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Anand Vedapuri is a global technology strategist and operations expert who defines high-level strategies, creates multi-year roadmaps as well as delivers and manages new digital services. Anand has a focus on Enterprise IT Strategy & Roadmaps and influences technology direction with executive thought leadership, IT transformation, and steering committee involvement, with an emphasis on TCO and IT optimization opportunities. Anand brings experience building teams across 4 continents (500+ individuals) and successful succession planning for corporate growth and led post-M&A strategy spanning 30 countries.

Varun Rai is a professor in the LBJ School of Public Affairs, where he directs the Energy Systems Transformation Research Group, and in the Mechanical Engineering department. His interdisciplinary research at the interface of energy systems, behavioral sciences, complex systems and public policy focuses on enabling a broad diffusion of sustainable energy technologies globally. Dr. Rai has published numerous journal articles, including in Applied Energy, Energy Policy, Energy Research & Social Science, Environmental Research Letters, Global Environmental Change, Nature Climate Change and PLOS ONE.

His research has been presented at several important forums, including the United States Senate Briefings, Global Economic Symposium and Climate One at Commonwealth Club, and has been discussed in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Bloomberg News, among other venues. He serves on the editorial boards of The Electricity Journal and Energy Research & Social Science, for which he is also an associate editor. Dr. Rai was a Global Economic Fellow in 2009 and, during 2013–15, he was a commissioner for the vertically integrated electric utility Austin Energy (~$1.4 billion revenue in 2015). In 2016 the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) awarded him the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize, which "was established to honor persons who, at under the age of 40, have made a distinguished contribution to the field of public policy analysis and management." Dr. Rai is the former director of the Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin.

80-90% of AI transformation initiatives are failing. Raj helps major corporations flip those odds and thrive at the intersection of business strategy and emerging technology. Working with senior executives and Boards in a range of industries, Raj has been instrumental in executing cutting-edge AI strategies and business transformation initiatives. His work emphasizes fostering innovation, establishing AI governance, and executing change management to reliably drive commercial growth and efficiency gains. Raj has previously held senior roles at McKinsey and Accenture, and he is a graduate of MIT, where he was a researcher at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab.