Board of Directors
The Liaison Board of Directors consists of experienced individuals who help to set strategies and address the common challenges facing a high growth company. Leveraging their extensive experience, industry knowledge, and business acumen, these seasoned individuals have established, managed, and advised many successful businesses in the technology industry.
John Balboni, Chairman of the Board
CIO, International Paper
John Balboni joined International Paper in 1988, as president of its Non-woven Fabrics Business, after having served in various financial, marketing and general management positions in the Kendall Company. Subsequently he has been responsible for International Paper's eBusiness and new business development efforts. John is senior vice president, Information Technology, and chief information officer for International Paper. Balboni is responsible for information technology worldwide, which includes all computer operations, systems development, voice and data communications and advanced information technology.
Clark Golestani, Director
Executive VP and CIO, Merck & Co.
Clark Golestani, executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO) at Merck, is responsible for the company's global information technology. Clark is a member of Merck’s Executive Committee and reports to Merck chairman, president and chief executive officer Kenneth C. Frazier.
Previous responsibilities included global head of IT for Merck’s Research & Development division including Basic Research, Pre-Clinical, Clinical and Regulatory, spanning target identification through post marketed trials/ pharmacovigilance; Vice President, Corporate IT supporting Finance, HR, Procurement, Legal, Public Affairs, Site Services, Real Estate, and Shared Business Services operations; leadership and development of the Company’s IT strategy, portfolio, and enterprise architecture as Chief Architect; leadership of the company’s global computing services, eBusiness, and information security as Exec. Dir., IS Global Computing Services; leadership of the company's technology architecture as Sr. Dir., IS Architecture; and various leadership and management roles within Merck’s Research Labs as IT Director.
Prior to joining Merck, Mr. Golestani was responsible for establishing and managing strategic client relationships from business development through consulting services engagement delivery as a principal with Oracle Corporation’s consulting practice.
Clark serves as a director on the Board of Directors of Liaison Technologies and serves on Sierra Ventures CIO Advisory Board. Previously, he served on the Stevens Institute of Technology Service Management and Engineering Masters Program Advisory Board, Intel's Enterprise Advisory Board, Carnegie Mellon University’s CyLab / Sustainable Computing Consortium Board of Governors, PhRMA Foundation Informatics Advisory Committee and Juice Software’s Advisory Board.
Mr. Golestani has a degree in Management Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, and is a co-founder of Cross Road Technologies, Inc., in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Staffan Mörndal, Director
Partner, Verdane Capital Advisors
Staffan joined Verdane Capital Advisors Stockholm office in 2006, after leaving Enkatsu Solutions, of which he was co-founder and CEO. At Enkatsu Solutions he acquired venture capital in three rounds and set up a sales organisation with exports to 15 countries.
At Verdane Staffan focuses on the software and internet retail industries. He has been active in the acquisition of a number of portfolios and currently holds positions on the boards of Prenax, Mathem, LensOn, EasyArt, Outnet, Foderbilen, Ikivo, KSD Software and Liaison Technologies.
C. Tycho Howle, Director
Former Chairman, nuBridges
Tycho Howle founded nuBridges, Inc. in 2001 and served as its Chairman prior to its acquisition by Liaison Technologies, Inc. in 2011. Tycho is a pioneer in the eBusiness arena having founded Harbinger Computer Services in March of 1983. Tycho grew Harbinger to become a world-class e-Commerce firm with more than 1,000 employees, 40,000 active customers, and annual revenues exceeding $155 million. Tycho served as both Chairman and CEO for most of his 17-year tenure with Harbinger, and led the company through its many phases of growth including an IPO in 1995.
He was instrumental in the creation of Harbinger EDI Services and Harbinger Net Services, a joint venture with BellSouth. Prior to founding Harbinger, Tycho worked with McKinsey & Company, Hewlett Packard and Booz, Allen & Hamilton.
Tycho has received numerous awards for his contribution to e-business such as being named one of the "25 Unsung Heroes on the Internet" by Inter@ctive Week in 1998, selection as the 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year in Emerging Technologies for the Southeastern US, selection as Georgia's Businessman of the Year by the Georgia Security Dealer's Association in 1999, and was the 2002 inductee into the Georgia Technology Hall of Fame.
Tycho has a B.S. in Physics (minor-Computer Science) and an M.S. in Systems Engineering from Clemson University. He also holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
Paul L. H. Olson, Director
Former President and CEO, nuBridges
Paul L. H. Olson is the former President and CEO of nuBridges, Inc., and was one of the founding executive officers of Sterling Commerce, a global business-to-business eCommerce company recently acquired by IBM. Prior to Sterling Commerce, he was with Sterling Software as an executive in charge of group strategic planning and acquisitions. Over the years, Olson has launched two software and services businesses. In 1978, the first business, Commandata, provided project management software applications to large-scale homebuilders. Then, in 1980, under Olson's entrepreneurial guidance at Tymshare, Inc., EDI*Net debuted as the first global eCommerce network services for commercial use. He also serves as a board director/advisor for several companies and non-profit organizations including Entegris, Inc. (lead director), WCM Industries, Inc. (lead director), nuBridges, Inc., (CEO and director), and the Macalester College Board of Trustees. Olson holds a doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, and a BA in Mathematics from Macalester College.
Betsy Seaton, Director
VP Strategic Planning, Weyerhaeuser
Betsy Seaton joined Weyerhaeuser in 1992 and has held a variety of positions, including several strategic planning and project roles as well as operating roles in Weyerhaeuser’s Recycling business. Her additional experience includes acting as the business lead for the company’s SAP supply chain implementation. Prior to joining Weyerhaeuser she spent 6 years at the Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm. Seaton has a JD and MBA from the University of Chicago and an AB in Politics from Princeton University.
Lars Bjørn Thoresen, Director
Group Managing Partner, Verdane Capital Advisors
Lars has the last few year led the firm Verdane Capital Advisors. He has been part of the team since the beginning of 1999, when he finished his former career as a managing consultant. He was formerly a senior associate at Braxton Associates, London, where he advised companies in the European IT and telecom industries. Verdane Capital Advisors has over the past ten years moved from being a venture capital investment firm to a broader investment advisor, with focus on growth and expansion investments primarily within the ICT and energy technology areas. The firm primary focus has since 2003 been to build the firm into the leading European player in the portfolio acquisition market, with more than 200 companies and interests acquired through 15 portfolios throughout the Nordics and beyond. Verdane has more than USD 500 million under management, and raised its latest fund, Verdane Capital VII, in 2010. Verdane has offices in Oslo and Stockholm. www.verdanecapital.com.
Bob Renner, Director
CEO, Liaison Technologies
Bob Renner played a significant role in creating the Liaison concept, and served as one of six steering committee members who guided its development into an independent business enterprise. Prior to Liaison, Bob was most recently Director of Electronic Commerce for Georgia-Pacific Corp., one of the world's largest forest products companies. He also brings over 15 years of information technology experience from several industries to Liaison including work at the Walt Disney Company, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, and Security Pacific National Bank (now Bank of America). Renner earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Emory University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from California State University (Fullerton), and an Associate's degree in Computer Science from Fullerton College (California).