MEET THE JUDGES

Competition Judge
Prof. Juliette Passer
Founding Board Member, International Center for Transport Diplomacy
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Juliette Passer is an accomplished senior executive, practicing NY attorney, and Sustainability Advisor, steeped in International, and the ability to help companies, non-profit organizations and intergovernmental agencies in navigating the complex global environments of public international law and the United Nations. Additionally, Juliette brings to the equation an extensive background in working with governments, and political organizations as well as multilateral institutions, in architecting sustainable cross-border projects and investments in Eastern and Western Europe, Russia, China, Turkey, and Panama. Finally, Juliette has extensive experience on numerous private and non-profit Boards, and she is a Founding Board Member of the International Center of Transport Diplomacy, a UN Type II NGO, spearheading digitalization of global supply chains for sustainable trade.

Competition Judge
Dr. Irakli Danelia
Dr. Irakli Danelia serves as the Central Asia & Caucasus Region Business Development Manager at A.P. Moller Maersk / Maersk Line.
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With extensive experience as a commercial leader, he has a proven track record in industries such as shipping, international logistics, global supply chain management, free industrial zone development, global trade, maritime transport, intercontinental rail transportation, digital transformation, and investment project management.
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In addition to his role at Maersk, Dr. Danelia is an Associate Professor of Economics at Caucasus University. He holds a PhD in Economics with a focus on International Economic Relations. His academic background is enriched by numerous international executive and master programs in economics, international trade, European law, fiscal decentralization, and regional economic development. These were completed at prestigious institutions including Corvinus University of Budapest, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the International School of Economics (ISET), Estonian School of Diplomacy, International Swedish Institute for Public Administration, RAND Corporation/US State Department, and Riga Graduate School of Law.

Competition Judge
Charles Kunaka
Charles Kunaka is a Lead Specialist on Connectivity, based at the World Bank Group offices in Singapore. He joined the World Bank in 2006 as Senior Transport Specialist and has since worked on numerous trade and transport facilitation, logistics and connectivity projects, both analytical and operational. Charles co-leads the Global Infrastructure Connectivity Alliance, a G20 initiative.
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Charles works on numerous projects in South Asia, East and Southern Africa and the ASEAN region. He is a task team leader of several investment operations among them the India Capacity Augmentation of National Waterway 1 Project, Accelerating Regional Integration in East African Community Project and the Great Lakes Trade Facilitation project. Charles is also involved in logistics-related analytical activities in several countries including Afghanistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Bosnia.
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Charles has published on several topics surrounding logistics and connectivity including the Trade and Transport Corridor Management Toolkit and the Quantitative Assessment of Road Transport Agreements. He has expertise on economic corridors, transport services and logistics services. Charles holds an MSc from Cranfield University and a PhD from University College London, both on transport economics and policy.

Competition Judge
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Tanyas
Head of International Trade ve Logistics Department
He was born in 1954 in EskiÅŸehir. He gave lectures at various faculties and institutes of Istanbul Technical Unversity, Air Force and Naval Academy. He is still working as the Head of International Trade and Logistics Department at Maltepe University. He was the Founding President of the Logistics Association (LODER) in 2001 and is still the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. His areas of expertise are Stock and Warehouse Management, Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management, and he provided training, project and consultancy services to many institutions and companies on these issues. He has many national and international publications. He worked as a part-time consultant at TÜBÄ°TAK BÄ°LGEM Software Technologies Institute between 2020-2021. He is still member of Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) Transportation and Logistics Subcommittee, member of Transportation and Logistics Industry Council of The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) and an independent member of the Board of Directors of Kızılay Logistics Co. He is a jury member of the "Logistics Case Competition among University Students-from 2004 to 2024" organized by the Logistics Association, the "I have a Project on the Future of Logistics in Turkey's 2nd Century Competition among High School Students-2024" organized by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, and the "Sustainable Food Awards-Supply Chain Category-2022 and 2024" organized by the Sustainability Academy.

