About NVT Phybridge
NVT Phybridge is a leader in Power over Long Reach Ethernet solutions, using Modern LAN Principles and SmartPathPoE™ technology to make IP connections simple, secure, and cost-effective. The award-winning CHARIoT series of long reach PoE switches help customers modernize to an IP-based network, transforming existing or new infrastructure into an IP path with power. NVT Phybridge is a North American-based technology company with global reach dedicated to practical innovation; bringing innovative and affordable solutions to market that are technologically advanced as well as practical for the customer.
Founders
Oliver Emmanuel
Oliver Emmanuel founded Phybridge in 2006 after developing a long reach Power over Ethernet switch that he wanted to bring to market. Mr Emmanuel developed the switch to address the infrastructure barriers that organizations were facing as they tried to modernize from analog to IP communication.
Mr Emmanuel was recognized for his innovative approach and lateral thinking. He had a proven track record of undertaking challenging projects and bringing them to completion successfully. Mr Emmanuel was respected as a veteran in the telecommunications industry with over two decades of experience leading projects in Europe, Africa, North America and Asia. His broad telecommunications experience encompassed legacy PBX, IP Telephony, wireless and video. He held senior engineering positions at Unisys, Scientific Atlanta (a division of Cisco), and MCK Telecommunications. Mr Emmanuel is recognized for his significant contributions in innovative designs which resulted in enhanced corporate profitability. Mr Emmanuel was a visionary who held several patents.
John Croce – President & Chief Executive Officer
John Croce’s specialty is in start-up businesses, having successfully managed three companies from the ground up, his passion is evident. As President & CEO of NVT Phybridge, Mr Croce brings balance with his seasoned experience in management and finance. Prior to joining the company, Mr Croce was the founding President and CEO of Counsel Wealth Management. Under Mr Croce’s leadership, the company grew to over $2 billion in assets, making Counsel Wealth Management one of the fastest growing fund companies of its time in Canada. Mr Croce has also served as a partner of Anthem Properties based in Vancouver, Canada. During his time with the company, Anthem Properties grew to over $500 million in real estate assets and over $200 million in investor equity. In 1998, Anthem Properties became public and was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, Mr Croce playing a pivotal role in the company’s monumental achievement. Prior to establishing Anthem Properties, Mr Croce’s earlier success was as business development representative for AGF Management, a leading Canadian mutual fund company.
Leadership Team
Steven Fair – Executive Vice President
Steven Fair brings to NVT Phybridge a proven track record of building strong revenue performances and creating long term stability for sales divisions. His ability to identify, attract and retain top talent has allowed him to build foundations of people for which to layer effective business strategies. As one of the founding members of NVT Phybridge, his leadership has helped to create strong partnerships and relationships with the top entities in their markets. As EVP, he oversees Global expansion and personally engages with their direct manufacturer relationships. Prior to NVT Phybridge, Mr Fair was Vice President of Sales and later interim President of Avaya Canada. Steven has established a growing list of senior contacts within North America and abroad. His experience in working with the manufacturing side of the Telecom and Security industry gives him an exceptional understanding of the VAR and Distribution communities. Prior to joining Avaya, Mr Fair was the National Sales Manager at Dictaphone and Country Manager of Canada at Panamax. Steven contributes his vast global experience to the complete market from the SMB to large Enterprise customers for the NVT Phybridge team. He has an Honours Degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Toronto.
Frank Cerpnjak – Vice President of Finance
Frank Cerpnjak has spent the past 20 years as a financial consultant and advisor to a variety of small to medium-sized privately-owned companies, from business inceptions through maturation, having annual revenues ranging up to $100 million. His expertise includes strategic areas involving financial reporting, taxation, corporate finance and business acquisitions. Early in his career, he gained public practice experience at a national predecessor firm to Doane Raymond, attaining the position of audit manager, and business valuation experience at a mid-sized firm, McCarney Greenwood Vottero. Thereafter, Mr Cerpnjak spent four years as controller and manager of finance for Canadian Business Machines Limited, manufacturer of a standard line of AV accessory products, cash security solutions for Frisco Bay Industries and NCR and OEM specific products for Canon, Ricoh, Sharp and Toshiba. During his time with the company, he developed his passion for operational restructuring and cross-border strategic planning. As NVT Phybridge’s Vice President of Finance, Mr Cerpnjak is charged with strengthening and aligning the company’s central administrative and financial functions over its global operations. In this role, he oversees a broad range of departments including finance and accounting, resource planning, business affairs, risk management and human resources. His focus lies on continuous improvement for the reporting and management of the company and has a genuine appreciation of the contributions of all the people in the organization. Mr Cerpnjak is a University of Waterloo alumnus with an Honours Degree in Accounting and Economics and is a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Business Valuator and Certified Public Accountant (US).
Graham Ward – Vice President, Operations
Graham Ward is an Operations Leader with diverse industry experience who brings a practical approach to Operational Excellence that is grounded in business results. Ten years of experience at Kraft Foods Canada and Maple Leaf Foods, in both Continuous Improvement and Operational roles, Mr Ward has overseen a $50MM portfolio of projects that has spanned manufacturing, logistics, product supply and customer service. In addition to being well practiced in project management and structured problem-solving, he has experience with complex change management initiatives and organizational restructuring.
