Connecting and Inspiring Leaders in Optical Communications - Executive Forum 2013
Najam Ahmad, Director, Network Engineering, Facebook
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A director of engineering at Facebook, Najam Ahmad oversees all aspects of the development and operation of a global network infrastructure that serves more than a billion people around the world.
Prior to joining Facebook, Najam was the general manager of global networking services at Microsoft. In that role, he was responsible for the overall architecture, implementation, and operations of Microsoft's global online network. Najam's other experience includes management and engineering roles at MCI/UUNET and Netrix Corporation.
Najam holds an MS in telecommunication protocols and computer science from The George Washington University and a BE in Electrical Engineering from the NED University of Engineering and Technology.
Pieter Poll, Senior Vice President – National Network Planning, Engineering, and Construction, CenturyLink
The Optical Backbone – What do we need?
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Now that carriers are well into deployments of 100G wavelengths, what is the next big thing? Please join Dr. Poll as he discusses traffic demands and trends that carriers are observing. The current marketplace dictates that optical unit costs must scale to provide for relatively flat capex. Does this remain true in the near future, and what does that mean for the carrier industry and the equipment and component supplier industries? What technologies do the carriers want to deploy into the network that they can’t today?
Speaker Profile: With more than 25 years experience in the industry, Pieter oversees the planning, engineering and construction of CenturyLink’s national and international networks to support capabilities for hosting; data, transport and fiber networks; VoIP, cloud-based services, and distributed functions. He also leads a team that performs vendor technology management on behalf of Network Services.
Previously, he served as CTO for Qwest and was responsible for the strategic technology direction of the company. He oversaw the evolution of the network and technologies used to manage the network layers and drive future products and services.
Pieter also served as Vice President of Corporate Strategy for Mahi Networks and was responsible for corporate technology and strategy. Pieter played an integral role at AT&T Bell Laboratories in the development of architectural and evolutionary plans for digital switches and the AT&T long-distance network.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Center for Telecom Management at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. He participates on the Advisory Board for the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program at the University of Colorado – Boulder. In 2009, Pieter was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award.