Our Team
Ron Volpe
Ron is a global supply chain visionary and design-thinker with a wealth of diverse C-level experiences. Prior to founding Traceology, Ron was Chief Commercial Officer at Danish Traceability Software company PSQR where he led the global business expansion effort.
Prior to PSQR Ron was Chief Supply Chain Officer and Global Vice President of the Apps Platform at Danish Procure to Pay Platform, and unicorn start-up Tradeshift. Prior to Tradeshift Ron was General Manager of a variety of teams including leading Central Supply Chain, Business Unit Transformation, Business Development, and Supply Chain People and Culture at Coles Supermarkets in Melbourne Australia. Prior to Coles Ron was Vice President of Customer Service and Logistics Strategy, Vice President of Global Developing Markets Supply Chain Innovation, and a variety of other roles in several locations at Kraft Foods.
During his time at Kraft Foods Ron partnered with Silicon Valley innovation and design firm IDEO to create a global Retail Supply Chain Engagement Model. His work at IDEO is featured in the best selling books by IDEO’s Tom Kelley The Ten Faces of Innovation, and Creative Confidence.
CEO, Co-Founder
Nicholas Tran
CTO, Co-Founder
Nicholas is a seasoned industry veteran with a remarkable track record of building and leading engineering teams from the ground up. Having navigated the challenges of early-stage startups and guided them through successful IPOs, he has developed a reputation for transforming nascent ideas into scalable, high-performance systems. His ability to rapidly design and implement robust technical architectures has been a key factor in the success of the companies he has worked with, consistently driving growth and operational excellence.
At TraceologyAI, Nicholas will lead both the technical and product development teams, drawing on his extensive experience to shape the company’s innovative solutions. His expertise will be instrumental in enhancing product offerings, optimizing development processes, and accelerating the company’s growth trajectory. With a focus on scalability and cutting-edge technology, Nicholas is poised to make a significant impact on TraceologyAI’s mission to revolutionize the industry.
David Stepp
Advisor
A leading international trade lawyer with more than 30 years of experience, David Stepp provides multinational companies with strategic advice on global customs and international trade compliance matters. A trusted advisor, David helps clients navigate the legal and business challenges of operating in an increasingly contentious global business environment. He regularly advises multinationals on international trade regulatory matters such as those related to tariff classification, valuation, country of origin marking, free trade agreements, the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) Program, and other compliance issues regulating the global trade in goods.
As a member of Crowell’s International Trade Group and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) team, David advises companies on compliance with forced labor and human rights requirements. He has deep experience assisting companies in mapping their supply chains, including linking imported products back to their raw materials using software and other inventory management audit tools. David is highly experienced in forced labor supply chain mapping and risk assessments, and verifying due diligence efforts with on-the-ground visits to client facilities incorporating third party intelligence and audit resources.
Greg Brown
Advisor
Greg Brown brings thirty-five years of global, executive-level food industry leadership roles - 28 years of it specific to the seafood industry in the fields of product procurement, category management, strategic sourcing, product verification, system certification, global standards, CRS/sustainability/food safety and non-profit experience. In his most recent role as inaugural Executive Director of the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST), from February 2022 through October 2024, Greg and the small GDST team planned, incorporated, and managed the global GDST non-profit foundation based in the Netherlands, managed its service delivery subsidiary in Singapore and coordinated the GDST standard and related technical development from the USA.
A graduate of Occidental College, Los Angeles, Greg started his multi-faceted responsible sourcing career while living and working in Singapore from 1990-2005, where his leadership positions there culminated in over a decade of service as Director of Seafood Procurement for Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, etc.). Greg returned to the U.S. to become Director of Category Management, Seafood at US Foodservice (now US Foods). After four years there he launched a successful independent seafood consultantancy, but was quickly tapped to become Vice President of Corporate Procurement for Flying Food Group/Fresh Food Solutions (an airline and chain store caterer) and then was recruited again to take over Corporate Strategic Sourcing, Seafood at Caesars Entertainment, Inc.
In 2014, Greg moved into product verification and seafood certification at NSF International (where he was stationed in Shanghai for three years) in a dual role as Global Managing Director, Seafood and Region Managing Director, NSF China. He returned to the U.S. in 2017 to expand his experience in seafood certification standards by joining the executive leadership team at the Global Aquaculture Alliance (now Global Seafood Alliance), rising to the position of Senior Vice President of Operations & Strategic Development, with responsibility to oversee the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Operations, Program Integrity, and CSR Engagement. Recognizing Greg’s unique combination of strategic, managerial, technical, and business skills, the GDST’s industry-based Steering Committee unanimously appointed Greg as Executive Director on February 1, 2022.