Bio's
Vlad Vaiman, PhD
Associate Dean and Professor
School of Management, California Lutheran University
Dr. Vlad Vaiman is professor of international management at California Lutheran University in the USA and is a visiting professor at several top universities around the world, including Aalto University School of Business and Hanken School of Economics (both in Finland), Danube University of Krems and Management Center Innsbruck (both in Austria), Reykjavik University (Iceland), ISEG (France), etc.
He holds a PhD degree in International Management from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and has received his MBA in Strategic Management and Human Resources at the School of Business of the University of Wyoming, USA. His professional experience included working on various consulting assignments for a number of major organizations throughout the world, including USA, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, and some other European countries. Dr. Vaiman is a long-time member of the Canadian Association of Management Consultants and a highly sought-after speaker on topics of talent management and cross-cultural communication and negotiations.
Dr. Vaiman has published five very successful books on managing talent in organizations – Smart Talent Management: Building Knowledge Assets for Competitive Advantage (Edward Elgar Publishing); Talent Management of Knowledge Workers: Embracing the Non-Traditional Workforce (Palgrave MacMillan); Managing Talent of Self-initiated Expatriates (Palgrave MacMillan); Macro Talent Management: A Global Perspective on Managing Talent in Developed Markets (Routledge); and Macro Talent Management in Emerging and Emergent Markets: A Global Perspective (Routledge).
Dr. Vaiman’s academic work has appeared in several top academic journals including Academy of Management Learning & Education, Academy of Management Perspectives, Human Resource Management, Thunderbird International Business Review, International Journal of Human Resource Management, and others. He is also a co-founder and Chief Editorial Consultant of the European Journal of International Management (EJIM), an ISI/SSCI indexed publication (www.ejim-global.org), and a member of editorial boards of three other major international academic and practitioner peer-reviewed journals.
Kristin Fischer
Executive Director and Global Lead, Talent Acquisition
Amgen
As an HR Executive for Talent Acquisition at Amgen, Kristin leads the global capability dedicated to attracting, engaging, and hiring the world’s best talent. She leads a team of talent professionals who are responsible for global branding and marketing, executive search and scouting, early career and professional recruitment, and overall TA experience and capabilities.
In this role, Kristin is energized to find new and emerging talent pools to strengthen diversity hiring outcomes and create equitable career pathways for under-represented talent. She is passionate about increasing talent capabilities through agile process design, digital/AI-enabled tools and systems and advanced analytics. Kristin cares deeply about customers in the acquisition process and is equally focused on their experience and our results.
Through the broad HR leadership roles Kristin has had at Amgen and in start-up healthcare environments, she has partnered closely with the business to listen and understand their needs, shape corporate culture and develop and retain great talent. It’s a very dynamic time to be in HR, and Kristin is enjoying the challenges and opportunities the current environment requires; she is grateful to be in a position to make a difference and impact a greater purpose.
Susie Lundeen
Chief People Officer
Allogene
Susan (Susie) Lundeen, is the Chief People Officer of Allogene. Susie has held leadership roles in the full life cycle of global human resources, talent acquisition, operations, mergers and acquisition, and business expansion in several biotechnology companies. She was most recently with Unity Biotechnology where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer for six years. Prior to Unity, Susie was Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Kythera Biopharmaceuticals until its acquisition by Allergan, where she was responsible for designing and implementing all people systems supporting the company, from early product development to drug approval and eventual commercial launch. From 2005 to 2007, Susie was Vice President of Human Resources and Administration at Activus Healthcare Solutions, Inc., a healthcare company that was acquired by PSS, Inc. Prior to that experience, she held various positions at Amgen, including an expatriate assignment to support the build-out of Amgen’s world-wide distribution facility in the Netherlands. She also served as Strategic HR Business Partner for Research & Development, and ultimately served as Senior Director of Human Resources responsible for Strategic Staffing and Succession Planning. Susie received a BA in Psychology and Business Administration from California Lutheran University and is a trustee on the University’s Board of Regents.
Kevin Elms
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Dole Packaged Foods North America
Kevin is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dole Packaged Foods North America headquartered in Westlake Village, California. As finance and information technology leader for this billion dollar division of Dole International a wholly owned subsidiary of Itochu Corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. He leads a direct staff of 62 with indirect links to finance staff in Canada and Europe. Dole International is a leading producer, marketer and distributor of fresh fruit in Asia and is an industry leader in packaged and frozen fruit products worldwide. Kevin was the Executive Sponsor of a division SAP implementation that went live in North America in 2011 and in Europe in 2014. The division was acquired by Itochu in April 2013 from Dole Food Company.
Before joining Dole, Kevin was Chief Accounting Officer at Decurion Corporation owner of Pacific Theatres and ArcLight Cinemas in Los Angeles and held various finance positions at Harland-Clarke in San Antonio, Texas, ending as Senior Vice President - Finance.
Kevin holds a BBA in Accounting from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He started his career with Arthur Andersen and holds a CPA license in Texas.
Judith Sanchez
Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager USA
JAFRA Cosmetics International
Judith Sanchez is an international leader with more than 30 years of experience in the beauty and cosmetic industry. At JAFRA Cosmetics International, Sanchez maintains a focus on launching and driving business growth in a variety of Latin American countries, including South America, USA, and Asia. Among her major achievements, she spearheaded the launch of the new JAFRA international markets in Asia, such as Indonesia. Her main concentration is on eCommerce and Consultant acquisition, and she has achieved above-average growth in sales and market share in markets such as Mexico, Brazil, and more, as well as the re-launch of the JAFRA Worldwide brand.
During her time at JAFRA Mexico, she played a large role in JAFRA receiving an award for being one of the "Top 3 Best Companies to Work," by "Great Place to Work For," which was attributed to executive leadership, business results, and CRM. She also created the JAFRA Mexico Foundation to support elementary school children with special needs to help them finish their education, serving more than 4,000 children in four years.
Judith holds a bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, a degree in strategic planning from the Universidad Iberoamerica in Mexico City, and a degree in Total Quality Administration from Tecnológico de Monterrey. She has been a guest speaker and educator at several Institutions in Mexico, including Dirección General de Educación Normal y Actualización del Magisterio and Instituto Nacional de Educación del Adultos and Instituto Nacional de Perinatología. Sanchez is also a member of the Board at Cal Lutheran University, as well as part of the Board of Governors for the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Conejo Valley since 2021. And on February of 2022 she became a member of the Board of DSEF (Direct Selling Education Foundation).
Most recently, she was the top speaker at the University of the Direct Selling Worldwide and has been tapped to contribute to media articles on understanding the Hispanic consumer. Another recent accolade was having been awarded as one of the Top 50 Women in Business with Pacific Coast Times.
Darren M. Kettle
Chief Executive Officer
Metrolink
Darren Kettle is the Chief Executive Officer of Metrolink, Southern California’s regional passenger rail service that provides a safe, easy, affordable, and stress-free alternative to car travel for the more than 18 million residents of the six-county mega-region. He became the Metrolink CEO in September 2021. Kettle has more than 30 years of experience with local and regional government agencies.
Before joining Metrolink, Kettle was the Executive Director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) for 14 years. Previously, Kettle was with the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) from 2000 through 2007. Early in his SANBAG tenure, Kettle was Director of Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs for both SANBAG and the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC).
Kettle has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master’s in Public Administration from California State University, San Bernardino.