Michael Condry, VP of Industry and Standards, IEEE Consumer Technology Society
Raed Abdullah, VP of Membership, IEEE Consumer Technology Society.
The IEEE Consumer Technology Society (CTSoc) is a global leader in advancing technologies that shape the way people live, work, and interact with the world. Central to its mission is redeveloping a strong and sustained partnership with industry and practitioners — bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world consumer applications. Through its Industry and Standards Functions, CTSoc fosters collaboration, drives innovation, and ensures that its initiatives address the evolving needs of the consumer technology ecosystem.
Industry Forums Provide a Platform for Innovation
One of CTSoc’s key engagement platforms is the Industry Forum, held during most flagship CTSoc conferences and other forums. These forums invite industry leaders to share their visions, product strategies, and technology roadmaps with the broader technical community. While these sessions provide valuable insights into market and innovation trends, they also serve as a foundation for ongoing dialogue between industry and the Society’s members—enhancing mutual understanding and alignment on future directions.
CTSoc adopts a proactive approach to partnerships through initiatives, such as the Workforce Technology Summit (WTS), and similar programs. In these initiatives, industry leaders identify emerging challenges related to product development, manufacturing, and consumer experience. CTSoc then curates expert speakers from both industry and research to address these challenges. This model ensures that the solutions offered are both practical and forward-looking, helping companies innovate more effectively while allowing researchers to focus on industry-relevant opportunities. WTS opens opportunities for our researchers to impact product development in their area of expertise by connecting them with industry leaders responsible for product development and addressing their issues.
Multiple Initiatives Highlight Advances
CTSoc further amplifies industry engagement through Industry Keynotes, Panels, Demos, Exhibits, Tutorials, and Workshops at its events. These sessions highlight the latest advances in fields including AI and machine learning, smart devices, immersive technologies, sustainability, and human–machine interaction. They create a platform where practitioners and researchers collaborate to translate theoretical progress into real consumer benefit.
The Society’s Industry Committee, chaired by Michael Condry (Vice President, Industry and Standards), plays a vital role in shaping these initiatives. The committee includes distinguished members such as Matt Scott (CEO, Mindset AI), Wrick Talukdar (AI/ML Architect, Amazon), Frank Schirrmeister (Director, Synopsys), Raed Abdullah (Past VP, Industry & Standards; current VP, Membership), and KF Tsang (Standards). Together, they guide CTSoc’s engagement strategy, ensuring it remains aligned with the rapidly evolving consumer technology sector.
Complementing this is CTSoc’s Advisory Board, composed of leading executives and visionaries who provide strategic guidance on emerging industry trends. Members include Ibrahim Gedeon (CTO Emeritus, TELUS), Fadwa Mohanna (CEO, One27), Howard Watson (Chief Security and Network Officer, BT), Dave Elliott (Head of Developer Advocacy for AI, Google Cloud), and Zane Ball (CTO, OCP; VP, Intel, retired). Their collective expertise ensures that CTSoc continues to serve as a bridge between industry needs, academic innovation, and standards development.
CTSoc’s 15 active Standards Committees further reinforce its leadership role in setting the benchmarks for consumer technologies. These committees support global interoperability, safety, and innovation—ensuring that consumer products and systems are designed for performance, reliability, and sustainability.
Through these initiatives, CTSoc continues to strengthen its partnership with industry and practitioners worldwide—driving collaboration, accelerating innovation, and shaping the consumer technologies that define the future.
