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Tag: appointment

  • Tadiran Telecom Eyes VoIP market in Africa, Partners Teledata


    Tadiran Telecom has signed a distribution agreement with Teledata Technologies in a collaboration aimed at targeting "vast" VoIP opportunities in the African telecom market.

    The IP business telephony and communications supplier has also announced the appointment of Zeev Aviv as acting President and CEO.

    Until recently, he served as VP Sales and Marketing.

    He will be replacing Eitan Livneh, who served as President and CEO since early 2007.

    Aviv said Africa is one of the most valuable emerging markets, with opportunities abounding in Kenya and by extension the wider East and Central Africa region.

    "It is a fertile market that has great opportunities for telecom growth," he said.

    Aviv said numerous tenders are currently advertised for corporate telephony solutions that specify IP-PBX platforms.

    He said the demand for VoIP telephony services in the region has drastically increased due to improved cost-benefit awareness.

    Many corporate organizations are decentralizing regionally (with Nairobi as the region’s hub) and are looking for converged solutions with maximum ROI.

    In many organizations, the older-generation, traditional PABXs are now being phased out due to the emerging technological trends and the related cost benefits.

    Requirements are expected to increase drastically with the advent of the TEAMS undersea fiber optic cable project (linking the East Africa region) and due to the increase of Internet bandwidth IP converged solutions.

    Duke Onkundi, of Teledata, said his company’s knowledge of the Kenyan evolving market, enabled it to determine Tadiran Telecom’s solution as the most suitable fit.

    "It will facilitate a seamless move to VOIP with no loss of investment in legacy systems and combining the best aspects of both quality and financial feasibility," he said.

  • Virident Appoints DeMartino to Focus on Web 2.0 Data Center Presence


    Virident Systems has appointed industry veteran Bob DeMartino to drive the growth of its GreenCloud server platforms in Web 2.0 data centers.

    DeMartino joins Virident from Sun Microsystems bringing over twenty years of sales and market development experience with both large, established enterprise and start-up technology firms.

    In the mid-‘90s, DeMartino managed Sun’s enterprise business in the Central US region to well over half-a-billion dollars in revenue, and helped develop Sun’s channel strategy including reseller incentive programs and coverage models.

    DeMartino left Sun for several successful startups, yet returned to Sun in 2008 to lead their Web 2.0 effort, including managing the Web 2.0 Customer Executive Advisory Council, composed of 30 leading web companies.

    He was responsible for USD $280 million in worldwide revenues within the Web 2.0 infrastructure, working with companies such as EBay, LinkedIn, Yahoo, and Mixi.
    The GreenCloud server platform is based on Storage Class Memory and is a pioneer in SmartScaling.

    Virident VP of sales and dervices Michael Hunt said: "Bob’s experience with major accounts and system selling to the enterprise data centers together with his in-depth understanding of the major challenges facing customers in the SaaS and Web 2.0 industry are key assets that will help drive early customer adoption for us.

    "As Virident grows, we are building a world-class team to support the needs of our customers and we are proud to add Bob to the team."

  • SinglePipe Restructures Management Team


    Jeff Carr has been appointed CEO of VoIP provider SinglePipe as part of a strategic restructuring to support a market and product expansion.

    Matt Phillips, who had been CEO, shifts to vice chairman of corporate development for the Kentucky-based managed services provider, while Cynthia Carpenter has been named as president and COO.

    Carr, who joined SinglePipe in 2008 as COO, was a partner in Accenture’s Global Technology Consulting practice.

    Priot to that he was COO of ZoomTown, a Cincinnati Bell unit that provides Internet and data services to consumers and businesses.

    George Tronsrue, SinglePipe’s executive chairman, said he was confident Carr would accelerate the company’s growth.

    As COO, Carpenter has responsibility for sales, marketing, product management and customer operations. Before this, she was founder and president of Wheelhouse Strategies, a strategic marketing consultancy targeting venture-backed startup technology companies.

    Before that she had marketing and operations positions at Level 3 Communications, Cablevision Systems, High Speed Access Corp., Time Warner Cable and Starz Encore Group.

    In April, SinglePipe raised USD $5.1 million in equity funding, led by existing investor Chrysalis Ventures and also involving Meritus Ventures and the Kentucky Science and Technology Corp.

  • Panasonic makes Tsuyuzaki new CTO


    The executive who helped Panasonic develop its Blu-ray discs and 3D FullHD TV technologies has been named as the new chief technology officer of Panasonic Consumer Electronics North America.

    Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic’s Hollywood Laboratory managing director, is replacing Paul Liao who is leaving the company to be the new CEO of Cable Television Laboratories.

    Tsuyuzaki has served in the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory as managing director since 2005.

    Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, chief technology officer of Panasonic Consumer Electronics North America

    While in the post he directed the company’s next-generation entertainment R&D activities in the US, including the development of the Blu-ray Disc format and 3D FullHD TV technologies.

    Tsuyuzaki is well known in Hollywood studio circles, furthering Panasonic’s ties with the software and creative communities.

    He is regarded as the consumer electronics industry’s chief champion of Blu-ray.

    A participatant in various panels, conferences and seminars with his studio counterparts, he has talked up the format in both the trade and the consumer media.

    He also masterminded several big Blu-ray Disc promotions.

  • Palm Entrusts Pre Success to New CEO Rubinstein


    Palm has appointed Jon Rubinstein, the man credited with delivering Apple’s iPod and iMac. as its new CEO amd chairman.

    He replaces Ed Colligan, who is stepping down after sixteen years leading the company.

    The executive changes come just a few days after Palm launched its Pre smartphone.

    Rubinstein, who joined Palm as Executive Chairman in October 2007 to help bring innovation back to the company, assumes his role as CEO on June 12.

    In his time with Palm he has been instrumental in the development and launch of the Pre and webOS.

    Palm said Colligan plans to take some time off, then join Elevation Partners, a major financial backer of Palm.

    Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is claiming that Verizon will end Sprint’s exclusive deal with the Palm Pre in January 2010.

  • Silicon Image Appoints New Vice President of Worldwide Marketing


    Silicon Image     has announced the appointment of Tim Vehling as vice president of worldwide marketing.

    Vehling will be responsible for product marketing, corporate marketing and technical marketing operations worldwide Silicon Image, which specialises in semiconductors and intellectual property for the secure distribution, presentation and storage of high-definition (HD) content.

    His expertise includes identifying and fostering strategic partnerships, driving system-on-chip (SoC) product roadmaps and definitions, and leading global teams.

    Steve Tirado, president and chief executive officer at Silicon Image, said Vehling would be driving the company’s advanced digital connectivity strategy, initiatives and solutions to emerging and established markets.

    Vehling joins Silicon Image from Micronas GmbH, where he held the position of vice president of marketing and applications engineering and managed a global organization of over 150 employees.

    Prior to that, Vehling was vice president of consumer marketing at LSI, where he helped establish LSI as an industry leader in DVD recorder processors and launched the DVFX video quality branding program.

    Previous appointments include product and technology marketing positions with C-Cube Microsystems, ATI Technologies, Chromatic Research, and VLSI.

  • XConnect Appoints IP Expert Shockey To Board


    Richard Shockey has joined the advisory board of XConnect, the VoIP and Next Generation Network (NGN) interconnection service provider.

    A pioneer in ENUM (Electronic NUMbering) and expert in VoIP, Shockey is a founder and has been co-chair since 2002 of the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) ENUM Working Group.

    His appointment is expected to strengthen XConnect’s position in the carrier ENUM and federation-based interconnect sector.

    Eli Katz, CEO and founder of XConnect, said ENUM registries are at the heart of the company’s peering and federation infrastructure.

    He described Shockey as the "godfather" of ENUM technology and services.

    "He probably has the greatest understanding of this vital infrastructure component and its commercial applications of anyone in the industry," he said.

    Richard Shockey

    Shockey also co-chairs the recently-formed IETF working group DRINKS (Data for Reachability of Inter/Intra NetworK SIP), dealing with provisioning data for VoIP/NGN peering federations.

    Based in Washington, DC, he has participated in IETF working groups on other subjects including SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), the dominant IP-based communications signaling protocol.

    He has also helped develop several commercial products based on ENUM, the protocol devised to enable routing of IP-based calls and services using telephone numbers.

    From 2000 until early this year, Shockey was a director and distinguished member of the technical staff at NeuStar.

    Previously, as a consultant, he developed IP communications solutions for such companies as HP and Xerox.

    In addition to his IETF roles, Shockey is a member of the board of directors and technical working group co-chair of the SIP Forum, an organization of IP communications companies that promotes adoption of SIP-based products and services.

    He also chairs the SIP Forum’s SIPconnect task group, which produces specifications for interconnecting SIP-based IP PBXs with service providers.

  • Nirvanix Strengthens Cloud Storage Team With Three Appointments


    Cloud Storage service provider Nirvanix has announced three new appointments to its management team.

    Stephen Foskett joins the company as Director of Consulting, Arvind Gidwani as Director of Solutions Services and Brian Schwarzentruber as Solutions Architect.

    Jim Zierick, President & CEO of Nirvanix, said the new additions will be focused on educating the market in general on how to leverage the benefits of Cloud Storage while meeting or exceeding their existing storage SLAs.

    Foskett has 15 years of experience consulting with leading companies to optimize their storage strategies, as well as serving as a writer, speaker, and blogger in the storage industry.

