Dr. Shekhar Chandrashekhar, CEO

Download photo

Shekhar Chandrashekhar has over 30 years’ experience as a leader, strategist, and innovator with a history of driving improvements that streamline operations, drive growth and increase profitability on a global scale. His background in business and technology leadership, and his deep knowledge and advanced training in engineering management, have provided him with a unique talent—the ability to transform organizations, influence product positioning and drive a laser focus on priorities that support the company’s vision and goals. 

Prior to joining iNEMI, Shekhar was responsible for managing the national network of Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centers (SMICs) for the Clean Energy & Smart Manufacturing Institute (CESMII). In this role, he worked with the SMICs to demonstrate the value of deploying Industry 4.0 solutions to the manufacturing industry. Similarly, with California Manufacturing Technology Consulting, he oversaw the implementation of Industry 4.0 and digital technology solutions, building a network of systems integrators that impacted more than 35,000 small and medium sized manufacturers in California in their deployment of smart manufacturing solutions.

He has also worked with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) as managing director, programs, for the association’s executive leadership team. In that role, he led business strategy development and created a program portfolio focused on workforce and global development. He helped influence the global engineering community by constructing and implementing content strategies to drive quality, innovation and revenue growth.

Shekhar began his career as a member of technical staff of AT&T Bell Labs and held several management positions with Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies/Alcatel-Lucent, including senior manager for the Network Solutions Group and Bell Labs/Supply Chain Networks. He eventually became director of the company’s CTO Group, where he created the footprint for Global Engineering Centers and optimized supply chain and operations for 20 business divisions in 40 countries.

He received the Advanced Technology Excellence Award from Bell Laboratories and the  Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from SME. He is a member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Concurrent Engineering Research and Applications and has published over 25 papers in international journals and conferences.

Shekhar has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Concordia University (Montreal, Canada) and a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai).