Foresight’s Editorial team and Advisory Board make it possible for us to bring our readers the very best combination of research from top academics and insights from the experience of leading business forecasters in the field.
Jim Hoover (Chairman), Professor and Director of Artificial Intelligence and Business Analytics Center, University of Florida
Following a career in OR for the U.S. Navy, Jim became a Managing Director within Accenture Federal Services with a focus on supply-chain analytics. Jim then received his Doctorate of Business Administration from the University of Florida in 2017 and joined the faculty there in 2019, where he is now a professor in the Marketing Department focused on AI and Business Analytics. Jim initially served Foresight as Software Editor and authored several articles on tracking forecast performance.
Carolyn Allmon, Supply Chain Planner, ACIST Medical Systems
Carolyn is a Certified Professional Forecaster (CPF) with extensive experience creating, leading, and improving demand and revenue forecasting models and processes. She has worked in both public and private organizations, including Teleflex, the State of Minnesota, Tennant Company, ConAgra Foods, Zimmer Spine, Cargill, Detector Electronics, and Michael Foods. Carolyn holds a BA degree in mathematics from Augsburg College and a MA in economics from the University of Hawaii. Her writing appears in forecasting-related publications including Foresight: The International Journal of Forecasting, Business Economics, and in the book Business Forecasting: The Emerging Role of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Mark Chockalingam, Founder and President, Valtitude/Demand Planning LLC
Dr. Mark Chockalingam is the President and Founder of Valtitude, a strategy and solutions consulting firm based out of Boston, MA. He has over twenty years of consulting and corporate experience in the areas of Predictive Analytics, Sales Forecasting, Supply Chain Optimization, and Integrated Business Planning, working with clients ranging from the Fortune 500 to several small and medium-sized companies. During his corporate career, Mark worked in supply chain positions at FedEx, Merck, Proctor & Gamble, and others. He edits the Forecastingblog and frequently writes about emerging demand planning and supply chain issues on LinkedIn. Mark has a Ph.D. in Finance from Arizona State University and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Ruben Crevits, Data Science Lead, OMP
Ruben Crevits is the Data Science Lead at OMP in Belgium, where he mainly focuses on demand forecasting. Ruben holds a Ph.D. in applied economics from the KU Leuven, with his research in deep learning for forecasting and robust estimation of time series models. His interests are explainability, the impact of demand forecasts on the supply chain, hierarchical forecasting, probabilistic forecasting, and deep learning.
Lauren Davis, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University
Lauren Davis received her BS in Computational Mathematics from Rochester Institute of Technology, her MS in Industrial and Management Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and her Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from North Carolina State University. Prior to joining NCA&T she spent 12 years as a senior software engineer at IBM supporting SAP implementations in the US, Mexico, and China. Her research has received $7.4 million in grant funding (from the National Science Foundation, Department of Homeland Security, and the US Department of Agriculture), and focuses on stochastic modeling of supply chain systems in for-profit and non-profit settings, with application areas in hunger relief, humanitarian logistics, and homeland security. Her work has appeared in 28 peer-reviewed journals, 3 book chapters and more than 40 refereed conference proceedings. Lauren is an active member of IISE and INFORMS, where she served as President of the Minority Issues Forum. She currently serves as a board member of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina.
Robert Fildes, Centre for Marketing Analytics and Forecasting
Robert Fildes is founding Director of the Lancaster University Centre for Marketing Analytics and Forecasting as well as of the International Institute of Forecasters. He is also Distinguished Professor of Management Science at Lancaster University. He has a mathematics degree from Oxford and a Ph.D. from the University of California in statistics. His initial academic appointment was to the Manchester Business School where he rose to the position of faculty dean. In 1990 he joined Lancaster University Department of Management Science, where he set up the Centre. He works extensively with organizations on the practicalities of improving supply chain forecasting and the role of judgment in the age of machine learning.
