Ivan Di Federico
President & CEO / Topcon Positioning Systems
Ivan Di Federico is President and Chief Executive Officer of Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc. (TPS), headquartered in Livermore, California.
Prior to his current position, he served as Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of TPS. In this role, he led important initiatives to create strategic business alliances and acquisitions. Additionally, he led the advanced research and development teams working on future automation technologies. Previously, he was responsible for the TPS Global Engineering organization, among other leadership roles over the course of his two decades with Topcon.
He serves on the board of directors for multiple Topcon entities, including Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc., Topcon Positioning Systems (Aust) Pty Ltd., Topcon Positioning Italy S.r.l., Topcon Agriculture S.r.l., Tierra S.p.A., Tierra America, Inc., Topfloor S.r.l., and Satel Oy. He is also Senior Executive Officer of Topcon Corporation, the parent company of TPS based in Japan.
He began his career dedicated to automatic control technology development for pavers, milling machines, road rollers and soil compactors, first with Bitelli in 1994 and then Caterpillar in 2000, upon its acquisition of Bitelli. From Caterpillar, he moved to Product Marketing Management at Sauer-Danfoss, Inc., developing electrohydraulic products and solutions. Under his leadership, Sauer-Danfoss launched a system of modular controllers, which are still in production today. His association with Topcon began in 2005 as President and CEO of TSD Integrated Controls, a joint venture company of Topcon Positioning Systems with Sauer-Danfoss, Inc.
In 2008, he moved to TPS as Senior Vice President of Global Engineering, managing a team of more than 500 engineers and driving innovation, such as 3D GNSS (global navigation satellite system) controls for high-speed machine operation of dozers, excavators and motor graders. He led Topcon’s engineering development of the first factory fit introduction of 3D machine controls in dozers with Komatsu and John Deere.
In addition to the construction industry, he played an integral role in Topcon’s entry into the global agriculture market, driving technological innovations with GNSS auto steering and variable rate controls, and developing key OEM relationships.
He holds numerous patents in survey, construction automation, and precision agriculture technologies.
In addition to technological developments, he has led numerous business development initiatives for Topcon through his vast international business experience and relationships with customers and partners globally, including key acquisitions in both the construction and agriculture markets. In 2008, he drove the creation of a joint venture telematics company with Divitech S.p.A. (Italy) — Tierra S.p.A.— and serves as its President and CEO. Tierra is a global group composed of three companies, including Tierra America, Inc. in the U.S., and the Tierra and Sumitomo joint venture company WeeO, driving the development of the telematics business in Southeast Asia.
He was integral to the important development of the European TPS R&D center in Concordia, Italy, which is dedicated to construction and agriculture technology testing and training. The site is one of three such centers, including at the TPS global headquarters in Livermore, California, and in Adelaide, Australia, which support the development, manufacturing and validation of the company’s measurement technologies to further enable both sustainable agriculture and infrastructure.
Ivan has broad technical and business competencies earning a Master’s degree with honors in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Pisa in Italy, and an MBA from the Open University Business School of Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom. He also earned a degree in Innovation from the London School of Economics.