Avnet VP Named Industrial IoT World Leader of the Year

Lou Lutostanski, vice president of IoT at Avnet, has been named IIoT Leader of the Year at Industrial IoT World 2019.

The Industrial IoT World 2019 IIoT Leader of the Year award recognizes individual executives whose outstanding leadership has resulted in the implementation and success of industrial IoT in their businesses and beyond. The award was voted on by the global IIoT community, with more than 2,000 votes cast in total. The shortlist featured 13 names including leaders from organizations like Lockheed Martin, Schneider Electric and Darktrace. 

Industrial IoT World, part of the IoT World Series of events, is a conference focused on scaling IIoT for integration, innovation and profit, and was held alongside Smart Cities Summit and IoT Security Summit in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this month. 

[IoT World is North America’s largest IoT event where strategists, technologists and implementers connect, putting IoT, AI, 5G and Edge into action across industry verticals. Book your ticket now.]

Lutostanski told IoT World Today, “We owe our victory to all the talented teams at Avnet that bring our IoT solutions to market. It started with the commitment of our senior leadership team, which was willing to invest in our IoT program with the belief that it could not only transform our company, but also add significant value to our suppliers and our customers. And ultimately, it’s the incredible talent of our organization that’s helped us shape, communicate and deliver our IoT message to the market.”

“I feel humbled and very happy that the work that Avnet has been doing in the areas of IoT and AI has been recognized,” he added.

Avnet is one of the world’s largest distributors of electronic components and embedded solutions, headquartered in the United States. 

Lutostanski said he was originally motivated to start working on IIoT as “many in the industry were talking about IoT, but there was little success in scaling the market.” He could see that, if done properly, IIoT could be hugely valuable to existing and prospective clients of his business and others. “With that motivation, we set out to accelerate the adoption of IoT in the market,” he said.

He added, “Don’t let the complexity of IIoT discourage you to the point that you decide to stop trying and wait for everyone else to figure it out first. I believe the hype around IoT is understated. The fact that it is difficult does not undermine the promise of successful implementations. And the companies that can scale first will be rewarded handsomely for their persistence and determination.” 

We asked Lutostanski to elaborate on his event experience and his favorite parts. 

“I enjoyed it and thought it was very insightful,” he said. “There were a good mix of customers and suppliers and it was refreshing to be among a community with a clear understanding of the IoT and its potential. The attendees spent most of their time working in the area of IoT. And no matter how long you have been working in the field, it is always amazing how much more you can learn by others who are walking in the same path as you.

“My favorite part was the Panel on The Future of Manufacturing,” Lutostanski said. “I gained insights from the customers implementing IoT to improve operational efficiencies along with input from vendors trying to service those customers. My favorite quote was in the Smart City panel where someone stated something to the effect that they did not want vendors to bring them problems that needed solutions. Instead, they want to look for problems to solve and then be supported by the best partners.”

The IIoT Leader of the Year award will return in the second half of 2020 and is one of many people’s choice awards run by IoT World Series. Next up is the Internet of Things World Leader of the Year award, which has just opened for nominations.