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.

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.

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.

Chaidan Lekchaum is the SVP of Product Deployment, managing roll outs for all VertexOne product lines.  He brings 30 years of systems integration experience to VertexOne.  Prior to joining VertexOne, Chaidan held key leadership and delivery roles for Ernst & Young, HCL Technologies and Accenture. 

Chaidan’s key area of expertise is within the Utilities industry.  He has over 20 years of Utilities experience and has been on 12 full cycle CIS implementations and 10 major upgrades where he has held key roles in project management, functional and technical delivery, testing, and end user training.  His areas of focus include CIS and AMI deployments for regulated and deregulated utilities for all major product lines (Gas, Water & Electric). 

Bill is the Senior Vice President of Product Strategy at VertexOne. He has been with VertexOne for the past 30years 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.

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.

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). 

John has over 35 year’s of experience in working with technology solutions in the utilities industry across the Globe.  He has extensive experience working with operational systems for Utilities from companies like IBM, ABB, Oracle and Sensus.  Currently, John Leads the engagement endeavors between VertexOne and prospective clients in the Western half of North America.  His area of expertise include Customer Information Systems, Outage Management, Asset Management, Mobile Workforce Management, Smart Metering and AMI, Customer Engagement, ERP and Data Modelling with the Common Information Model (CIM). 

John was raised in Texas and Colorado, went to college at Grand Canyon University for is bachelor’s degree in Business and Performing Arts and then finished with a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Finance from Arizona State University.  He now lives in Austin, TX with his wife of 38 years and near their daughter and is anxiously awaiting grandchildren.

Charles started his career as a software developer for a commercial suite of products for engineering solutions.  Charles has more than 23 years of experience in the areas of Energy Solutions, Business Intelligence, IOT, Customer Engagement, Energy Efficiency, Predictive Analytics, CIS, MDM, GIS, Smart Grid Automation, AMI, and Smart Metering. 

Currently, Charles leads a team of Regional Sales Directors to develop new business and relationships with existing VertexOne clients and new prospects in the U.S. and Canada.

Charles holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.  Charles now lives in Michigan with his wife and three children.

Andrew has nearly three decades of extensive experience in the Energy and Utilities sector across North America and various global markets. Throughout his career, he has witnessed firsthand the remarkable growth and innovation within the industry.

For the past 11 years, Andrew has spearheaded VertexOne through a transformative period of growth. Under his guidance, VertexOne has achieved significant milestones including strategic acquisitions and divestitures, successful software product launches, and the establishment of new partnerships with capital investors.

Recognized for his leadership and foresight, Andrew has been a leading advocate for the adoption of software-as-a-service (SaaS) among Energy and Utility companies across North America. This advocacy is embodied in VertexOne's acclaimed suite of customer-to-cash software products.

 

Currently, Andrew holds the position of Vice-Chairman on the VertexOne Board of Directors, where he plays a pivotal role in collaboration with the company's majority investor, DFW Capital LLC.

 

Beyond his corporate responsibilities, Andrew actively contributes to various external boards. He serves on the board of Forbes Technology, a division of Forbes Media LLC, as well as Cloud for Utilities, a prominent thought leadership consultancy. Additionally, Andrew is involved with OurCalling, a faith-based organization dedicated to leveraging technology to support the homeless community, and Men of Nehemiah, a Christian organization focused on rehabilitating men affected by substance abuse.

Prior to his tenure at VertexOne, Andrew led the global energy and utilities business unit at HCL, where he played a crucial role in positioning the company as the fastest-growing and globally dominant utilities service provider. His illustrious career also includes key executive positions at 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.

As Chief Operating Officer of VertexOne, Tina Santizo leads the company's operational success, with responsibilities for product management, product deployment, product training, and client success. She is a seasoned senior executive with more than 3 decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving cross-functional success.

While she launched her career as a Systems Engineer for NASA's Space Station Freedom (SSF), she has served the last 25 years as an integral leader and internal champion for VertexOne clients. Spearheading client engagement as Senior Vice President of Client Success, Santizo pioneered continuous improvement initiatives, streamlining processes and implementing solutions to enable clients to achieve their goals, while instilling customer-centric values into the culture of the company.

As VertexOne’s COO, Santizo is working to propel the company even further into a new era of innovative excellence as it cements its place as the best-in-class provider of cloud-based customer experience software solutions for the energy and utility space, bringing her wealth of operational expertise and deep industry experience in everything from product & project management, to strategy, oversight, consulting, and engagement & support solutions.

Chaidan Lekchaum is the CTO, managing roll outs for all VertexOne product lines.  He brings 30 years of systems integration experience to VertexOne.  Prior to joining VertexOne, Chaidan held key leadership and delivery roles for Ernst & Young, HCL Technologies and Accenture. 

Chaidan’s key area of expertise is within the Utilities industry.  He has over 20 years of Utilities experience and has been on 12 full cycle CIS implementations and 10 major upgrades where he has held key roles in project management, functional and technical delivery, testing, and end user training.  His areas of focus include CIS and AMI deployments for regulated and deregulated utilities for all major product lines (Gas, Water & Electric). 

Paige Besson is CMO 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). 

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.

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.

Jose Castillo serves as the SVP Development - with VertexOne. Jose leads a team whose goal is to work with the business team to improve VertexOne current product offerings and introduce new and innovative products while maintaining VertexOne expertise in Billing and EDI. His 25 years of software engineering and development expertise have been a value add to VertexOne customer engagement efforts and enhancements to VertexOne product and services offering.

