Software AG has announced that Bernd Gross is assuming the position of chief technology officer (CTO) reporting to the CEO, effective immediately.
Gross has expertise in business innovation based on integration, analytics and IoT technologies across major industries. He joined Software AG as CEO and co-founder of the IoT platform Cumulocity when it was acquired in 2017.
Since then, he has been responsible for spearheading Software AG’s entry into the Internet of Things (IoT) market and transitioning the company to the cloud. Dr. Wolfram Jost, who engineered Software AG’s digital transformation technology as the company’s previous chief technology officer, is leaving Software AG to pursue new opportunities.
Commenting on the appointment, CEO Sanjay Brahmawar says: “Bernd has successfully established Cumulocity and hence Software AG as a recognised leader in the IoT & Device Integration platform market globally. His business orientation, deep technology understanding as well as anticipation of future market requirements puts Bernd in the perfect position to lead as our new CTO.”
Jost thanked
Dr. Andreas Bereczky, chairman of Software AG’s Supervisory Board thanked Jost saying: “Wolfram joined Software AG’s Management Board in 2009, with the IDS Scheer acquisition and has made a valuable contribution to Software AG in the decade since. He was instrumental in driving the company’s positioning in the digital transformation market and his platform vision helped us to differentiate and to gain market visibility, particularly with industry analysts and customers. I wish him all the best in his future endeavours and thank him on behalf of the entire Supervisory Board.”
Dr. Stefan Sigg, member of the Software AG Management Board, will take on an expanded role as chief product officer, encompassing all aspects of Software AG’s products, including product management, product development and support.
Of his appointment, Gross says: “To me, IoT is more than just big data or device management. We create an entire virtual world based on connected cyber physical systems. This ‘holistic connectedness’ needs integration, analytics and database technologies and new methodologies to operationalise the outcome. And I feel very honoured to lead Software AG’s activities in these areas to a thought-leadership position among our customers and in the market.”
Software AG also announced that Paz Macdonald will join the company as chief marketing officer (CMO) as of January 14, 2019. With more than 20 years’ experience in technology marketing, she was most recently VP of Marketing for EMEA and APAC at hyper-growth hybrid cloud database vendor MongoDB.
Brahmawar adds: “Paz joins us at an exciting time as we expand our strong position as a pioneer of digital transformation. I am confident that her experience and passion will further strengthen all aspects of Software AG’s global marketing strategy and activities – making us a top destination for customers, partners and employees”.
Macdonald joined MongoDB as one of the first European hires and spearheaded innovative marketing strategies to grow market awareness, developer adoption and commercial success. Instrumental in the expansion of MongoDB internationally, she contributed to the growth of the company from start-up to successful IPO. Prior to MongoDB, she has held marketing management positions at IBM, Cisco, Samsung, HP Software and Cognos.
Paz Macdonald comments: “I am delighted to be joining the Software AG team to help expand and strengthen its leadership in the digital transformation space. A key part of my role will be listening to our customers, prospects and partners so we can deliver superior customer experiences, at every interaction. It’s never been a more exciting time to be involved in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and integration.”
She will be based in Software AG’s UK headquarters in Bracknell, reporting directly to Sanjay Brahmawar. Paz Macdonald holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Economics from Loughborough University and a Professional Post-Graduate Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
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