Who We Are

Andrew has more than 20 years of experience in the energy and utilities industry in North America and many global markets, witnessing firsthand the industry’s commendable growth and innovation. Andrew has led VertexOne through a transformational growth period over the past eight years, completing many strategic acquisitions and divestitures, launching various successful software products, and securing new capital partners.

With his leadership and vision, Andrew has pioneered the adoption of Software as a Service (SaaS) in energy and utilities companies across North America through VertexOne’s award-winning suite of meter-to-cash software products. Andrew is the vice-chairman of the VertexOne Board of Directors, serving in a leadership capacity with the company’s majority investor, DFW Capital LLC.

Andrew serves on several external boards, including Forbes Technology, a division of Forbes Media LLC; Cloud for Utilities, a thought leadership consultancy; and OurCalling, a faith-based organization focused on providing opportunities for homeless people to live healthy, sustainable lifestyles.

Before joining VertexOne, Andrew directed the global energy and utilities business unit at HCL Technologies, where he was instrumental in helping HCL become a fast-growing and globally-dominant utility service provider. Before HCL, Andrew held key executive roles in Oracle, Indus, British Telecom, Syntegra, Control Data Systems, and Microsoft.

Keith has 25 years of experience working for software, IT, and BPO companies. He joined VertexOne in 2009 and is responsible for our financial reporting, accounting, tax, commercial insurance, and treasury services.

Before VertexOne, Keith worked for Diebold, Inc. There, he developed and implemented revenue recognition practices for their election services division. He also oversaw the financial operations of their innovative vote-by-mail and electronic poll book companies⁠. Before Diebold, Keith worked for Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. and served in several financial and accounting roles. He also took on the management of the company’s high-volume print and mail fulfillment operations, serving utility, insurance, financial, and governmental clients.

Bobby began his career as a software developer for an early customer information system (CIS). He served as COO and co-founded Five Point Partners, a 250-person professional services firm serving the utility industry. Ernst & Young purchased Five Point in 2014, and Bobby served as a partner overseeing EY's Oracle Utilities Application practice.

Earlier in his career, Bobby was partner and CFO of Capstone Consulting Partners, a boutique consulting firm focused on the utilities industry that was acquired by Alliance Data Systems, a predecessor company to VertexOne.

Bobby has helped water, gas, and electric utilities navigate large transformation programs involving software systems. These systems include CIS, enterprise asset management (EAM), work and service management, and enterprise resource management (ERP). Bobby specializes in the use and deployment of cloud computing and other emerging technologies.

Bobby has an electrical engineering degree from the University of Alabama and an MBA from Vanderbilt University. Bobby resides in Atlanta, GA.

Ed recently served as Vice President of Business Development for Enchanted Rock, LLC, a market leader in resiliency as a service for mission-critical operations.

Ed brings more than twenty years of strategic sales and marketing experience, with the majority spent in the utilities and technology industries. Before joining VertexOne, he oversaw sales initiatives at Aclara, Innovari Coda Energy, Cellnet, and CES International. Ed has been named Atlanta Technology Marketing Executive of the Year and recognized as “Who’s Who” in the Smart Grid industry.

Ed began his career as an Officer and Naval Aviator in the United States Navy. He has a B.S. in Applied Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and an M.S. in Engineering Management with high honors from the University of South Florida.

Elizabeth Reed joined VertexOne as part of the Alliance Data acquisition in 2008.

She is responsible for all aspects of human resources and benefits. She has been instrumental in streamlining processes, creating efficiencies, and saving money.

She has 10 years of financial and accounting experience and held various roles with Alliance Data starting in 1999, from senior accountant to finance manager. Her responsibilities included general ledger accounting, forecast and budget, and mergers and acquisitions. After the acquisition, she was asked to take on the role of Director of North American Payroll with VertexOne.

She has also served as Director of Global Payroll, which included the U.K. and India, the Director of HRIS and Benefits, and Vice President of Human Resources.

Mark is responsible for overseeing IT infrastructure and information security and works with General Counsel on risk and compliance functions.

Mark has more than 33 years of experience in information systems management, with over 16 years in the utility industry. Before VertexOne, Mark worked in the telecommunications industry with communications commissions worldwide, including China, Japan, India, Poland, Bulgaria, and several other countries.

He provided homologation testing against regulatory requirements and negotiated the acceptance of systems into telecommunications networks. Since 2005, Mark has led the implementation of Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards and the information security program across VertexOne.

Mark has a depth of experience in control objectives for IT, information security (PCI/NIST/ISO), and risk management for IT functions in the energy and utility industry. After successfully leading the IT function through several transformational initiatives, Mark assumed the role of Chief Information Officer overseeing IT infrastructure operations. Additionally, Mark serves as a director of VertexOne India.

Bill is the Senior Vice President of Product Strategy at VertexOne. He has been with VertexOne for the past 26 years and has held various roles, including overseeing new client implementations, conversions, and organizational change; managing production operations of systems; managing corporate IT strategy, products, and account management; and leading sales support and marketing efforts.

