Thomas Lichtenberger*

Professional Bio:

Thomas has over 25 years of experience as a strategic advisor and senior management executive. He has a strong 15-year track record of generating sustainable sales growth in the dynamic, global automation technology marketplace. Thomas is the owner and President of Bluestrive LLC, a management consulting firm, and currently serves as Partner of Executive Business Leadership for Altix Consulting, a boutique management consulting firm that helps small and middle-market industrial companies compete globally. Thomas also currently advises Graham Partners on its investment in Kinova, a manufacturer of collaborative robotic arms.

Previously, Thomas served as CEO of Festo Didactic Inc., a leading provider of advanced solutions for technical and industrial education, where he was responsible for all market and sales activities in North America. Prior to Festo Didactic, Thomas served as President and CEO of Festo Canada, where he oversaw all business activities of the automation market. Thomas also held several executive management positions in Festo’s headquarters in Germany before relocating to Canada

Thomas holds an executive M.B.A. from the Graduate School of Business Administration in Zurich, Switzerland; a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Applied Science in Karlsruhe, Germany; and a B.S. in Business Engineering from the University of Applied Science in Esslingen, Germany.