Ram Ganeshan, Professor of Business, College of William & Mary
Ram Ganeshan holds the D. Hillsdon Ryan Professorship of Business at the College of William & Mary. Ram’s research and consulting interests are in the areas of supply chain management, data analytics, and logistics strategy, primarily in the chemical, hi-tech, and retail industries. He is a regular contributor to academic and trade journals and is the co-editor of two books: “Quantitative Models for Supply Chain Management” and “New Directions in Supply Chain Management: Technology, Strategy, and Implementation.” In 2001, the Production & Operations Management Society (POMS) awarded him the prestigious Wickham Skinner Award for Early Career Accomplishments for his research on how supply chains can be efficiently managed. In addition to his academic appointment, Ram is active in several corporate advisory boards, helping these companies embrace the latest developments in supply chain management and digital strategies.
Igor Gusakov, Integrated Planning Director and Product Owner, GoodsForecast
Igor Gusakov is head of the IBP practice at GoodsForecast, a vendor of forecasting, inventory optimization, and supply chain planning software. He is responsible for managing IBP software development, with his main area of expertise in forecasting and S&OP process for CPG companies. Igor is the author of a book on that topic. He has also written for Foresight and was interviewed as Foresight’s Forecaster in the Field in Issue 35. He received a Master of Science from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and his Ph.D. in applied math from the Institute of Numerical Mathematics.
Sevvandi Kandanaarachchi, Senior Research Scientist, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Sevvandi Kandanaarachchi is Senior Research Scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia, working on statistical machine learning and data science problems. Sevvandi holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Monash University and a Graduate Certificate in Data Mining and Applications from Stanford. She works on interdisciplinary projects — linking different topics to get better results and insights — and has used time series forecasting as a pathway to detect anomalies in computer networks. Her main interests are in anomaly detection, complex networks, spatiotemporal data, algorithm evaluation, and algorithm fairness.
Jonathon Karelse, CEO, NorthFind Management
Jonathon Karelse is a global leader in forecasting, predictive analytics, and S&OP. He combines extensive experience with leading-edge theory to improve supply chain operations, optimally leveraging people, processes, and tools. As a frequent contributor to the Institute of Business Forecasting (IBF) and APICS, the Association for Supply Chain Management, Jonathon tracks trends and directly influences best practices in Demand Planning and S&OP. He has been cited for his work on Forecast Value Add (FVA) analysis; the integration of judgment and business intelligence into statistical forecasting; and conflict resolution in consensus forecasting.
Joe McConnell, Founder, President and Chief Architect, McConnell Chase Software
Joe McConnell leads McConnell Chase on the basis of 30 years of successful experience with every aspect of the enterprise forecasting and planning software business: idea conception, design, programming, applied mathematics, analytics and statistics, marketing, sales, consulting, implementation, customer support, conversion to new IT platforms, education, and training. His experience spans dealing with companies in a wide range of industries, company sizes, markets, and IT platforms. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business.
Polly Mitchell-Guthrie, VP of Industry Outreach and Thought Leadership, Kinaxis
Zabiulla Mohammed, Director of Data Science, Walmart, Inc.
Zabiulla Mohammed is a Director of Data Science at Walmart, where he leads a highly skilled team in implementing machine learning and experimentation projects. With over 14 years of experience, Zabiulla has successfully utilized cutting-edge data science techniques to drive business growth in various sectors such as retail, eCommerce, product development, operations, business strategy, marketing, and customer analytics. Throughout his career, he has also worked for esteemed companies like Sam’s Club, Honeywell, and IBM. Zabiulla holds a master’s degree in management information systems and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering. He is deeply passionate about data science and has a strong commitment to mentoring and lecturing at his alma mater, Oklahoma State University, to help shape future data science professionals.
Dilek Önkal, Professor of Business Information Systems and Analytics and Head of the Analytics Subject Group, Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University
Dilek Önkal received her BA from Boğaziçi University and her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. She was a Director of the IIF (2006-2014), and an Editor (2015-2019) and Associate Editor (2002-2015) of International Journal of Forecasting. Dilek is currently a Senior Editor of Applied Operations and Analytics as well as an Associate Editor of the IMA Journal of Management Mathematics. She is a member of the Editorial Board of Futures & Foresight Science, and a member of the Committee of Professors in Operational Research. Her research focuses on the role of judgment in forecasting and strengthening the synergies with scenarios and decision-making.
Steven Pauly, Research Scientist, Slimstock
Steven is a Research Scientist at Slimstock, an international leader in forecasting and inventory optimization. In this role he researches and develops solutions to complex industry questions. He serves as an international expert on inventory management and forecasting, delivering lectures on forecasting, stochastic inventory control, and the integration of both. Within Slimstock, he has set up the knowledge platform and the research department.
