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In late July, CFI and Ukrainian NGO Dobrobat sponsored a joint conference in Kyiv, Ukraine that drew over 400 people. National and local leaders spoke about the challenges and opportunities of reconstruction. This global initiative is created in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's rallying call to fellow citizens challenging them to support "a comprehensive reconstruction effort that goes beyond traditional methods.”

CFI will host 10 Ukrainians in San Francisco in the Bay Area in late October, join us to learn more about this trip.

About the Speakers

David Wessel

Principal at Architectural Resources Group, Inc. & CEO at ARG Conservation

David Wessel is an architectural conservator with over 30 years of experience in conservation and preservation of California landmarks and cultural resources throughout the western United States. As both a Principal with Architectural Resources Group and CEO of ARG Conservation Services, a design/build conservation construction company, David directs cultural heritage conservation projects and oversees the in-house conservation laboratory.

Andrii Lakshtanov

Marketing Director at Hilti Ukraine

Andrii Lakshtanov is a passionate construction professional with 15 years of experience in the construction industry, growing from a Design Engineer in the oil and gas industry to a Marketing Director role in an international company Hilti. The devastating war in his native country brought Andrii into volunteering in the construction area. In 2022 he joined DOBROBAT, a project that focuses on the reconstruction of damaged buildings in the affected regions and de-occupied territories of Ukraine. Currently, Andrii is the Head of International relations in the construction industry, responsible for foreign partners and cooperation establishment in order to build a strong community of construction industry representatives for Ukraine restoration.

Nikolai Suvorov

CEO & Co-Founder of Sitelink

Nikolai Suvorov is the CEO and co-founder of Sitelink, a company that is revolutionizing the construction industry with augmented reality (AR) solutions. Nikolai's passion is to bring AR to construction and make it a daily tool for improving productivity, quality, and safety on the job sites. He has a proven track record of launching and scaling innovative AR products, securing strategic partnerships, and growing revenue and market share. Nikolai holds an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business and an IMD Business School alum.

Dean Reed

Secretary of Center of Innovation

Dean Reed led DPR Construction’s Lean Construction for over 24 years and was awarded the Lean Construction Institute’s Pioneer award in 2021. He is a co-author of the book, Integrating Project Delivery, published by Wiley in 2017. He founded the consultancy, Capability-Building, in 2021 after retiring from DPR to help companies shift from management by results/numbers to focus on the means for improving the delivery of built products.

Margie O'Driscoll

Consultant for Center for Innovation

Margie O’Driscoll has held leadership positions in nonprofit organizations including AIA San Francisco, Friends of the Library, and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Foundation. She has taught at Stanford and San Francisco State University.