Luigi De Bernardini received his degree in electrical engineering in 1991 from Padua University in Italy. After some years working as R&D manager in an industrial automation company, he started Autoware in 1996. From the beginning he was in charge of managing the company, directing the technical, commercial and financial activity. As the sole owner, De Bernardini says he has the “responsibility to decide the direction of the ship." He works personally with local and multinational companies as a consultant in implementing state-of-the-art solutions and innovative projects for control and MES/MOM systems in smart manufacturing and digitalization initiatives. In 2016 he started a new company in Austin, TX – Autoware Digital – to focus on the digital system integration market, providing solutions based on the latest technologies and business models. He has also been Chairman of the CSIA Board of Directors and is a MESA EMEA board member and part of the MESA Smart Manufacturing Workgroup.