medicinal chemistry department at the CRO Ricerca Biosciences and lead research efforts in antibacterials and oncology. He joined Merck & Co., Inc. in April of 2006. He holds a B.A. degree in chemistry from the College of Wooster, a Ph.D. from Colorado State University working under Professor A.I. Meyers and was an N.I.H. Fellow at Yale University under the direction of Professor A. Ian Scott.

Sekar Sundararajan is a senior executive with extensive global manufacturing, sourcing, and logistics business experience in Asia, especially China. He spends over 100 days a year in China collaborating with Asian vendors and executives in evaluating partnerships, negotiating and developing innovative, reciprocal and long term collaborations. He is currently Sr.Vice President of Home Meridian International, a designer, importer and manufacturer of residential furniture formed by the merger of Pulaski Furniture and Samuel Lawrence Furniture in September 2006. Reporting to the CEO he is responsible for creating and integrating global supply chain management, quality management and new product development systems across both companies and with their partners in Asia. Prior to the merger, he was General Manager of Pulaski Furniture and directed all functions of the Import Division including strategy, operations, supply chain functions (sourcing, quality assurance, manufacturing engineering, and distribution) of company in Asia and US. He is also the founder and President of Libra Consulting Corporation, known for its leadership in operations excellence, agile manufacturing, and global supply chain areas. In that capacity, he has provided thought leadership and acted as a change agent across multiple industries such as automobile, food, appliance, and furniture and paper products. He was an invited Industry Partner to Iacocca Institute at Lehigh University to formulate the competitive manufacturing strategy for the 21st century and currently an Industry Partner of the Enterprise Systems Center at Lehigh University.

Dr. John C. Tao joined Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. in 1974 in the research department of the company's Process Systems Group. He subsequently moved into the engineering area where he assumed program responsibility for some of the company's early energy projects. In 1980 Dr. Tao became general manager of engineering for the company's International Coal Refining Company—a former Air Products joint venture. He subsequently was named director of planning and business development for Stearns-Catalytic World Corporation—a former engineering services subsidiary of Air Products—and in 1986 joined the Corporate Science and Technology Center as a venture manager. Dr. Tao was named director of research and commercial development for the advanced separations department in 1989 and was appointed director of the department in 1991. He became corporate director of environmental, health and safety assurance in 1992 and assumed his current position in December 1994. His responsibilities include management of the corporate Intellectual Asset Management process, Licensing, and external technology, including being the L.P. of a Venture Capital Fund. He has authored over 50 papers and holds nine U.S. patents.