Riona Armesmith

Chief Technology Officer, magniX

Riona Armesmith is Chief Technology Officer of magniX, the company powering the electric aviation revolution with electric propulsion solutions. As a skilled engineer in the mobility space, Riona brings an in-depth understanding and passion for the industry to magniX.  

Riona has extensive experience in the aerospace industry with years of progressive leadership roles and an electronic and electrical engineering background, with expertise in electrical machine design. Prior to magniX, Riona had a long tenure with Rolls-Royce, a global leader in aerospace propulsion systems. At Rolls-Royce, Riona served in various leadership roles, most recently as Head of Programmes, Aviation Futures. Under Riona’s leadership, magniX is working to advance its electrical propulsion systems toward certification and production at scale.  

ElifBalkas

Chief Technology Officer, Wolfspeed

As Chief Technology Officer, Elif focuses on pioneering breakthrough semiconductor technology for Wolfspeed’s Power and RF commercial applications. She joined Wolfspeed in 2006 and has more than 20 years of experience in various leadership positions within the wide bandgap (WBG) materials field in the technology industry. Prior to Wolfspeed, Elif served as a scientist at Intrinsic Semiconductor where she was responsible for GaN and Silicon Carbide epitaxy product development with a focus on high-quality, efficient and effective processes. 

Elif co-founded the Women’s Initiative at Wolfspeed, has served as the leader of the Professional Development Focus, and continues to serve on the Women’s Initiative Steering Committee. She has a Ph.D. in materials science from North Carolina State University and has completed several executive education programs at The Wharton School focusing on product management and strategy, scaling a business, and leadership development.

Annette Clayton

Chief Executive Officer, Schneider Electric North America

Annette Clayton serves as the chief executive officer for Schneider Electric North America, responsible for the region’s business strategy, and developing and fostering new growth business models in the areas of sustainability, decarbonization and renewables to further the mission towards an all-electric world. During her 11+ year tenure with the company, Clayton was also responsible for the P&L of the North America operating region and served as the Group’s Chief Supply Chain Officer. She is a member of the company’s Executive Committee.

Prior to Schneider Electric, Clayton served as the vice president, Global Operations, Dell, where she led the transformation of its global supply chain and fulfillment operation among other executive roles in Quality, Customer Satisfaction, and Real Estate. From 1983 to 2006 Clayton worked at General Motors in senior management roles, including the president of Saturn Corporation.

Clayton sits on the boards of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and served as its chair in 2021 and 2022, and the National Association of Manufacturers. She provides oversight on Schneider Electric’s financially backed boards of AlphaStruxure, Uplight, and Qmerit. She is also a board of director with Duke Energy and NXP Semiconductors. Clayton is a founding member of the Zero100 Advisory Board and is a Champion for the JourneyToLead organization where she contributes to accelerating the diversity and trajectory of women in leadership.

Clayton graduated from Wright State University with a bachelor’s degree in general engineering and obtained a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Dayton. She has also completed the London Business School executive development program.

Susan Hubbard

Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Technology, Oak ridge National Laboratory

Dr. Susan Hubbard is the Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Executive Vice President for Science and Technology at UT-Battelle. She oversees one of the nation’s most extensive portfolios of research and development, spanning physical and materials sciences, energy sciences and technologies, computing and computational sciences, neutron sciences, biological and environmental sciences, isotope science and technologies, and global security. She also oversees the transfer of ORNL technologies into the marketplace, and works closely with key partners to advance regional innovation, including on topics such as advanced mobility and decarbonization. 

Hubbard has over a decade of scientific leadership in a national laboratory setting, most recently as an Associate Laboratory Director of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Directorate at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Susan received her PhD in engineering from University of California at Berkeley, and prior to joining Berkeley Laboratory she was geologist at the US Geological Survey and a geophysicist in industry. 

Among other awards, Dr. Susan Hubbard has been recognized as a member of the National Academy of Engineering and as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Geophysical Union, and the Geological Society of America. She has and has an extensive record of National and professional service on scientific advisory boards, editorial boards, and committees. 

Conference Program
Nashville, TN | Oct. 29 – Nov. 2, 2023

IEEE Power Electronics Society
IEEE Induståçry Applications Society
IEEE