Competition Judge
Dr. Donald Tham
Board Director, Co-Founder
Nulogy Corporation
As Nulogy’s Board Director, Dr. Tham is responsible for advising and guiding the strategic direction of the company. In this capacity, he brings more than three decades of experience in industrial engineering for multinational corporations such as IBM, Bombardier, Kraft, and Mars.
In addition to his extensive professional experience, Dr. Tham is also an experienced educator. He was the Emeritus Professor and Internship Program Coordinator at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada.

Competition Judge
Roberto Posadas
Roberto Posadas holds a Masters in Supply Chain Management from Penn State University. With 19 years of logistics industry experience, he has held Director-level roles for OEM manufacturers and Supply Chain companies including Ryder. An experienced change management leader, Roberto challenges the status quo and is an expert in developing and implementing cutting-edge solutions. Roberto's interest in advancing logistics knowledge was honed as the President of the ASTL Ontario Chapter before its amalgamation with APICS.
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Competition Judge
Irwin Wang
Assistant General Manager
China International Marine Containers (CIMC) Modular Building System, Co.
Irwin Wang is a seasoned professional with 22 years of management experience at CIMC and over 10 years of international exposure, having worked in Australia, the US, the UK, Hong Kong, and other regions. His expertise spans 15 years in modular building design, manufacturing, shipping, land transportation, and on-site operations in China and globally. Mr. Wang excels in supply chain management, logistics solutions, project management, and quality assurance, with a proven track record of delivering high-quality results in diverse environments.

Competition Judge
Stephen Piper
Lead Client Partner, State of Rhode Island
IBM Consulting
Stephen Piper is a Partner in IBM Consulting, IBM's Senior Executive for the State of Rhode Island, and the national business development executive for Digital Twin Technologies. Over his nearly 25-year career with IBM, Stephen has held executive leadership positions in Consulting Services, Sales Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, and the office of the CIO. Stephen earned his MBA from the IE/Brown executive MBA program in 2012.

Competition Judge
Christos Xenophontos
Assistant Director, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT)
​Co-chair of International Coordinating Council, TRB
Christos S. Xenophontos, Assistant Director for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), and co-chair of TRB’s International Coordinating Council has more than 35 years of experience in the Transportation field as an Engineer, Project Manager and Administrator. He currently leads RIDOT’s Research and Innovation initiatives, including the Little Roady pilot project on Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. Christos has been particularly active, both at the national and international level, in the area of Performance Management and has a keen interest on the impact of emerging and disruptive technologies on the performance of Transport agencies.

Competition Judge
Dimitri Fleitman
Dimitri Fleitman is the Head of Supply Chain & Strategy at Dole Packaged Foods Canada, where he brings over 16 years of experience in managing global supply chains. His expertise lies in optimizing costs while maintaining high standards of quality and sustainability. Dimitri is known for his purpose-driven leadership, focusing on initiatives that benefit not only the company but also local communities and the environment. His approach to supply chain management emphasizes smart, data-driven decisions that enhance value across the entire supply network. Dimitri is an esteemed leader committed to creating a positive impact through global supply chains.

Competition Judge
Dr. Hồ Thị Thu Hòa
Senior Lecturer, Head of Department of Logistics and Supply Chain Management
School of Industrial Engineering and Management, International University - Vietnam National University HCM City
Director, Vietnam Logistics Research and Development Institute
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Dr. Ho Thi Thu Hoa is an experienced educator and logistics expert with a strong background in vocational training, higher education, and quality assurance. She has completed numerous training programs and certifications from prestigious institutions globally. These include specialized courses in active teaching methods, program development, and quality assessment, as well as in logistics and transportation. Her extensive professional development includes certificates from the Vietnam National University, Queensland University of Technology, and Kingston University London. Dr. Hoa has also contributed to international research projects and has been recognized for her dedicated services in the academic and logistics sectors.

