Connecting Tech Leaders for Growth, Engagement, and Innovation
SIM New York is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to fostering a genuine fellowship among technology leaders. We provide opportunities for deep connections, continuous growth, and leadership development. What sets us apart is our commitment to vulnerability, mutual support, and creating a diverse and inclusive community.
Officers
Sunil Notani is Co-Founder of The Transformation Group. He is an accomplished business and technology executive with over 30 years of experience in Fortune Global 500 (Oracle, FedEx, Lufthansa) and high-growth multinationals. He had leadership roles in these organizations and was responsible for driving their business transformation and leveraging technology to gain maximum benefit.
Cindy Finkelman is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Performance Improvement. Prior to joining A&M, Cindy was the Chief Information Officer with FactSet Research Systems. She also served in leadership roles at New York Life, ALICO, Merrill Lynch, Marsh & McLennan, Prudential, Booz Allen & Hamilton, and MetLife.
Stuart Haas is Senior Director, IT at Dotdash Meredith. He is a senior IT executive with over 20 years of IT leadership experience. Stuart's career has focused on international technology startups across industries, including e-commerce, music, publishing, e-learning, software, and real estate.
Directors
Cherif holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Stevens Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Cherif was most recently the Chief of Information Officer at the IEEE. Before that, he was a Senior Director of Business Technology at Pfizer and worked as a member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories.
Farhan Shah is a seasoned tech executive with over two decades in leadership roles such as CIO, CDTO, CTO, and CISO at companies like Vantage Risks, AIG, Allstate, and GE. He recently launched Elixir Insurance Group as Co-Founder. Farhan is deeply invested in cloud computing, generative AI, and machine learning, is an active public speaker, and is a strong advocate for DEI and ESG.
Lars Kielhorn is an entrepreneurial IT executive fostering innovation and growth through the strategic use of technology in rapidly changing companies. For 25+ years, he’s led transformations in private equity, pharma, and healthcare at companies like Dorilton Capital, Forest Labs, and Bayer. Lars is as passionate about new technologies as he is about the people impacted by them.
Carlos Fernandez has been in technology for over 20 years in digital printing and financial space. Carlos currently serves as Delivery Program Manager for Thomson Reuters delivering with a global team across Order to Cash, Tax and Accounting, Legal and Latin America LATAM. Carlos's entrepreneurial spirit more recently inspired him to join a startup which he helped grow from $3M to $50M and IPO.
Geoff Scott coaches startup CEOs, helping them find the right direction and go fast. As an entrepreneur, executive, engineer, and leader with over 30 years of experience, he built 3 startups, launched dozens of products and businesses for other companies, and played leadership roles in 3 INC 500 companies, 2 Fortune 500 companies, and 4 exits, including 1 IPO. He has co-authored 2 AI patents.
Hsing Hsing Li is COO at Aceler8.ai. She is a digital strategy leader, operations integrator, and transformation leader with 20+ years of experience accelerating scale and new revenue, modernizing business architecture, and driving global technology strategy and corporate innovation for Fortune 500 companies such as Goldman Sachs, AIG, Fidelity, Marsh McLennan, Omnicom, Publicis.
Robert is the CTO for the Port Authority of NY and NJ, which builds, operates, and maintains the airports, rail, bridges, and tunnels between the two states, as well as seaport facilities, and the 16-acre World Trade Center site. He has led the agency's mobile and cloud initiatives, as well as the development of an agency-wide Cybersecurity program.
Robert Field is VP of Global IT and Digital Solutions at Precipart. He is a technology executive with 20+ years of experience directing the technology infrastructure, operational strategy, and leading-edge, information-based solutions that directly support the technology road maps of organizations in higher education, entertainment and production, digital media, and manufacturing industries.
Bernadette Rotolo is SVP, Global Tech Enablement at Warner Music Group, a member of the CIO Innovation Advisory Network at Lightspeed Venture Partners, and on the advisory board for BoldStart, an early-stage Venture Capital company. In 2019, Bernadette was named Business Role Model of the Year by Women in Technology Silicon Valley chapter.
Patricia is Director at Alvarez & Marsal. She is a senior executive and advisor with 20+ years of experience, including deep expertise in higher education, state, and local government, not-for-profit, transportation, and logistics. She has held Executive IT positions at Columbia University, Spruce Technology, Descartes Systems Group, Sea-Land Services (Maersk), and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Pat O’Connell, with 30+ years in IT spanning engineering, management, development, and outsourcing at Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, and ING, now leads The Conall Group (TCG) and Conall Coaching Services. He is passionate about working with the next generation of IT leaders and has been teaching in the Masters in Technology Management program at Columbia University since 2009.
Ricardo is Director of IT at Barbarian, where he oversees all internal tech operations within the business. He is a strong believer that the core principles of successful leadership are strategy, empathy, commitment to the team, and execution. He holds a strong passion for diversity in tech and actively works with underserved communities to doors for others and amplify the voices of the unheard.
Wolfgang is vCISO and Sr. Cybersecurity Consultant at EMT Consulting. He is a deeply experienced, hands-on, global technology leader, Global Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Digital Risk Officer, and CISO with a strong focus on cybersecurity, data protection, IT compliance and ethical hacking.
Trustees
Judy Arteche-Carr is a strategic advisor to a select group of global companies. She has worked with management teams in transformation strategies- aligning IT to the business in Fortune 500 financial institutions, technology services companies, media, and academia with responsibility for relationship management, marketing, operations, financial and risk management.
Erik Tomasi, COO at DTG Consulting Solutions, spearheads the technology practice, leveraging vast expertise honed as VP at Hermès and CIO at White Mountains Re Services. Renowned for restructuring IT departments, fortifying security, and championing emerging tech. Co-founder of eHire, Inc. Adjunct Professor at Baruch College. Holds an MBA from NYU and CISSP certification.
Risé Jacobs, MBA is a CTO in financial and services industries, re-focuses technology organizations to be a true strategic partner to business while significantly improving customer satisfaction. Serving as a Board Advisor and working in heavily regulated industries, she is a subject matter expert in security, privacy and governance with CISM, CISSP, CGEIT and IAPP certifications.