HispanicBusiness

Ivan Gutierrez
VP of Supply Management
•Company: Sodexho USA
•Currently: Born in Nicaragua, Mr. Gutierrez is an experienced supply chain professional who began his career as an engineer at such companies as Northrop Grumman and Textron. After earning his law degree, Mr. Gutierrez joined the ranks of purchasing professionals as a corporate purchasing manager for Tyco International-Raychem Corp. He worked his way up the corporate ladder, taking on increasingly greater responsibilities at various companies. Mr. Gutierrez's most recent position was Executive Director of Purchasing, GAF Materials Corporation, the largest roofing manufacturer in North America.

Louis Laguardia
SVP, Human Resources and Diversity
•Company: Denny's Corp.
•Currently: Since joining the company in 2006 as senior vice-president, Mr. Laguardia has been responsible for all aspects of human resources and promotion of diversity efforts to ensure that Denny's attracts and retains diverse talent. He previously served as vice-president of staffing and diversity for Frito-Lay North America. The Cuban native also held senior leadership positions at American Express Consumer Card Group and Blockbuster. He holds a master's degree in industrial psychology from Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey and a doctorate in research and measurement from New York University.

Gerardo Lopez
SVP and President of Global Consumer Products
•Company: Starbucks Coffee Co.
•Currently: With extensive domestic and international experience in the food and consumer goods industries, Mr. Lopez was the perfect choice in 2004 to guide Starbucks in its cascading line of consumer products. He leads Starbucks' innovative efforts to capture the global consumer outside its traditional retail outlets. Prior to joining the marquee coffee chain, Mr. Lopez was president of the Handleman Entertainment Resources division of Handleman Company from 2001 to 2004 and senior vice-president and general manager from 2000 to 2001. Previously, he held a variety of executive management positions with such brand name manufacturers as Frito-Lay, Inc., Pepsi-Cola Co., and Procter & Gamble.

Maria Alvarez Mann
CTO for Retirement Plan Services
•Company: JPMorgan Chase
•Currently: In and out of the corporate hallways, Ms. Mann has been an early leader in IT management. She started in 1984 as a computer programmer at DuPont. By 1989, she was the owner and president of Innovative Business Concepts, an IT consulting company. After a decade, Ms. Mann sold her company and joined Bank One to head the new Information Management division. She led the Data Management Council, which was critical to the success of the firm's credit card replatforming initiative. As a result, she was asked to join the executive leadership team during Bank One's merger with JPMorgan.

Fernando Palacios
EVP and COO
•Company: Land O'Lakes Purina Feed
•Currently: With over 18-years experience in the food and packaging industry, Mr. Palacios joined Land O'Lakes in 2000 as vice-president of operations and supply chain. At the $6 billion national food and agricultural cooperative, Mr. Palacios is known for his innovative use of information technology to handle supply chain problems, along with his great rapport with his staff. Before joining Land O'Lakes, he served as director of food and beverage consulting at KPMG, where he played a key role in the company's consulting practices for supply chain management and e-business. He holds a master's in dairy science from Mississippi State University and an MBA from the University of Minnesota.