Union Pacific Railroad, a historic leader in American railroads, is reimagining its future through digital transformation. In this episode, we uncover how product management, AI, and optimization are reshaping a service-based, highly regulated industry. Our guest—bringing expertise from both retail and rail—shares how data-driven strategies fuel modernization, enhance decision-making, and deliver real business impact.

Guest:

• Prasanna Rajendran, Vice President, PS Technology, Union Pacific Railroad.

Hosts:

• David O´Keefe, Director of Alliance Americas, Gurobi.
• Steve Sashihara, Founder and CEO, Princeton.

In today´s volatile business environment — marked by supply chain disruptions, commodity price swings, and geopolitical uncertainty — making the right decision isn´t enough. You need to make the optimal one. In this episode of the Optimization Catalyst, host David O´Keefe sits down with Dr. Alison Cozad (Aimpoint Digital) and Aakash Deep (ORMAE Group) to explore how companies can use mathematical optimization, AI, and advanced analytics to navigate volatility and unlock measurable business value. They discuss how static planning systems are giving way to dynamic, real-time decision intelligence — and how the combination of optimization and AI is helping business leaders not just find the best solution, but understand it, trust it, and act on it.

Participantes:

• Alison Cozad, Specialist in analytics and optimization applied to complex business decision-making, Aimpoint Digital.
• Aakash Deep, Specialist in custom business solutions with optimization, AI, and data engineering, ORMAE Group.

Host(s):

• David O´Keefe, Director of Alliance Americas, Gurobi.

Fábricas digitais, aplicações preditivas e IA generativa impulsionam a inovação em infraestrutura. O uso de dados otimiza manutenção de ativos, viabiliza MVPs mais rápidos e apoia decisões técnicas e regulatórias em ambientes complexos e de rápida transformação tecnológica.

Participantes:

• Jorge Simões, Executive Director for Digital & Technology, South America, EDP.

Host(s):

• David O´Keefe, Director of Alliance Americas, Gurobi.
• Thiago Oliveira, Diretor de Business da Bitka Analytics, Bitka Analytics.
• Elízio Rezende, Líder de Inovação em Ciência de Dados, Bitka Analytics.

Airlines use data-driven optimization to improve ground operations, enhance decision-making under uncertainty, and evaluate emerging technologies. AI, IoT, and automation are reshaping airport systems, with a focus on long-term sustainability and operational efficiency.

Participants:

• Solange Gelman, Director of IT Application Development - Airport Operations Technologies, United Airlines.

Host(s):

• David O´Keefe, Director of Alliance Americas, Gurobi.
• Steve Sashihara, Founder and CEO, Princeton.

Modelos matemáticos e análise de dados otimizam consumo e distribuição, conectam o setor elétrico ao varejo, ampliam a eficiência em sistemas públicos e privados. Em última análise, eles viabilizam a alocação inteligente de recursos em um cenário de fontes diversas e descentralizadas.

Participantes:

• Mikio Kawai Jr., CEO, Safira Energia.

Host(s):

• David O´Keefe, Director of Alliance Americas, Gurobi.
• Marcelo Reis, Diretor de Otimização, Bitka Analytics.
• Elízio Rezende, Líder de Inovação em Ciência de Dados, Bitka Analytics.

UPS drives large-scale transformation through AI and strategic innovation. The conversation explores key priorities for 2025, challenges of implementing AI in logistics, risks of technological stagnation, and how scale influences decision-making in a fast-evolving landscape.

Participants:

• Sunzay Passari, Sr Director & Head - Innovation & Transformation, UPS.

Host(s):

• David O´Keefe, Director of Alliance Americas, Gurobi.
• Steve Sashihara, Founder and CEO, Princeton.

A otimização matemática reduz custos, emissões e riscos na infraestrutura energética. Com o avanço do mercado livre, cresce o uso de ciência de dados para gerenciar portfólios, enfrentar os desafios da descarbonização e tomar decisões estratégicas em um setor cada vez mais dinâmico.

Participantes:

• Franklin Miguel, CEO, Electra Energy.

Host(s):

• David O´Keefe, Director of Alliance Americas, Gurobi.
• Francisco Fonseca, Diretor de Data Analytics, Bitka Analytics.
• Mário Perché, Diretor de Inovações e Novos Produtos, Bitka Analytics.