A Speaker Roundtable from NAMES25 — A Conversation About Manufacturing Leadership with SAP, DESTACO, and Boeing

The bluEPrint by Executive Platforms

At the 2025 edition of the long-running and successful North American Manufacturing Excellence Summit series we recorded a special episode of Executive Platforms’ BluEPrint Podcast series speaking to the challenges and opportunities submitted by attendees of the event as they filled out their delegate profiles, weighted by popularity.

In this wide-ranging, organic conversation, three manufacturing executives share their thoughts and experiences on the issues and ideas they care about. It is a fantastic deep dive into what is most relevant to manufacturing leaders today. Give it a listen!

Our roundtable panelists are…

Andy Hancock
Global Domain Advisor
SAP

Andy Hancock is a Global Vice President of the Centre of Excellence within SAP Digital Supply Chain. As a seasoned global executive who has held numerous leadership roles during his 15-year tenure at SAP, he has brought quantifiable results to leading global brands through innovation advocacy. Having worked in more than 40 countries and experienced a vast array of cultures, he understands the importance of challenging the status quo to drive business outcome and create a competitive differentiator in turbulent global markets. Andy brings thought leadership and a clarity of vision to businesses by merging a strong technical foundation, a passion for solving problems and leveraging a vast array of knowledge obtained from real world situations he has encountered during his career. He understands how to quickly uncover the root of a problem and articulate a clear path to a successful business outcome. Andy holds a Master’s in Computer Science and a Bachelor in Aeronautic Engineering from the University of Salford, United Kingdom. He is also a Professional Member of the British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT.

Rakuya Artis
Vice President Global Operations & Supply Chain
DESTACO

With over 18 years of experience in manufacturing management and operations in the Automotive industry, Rakuya is a seasoned executive who leads the global operations and supply chain functions for DESTACO, a world leader in clamping, gripping, transferring, and robotic solutions. As a key member of the executive leadership team, she develops and executes the global manufacturing and supply chain strategy, including production, procurement, and logistics, across nine facilities in three regions.

Rakuya is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and have served on the DE&I councils at Dover and my previous company, MAHLE.

Christina Upah
Vice President Attack Helicopter Programs & Senior Mesa Site Executive
Boeing

Christina Upah is the vice president of Attack Helicopter Programs for Boeing Defense, Space & Security and the senior site executive in Mesa, Ariz. In this role, Upah leads more than 4,600 employees supporting the design, production and delivery of the AH-64 Apache and AH-6 Little Bird helicopters for the U.S. Army and allied defense forces around the globe.

Prior to this role, Upah was director of Mesa Site and Attack Operations. In this position, she was responsible for overall production of the Apache and Little Bird for global customers.

Upah has previously served as the director of International Apache Programs, where she led the program execution of foreign military sales and direct commercial sales supporting customers worldwide.

First joining Boeing in 1997, Upah hprogressed through program management positions of increasing responsibility, having led the successful program start-up of the Little Bird and Apache international and development programs, with a core emphasis on contracts, estimating/pricing, cost management and scheduling.