Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Christina Yu
Commercial Vice President, Polyurethanes & CAV - Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, Dow
Christina Yu is the Commercial Director for Dow Polyurethanes and CAV, for Europe, Middle
East, Africa and India. She was named to the role in January 2021 and is based in Horgen,
Switzerland.
Christina joined Dow in Beijing, China as part of the Business Development program in 1997. In
2000, Christina left Dow to pursue her MBA in the U.S. From 2002 to 2006, she worked for
United Airlines as Financial Planning Manager and then as Senior Manager for Investor
Relations.
In 2006, Christina rejoined Dow in Shanghai, China in Ventures Development and in 2007 she
was named HR Director for Greater China. In 2010, she assumed the role of Asia Pacific Public
Affairs Director. One year later Christina was named Asia Pacific Product Director for Dow
Elastomers. In 2017, she assumed the role as APAC Commercial Director for Dow
Polyurethanes.
Christina holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Tianjin University, China and an MBA
from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, USA.
Nikki Kodama
Vice President, B-21 Program, Aeronautics Sector, Northrop Grumman
Nicole “Nikki” Kodama is the vice president and B-2 Spirit program manager for Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems (NGAS), a premier provider of military aircraft, autonomous systems, aerospace structures and next-generation solutions. In this role, she oversees all areas of the B-2 program, which includes the development, sustainment and modernization of the B-2 aircraft.
Previously, Kodama was the vice president and chief information officer (CIO) for NGAS and led all aspects of implementing innovative IT solutions that deliver value and enable NGAS strategic business initiatives including digital transformation and supporting smart factories of the future. Additionally, she was accountable for the IT, mission and operational excellence, cybersecurity and security strategies in coordination with the Global Operations organization.
Prior to that role, Kodama was the director of capture competitiveness and strategy for a corporate priority capture. She has held various leadership roles in engineering, program management, global supply chain and mission assurance since joining Northrop Grumman as a mechanical engineer in 2002. Her background is in military aircraft production and sustainment, specifically in fuel and hydraulic subsystems.
She is currently the executive co-sponsor for an enterprise-wide program, Women in Science and Engineering, which encourages women to pursue technical career paths. Kodama is also the NGAS sector executive sponsor for the Asian Pacific Professional Network employee resource group.
Kodama graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and earned her master’s in business administration from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. Outside of work, Kodama is active in the community and supports several nonprofit organizations including the Japanese American Community and STEM/STEAM education.