Mark E. Atkins, Chairman, President & CEO
Mark E. Atkins has more than 25 years of management experience building both entrepreneurial and Fortune 1000 firms in the computer and financial industries. Before joining Invention Machine, Mark served as Chairman, President and CEO of Vality Technology Inc., which evolved from a startup in 1990 to its current position as a leader in the enterprise data quality market. In April 2002, on behalf of investors and personnel, Mark sold Vality Technology Inc., to Ascential Software Corporation for a cash transaction valued at 100 million dollars. Previously, Mark gained extensive business experience in both sales management and financial management positions. As Senior Vice President of Computer Solutions (the precursor to Powersoft), Mark was a key contributor to building the company from startup to a nationally-recognized enterprise; Powersoft was eventually acquired by Sybase in 1994. As National Sales Manager for the Data Networking division at Honeywell Information Systems, he was responsible for the global revenues of the division. Prior to this, he held executive management positions at Service Bureau Corporation (a former IBM subsidiary), Polaroid Corporation, and BayBank (acquired by BankBoston, now a part of Bank of America). Mark currently serves on several executive boards including the Board of Directors for the University of Massachusetts Foundation and is very involved in philanthropic circles. He has a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, an advanced banking degree from the American Institute of Banking, and an M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from Babson College. Mark is an adjunct professor University of Massachusetts M.B.A. graduate program.
James W. Todhunter, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer
James Todhunter is the Chief Technology Officer of Invention Machine Corporation where he is responsible for the company’s technology strategy and execution. A seasoned innovator and inventor, Jim works on the front line of innovation and has more than 30 years of experience in software technology and management. Prior to joining Invention Machine, Jim was Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Engineering at Vality Technology Inc. Before that, he held various management and technology positions including Ardent Software, NCR, and Midas Systems Corporation. His award-winning blog, Innovating to Win, offers insight and observations on building high-performance teams that can drive sustainable innovation across the organization. Jim holds an M.S. in Information and Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine.
Don Freitas, Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, Don Freitas is chartered with overseeing all of Invention Machine’s global financial operations. Don has more than 15 years experience in various aspects of the corporate accounting environment including strategic planning, financial reporting, cash and budget management, consolidations and acquisitions, debt restructuring, taxation, and internal auditing. Prior to joining Invention Machine, Don served as the Director of Corporate Accounting for Vality Technology (now Ascential Software), the industry's leading supplier of data quality software for the ERP, CRM, and business intelligence markets. Don has also held senior accounting positions at Morris & Morris, Thevenin, O’Grady & Co., LLP, and Wearguard. Don is a graduate of University of Massachusetts with a BS in Accounting.
Maxim Rastapchuk, Vice President Engineering
Maxim Rastapchuk is a software technologist and executive with 20 years of industry experience and more than 15 years’ experience bringing leadership and focus to engineering teams to deliver high quality, high performing solutions to meet customer requirements. As Vice President of Engineering, Maxim is responsible for leading Invention Machine’s global software engineering organization and for overseeing the development, testing, and documentation of the Goldfire platform. Prior to Invention Machine, Maxim served as the General Manager of R&D for ScienceSoft, a developer of semantic search technologies acquired by Invention Machine in 1999. In this capacity, Maxim was responsible for all aspects of software development - from team building and driving functionality to overseeing customer support . Maxim also lead the integration of ScienceSoft’s semantic capabilities and algorithm design into the Invention Machine product line. Maxim holds a Bachelors of Science and Computer System Design from Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics (BSUIR).
Ken Klapproth, Vice President, Product Marketing
As the Vice President of Product Marketing for Invention Machine, Ken is responsible for go to market strategies to drive adoption of the Company’s innovation software platform. Ken joined Invention Machine from Entuity, a provider of enterprise network management software, where he was Vice President of Marketing helping to triple the size of the company in 5 years. Prior to joining Entuity, Ken was Director of Marketing for Proficiency, where he also served as Director of Aerospace and Defense. Prior to Proficiency, he served as Director of Marketing for SDRC. Ken started his career as a mechanical engineer for Pratt & Whitney. Ken is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Engineering. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and several patents filed around the world.
Jeff Jarvis, Vice President, Americas Business Development
As Vice President of Business Development for the Americas, Jeff is chartered with establishing Invention Machine's strategic relationships. Bringing more than 20 years of enterprise software and executive sales management experience, Jeff was previously with Kronos Inc., a leading provider of workforce management solutions. There he served as Area Director, managing sales and operations in the Northeast. Previously, Jeff served as Vice President of Sales at Responsys Inc., was Regional Vice President of Sales at Hyperion Solutions (now Oracle), in addition to sales roles with Dun & Bradstreet Software (now GEAC). Jeff earned a C.A.S in Software Engineering from Harvard University, a law degree from Western New England College, and a B.S. in Natural Resource Management from the University of Maine.
Stefan Lamm, Vice President Sales EMEA
As Vice President Sales EMEA, Stefan is responsible for growing Invention Machine’s Europe/Middle East/Africa sales. He brings over 20 years’ experience in managing and building successful sales teams for leading software and technology companies in Europe. Stefan comes to Invention Machine from INFOR Global Solutions where he served as Vice President Direct Sales EMEA. Prior to his ten years at INFOR, Stefan led Business Development for Softmatic AG and Sales for Digisound Electronic GmbH and Microbox Dr. Welp GmbH. Stefan holds a Masters in International Sales.
Alain Cluseau, Director, France Sales
As Director, France Sales, Alain is responsible for all business activities in France, Belgium and Switzerland. Prior to joining Invention Machine in 2003, Alain spent more than 12 years at SDRC, a leading PLM software vendor, which successfully merged with UGS and was later acquired by Siemens, Germany. Alain began his tenure with SDRC as pre-sales consultant and was soon promoted to sales management where he played a key role in the corporation’s enterprise account growth. Prior to SDRC, Alain worked for Ansys, Inc. as a sales engineer. Alain holds a Master’s degree from École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers.
Greg Johnson, Vice President, Customer Support
As Vice President of Customer Support, Greg is chartered with the continued improvement of Invention Machine's customer facing support and maintenance programs. Bringing more than 25 years of information technology services management and global enterprise customer support experience to his current role. Greg was previously with JDA Software Inc., a leading provider of supply chain management software and solutions. There he served as Vice President of Managed Services, coordinating all aspects of customer service delivery for the FreightMatrix online service. Previously, Greg has designed, implemented and managed customer support organizations for Compaq (now Hewlett Packard), Staples and News Corporation. Greg has earned a Bachelor’s degree from Nichols College and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Rivier College in Nashua, New Hampshire.