Stefan Ortmanns, Ph.D. is the chief executive officer of Cerence, the global industry leader in conversational AI for mobility. An accomplished voice and automotive technology executive, he most recently led Cerence’s Core Products business as executive vice president & general manager following the company’s separation from Nuance Communications in 2019. Ortmanns joined Nuance in 2003 and served in a variety of senior management and engineering roles, including executive vice president & general manager of the company’s Automotive Division. Prior to that, Ortmanns held positions at Philips Speech Processing, Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies, and the University of Technology Aachen. Ortmanns holds degrees in mechanical engineering, computer science and a Ph.D. in computer science from RWTH Aachen University.

As Chief Transformation Officer and CIO, Bridget Collins is responsible for business transformation and operations, leading our Global Technology Solutions and Quality Management teams. A seasoned executive, Bridget is a strategic partner to leaders across Cerence, focused on delivering value and driving cross-functional initiatives that are aligned with our business and strategic goals. Prior to joining Cerence, Bridget served as Nuance Communications’ Vice President, Information Technology, where she was responsible for the full suite of business applications and developed and managed Nuance’s Program Management function serving IT, security, the transformation office, and M&A/divestiture activities. Previously, Bridget held IT leadership positions at Progress Software and was in development at Daly & Wolcott (now Infor). She holds a BS degree from Providence College and an MBA, High Technology, from Northeastern University.

As Chief Financial Officer, Tom Beaudoin is a strategic partner to Cerence leadership and the Board of Directors, focused on accelerating growth, improving operating results and creating sustainable, long-term value. As a member of the Cerence Board of Directors since the company’s inception in 2019, and as the former head of Business Transformation at Nuance Communications leading the spin-out of Cerence, Tom has an extensive track record with Cerence and the automotive and software industries. Tom most recently served as Chief Transformation Officer of Qualifacts. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer for SimpliVity, where he helped orchestrate its successful sale to Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and served as Executive Vice President and CFO at Nuance for seven years, where he led all financial, IT and administrative functions. He earned both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees from Babson College.

As SVP and General Counsel, Jennifer Salinas serves as strategic advisor and leads the legal organization in a wide range of matters, including intellectual property, litigation, labor and employment, corporate governance, strategic transactions, and regulatory and compliance. Prior to Cerence, Jennifer was Head of Litigation at Lenovo, the largest PC company worldwide, and General Counsel of the Infrastructure Solutions Group a $7 billion Lenovo business unit. Her extensive background also includes 20 years of experience, including ten years as a Partner, at several prominent law firms. Jennifer is the former President of the Hispanic National Bar Association, and has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her career. Jennifer earned her Juris Doctor degree in Law from Loyola University Los Angeles, graduating cum laude and in the order of the coif, and a bachelor’s in Political Science from San Diego State University.

As Chief Revenue Officer, Christian Mentz drives Cerence’s go-to-market strategy, accelerating growth and expanding the company’s relationships with its automaker and mobility customers worldwide. In this role, Christian leads Cerence’s sales, business development, sales engineering, and marketing teams. A seasoned automotive technology executive, Christian joined Cerence from Amazon, where he most recently led Global Business Development and Marketing for Amazon Smart Vehicles and was responsible for commercial operations and go-to-market strategies across a wide range of automotive digital cabin products and services. Previously, Christian held progressing automotive sales leadership roles at Nuance Communications, including Vice President - Automotive Sales & Sales Engineering. He holds a Master’s Degree in Communications from The Philipp University of Marburg, Germany, and continued his education in Change and Innovation Management at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

As Cerence’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Sachin Sahney is responsible for global employee programs, recruitment, and HR operations. Prior to joining Cerence, Sachin served as Nuance’s Vice President, Human Resources. Previously, Sachin held human resources leadership roles at Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana, and Pfizer, where he worked closely with the organizations’ executive teams to drive employee engagement, improve talent acquisition, and inspire human capital advancements across the globe. Sachin holds a B.A. from The Delhi University and MBA from New Hampshire College.

As Chief Technology Officer, Iqbal Arshad leads Cerence’s global technology, engineering, and product development organization. Iqbal has extensive experience in leading start-up efforts, developing breakthrough technologies, and leading businesses for iconic global technology brands. He has shaped some of the most exciting technological developments of the past decade. He led and created numerous industry-first product categories, including the original Droid smartphone, Google's first Android tablet computer, and the first Android Wear smartwatch. He also led the creation of foundational 4G technologies & chipsets, mobile software platforms, and industry-leading intellectual property. Iqbal most recently founded and served as the CEO of xCoefficient. Previously, he held Senior Vice President of Engineering & Product Development positions at Lenovo, Google, and Motorola. In these roles, he was responsible for building global product, technology, and engineering organizations to drive innovation and deliver products globally. Iqbal is currently an adjunct professor at Northwestern University and founder and advisor of its Center for Deep Learning lab. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Miami; a Master's degree in Science in Space Systems Engineering with a concentration in spacecraft design with distinction from Johns Hopkins University; and a Master's degree in Engineering Management from Northwestern University.