    A Microsoft File System Storage MVP, he will continue his public writing, speaking, and storage community activities. He previously managed enterprise IT strategy consulting services at Contoural, GlassHouse Technologies, and StorageNetworks.

    Gidwani brings in-depth expertise in infrastructure areas including storage, networking, backup/recovery, disaster recovery, security and data center design, among others.

    In his nearly two-decade career, he has held IT management and system architect positions at Drivecam Inc., Qualcomm, Cisco Systems and Applied Materials Inc.

    Most recently he was at Stratoform Technologies where he worked with leading enterprise customers on IT strategy and the enabling of Cloud Computing for the Oracle E-Business Suite.

    Schwarzentruber brings 20 years of experience in management at startup and public companies to Nirvanix. He most recently served Senior Engineer at Continuity Software Inc., implementing software and service solutions to a market that included enterprise and Fortune 500 accounts.

    He served as a senior consultant in the strategy practice at GlassHouse Technologies, providing storage and backup technology optimization, reference architecture and remediation consultation to businesses seeking storage technology implementations to match their business requirements.

  • i2Telecom Eyes New Opportunities As Berman Appointed CEO


    Telecomms veteran Andy Berman has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of i2Telecom International.

    The move follows a "transitional period" for the Atlanta-based company which has seen it shift priorities towards mobile applications and services.

    Berman, 50, replaces founder and current CEO Paul Arena, who will remain the chairman of the board, secretary and CFO.

    A director of i2Telecom since last April, Berman said i2Telecom had created a valuable intellectual property portfolio surrounding its Internet telephony and mobile applications technology.

    He said this provided it with an excellent platform from which to deliver end-to-end Internet telephony solutions and applications on an international scale.

    i2Telecom products and services include VoiceStick, MyGlobalTalk and Digital Portal communications and microgateway adapters for VoIP long-distance services.

    "Unlike many of its competitors, i2Telecom has successfully developed award-winning solutions and applications that are superior for the communications needs of users in many demographics," he said.

    "I hope to leverage my business and sales experience to assist i2Telecom in penetrating a variety of key strategic markets."

    Berman said the company was currently in negotiations regarding initiatives that should expand the market for, and revenues from, its products and services.

    "We believe that certain new products we have developed are ahead of the market curve and have the potential to drive powerful newly identified business relationships," he said.

    Among those are a new mobile VoIP solution being readied for launch that will allow users to make low-cost international calls from anywhere in the world using one SIM card.

    With over 27 years of industry experience, Berman has been involved in nearly all sectors of the technology and telecommunications industries and was instrumental in revolutionizing global Internet connectivity in the early 1990s.

    He has extensive experience in the disciplines of strategic alliance planning and business development, as well as sales and marketing, product development and distribution.

    Berman is the founder and owner of Virenta LLC, a consulting group of high-level executives specializing in strategic global alliances and business development for the technology and telecommunications industries.

  • Vyke Names New CEO, Confident of Continued Growth


    Vyke has appointed Kim Berknov as chief executive, effective from April 1.

    The announcement came as the VoIP service provider forecast it will meet market expectations for 2009.

    However, Vyke, which had expected to have a positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) figure by the end of 2008, said it now expected a loss of GBP 3.5 million for 2008, before exceptional costs of GBP 1.75 million.

    It expects a 46 per cent rise in gross billings to GBP 39 million for 2008.

    Despite this, Tommy Jensen, executive chairman of Vyke, said prospects for 2009 were encouraging with the company benefitting from acquisitions and a new product.

    Tommy Jensen, executive chairman Vyke

    "Trading in the current year has started strongly with the full effect of the cost synergies related to the acquisition of Callserve and Iios being realised during the first half of 2009," he said.

    The company expects to release its multi-channel Vyke Air platform, a new mobile service, next month.

    Earlier this month Vyke announced it had formed a partnership with mobile social networking company Nimbuzz.
    The move is intended to build upon the strengths of both Vyke and Nimbuzz by combining the former’s paid mVoIP service with the latter’s mobile peer to peer mobile social messaging and VoIP services.

    Vyke, which provides VoIP mobile services, expects gross billings for 2009 to be no less than GBP 70 million pounds (USD $97.49 million), with an EBITDA of at least GBP 3 million pounds.

    The company said this will include an expected continued growth rate of around 3,000 paid users per day.

    Berknov is currently managing director of Structured Investment Products plc and Evergreen Capital Partners Limited and holds a number of non-executive board positions in private companies.

    He has previously held positions as executive vice president of Aldata Solution Oyj and managing director of Digital Mountain AG, TransConnect Corporate Finance GmbH and GE Capital IT Solutions.

    Before joining those companies, Berknov was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and previously held international sales and marketing positions at both AT&T and NCR Corporation.