Competition Judge
Dr Lu Jianzhong
Board member of Global Reporting Initiative GRI and Deputy Director General of China CSR Think Tank
Dr. Lu Jian Zhong, has performed in senior executive roles for more than 20 years in a variety of industry sectors and multinational companies, such as President General Affairs Essilor Greater China, former President China of The Weir Group, and Global Partner of Brunswick Group, Executive Vice President of Singapore RGE Group (China) and Chief Representative, Chairman of RGE subsidiary Asia Symbol Paper & Pulp Ltd, Vice President of RGE Subsidiary Sateri Group Ltd., Acting President China of BHP Billiton Group. He is a pioneer of sustainable business strategy and a well-respected industry thought leader, with profound and systematic practical expertise and theoretical methodologies. In his roles of leading China operations in the companies, he integrated corporate social responsibility and sustainability into the company’s strategy and day-to-day operations realizing social value alongside financial value, he helped the companies achieve business growth, operational excellence, and corporate image as well as talent development.

Competition Judge
Cecilia Kadeha
Transport Engineer/Transport Specialist
World Bank Group - Transport, South Asia
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Cecilia Kadeha is a highly qualified transport engineer with a Ph.D. in Transportation and Highway Engineering from Florida International University and a Master's degree in Civil Engineering from Florida State University. She currently serves as a Transport Engineer/Transport Specialist at the World Bank, where she plays a pivotal role in developing sustainable and resilient transport solutions across various regions.

Competition Judge
Gustavo Loiola
Manager, Impactful (i5) Project
United Nations Global Compact
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Gustavo Loiola is a program manager at PRME - UN Initiative for Responsible Management Education and former Chair for the Latin America and the Caribbean Chapter. He is a PhD student in Business Administration at EAESP / FGV and holds a Master's degree in Sustainability and Corporate Governance from ISAE/ FGV, specialization in Administration and International Business, and a degree in Advertising from the Federal University of Paraná.
He has always valued international experiences as part of his education, having a specialization in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of California (USA), Project Management from George Washington University (USA), as well as immersions in Smart Cities in the city of Nantes in France and Business to the Base of the Pyramid by the University of Externado of Colombia.
In his professional career, he worked with communication and marketing in advertising agencies and in the internal area of companies such as Correios, Aliança Empreendedora, and Ashoka. For some years, he was also involved in working with the third sector and social development in Brazil and Latin America.
In the education area, he worked in the marketing management of learning institutions, developing strategies for attracting and retaining students, and as a consultant in international education companies that help students seek development opportunities outside of Brazil. For over 10 years he was involved in international expansion projects, the development of startups and new businesses, and coordinates the institution's Sustainability area, responsible for the relationship with United Nations programs and international partnerships such as the Development Goals, the PRME, and the Global Compact. He is a visiting professor at ISAE, PUC PR, and FGV Online, in disciplines related to sustainability, ESG, sustainable finance, innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

Competition Judge
Megersa Abate
Senior Transport Economist
The World Bank
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Megersa Abate is a Transport Economist at the World Bank in Washington DC. He is the Global co-lead for the Aviation Solution Area at the Bank. He has expertise and interest in sustainable transport, air transport economics and regulation and transport modelling. He is engaged in several operational works and analytical studies in Central Asia and Africa regions. He received his Ph.D. in Transport Economics from the Technical University of Denmark. His research works have been published in leading transportation economics journals. Before joining the Bank, he worked as a researcher at the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI), and the VU University of Amsterdam. Earlier in his career, he worked at the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority as an air transport expert.

Competition Judge
Richard D. Gluck
Board Member, Global Supply Chain Classroom
President, Sino-American Logistics Council, LLC
Principal, Foster Garvey
Richard has more than 35 years of experience in Washington, D.C. practicing transportation law, and appears regularly before Federal government departments and agencies such as the Federal Maritime Commission, the Departments of Transportation, Defense, State and Homeland Security.
Richard is outside general counsel to the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), the largest trade association for third party logistics companies in the United States, and has played a key role in various regulatory reform initiatives supported by the association to raise standards and professionalism in the industry. TIA is the U.S. member of FIATA, the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations. Richard serves as the chairman of FIATA’s Advisory Body on Legal Matters, as the U.S. delegate to its Working Group on Sea Transport and as a member of the “international leadership group” of its board of directors. He represented the international freight forwarding industry at the United Nations Conference on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in its deliberations on the proposed new ocean cargo liability convention known as the “Rotterdam Rules,” and on the pending convention on electronic shipment documentation. He is the U.S. editor of Forwarderlaw.com, a legal web site for the forwarding industry, and has lectured and written frequently on legal issues affecting freight forwarders, transportation brokers and NVOCCs, and on foreign investment in the US transportation industry.
During 2013 Mr. Gluck was a Harvard University Advanced Leadership Fellow, where he worked on an ongoing project, through his role as president of the Sino-American Logistics Council, LLC, to promote greater business collaboration between the logistics industries in the US and China, both to meet China’s sustainable development needs and to improve cultural understanding between the two countries.

