John W. Baumstark
John is chairman and CEO of Suniva and has over 20 years of technology experience in early and late-stage private and public companies. Most recently, John was an Operating Partner at H.I.G. Ventures where he played an active role in the overall strategy of the fund as well as the development of portfolio companies.
Prior to joining H.I.G. Ventures, he was responsible for overseeing global operations of IBM's Master Data Management (MDM) Server unit, part of IBM's Information Management division within the IBM Software Group.
Prior to IBM, John was president and CEO of DWL, the leader in Customer Data Integration software. Under John's leadership the company was cash flow positive for 20 consecutive quarters, was profitable and was named one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America three years in a row by Deloitte and Touche. DWL was acquired by IBM in 2005.
Prior to DWL, John served as the Chief Operating Officer of TRADEX Technologies. Under John's leadership, TRADEX became the market leader in digital marketplace platforms. In March of 2000, TRADEX was acquired by Ariba for $5.6 billion, making it one of the largest software acquisitions in history.
Before TRADEX, John directed worldwide field operations for Infinium Software. There he built over $100 million in revenue, led a successful initial public offering and acquired two companies. Before joining Infinium, Baumstark held sales and sales management positions with Management Science America (MSA), a mainframe application software provider.
John graduated from Colorado College with a BA in Business / Economics. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Procuri, Inc. and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Martin's Episcopal School.
John D. McNeil, M.A., C.F.A
John McNeil is the retired chairman and CEO of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. Under Mr. McNeil's leadership, Sun Life assets under management grew from $49 billion in 1988 to more than five times that level.
He is also past chairman Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Inc. and retired director of DWL (USA) Inc.; CP Ships; and,Shell Canada Limited.
Mr. McNeil serves as a director of the Canadian Ditchley Foundation and MMV Financial, and is a member of the Toronto Advisory Board of the Salvation Army and Honorary Director of the C.D. Howe Institute.
He is a member of the Association for Investment Management and Research; Toronto Society of Financial Analysts; The Ticker Club; The Toronto Club; Royal Canadian Yacht Club; and, York Club.
Mr. McNeil graduated from the University of Edinburgh M.A. (Hons.) Political Economics.
Janet Perna
Prior to her retirement from IBM in 2006, Janet Perna was one of the highest ranking executives within the IBM Software Group where she was the General Manager of Information Management Solutions. Under Ms. Perna's leadership , the IBM information management business grew into a multi-billion dollar business, with focus on delivering products to help customers manage their information assets, including database management, content and records management, information integration, and business intelligence software. In this position, she led over 4,000 people, including 3,300 in research and development, customer support, and services in five laboratories worldwide. During her 31 year career with IBM, Ms. Perna, held a number of executive positions in IBM’s software business and earned numerous honors and awards including her 2001 induction into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame. She also served on IBM's Worldwide Management Council, a 50-member advisory board to the chairman.
Upon her retirement from IBM, Ms Perna joined the Board of Directors of Cognos, which was acquired by IBM in 2008. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Deltek and Varicent and is a member of the Foundation Board of Directors and co-Chair of the Fund for Science and Technology at the State University of New York at Oneonta.
Ms Perna is an active volunteer with the Darien/Stamford CT American Red Cross where she leads the Disaster Services Information Management team.