Engineering Leaders: Our Fellows, CTOs, and Select SMEs

Isabell specializes in evaluating and developing new material systems and coatings that make connector contacts and terminals more reliable and fit for future purpose. Her three decades of professional experience in surface and plating technology enables her to understand the intricacies of producing materials cost-efficiently using sustainable manufacturing processes.

Read Q&A with Isabell on innovation in automotive connectivity.

Specialty
Developing materials for contacts used in automobile systems
Analyzing production for more efficient, cost-effective processes

Ask Isabell about
Plating and joining technologies
Analyzing materials and surfaces
Base materials and metal substrates, material systems, and coatings

Achievements
24 patents
More than 60 articles authored

Guenter specializes in innovation for industrial communication, robotics, and I/O connectivity. He works closely with major industrial customers and technology partners to bring new and innovative products to market.

Guenter works at international standardization groups involved in electrical and electronical connectors and interconnections as well as electrical termination technologies like Crimp, IDC, Piercing, Spring Clamp, Press-In connection solutions. For more than three decades, he has served as a delegate, expert and working group chairman to VDE/DKE, IEC, and Cenelec.

Guenter received TE’s prestigious 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award for his nearly forty years of technical leadership and expertise. In addition to being a TE Fellow for the past decade, he amassed several distinctions: 40 granted patents, TE’s 2012 New Innovation Award, and 2016 Impact Innovation Award. His relationships with customers have helped drive competitive advantages that increased TE’s influence in the field of Industrial Communication.

Specialty
Industrial Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) 1 Gbps
Advanced Physical Layer (APL) 10Mbps for 1000m
M12 x-coded, mini I/O Cat-6a 100 Mbps - 10 Gbps
Automation IO connectors
Industrial power and signal and communication connectors

Applications
Industrial Internet, IIoT
Industry 4.0
Cyber Physical Systems

Ask Guenter about
Industrial communication
Sensor to the cloud
Industrial wireless, 5G ACIA
Electrical termination technologies
Industrial standards

Dave specializes in helping customers innovate for high-speed connectivity in data centers.

Read Q&A with Dave on solving for high-speed connectivity in data centers.

Applications
Data center servers, storage, and switches
Hardware accelerators
Wireless systems

Sean specializes in the development & design of new high-performance materials for harsh environments that make cable accessories & other insulating products more reliable, easier to install, longer lifetime & future proof. His many decades of professional experience in material science & technology enables him to understand the complexity of designing materials for cost effective & sustainable manufacturing.

Read Q&A with Sean on solving for innovation in energy performance.

Specialty
Designing anti-tracking/hydrophobic elastomeric & polymeric formulations for the power industry. Failure analysis & problem analysis methodology. Silicone rubber technology

Patents
6 patents

Ask Sean About
Silicone rubber technology
Design of materials for harsh environments
Sealants & adhesives
Failure analysis & problem solving

Matt specializes in solving for power and signal connectivity, especially when it involves high-speed connectors, PCB interconnects, compliant pin technology, and VME/VPX system solutions.

Read Q&A with Matt on solving for connectivity in aerospace.

Specialty
Rugged connector designs for aerospace

Applications
Spacecraft (manned and unmanned)
Aircraft (manned and unmanned)

Ask Matt about
Connector solutions for VPX architecture

Chad specializes in analyzing and designing high-speed, high-density components, as well as in developing signal integrity modeling, simulation, and measurement methods for characterizing digital and RF components. He is also focused on characterizing advanced conductor and dielectric materials electrically for high-speed signal transmission.

Read Q&A with Chad on solving for connectivity in data centers.

Specialty
Electromagnetic interconnect modeling (FEA, TLM)
Full system simulation (SPICE, linear, convolution)
Component and system verification testing (TDR, VNA, BERT)
High-speed network analyzer measurement & de-embedding
High-speed right-angle and direct-plug orthogonal designs
Low-skew geometry modeling & novel solutions

Applications
Data center architectures (routers & switches)
Server architectures & disaggregation
Wireless backbone digital applications
High-speed, high-density digital component modeling
High-speed, equalized system simulation
Metal & dielectric electrical characterization at high frequency
External 28-112 Gbps cable assemblies (QSFP, OSFP, QSFP-DD)
Internal low-loss cable assemblies (Sliver cable assemblies)
Cabled backplane solutions (cabled STRADA Whisper connectors)

Ask Chad about
Choosing tools and methods for predicting performance
Achieving low insertion loss and crosstalk to 50 GHz
Removing unwanted resonances from components
Measuring high-frequency material characteristics
Selecting materials for high-speed

John specializes in developing value-adding terminal and connector solutions for automotive applications, using low-cost materials and processes.

