Greg Carmichael serves as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fifth Third Bancorp, the ninth-largest U.S.-based consumer bank. He took on the role in July 2022 after serving seven years as Fifth Third’s CEO and 10 years as its president. In his time as CEO, the Company grew in assets to more than $200 billion* and is recognized as one of the most innovative banks in the country. Fifth Third has approximately 20,000 employees and about 1,100 banking centers across 11 states.* The Bank also has commercial and consumer lending presence across the United States.

In 19 years with the Company, Greg’s direction and vision helped drive the Bank’s transformation and overall success. In recognition of Greg’s leadership on environmental, social and governance issues, and his commitment to inclusion and diversity, 3BL Media named Greg as its 2021 Responsible CEO of the Year.

Greg joined Fifth Third in 2003 as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. He was named Chief Operating Officer in 2006, then President in 2012. He was appointed to the Board of Directors in July 2015, became CEO in November 2015 and was elected Chairman of the Board in January 2018. Greg started his career in IT, working for General Electric and Emerson Electric, where he was Chief Information Officer, before joining Fifth Third.

A connoisseur and boutique manufacturer – this pretty much sums up the life of cigar baron Rocky Patel. Not so easy! He is not just any cigar manufacturer, Rocky is the maker of world-renowned hand-rolled cigars, including Patel Sun Grown, Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary, the Rocky Patel Vintage Series, and the Rocky Patel Decade. A globetrotter by nature, Rocky has covered over 600 cities in 750 days! As he travels, he carries his passion of cigars with him, thus extending the artfully made cigars beyond the brick-and-mortar store. By personally meeting his client, Rocky adds a touch of distinction to his brand.

Rocky believes that the creation of cigars involves far greater skill and knowledge – a great amount of focus and perfection is needed to blend tobacco from various regions and to ultimately create a glorious product. Due to its time-consuming nature, Rocky meticulously takes out a year to craft the perfect blend. With focus primarily on production, Rocky’s company is currently producing 20,000,000 cigars annually. Cigar manufacturing is an art form that has transcended over generations. Three hundred different hands touch the tobacco from the time a seedling is planted in the ground, to the time a cigar is placed in a box for final shipment. Rocky assures his customers that when they expect the best, they get the best. When they expect the very best, they get Rocky Patel Premium Cigars.

Rocky Patel at Connect 2023: The session includes an introduction to Patel’s Premium Cigars with focus on the origin and history of the cigars, their composition, and the manufacture process. Experience Cigar of the month to taste & smoke and develop your taste and knowledge of cigars.

Reshma Patel is a wine consultant and educator for C-suite executives of multinational corporations based out of US, Europe, and India. Reshma’s over two decades of experience in handling the family print business along with balancing two different cultures (India and Netherlands) has given her a distinct perspective on wine, food, and community.

Chip Duncan is an American filmmaker, author and photographer, known for his documentaries on history, current affairs, travel, and natural history.

Chip is the President of the production company Duncan Group Inc that has produced feature films such as Eden and Row Your Boat starring Jon Bon Jovi. Eden was nominated for the 1996 Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival.

With its global presence, the Duncan Group has built a reputation for television production and still photography with an emphasis on culture, music, history, and political biography. The team also creates books, documents global conflict, humanitarian crisis, climate change and oral records while maintaining one of the largest independent film archives in North America.