Bill has a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems with a minor in economics from the University of Oklahoma.

Matt Lindgren is Senior Vice President of SAP Product Delivery at VertexOne, which encompasses implementations, application management, and support using VertexOne’s Business-Process-as-a-Service (BPaaS) model. Matt has worked in various delivery roles in North America and Europe over the past 20 years. He has worked at VertexOne since 2017.

Matt has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics from Jönköping International Business School, Sweden, with parts of those studies completed at the University of Stirling, Scotland.

Paige Besson is Senior Vice President Marketing and works closely with all departments in the company to build the VertexOne brand, increase company value, and drive sales through effective marketing and brand strategies.

Paige comes to VertexOne from McDonnell Group, where she led its transformation from its public relations roots to a fully integrated marketing agency focused solely on the energy and utility industry.  While there, she launched the Energy and Utility B2B Marketing Benchmark Study, the only study of its kind designed to empower industry marketers with unique insights into the nuances of B2B marketing in the energy and utility space. Prior to joining McDonnell Group, she was vice president of marketing for energy analytics start up Verdeeco, which was acquired by Sensus. She began her career at Schlumberger and held senior-level marketing positions at Cellnet Technologies (acquired by Landis+Gyr in 2007) and Site Controls (acquired by Siemens in 2010). Besson also founded and ran Enermarc, an integrated marketing communications and strategy consultancy. She served on the launch marketing committee of the Georgia (TAG) Smart Energy Society and as chair of the branding committee for Washington D.C.-based Women's Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE). 

Rajat is the General Manager for VertexOne India, responsible for people, operations, and finance, and is a member of the global leadership team for VertexOne Group.

He has more than two decades of experience building organizations and managing technology-based transformation programs for large corporations in India, the EU, and North America. At the VertexOne subsidiary in Gurgaon, he has led the development of several capabilities, including SAP practices for utilities.

Before VertexOne, Rajat held senior positions at Sapient Corporation in Gurgaon and managed a business unit of Capgemini Consulting in Mumbai. Rajat was associated with prestigious companies like ITC and Infosys early in his career, where he developed skills in IT services, consulting, and project and delivery center management.

He holds a Bachelors's in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and is a Capgemini-certified engagement manager.

Audra Leigh Braden serves as outside General Counsel for VertexOne, overseeing our legal, risk, and compliance functions.

Audra is a Member at Clark Hill Strasburger, a multidisciplinary, international law firm that represents a diverse range of leading brands, forward-thinking businesses, public entities, nonprofit organizations, and individuals. She practices commercial litigation while also representing clients in the outside general counsel capacity.

Audra provides competent and professional legal representation to resolve conflicts, including contract breaches, trade secrets, fraud, and employment disputes. Audra graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University and cum laude from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. She is admitted to practice before the state courts of Texas and U.S. District Courts in the Northern, Eastern, Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Every year since 2016, Audra has been named a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star by Thompson Reuters.

Dean is Senior Vice President, Product Development & Innovation, as well as Principal Software Architect, at VertexOne. He has been with VertexOne for the past 22 years and oversees company-wide software architecture and development. Dean comes with more than 34 years of experience in the computer and software industry, 28 of those in the Utilities sector.

Tina Santizo serves as VertexOne's Senior Vice President of Client Success and is the internal champion for all VertexOne clients in the support of solutions that enable them to achieve their goals. Tina has been at VertexOne for 24 years and has served in a variety of roles from consulting, product management, project management, and service. Tina continues to successfully collaborate across all functions.

Prior to VertexOne, Tina worked for Fujitsu Telecom as a Product Manager where she transformed a troubled product into a valuable solution, substantially growing the customer base. Prior to Fujitsu, she worked at NASA as a Systems Engineer for Space Station Freedom (SSF). There, Tina developed a Failure Detection, Isolation and Recovery Strategy for SSF.

Tina has BS in Electrical Engineer from Southern Methodist University

Ananda Goswami is Senior Vice President of VertexOne Retail. Previously Ananda previously served as the Chief Revenue Officer at EC Infosystems (acquired by VertexOne), a software service provider to the Energy Industry. Ananda leads activities related to VertexOne Retail marketing and new business initiatives, alliances, public relations, corporate image, mergers and acquisitions. With over 20 years of experience in the retail energy industry in business-to-business development, Ananda leads the team whose primary focus is on expanding VertexOne Retails product functionality and client base. Ananda is responsible for aligning company resources, defining differentiated go-to-market strategies and delivering on the company’s revenue performance goals. Ananda works closely with top management in defining, attracting, hiring and retaining talent and building a performance driven companywide culture. Ananda holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Information Technology from Baruch College (CUNY). Ananda provides thought leadership as a panelist and moderator at various industry forums. Ananda serves as Board Member of Energy Marketing Conference ( EMC) for Retailers.