At Epicor Software Corporation, Mr Ward directed the Professional Services and Support teams in the Manufacturing Execution and Intelligence (MEI) division. Graham was successful in his mandate to restore profitability and bring consistency to both US and UK operations. Demonstrating his broad business acumen, he worked closely with the sales leadership to establish a coherent pricing strategy for small and Enterprise customers and collaborated with Product Development to establish and adhere to a robust product roadmap.
As Director of Pre-Sales Consulting at Shoplogix Inc, Mr Ward was responsible for proof-of-concept business analytics and project management. During his time at the Company, he devised a 100-plant global deployment plan for their largest customer that met the rollout timeline and the expectations for rapid adoption and payback of the solution. Also, as a Management System Consultant, Mr Ward was a key contributor to the ISOsoft© application at Intelex Technologies Inc. Mr Ward authored comprehensive instruction and provided end-user expertise throughout functional development.
Richard Kasslack – Vice President of Sales, North America
Richard Kasslack has over two decades of presence in Application and Systems Architecture, Network Administration and Call Center Operations. His impressive appointments have included Director of Call Centre Operations at The Toronto Sun Newspaper, where he oversaw the implementation of one of the first automated dialing solutions in Canada, and Director of Information Services at Investment Planning Counsel, part of one of the largest Wealth Management companies in Canada. Mr Kasslack has also founded several Internet start-ups. In addition, Mr Kasslack has been a board member of a number of private companies and charitable organizations and is a contributing member to various industry groups and committees. He is a seasoned professional and his expertise has allowed NVT Phybridge to grow substantially since joining the company in 2009. Richard is currently head of North American sales at NVT Phybridge where he oversees a professional sales team with a specific focus in IP Voice, IP Video Surveillance and all things IoT.
Jovanco Spiroski – Director, Hardware Engineering
Jovanco Spiroski brings to NVT Phybridge his expertise which ranges from design work at IMAX to a customer facing role with Arrow Electronics. His development skills are wide-ranging, including Analog and Digital circuit design, power electronics, interface, magnetic circuit design and numerical analysis. Mr Spiroski’s experience and personal approach allows him to address the challenges during all phases of product development from concept to manufacturing. He is a graduate of the University St. Cyril and Methodius in Macedonia from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering with a Major in Electronics.
Antonio Pérez – Director of Sales, Latin America and the Caribbean
Antonio Pérez has been with NVT Phybridge for over 20 years. Mr Pérez joined Network Video Technologies (NVT) in 1997, performing functions across several departments, including Operations, Technical Support, Marketing and Sales. Mr Pérez was quickly promoted to Sales Manager for the Caribbean, Central and South American regions. During this time, he travelled more than 2 million miles across Latin America and the Caribbean as he helped to grow the business tremendously in the area. In 2015, Mr Pérez became the Sales Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, where he oversees a team of three Sales Managers.
Prior to joining the company, Mr Pérez attended the University of Barcelona where he earned a Bachelor of Law. Mr Pérez brings to NVT Phybridge a proven track record of strong Leadership, Business Development, Strategic Planning, Key Account Management and a deep understanding of Digital Transformation and new technologies.
Paul Taggar – EMEA Managing Director
Paul Taggar has demonstrated continued success in growing key relationships and sales revenues with integration partners, distributors and end-user customers. Mr Taggar has been responsible for pro-actively leading change and transformation initiatives; championing the importance of customer experience and instilling high-quality standards across the organization. Mr Taggar is an effective and adaptable senior professional, with extensive management and business improvement skills. Prior to joining NVT Phybridge, Mr Taggar was Managing Director for Arecont Vision where he worked with partners to understand the challenges faced by integrators and distributors. Prior to working at Arecont Vision, Paul was a Key Account Sales Manager for ADI Global Distribution where he directly managed large global integrators.
Paul Taggar brings a wealth of knowledge from his experience managing European teams over the last 5 years while driving results across the continent. His ability to leverage industry contacts and partners will be a huge asset to the team as we grow our presence in the region. Paul brings experience and passion that will help NVT Phybridge add value to channel partners and end-user clients.
Arvind David – Director, Global Digital Transformation & India Operations
Arvind David brings over 10 years of Engineering and Marketing excellence to his role at NVT Phybridge. In 2008, Mr David graduated with an Engineering Degree and worked as a Software Support Engineer for HCL Technologies where he served major international clients, including AT&T Internet Services. In 2013, Mr David worked as a Senior Software Engineer at Prodapt where he exceeded the expectations of his clients, including Coca Cola, Pfizer, Philips, Sears and Channel 4, as he helped create a zero-error environment for the customer.
In 2014, Mr David finished his MBA in International Marketing, with a heavy focus on Digital Marketing, from Ulyanovsk State University in Russia. Mr David Founded Codem Consultancy Services, a global IT service provider specializing in Digital Marketing, Chat Bots, Artificial Intelligence, website creation and Mobile Application Development. Prior to joining NVT Phybridge, Mr David served as Chief Marketing Officer at JumpStartNinja Technologies where he headed the Business Development team; working closely with marketing and sales on in-house products. Mr David is an investor in several technology companies in India and Singapore. Mr David brings to NVT Phybridge a proven track record of success with expertise in business development, marketing strategy, consumer behavior, and engineering.