Competition Judge
Victor Dolcemascolo
Freight and Logistics Project Manager, General Directorate of Infrastructure, Transport and Mobility Transport Innovation Agency, France
Mr. Victor Dolcemascolo is a dedicated professional specializing in the enhancement of interoperability within information systems in the freight transportation and logistics sectors. With a focus on optimizing fleet tracking and freight traceability, he stays at the forefront of technological advancements, including autonomous trucks, delivery robots, and drones, particularly in urban logistics and last-mile challenges.
His active involvement in professional federations such as TLF, FNTR, GTF, AUTF, and OTRE promotes digitalization and essential interoperability between private and public sectors. Additionally, Mr. Dolcemascolo contributes to international standardization efforts within UN-CEFACT and the European Committee for Standardization, advocating for high standards of quality and interoperability.
As a network facilitator, he fosters synergies among startups, businesses, and local authorities while managing complex regulatory cases and participating in European project consortia like H2020. Mr. Dolcemascolo is particularly passionate about the digitalization and decarbonization of logistics, actively engaging in drafting program specifications and evaluating candidate submissions.

Competition Judge
WANG Wei
Senior Research Fellow and Former Director-General, Institute of Market Economy
Development Research Center of the State Council
Dr. Wei Wang is the Former General Director of the Institute of Market Economy and a distinguished senior research fellow at the Development Research Center (DRC) of the State Council of China, which is the policy analysis agency of China’s central government. Dr. Wang joined the DRC in September 1996. The research interests of Dr. Wang are on policy and regulation of the consumption, service sector, market system, and mechanisms, logistics and distribution, urbanization, and housing policy. She has made significant contributions to China’s policies, regulations, and reform to those areas since 1998. Dr. Wang had conducted and contributed to more than 50 projects sponsored by the Chinese government. She has published 10 books in China and more than 80 academic papers in Chinese periodicals.
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Dr. Wang has had many international research experiences such as working at the Organization for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD) in 2001. She has conducted and contributed to a dozen international projects collaborating with the World Bank on SME policy in 2005 and on housing policy in 2008, Asian Development Bank on service policy from 2012 to 2015, and the Rand Corporationon transportation and logistics in 2013. She, and again with OECD on China’s service in the high-quality development stage from 2018 to 2019.
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Dr. Wang has a Ph.D. in Economics from Remin University of China and has received a number of research awards, including the Distinguished Contribution Scholar Award of the State Council of China in 2008, the top award issued by the State Council. She is a policy advisor for MOFTEC, a member of directors of China’s Consumer Protection Association, and deputy president of China’s Logistics Academy.

Competition Judge
Reggie Greenwood
Helena
Director for Supply Chain Innovation Center and Business Incubator
Governors State University, Illinois Innovation Network
Before becoming the Director of the Supply Chain Innovation Center and Business Incubator, Reggie Greenwood was the Executive Director of the Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation(CSEDC). At CSEDC, he developed an economic development strategy that has positioned the region to support existing and attract new logistics and manufacturing companies.
He brings to this work significant experience in public economic development and private sector management of manufacturing companies. He is an entrepreneur starting public and private organizations that pursue Strategic Doing over Strategic Planning moving an idea to a minimal viable product as soon as practically possible. Prior to this public economic development position, Mr. Greenwood was a partner in a small manufacturing company and led the development of business processes that enabled the company to grow 100% and be successfully acquired by a larger firm.