Global Industry Leader, Rail

IBM

Keith Dierkx has spent over 20 years working in the transportation industry focusing on rail, multi-modal transportation and maritime/terminal operations.

As Global Rail lead for IBM and Director for the Global Rail Innovation Center, Mr. Dierkx leads a global team of rail subject matter experts, researchers and developers, and is charged with delivering innovative solutions to IBM clients.  He is currently working globally with rail clients on “game-changing” solutions to key challenges – including safety and security, asset management, dynamic optimization/scheduling, and passenger relationship management.

Mr. Dierkx rejoined IBM in 2006 as a Partner in IBM’s Global Business Services with responsibility for North American railroads, and his team received an IBM Chairman’s Innovation Citation for their work on rail innovation.

Prior to joining IBM, Mr. Dierkx was a CIO in the Maritime Industry and a senior executive for an Internet of Things venture funded company that was ultimately acquired by Lockheed Martin. During this period, he served on the Technology Board at MIT’s Auto-ID Center.

He spent 14 years with IBM in the 1980’s and 1990’s working with the major US railroads including the Union Pacific, Santa Fe and the Southern Pacific railroads. He brought new solutions and capabilities to the railroads driving new solutions through the innovative use of existing technologies and the creation of new solutions.

Mr. Dierkx received his BA from the University of California, Berkeley and his MBA from Duke University.

IBM Watson Client Value & Transformation, Practice Leader

IBM

Bjorn Austraat is the North America Practice Leader for IBM Watson's Client Value & Transformation team. Mr. Austraat has extensive experience ranging from enterprise-level deployment of cognitive technologies including Natural Language Processing to in-depth business strategy and operating model transformation engagements as well as Big Data / analytics initiatives across a wide range of industries.

Moderator

Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher
International Railway Journal

David Briginshaw has been a railway journalist since 1979. He joined IRJ in 1982 as associate editor, and was appointed editor-in-chief in 2001. In 2013, he took on the additional role of associate publisher. He is also an international editor of IRJ's North American sister publication, Railway Age.

During his journalistic career, David Briginshaw has visited 40 countries and interviewed many of the presidents, CEOs and senior managers of the world's leading railways, metro systems, and railway equipment manufacturers.

David Briginshaw holds a Higher National Diploma (with distinction) in Transport & Physical Distribution from Newcastle-upon-Tyne Polytechnic (now the University of Northumbria), and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport.