New Product & Product Management Awards Judging Committee
Vivian Gomes
Co-Founder & Chief Design Officer SHNORH, San Francisco, California, United States
Vivian Gomes is an internationally respected design and product leader who has been at the forefront of creating, building, scaling, and judging new products that make an impact in the real world. With over two decades of experience across product design, management, human-centered design, and large-scale innovation, he is widely regarded for his ability to assess and vision not just what is new, but what is viable, durable, and well-executed at scale. Vivian’s professional journey reflects a deep invention mindset, one rooted in identifying unmet needs, framing the right problems, and translating insight into products that can scale across markets and cultures. He has led the creation and evolution of products and platforms used by millions, spanning consumer electronics, e commerce, healthcare, telecom, fintech, media, energy, smart infrastructure, and enterprise systems. His work consistently sits at the intersection of customer value, operational feasibility, and business value. As Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer of SHNORH and Human Factors Research & Design (HFR&D), Vivian has guided organizations through the full product and platform lifecycle, i.e. from early concept and validation to launch, governance, and long-term portfolio management. He is known for identifying and establishing strong teams, product foundations, clear ownership models, decision frameworks, design and delivery standards, and cross-functional collaboration between product, engineering, research, and business teams. These structures have enabled faster execution, higher adoption, and sustained product quality across complex ecosystems. Earlier in his career, Vivian held senior global roles at Hewlett-Packard, where he founded and scaled one of the company’s first offshore usability and user-centered design teams. There, he contributed directly to major product lines by embedding research and product thinking into development decisions, influencing hardware interfaces, software workflows, and service experiences across global markets. His work has supported products with high value revenue impact and long operational lifespans, proving his perspective on product experience longevity, manufacturability, and lifecycle management placing people at the center of his work. Vivian later led global design and product transformation initiatives, overseeing more than 80 enterprise-grade platforms across analytics, GIS, defense, utilities, and smart city systems for large enterprises. Many of these products operated in safety-critical and infrastructure-heavy environments, requiring disciplined product management, clear prioritization, and rigorous evaluation of usability under real-world conditions. These experiences shaped his practical approach to judging innovations, as strong products are not only inventive, but dependable, understandable, and responsibly built. Beyond industry leadership, Vivian actively contributes to the global product and design community as a mentor, board advisor, and jury member. He has served on juries for leading international awards including the IDSA International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), the iF Design Awards, A’ Design Awards, and the Stevie Awards. He has dedicated over 10 yrs as a lead mentor at Google for Startups. Across these roles, he is recognized for his balanced judgment, evaluating invention, product strategy, execution quality, and long-term value rather than surface-level novelty. A frequent speaker and author, Vivian writes and presents on product ethics, invention-led design, systems thinking, and the responsibilities of product leaders in shaping technology at scale. His perspective is grounded, analytical, and experience-driven…shaped by years of building products, leading teams, and helping organizations turn ideas into outcomes that endure.
Pulkit Aggarwal
Senior Product Manager, Workday, Inc., Livermore, California, United States
With 12+ years in software, Pulkit specializes in AI, machine learning, and platform product management. Pulkit led enterprise AI initiatives and evaluated innovation through both technical depth and business impact.
Esha Bangar Hira
Lead Systems Engineer, Visa Inc, Fremont, California, United States
Esha is a Technical DevOps Leader with nearly two decades of extensive experience, specialized in DevOps practices on prem and on cloud. Esha's expertise lies in engineering, scaling, and stabilizing DevOps tools.
Sushil Choubey
Principal Supply Chain Manager, Amazon, Mercer Island, Washington, United States
Principal Supply Chain Manager at Amazon, driving delivery experience transformation for Amazon's new shipping business. Sushil has 13+ years of experience in Supply Chain, e-Commerce and Operations across three market-leading companies. MBA graduate from Kellogg School of Management and previously led significant operational improvements at Bosch and Tata Power.
Chandrasekar Devaraj
Sourcing Manager, Nefab Packaging South Central LLC, Coppell, Texas, United States
Senior Sourcing & Supply Chain Leader with 20+ years of experience driving strategic sourcing, supplier development, cost optimization, and risk management across global automotive and manufacturing organizations. Proven track record in leading high-performing teams, executing complex negotiations, and delivering sustainable business results.
Zhongqi Fu
Senior Product Designer, Reveleer, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Zhongqi Fu is an award-winning creative designer who excelled across healthcare, AI, renewable energy, and B2B SaaS. Now a Senior Product Designer at Reveleer, she previously led high-impact design initiatives for multiple unicorn startups. She is not only an outstanding designer but also a devoted mentor who guides junior designers in developing their craft and career paths.
Alison Higgins-Miller
CEO, SalesonQ Pty Ltd, Dural, New South Wales, Australia
Alison Higgins-Miller is a global C-Suite executive and strategic advisor with over 20 years’ experience driving growth, transformation and commercial performance. She partners with boards and C-Suite to unlock enterprise value and build resilient organizations. A respected thought leader, Alison has proudly served as a multi-year judge for the Stevie Awards.
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Nick Leonardo
Founder & CEO, YAPP LLC, Seattle, Washington, United States
Nick Leonardo is a technology executive and system architect focused on building scalable mobile learning architecture for complex domains. Through Yapp Sailing Course, he combines product design, UX, and AI tooling to translate the sailing domain into a clear and well-structured, decision-driven digital experience.
Mallesh Miryala
Salesforce Solutions Architect – Business Continuity, ITDR & Emergency Management University of California, Davis, California, United States
Mallesh is a Software developer and technology leader with 15 years of full-cycle experience, currently working as a Salesforce Technical Lead. At the University of California, Mallesh designs and builds AI-enabled, resilient systems that support business continuity, ITDR, and emergency management across multiple campuses and health systems, with a focus on automation and practical, human-centered digital solutions.
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Nishant Motwani
Global Head, Top Connected TV Partners and Automotive Partnerships, YouTube Google, Mountain View, California, United States
Currently, Nishant spearheads strategic partnerships across Connected TV and Automotive at YouTube, negotiating with Fortune 100s, launching in-car media experiences, pushing YouTube’s reach across devices with cutting-edge innovations, and generating billions in revenue. Crafting new opportunities, steering strategic vision, and driving innovation are at the core of passion.
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Sushrut Naik
Senior Director - Implementation, Machinify Inc, Palo Alto, California, United States
Sushrut Naik is a senior technology and implementation leader with expertise in enterprise data platforms, analytics, and large-scale program delivery. He has led cross-functional initiatives aligning technology execution with business strategy to deliver measurable outcomes. As a Stevie Awards judge, he wishes to evaluate innovation based on clarity, execution excellence, and real-world impact.
Fiyinfoluwa Openiyi
Data Analyst, Dare to Care Food Bank, College Station, Texas, United States
Data‑driven analyst with 3+ years of experience innovating systems in the food‑banking industry. Skilled in data engineering, analytics, and workflow optimization, delivering solutions that strengthen operations and expand community impact. Known for turning complex data into clear insights and driving mission‑focused improvements.
Thai Bao An Phan
Staff AI Solution Architect, Diligent Corporation, New York City, New York, United States
Annie Phan is a data and AI leader driving enterprise impact through AI/ML innovation and digital transformation. She is Staff AI Solution Architect at Diligent, previously led AI/ML programs at Fanatics Collectibles and McKinsey, and is a Founding Member of the AI Think Tank, Forbes Business Council member, and published author and judge in data and AI.
Sharad Sharma
Specialist Leader/Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting, Cumming, Georgia, United States
Sharad Sharma is a Senior Manager at Deloitte Consulting. He is a seasoned IT professional and has over 19 years of experience in developing, managing, and advising clients on security, technology, and risk management programs. He is a Senior Member IEEE, CISSP and is an alumni of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK).
Bharat Thakre
Site Lead, Amazon, Desert Hot Springs, California, United States
Bharat Thakre is a senior operations and supply chain leader with 15+ years of experience driving AI-enabled logistics, fulfillment optimization, and digital transformation at Amazon. He specializes in intelligent automation, warehouse systems, and data-driven operations, delivering large-scale efficiency and cost improvements while evaluating innovation, strategy, and business performance.
Sreeja Vallamulla
Founding Engineer, Obviously AI, Inc, Alameda, California, United States
Sreeja Vallamulla is a San Francisco–based Founding Engineer at Zams, building reliable agentic AI systems. Former CTO of VedaVerse, she previously worked on enterprise software at Accenture and holds an M.S. in IT. She has published with IEEE, reviews IEEE conferences, and served as a 2025 Stevie Awards for Women in Business judge.