Read Q&A with John on connectivity in automotive.

Specialty
Automotive terminal and connector design

Applications
Low-voltage miniaturized automotive terminals and connectors

Ask John about
Designing terminals and connectors
Surface mount headers and compliant pins
Contact physics

Helge specializes in designing contacts used in automotive applications.

Read Q&A with Helge on connectivity in automotive.

Ask Helge about
Contact designs and materials

Josef specializes in process improvement and process innovation in stamping, plating, molding and assembly.

Read Q&A with Josef on solving for improvements in manufacturing processes.

Ask Josef about
Manufacturing and automation
Stamping dies
Injection molds
Digital factory

Frank specializes in taking innovation concepts and developing them into functional, sustainable manufacturing processes.

Read Q&A with Frank on solving for innovation in manufacturing.

Specialty
Manufacturing innovations (plating, stamping, molding)
Pilot and deployments in manufacturing
Sustainability optimization (energy, process water, chemicals)
Engineering and operational excellence

Ask Frank about
New opportunities with manufacturing transformation (digital factory)

Dave specializes in developing sensors – primarily MEMS-based sensors and electronic sensor systems.

Read Q&A with Dave on solving for connectivity in sensors.

Ask Dave about
Sensor requirements and trends

Bill helps customers solve for high-speed, ruggedized, small form factor and low-cost optical transceivers.

Read Q&A with Bill on solving for connectivity in technology.

Specialty
End-to-end networking solutions for high speed communications

Applications
Aerospace systems
Transportation systems
Medical devices
Fiber optic sensing

Ask Bill about
Fiber optics
High speed communications
Networking - all types

Davy Brown has served as the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for TE Connectivity’s Industrial Solutions segment since 2017.

As the technical leader of the Industrial Solutions segment, Davy is responsible for the strategic direction of global engineering and product research and innovation within the Energy, Industrial, Medical, and Aerospace, Defence and Marine businesses.

Davy first joined TE in 2013 as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Telecom and Wireless businesses and continued that role after the merger and creation of Broadband Network Solutions (BNS). He then served as Senior Vice President, Research and Development of CommScope’s Connectivity Solutions business after its acquisition of BNS before returning to TE in 2017.

After beginning his career at British Telecom Research Labs, he has held senior technology leadership and executive roles in various technology companies spanning the semiconductor, software, consumer electronics and telecommunications industries. He also co-founded and served as CTO of Trinity Convergence, a multimedia communications company.

Davy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.

Phil Gilchrist has served as the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for TE Connectivity’s Communications Solutions segment since Oct 2017.

As the technical leader of the Communications Solutions segment, Phil is responsible for the strategic direction of global engineering and innovation, product research, engineering talent and digital process development within these business units: Data & Devices and Appliances.

Phil first joined TE in 2011 as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Enterprise business unit, moving on to be the CTO of TE’s Datacom business unit. He then served as General Manager of Optics and CTO of Data and Devices until becoming the CTO for the Communications Solutions Segment.

After beginning his career as the Co-Founder of a technology start-up, Phil held numerous senior technology leadership and executive roles at Motorola from 1999-2011 focused on software, chipset and platform product development.

Phil holds a Bachelor’s degree (Hons) in Computer Science from the University of Stirling, Scotland.

Ralf Klädtke is Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for TE Transportation Solutions. Appointed to the role in April 2021, Ralf has an extraordinary background of accomplishment and success, including over 25 years of technology and leadership experience with global technology companies.

