Emerson Global USers Exchange 2014: Sonnenberg to Anchor Opening Keynotes

The keynote speakers at today's general session promise to engage, inform, and inspire in equal measure. Following the traditional welcome address from this year's conference chair, Sean Brady of Dominion Resource Services, you'll hear from the Emerson Process Management President Steve Sonnenberg. The morning session concludes with a presentation by our special guest keynoter, Jack Uldrich, renowned global futurist and author.

Sean Brady, our chairman for the 2014 Exchange, is an instrumentation and controls engineer with Dominion Resources Services located in Glen Allen, Virginia. He started with Virginia Power 12 years ago as a power station engineer and has been in his current position with the corporate engineering group since 2007. The responsibilities of the group include supporting Dominion's coal, oil, gas, and hydro powered generating stations by implementing control system projects and upgrades, assisting with system and component troubleshooting, and recommending operation improvements focused on safety and reliability. Sean graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor's of science degree in mechanical engineering and is a registered professional engineer.

Sonnenberg, President, Emerson Process Management

Steve Sonnenberg, president of Emerson Process Management and executive vice president, Emerson, will update users on the latest developments and future direction
of the company.

Steve Sonnenberg leads the Emerson Process Management business which posted sales of $8.6 billion in fiscal 2013. He was appointed as Emerson executive vice president and president of Emerson Process Management in October 2008. Sonnenberg joined Emerson in 1979 as a marketing analyst with the former Brooks Instrument business. His career progressed rapidly as he assumed a number of marketing and general management positions in Germany, London, and Asia Pacific. In 2000, Sonnenberg was appointed president of Emerson Process Management Asia Pacific, and in 2002 he was appointed president of Emerson Process Management–Rosemount. During his tenure, he has also been responsible for several Emerson acquisitions including Rosemount TankRadar (formerly Saab Marine), Mobrey, Damcos, and Metran. Sonnenberg holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from Georgia Tech and a master's in business administration from the University of Virginia.

Our guest keynote speaker, Jack Uldrich, is a renowned global futurist and the author of eleven books, including the award-winning bestseller The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. His most recent book is Foresight 20/20: A Futurist Explores the Trends Transforming Tomorrow. Jack is the founder and “chief unlearning officer” of The School of Unlearning, an international leadership, change management, and technology consultancy dedicated to helping businesses, governments, and non-profit organizations prepare for and profit from periods of profound transformation. Clients include Fortune 100 companies, venture capital firms, and state and regional governments. Uldrich is also a regular contributor on emerging technologies and future trends for a number of publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Leader to Leader, The Futurist, BusinessWeek, The Scientist, CityBusiness, The Futures Research Quarterly, and TechStation Central. Uldrich, a former naval intelligence officer and Defense Department official, also served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Strategic and Long Range Planning under Governor Jesse Ventura.