5G AMERICAS PRESENTS
ANALYST FORUM 2022
OCTOBER 19 – 20, 2022 | Irving, TX
5G Americas 2022 Analyst Forum Speakers
Ahmad Muhanna
Director, PLM and 5G Security Architecture Packet Compute BU
Dr. Muhanna has over 20 years of experience in mobile communication architecture and security and is currently a Director for Product Management and Security Architecture at Mavenir Packet Compute BU with focus on 5G Core.
Dr. Muhanna is the product owner of Security GW (SeGW) and 5GC SEPP, NRF and AUSF in addition to being the architect and product owner for Mavenir 5GC security architecture and solution using Mavenir Cloud-Native platform and solution.
Bejoy Pankajakshan
EVP, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer
Bejoy is the Chief Technology and Strategy Officer at Mavenir. In this role, Bejoy leads and orchestrates cross-functional strategic alignment of the complete product portfolio, advises on business-critical imperatives, and engages external business and industry experts on product and technology strategies that accelerate innovation across Mavenir. He is an accomplished product and technology leader with a record of defining business vision and driving investments and acquisitions to realize long range growth.
Brandon Larson
SVP, GM, Multimedia Business Unit
Brandon Larson is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Mavenir’s Multimedia Business Unit. He joined Mavenir from Tango Networks, where he served as their Chief Strategy Officer. He is also a former employee of Mavenir, having previously run the Sales Engineering organization for America’s region where he was instrumental in many key Mavenir projects including the world’s first IMS VoWiFi, VoLTE, and RCS 5.0 service launches.
Dejan Leskaroski
Head of PLM, EPC & 5G Core
Dejan Leskaroski is the Head of Product Management at Mavenir, and he leads product-related activities as part of the Mavenir Packet Compute Business Unit, including the Mavenir virtualized Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and the Mavenir fully containerized 5G Core (5GC).
Dejan has over 20 years of telecom experience delivering telco products and solutions for many of the leading Tier-1 operators in both the Core and Radio Access Networks, including 4G/5G Network Functions, NFV integration and Orchestration.
Job Benson
VP and Head of Radio Product Management
Job Benson is the Vice President and Head of Radio Product Management at Mavenir where he is responsible for P&L, Portfolio Roadmap and Strategy of the Radio business unit.
Additionally, he leads the joint product development programs between Mavenir and Radio partners. At Mavenir, he launched the OpenBeam portfolio –the widest portfolio of O-RAN compliant radios covering Micro & Macro RRU and, mmWave & Sub-6Ghz Massive MIMO AAU products.
John Baker
SVP of Ecosystem Business Development
As an AT&T Fellow and Assistant Vice President for Standards & Industry Alliances for AT&T, Brian oversees AT&T’s strategy and leadership in global industry standards. Brian is a technology visionary and thought leader with knowledge of the global standards industry landscape/leadership. Brian has a broad technology perspective including 5 to 10-year trends, with focus on emerging technologies for 5G and beyond including public safety/mission critical services for FirstNet; wireless emergency alerts and earthquake early warning; C-V2X and UAS/UAVs; cybersecurity, NSEP, and critical infrastructure protection.
Brian is engaged in programs with the DHS, DISA, and DoD, and is a leading contributor to the Alliance for Telecommunication Industry Solutions (ATIS) Board, TOPS Council and Standards Committee initiatives, resulting in the implementation of key industry standards. Brian is on the Executive Committee of the National Spectrum Consortium and holds appointments to the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council (TAC) and Communications Reliability, Security, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC). Brian also is a member of the FBI’s Infragard partnership. Brian holds Board positions on the National Public Safety Communications Council (NPSTC) and the IEEE International Standards and Technology Organization (IEEE-ISTO). Brian’s industry leadership roles include Co-chair of the Next G Alliance Steering Group, co-chair of the O-Ran Alliance Standards Development Focus Group, Chair of the GSM Association’s North American Fraud Forum and Security Group, and former co-chair of the ANSI Unmanned Aircraft Systems Standardization Collaborative Critical Infrastructure & Environment working group.
Manikandan Sankaran
Emerging Business, Network & Platform
Mani Sankaran is Senior Director, head of Product Management Private networks at Mavenir, responsible for E2E Private Network solutions at Mavenir.
Mani has over 23 years of experience in telecom and has worked for leading telecom vendors and startups Ranzure, Mavenir, Nokia, Motorola, Nortel Networks/TATA Consultancy Services. Mani spearheaded a major initiative within Mavenir to implement 5GC/UPF offloading functionality using SmartNik.
Richard Whelband
Small Cell Technical Sales, USA
Richard leads the technical pre-sales support for Mavenir’s Small Cell portfolio in the North America. He is part of Mavenir’s Emerging Business Unit, focusing on driving growth in Private 5G Networks and Small Cells.
Richard has over 20 years of wireless industry experience predominantly working with Radio Access Network and Small Cell technologies.