Transforming the Networked Society

By 2025, it is estimated that 630 million people will live in “megacities.” This rapid and massive urbanization will strain both resources and infrastructures. Industries like energy, transportation, logistics, and health care will need to evolve to keep up with demand. The challenge of seamlessly connecting people, places, and things has never been greater.

Today's world has transformed rapidly over the last two decades at all levels, and change promises to be a constant in the future, especially in the realm of technology. Learn how Ericsson is – and will be – helping industries stay connected with solutions such as smart grids for energy, vehicles linked through the cloud that improve traffic flow, connected vessels that help goods arrive to their destination more efficiently, and remote patient monitoring for health care.

Gowton Achaibar, COO and head of operations for Ericsson North America, will discuss how Ericsson is assisting customers and industries as they evolve during this transformation.

The lecture will be followed by a reception in the lobby of Bunger Henry.

Speaker Bio:
Gowton Achaibar is the chief operating officer and head of operations for Ericsson’s North American region, a position he has held since February 2012. The organization has approximately 14,000 employees and contractors, and oversees all North American operations.

From October 2008 to May 2011, Achaibar was the president and CEO of Ericsson India Pvt. Ltd. During his time in India, he helped to further strengthen its leadership position in the extremely competitive and rapidly expanding Indian telecommunications market.

Achaibar joined Ericsson in July 2002 as vice president and general manager for Global Services North America, an organization he ran from 2007-2008. Responsibilities in this role included profit/loss, business strategy, alignment of MUNA service offerings with the global portfolio, and positioning of the service portfolio with customer market drivers and needs. From February 2004 to October 2007, he was executive vice president & general manager for North American Key Accounts.

Achaibar started his career at AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1986 in the switching and transmission area. In 1995, he joined Powertel as the vice president of engineering and operations and was responsible for the design and engineering of the Powertel network. In 2001, he joined AFL Telecommunications and was executive vice president of business development.

He holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, a master’s in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Auburn University.