Jack Pope, System Developer/Administrator, Investment Economics, aka System Goats
Johann Robette, Director of Customer Satisfaction and Market Studies, Vekia
Johann works at Vekia, a French software company specializing in inventory optimization and replenishment automation through probabilistic and value-oriented decision-making. There, he helps mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies improve their inventory performance and measure their gains. Johann is a data enthusiast and is also involved in research in Vekia’s Data Science Lab, where he focuses primarily on business value in the supply chain.
Jerry Shan, Co-founder and CTO, Insightful-Tech Ventures
Before joining Insightful Tech Ventures, Jerry worked at LinkedIn and Huawei. Prior to that, he was a chief data scientist in Hewlett-Packard’s Vertica Big Data Business. He was also a principal scientist in HP Labs. Jerry earned a Ph.D. in statistics from Stanford University in 1995 and has obtained 25 granted US patents on predictive analytics, detection, data analysis, and modeling. Jerry is the leading author of past articles in Foresight on life-cycle forecasting for new products (Summer 2008) and spare-parts forecasting (Summer 2009).
Sujit Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Arkieva
Sujit Singh is the COO of Arkieva, a supply chain solutions company that creates configurable software for demand and inventory management, sales and operations planning (S&OP), supply planning and scheduling. He is responsible for managing product delivery and implementations services, customer relationships, and the day-to-day operations of the corporation. His industry experience includes work in the semiconductor, chemicals, and glass (industrial and commercial) industries. Sujit is a recognized subject matter expert in both forecasting and S&OP. He received a Bachelor of Technology in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and a Master of Science in transportation engineering from the University of Massachusetts. Sujit is also certified in Production and Inventory Management and is a certified Supply Chain Professional by APICS, the Association for Operations Management.
Marina Sologubova, Senior Supply Chain Leader, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
Marina Sologubova is a Senior Supply Chain leader with over 20 years of experience in multinational companies, including Estée Lauder, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever. Her expertise spans supply chain planning, sourcing, and external manufacturing, with a strong professional track record in demand planning and IBP. Marina holds a Ph.D. in economics, an MBA in supply chain, and a degree in IT.
Eric Stellwagen, CEO and Co-founder, Business Forecast Systems, Inc.
Eric Stellwagen is the CEO and co-founder of Business Forecast Systems, Inc., a market-leading firm focused on providing software solutions and education to business forecasters. He is the co-author of the Forecast Pro software product line, which is currently in use at more than 25,000 companies worldwide. He consults widely in the area of practical business forecasting for numerous firms, including Coca-Cola, Kraft, Merck, Nabisco, Owens-Corning, and Verizon. He has presented seminars and workshops on behalf of many respected organizations including the Institute for Professional Education, the American Production and Inventory Control Society, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Tennessee, the Institute for Business Forecasting, the World Research Group, the International Institute of Research, the Electric Power Research Institute, the International Communications Forecasting Association, the Forecasting Summit, and the International Institute of Forecasters. Eric received his Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Oberlin College in 1984 and has spent the past 30 years working in the field of business forecasting.
Nicolas Vandeput, Consultant, Trainer & Author: Data Science & Forecasting, Inventory Optimization
Nicolas Vandeput is a supply chain data scientist who specializes in demand forecasting and inventory optimization. He founded his consultancy company SupChains in 2016 and co-founded SKU Science – a fast, simple, and affordable demand forecasting platform – in 2018. Passionate about education, he is teaching both demand forecasting and inventory optimization in Paris, France. He published his best-selling books, “Data Science for Supply Chain Forecasting” in 2018 and “Inventory Optimization: Models and Simulations” in 2020.
Larry Vanston, President, Technology Futures, Inc.
Dr. Lawrence (Larry) Vanston is an authority on technology forecasting for communications and other high-tech industries. He has led numerous studies for government and industry, including all of the major U.S. communications providers. He directs the TFI Technology Conference held in Austin every January. He also leads the Communications Technology Forecasting Group (CTFG), which develops forecasts to support the valuation and depreciation of technology-related assets. His emphasis is on long-range forecasting and he has a special interest in the application of AI to long-range forecasting.