As technical leader of the Transportation Solutions segment, which includes the Automotive, Industrial & Commercial Transportation, Sensors and Application Tooling business units, Ralf is responsible for providing thought leadership and guidance around the future innovation, growth plans and portfolio investments for the organization, as well as in guiding the segment’s technology roadmap. In addition, he partners with the Chief Technology Officers within each of the Transportation Solutions’ business units to build and develop high performing teams and to ensure that the engineering organization is able to capitalize on future growth opportunities.

Ralf was previously Co-CEO and CTO of ZKW Group, a leading provider of lighting systems and electronics for the automotive industry. Prior to ZKW, he served as Executive Board member, Mobile Transportation Technology, for Schaltbau Holding AG; President and CEO, for Airbus DS Optronics GmbH and Carl Zeiss Optronics GmbH; and Vice President, Reusable Launcher / Security & Defense Germany, for EADS SPACE (now Airbus Defence and Space).

Ralf is a former captain in the German Air Force and also held Director roles with the German Space Agency (DARA/DLR) and MAN Technologie where he was the European Program Manager of the X-38 / Crew Return Vehicle. Ralf holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Bundeswehr in Munich, Germany.

Erin specializes in leading teams that co-create with customers to solve critical problems using multi-disciplinary approaches.

Read Q&A with Erin on innovation in connectivity.

Specialty
Executing on product and technology roadmaps to deliver differentiated value

Applications
Sensors for IIoT and Medical
Cloud computing

Ask Erin about

MEMS-based sensors
How data and sensing meet at the network edge

Badi leads a global team that partners with global medical device companies to develop innovative and reliable solutions for the medical applications.

Specialty
Engineering executional excellence
New product development, Sustaining engineering
Medical Devices

Applications
Interventional (Cardiovascular, Structural Heart, Neurovascular, Electrophysiology, Smart Devices)
Surgical (Endoscopy, Surgical Robotics, Electrosurgery)
Imaging (CT, MRI, Ultrasound, X-Ray)
Medical Sensors

Ask Badi about
Systems and Hardware Development
Design Control
Technology roadmaps
Clinical applications

Greg leads the development of product solutions for the transportation and off-highway markets.

Applications
Application Tooling
Commercial Transportation
Industrial Equipment

Ask Greg About
The future of electrification and autonomous control of the commercial and industrial markets.

Jamie leads a global team that specializes in the development and commercialization of next-gen power and signal connectivity solutions across the electrical, optical, and RF domains.

Specialty
Executing and accelerating product roadmaps to deliver differentiated value

Applications
Spacecraft
Aircraft
Defense (Land & Marine)

Ask Jamie about
Lean product development
The future of air & space travel

Alex leads a global team focused on solving for reliable connectivity in harsh industrial environments.

Read Q&A with Alex on enabling innovation in industrial connectivity.

Specialty
Wired and wireless connectivity
Sensor systems

Ask Alex about

System design: Mechanics, electronics, firmware
Technology and strategy development
R&D effectiveness

Books and Articles Alex has written

Integrated Microwave Sensors for Cavity-length Measurement in Machine Engineering

40+- articles and patents (see bibliography)

Thomas leads a global team that develops innovative connectivity solutions for sustainable energy networks.

Specialty
End-to-end customer-centric innovation
Research and development

Applications
Overhead power grid solutions
Underground cable networks
Renewables
Industrial power solutions
Railway power solutions
Nuclear power solutions
Wildfire and asset protection
Wildfire mitigation
Substation solutions

Ask Thomas about
Electrical power networks and systems
Electrical systems design
Technology and strategy development

Alexandra leads a global team that develops tooling solutions to provide reliable, precision terminations to enable connectivity solutions across various industries.

Specialty
Product and Process Development Engineering

Applications
Crimping technologies
Pin insertion/press fit
Magnet wire
Hand tools

Ask Alexandra about
Connector design
Cable assembly
Circuit board assembly

Mike leads the global data and devices engineering team, partnering with the data centers around the world to develop their interconnect solutions and architectures.  

Specialty 

Engineering strategy and execution excellence 
System engineering, optics, and high-speed smart materials  Micro-electronics 

Applications 

High-speed data communications 
Optical transportation 
Data center architectures 

Ask Mike about 

System design and architecture 
Optics science 
Technology roadmaps
Engineering program management and best practices