Automate your supply chain with Exol

Rick Cohen is Symbotic’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors. He is also the Executive Chairman of C&S Holdings and C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc., a family company that he is the third generation to lead. Rick joined the C&S Wholesale Grocers business full-time in 1974. He became Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer in 1989; served as President until March 2014; and served as Chief Executive Officer until January 2018. During this time, he led the growth and expansion of C&S Wholesale Grocers into an industry leader in supply chain solutions and wholesale grocery supply. Rick was appointed to the Board of Directors based on his extensive experience in wholesale distribution, his futuristic approach to automation, his proven success in entrepreneurship, investment, and business development, and his strong network of industry relationships.

Vikas J. Parekh is a Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers, where he focuses on investing in AI, robotics, automation, and other infrastructure technologies. He serves as director across multiple public and private company boards, including Symbotic. Prior to joining SoftBank in 2016, Vikas worked in private equity at KKR and at Boston Consulting Group. He was selected to serve on the board of directors due to his extensive experience in the wholesale distribution business, his vision and experience in automation, his track record in entrepreneurship, investment and business development, and deep relationships in various industries.

Ronald D. Fisher joined SoftBank in 1995, overseeing its U.S. operations and activities outside of Asia. He was the founder of SoftBank Capital. Currently, Ron is a Senior Adviser for SoftBank Investment Advisers. He served as a member on the Board of Directors of SoftBank Group Corp., Japan, from 2002 to 2022, and was Vice Chairman from 2015 until 2021. Ron was also the Executive Chairman of SoftBank Investment Advisers from 2018 to 2022. Ron has more than 40 years of experience working with high-growth and turnaround technology companies. Ron has been a director of Arm Limited since 2017 and was the Vice Chairman of the Board of Sprint Corporation from 2013 to 2021. Additionally, Ron served as Chairman of the Board of Brightstar Corp. from 2014 to 2019 and was on the board of Fanatics from 2017 to 2020. Prior to joining SoftBank, Ron was the CEO of Phoenix Technologies Ltd. (1990 to 1995), and previously served for five years as President (initially COO and then CEO) at Interactive Systems Corporation. Ron’s experience prior to Interactive Systems includes senior executive positions at Visicorp, TRW, and ICL (USA).

Rollin Ford retired in 2016 from Walmart Stores, Inc., where he served in a variety of senior leadership roles during his 33-year career with the world’s largest retailer. Rollin began his career in the logistics division and later became the Chief Logistics Officer, responsible for transforming and building the company’s global network. He also served as the Chief Information Officer, with responsibility for its worldwide technology division. Most recently, Rollin served as the Chief Administrative Officer, focusing on leveraging Walmart’s scale to increase efficiency and productivity globally. This role included responsibility for the back office (shared services), global sourcing, and data & analytics. After retiring, Rollin joined the following boards: Mercy Health System, Symbotic Corporation, John Brown University, Scope Retail, Exol, and the Board of Advisors for Kearney.

Ashfaque Chowdhury, Ph.D. is the Chief Executive Officer of Exol, bringing over two decades of experience in scaling global supply chain operations. His leadership is defined by driving transformative growth and innovation for some of the world’s most recognized brands. Previously, Dr. Chowdhury was the CEO of North America for CEVA Logistics. Before that, as President of XPO Logistics’ supply chain business in the Americas and Asia Pacific, he spearheaded the integration of multiple acquisitions, transforming the business into the world’s second-largest contract logistics provider. At XPO, he oversaw a network of over 400 locations and 32,000 employees, achieving industry-leading growth while cultivating an award-winning, employee-centric culture. An innovator in the field, he holds several patents in supply chain technology.