Mr. Sonoda has over 30 years of professional experience. He is recognized as an expert in functional safety equipment certification, instrumentation design, new product development and product management/marketing. He was formerly Digital Solution Group Manager, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, a manufacturer of DCS, Safety PLC and instrumentation. His principle work responsibilities included strategic planning, global market analysis, business management and product certification. Mr. Sonoda previously held positions in research and development including hardware design and development and engineering project management. He has published papers and magazine articles on functional safety.