AI & Digital Transformation Awards Jury

Fardin Quazi is an internationally recognized leader in digital transformation, AI ethics, and automation in healthcare administration, bringing nearly two decades of experience in driving technology-enabled operational excellence. As Chair of the AI & Digital Transformation Awards Judging Committee for the 2026 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, he leads a distinguished panel of global experts dedicated to evaluating innovation that meaningfully enhances customer and sales experiences through responsible and transformative use of technology.

Fardin is a multi-award-winning professional, honored with the Stevie Gold Award for Virtual & Pre-Sales Professional of the Year 2025, and IEEE Smart Cities Award for Digital Innovation. He also serves as Senior Vice President (Ethics Standards & Compliance) at The New World Foundation (TNWF), where he advocates for responsible AI adoption and digital ethics frameworks across global initiatives. An accomplished scholar and author, Fardin has published over 30 research papers and book chapters through Springer Nature, Elsevier, IEEE, APJHM, and other international journals. His research spans automation, ethical AI, digital reliability, blockchain in healthcare, and intelligent process design. He has presented at leading global conferences—including the IEEE, ICGIS (Springer Nature), AIKP, ICICC (Elsevier), and Global Blockchain in Healthcare Symposium —and serves on editorial and advisory boards for multiple journals in healthcare information systems and AI governance.

Beyond academia and leadership, Fardin actively promotes public education and knowledge sharing. He hosts the “Digital Transformation in Healthcare” podcast, where he interviews global executives and innovators shaping the future of health technology. His YouTube channel features educational videos simplifying complex topics such as generative AI, decision-support systems, and digital ethics for a wider professional audience. Fardin is a Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS) and the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (FIETE), as well as an Advisory Board Member of TeleHealth and Medicine Today (THMT) . He holds advanced certifications in AI ethics, healthcare management, digital transformation, and cloud governance, reflecting his ongoing commitment to continuous learning and responsible innovation. As Chair, Fardin champions a judging philosophy rooted in impact, integrity, and inclusivity—recognizing organizations that balance technological advancement with ethical responsibility. His career reflects a steadfast mission to ensure that AI and digital transformation serve not only as catalysts of efficiency but also as instruments of equity, trust, and sustainable growth.

Sathya Narayanan Annamalai Geetha, Google Sr. Customer Cloud Architect (19+ yrs), is a Stanford LEAD grad, Fellow-BCS, Dist. Fellow - SCRS & IEEE Sr. Member. Author of Enterprise-Grade Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Strategies, he is a recognized AI leader (Google President's Award), CAIO Circle advisory board member, and speaker who mentors underserved students. Adjudicator for CODiE, DevPost & SCRS.

Gaurav Deshmukh is a Staff Software Engineer, a Tech Lead at Guidewire Software with 10+ years of experience in full-stack development. He holds an MS in Computer Science and an MBA. He specializes in Java, NodeJS, React, and Terraform, focusing on building secure, high-quality No Code Low Code web applications platforms and innovative solutions.

Seetharamareddy (Seetha) Gowda is a seasoned Sales Technology and Financial Systems professional with over 14 years of experience spanning data engineering, data analytics, data science, and Artificial Intelligence. He has consistently partnered with business stakeholders and leadership teams to translate complex business challenges into impactful data and AI-driven solutions.

Aziz Jafri is a FMCG Sales Professional with 15+ Years of Experience in various leadership and sales roles. Aziz has worked across multiple organizations such as Reckitt, AkzoNobel, Nokia, Packages and SC Johnson (JV Partner-Packages) spanning across Pakistan, USA and the UK. Aziz holds an MBA from LUMS, Pakistan.

Sahaya is a Product Leader and Business Analysis Expert at BNY. She drives innovation through data-driven strategies, consistently delivering impactful solutions that optimize processes and enhance customer experiences. Renowned for her exceptional stakeholder management skills, she fosters strong relationships across the board to align business objectives and deliver transformative results.

He is now doing the same for entrants in the Stevie Awards and its many competitions.

Özgür has been working in Customer Services & Customer Experience functions in multi-cultural companies since 2001. He has worked in every position of Customer Service. He received calls, managed teams, managed projects, re-structured organizations, developed & improved Self-Service channels. Özgür’s expertise is mainly re-designing and re-structuring Customer Services & Customer Experience Departments..

Elizabeth started as a temp before becoming the Assistant Judging Coordinator and has been with the Stevie Awards since 2017 as Assistant Judging Coordinator. Elizabeth assigns judges to suitable categories and overviews the judging process. With the increasing number of judges required for the Stevie Awards programs, she also plays a key role in keeping records of each judge's performance. Elizabeth can typically be found at the Stevie Awards events in New York, assisting at the Ticket Desk or the Interview Station.

Balakumar Ravindranath Kunthu, Managing Delivery Architect at Capgemini, is a seasoned technology leader with 28+ years of global experience in telecom OSS/BSS transformations, billing modernization, and enterprise data architectures. He specializes in cloud-native, AI/ML-driven platforms, enabling predictive insights, customer personalization, and operational efficiency.

Justin's career mission is to simplify complex healthcare systems, and he has spent more than a decade building excellent SaaS solutions and organizations that have done just that, including years spent as COO managing all post-sales operations and more recently as a General Manager owning an entire GTM motion at the intersection of healthcare, government, and education.

Apoorv is the lead AI/ML product management for Next Generation Siemens Grid Software in North America helping utilities accelerate the transition to clean energy and enabling 'speed to power' for AI competitiveness. Apoorv has expertise in Energy markets, optimization, cloud, AI and ML software strategy, and product development, working across utilities, financial services, and technology companies for over 20 years.

Physician turned digital health leader and medical informaticist with deep expertise in leveraging technology to advance wellness, population health, and patient-centered care. Experienced across mobile care, risk-based healthcare models, health insurance, primary care, and community health ecosystems.

Syed Kashif Rafi is a seasoned C-level executive with 20+ years of leadership in academia, strategy, marketing, and entrepreneurship. A global speaker and mentor, he serves on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council and has led 200+ conferences, training, and industry events. With extensive international experience, multiple senior roles, and recognized Rotary service.

Prathap is an accomplished IT leader with over 21 years of experience in enterprise software development, test automation, and product lifecycle management. He oversees end-to-end product strategy, roadmap planning, stakeholder engagement, and delivery alignment across multiple digital platforms, customer service platforms.

Mr. Shankar Raj is a global IT and AI leader with 21+ years orchestrating high-impact digital transformation. At Fidelity, he leads enterprise digitization that strips out anti-digital friction at scale. A Fellow IETE, IEEE Senior Member, International Judge, and Global mentor, he is recognized for ethical, human-centered innovation in customer and associate experience space.

Christine is currently a Client Partner in the Comms sector and joined IBM in October 2021. Christine has 30 years of successful executive management experience in the global customer support industry, both on the product and service side of the business. Christine has worked in virtually every segment of the lifecycle.

Lakshdeep is an experienced professional in the Life Sciences sector, known for enhancing client relationships and driving customer growth. He has demonstrated strategic leadership through his skills in landscape assessments, launching excellence, negotiation, and developing patient journey maps. Lakshdeep excels in commercial deployment, marketing, and boosting sales force efficiency.