Prior to working with VertexOne, Jose worked for Jasmine Universe. Jose led the product development for Jasmine’s portfolio of software and AI applications focused on making energy management effortless for residential and small business customers. He has also overseen product lifecycle and business solution software developed for Fortune 500 companies.

In 2012, Jose co-founded a photo management and fulfillment service serving New York’s most popular wedding photographers and their clients. Jose is a graduate of Queens College, and when offline, Jose enjoys spending time with his wife and two children in Long Island.

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.

Carlos Pullum serves as VertexOne's Vice President of Commercial Operations where he oversees all Contract Management, Procurement and Revenue Operations. Carlos has been at VertexOne for 12 years and has served in a variety of roles from Relationship Management, Director of Procurement and Contract Negotiations. Carlos has over 25 years of experience in Contract Negotiations, Procurement and Client Relations.

Prior to VertexOne, Carlos worked for Electronic Data Systems for over 17 years in multiple roles including management of Contract Negotiations, Category Management, Procurement and Relationship Management where each of these organizations were transformed to best in class organizations.

Carlos has BA in Finance and Accounting from Bethany College.

Andreya Shaak is the SVP, Product Strategy at VertexOne and has over a decade of retail energy experience in the deregulated sector. She began her career in 2009 with EC Infosystems, transitioning to working on the supplier side in various roles including operations, partner management, and regulatory. After relocating to Chicago, Andreya managed retail operations for Eligo Energy, a start-up electricity and natural gas retailer, and later joined Nordic Energy as a Partner Manager.

Prior to rejoining ECI in December 2016, Andreya ran product initiatives and sales for Nordic Energy’s sister company – a technology start-up focused on broker sales and custom pricing.

Andreya attended Hofstra University for Journalism and is also a graduate of Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education in International Relations. She recently received her MBA from Rice University’s Jones School of Business.

Jason Stein serves as VertexOne's Senior Vice President of Information Technology. Jason has been at VertexOne for 29 years and has served in a variety of roles in the IT organization from Network Engineer to Linux Systems Administration. Jason comes with more than 34 years of experience in the computer and software industry.

Jason holds certifications from Microsoft, Novell, IBM, Solaris and Cisco.

Jason has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Science in Management & Systems, both from New York University (NYU). Jason now lives in Central Oregon with his wife of 22 years.

Keith joined DFW in 1998 as a partner from First Atlantic Capital, a New York-based, middle-market leveraged buyout (LBO) investment firm.

He was with First Atlantic for six years, four years as a partner. While at First Atlantic, Keith was responsible for sourcing, structuring, executing, and monitoring portfolio investments in a broad range of industries. Before First Atlantic, Keith spent several years arranging private equity and debt financing with the investment banking group of Dean Witter. Keith holds a B.A. in Economics and Art History from Middlebury College.

With almost 25 years of experience in the energy and utilities industry, Andrew is responsible for leading the organization through transformational growth through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. During his tenure, Andrew has led the organization through many product and solution releases, securing new clients for VertexOne, managing divesture of non-strategic assets, and integrating new capital partners to drive continued growth.

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.

Brad Almond was VertexOne’s Chief Financial Officer from 2013-2019, and upon our acquisition by DFW Capital Partners, Brad became a member of the Board of Directors.

Brad is a tenured technology and software executive in public and private corporations with extensive experience in key operational functions for global, high-growth environments.

Before VertexOne, Brad served as the Chief Financial Officer of Cambium Learning Group, a publicly-traded leader in providing curriculum products, services, and subscription-based technology for elementary through high schools. Before joining Cambium, Brad was Chief Financial Officer at Zix Corporation, a SaaS-based email encryption provider located in Dallas.

From 1998-2003, Brad worked at Entrust Inc., where he held various management positions, including President of Entrust Japan and General Manager of Entrust Asia out of the Tokyo, Japan office. Brad started his technology finance career at Nortel and served in various positions from 1993-1998, including Director of Strategic Planning for Nortel Europe based in Paris, France.

Brad is a Certified Public Accountant, a doctoral candidate in liberal studies at Southern Methodist University, and a graduate of Texas A&M (Bachelor of Business Administration), the University of Texas at Austin (Master of Business Administration), and the University of Texas at Dallas (Master of Arts).

Todd Crandall is a seasoned IT Services Industry Executive with experience across many industries and organizations of all sizes.

Todd has significant cloud and outsourcing experience, helping to increase annuity-based services over one-time project services.

He most recently led SAP’s Digital Business Services business within North America—reporting directly to SAP’s Executive Board, across all industries and with sole profit and loss (P&L) responsibility. While working with SAP, Todd managed the largest transformation of any services business worldwide, according to McKinsey. This transformation included a restructuring of the Services portfolio offered to SAP customers and a complete re-skilling of SAP’s 22,000 Service Delivery Professionals, Delivery Executives, and Customer Success Executives from traditional “on-premise” implementations to “cloud-oriented” installations.

Under his leadership and several focused initiatives, SAP's North America region achieved record-breaking growth, profitability, and customer satisfaction and was named the 2019 Region of the Year.

Before SAP, Todd led HCL Technologies Asset Intensive Industries (Utilities, Aerospace & Defense, Travel, Transportation & Logistics, and Healthcare) global business unit, including all services and outsourcing within North America and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa).

Todd earned a Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University and currently serves on the Professional Services Advisory Board for the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA).

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