Richard Velazquez is a Fortune 50 executive and a native of Brooklyn, New York. He received his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Cooper Union in NYC and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley under full fellowship from the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (CGSM).

Richard has more than 20 years of experience in new product development. He currently serves as the Sr. Strategy Director for Emerging Technologies and Global Innovations at PepsiCo.

Prior to PepsiCo, Richard spent 7 years at Microsoft in Seattle as a Product Planner/Manager for the entire global hardware product portfolio for Xbox 360 and Kinect. During his tenure, he led the development of more than 90 new product concepts, launching 64 of those products which generated more than $15.9 Billion in revenue (as of 2011).

He began his career as an automotive body design engineer with Honda R&D in Ohio. Later, he joined Porsche AG in Germany to work on the design of Porsche's first SUV, the Porsche Cayenne, and the Boxster and Carrera. Richard was recognized and featured in 'El Nuevo Dia' as the first automotive designer of Puerto Rican descent in Porsche's history.

Richard left the automotive industry and switched to marketing after receiving his MBA. He began his post-MBA career with Procter & Gamble in Puerto Rico in Brand Management.

Richard has been involved in non-profit advocacy for more than 20 years. He is currently on the Corporate Advisory Board for Prospanica, and on the Board of Directors for both the Havana Film Festival New York and the Bronx Community College Fund.

Velazquez regularly serves as a guest speaker on diversity, business, and education and has lectured on Marketing and New Product Development at the University of Washington, Pace University, Columbia University, Tec de Monterrey, and the Cooper Union.

In his spare time, Richard enjoys Paragliding, motorcycling, foreign travel, and Latin dancing.