Global
Christian Primeau
Global CEO
CHRISTIAN PRIMEAU
GLOBAL CEO
Prior to joining Syntax, Chris was President & COO at Dialogic, a Novacap company. He oversaw R&D, operations, marketing, product management, finance, and administration. Chris has over 25 years industry experience, much of it in executive roles with public and private growth-oriented companies in operations, engineering, delivery, sales, and general management roles. Chris spent the early part of his career at Sun Microsystems where he initially joined as a Pre-Sales Engineer. In his thirteen years with the company, he held a number of key management positions in Montreal, Toronto, and Menlo Park California where he served as VP Partner and Alliances, Sales Director, Client Executive and Business Development Manager for ERP and E-Commerce solutions.
Chris then joined Bell Canada where he spent six years in various executive roles. He joined as General Manager of Infrastructure Services and subsequently held the roles of Vice President of Client Service Delivery, and Vice President of Sales with Bell Canada. He then took on the role of President and COO of iWeb Technologies, a leading provider in cloud solutions. Chris supported the team in the development and execution of next generation cloud and managed services delivering double-digit revenue and ebitda growth.
He holds a Bachelor Degree in Management Information Systems and a Masters of Business Administration(MBA) from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Michael Etinson
Principal & Founder
MICHAEL ETINSON
PRINCIPAL & FOUNDER
Michael Etinson is the founder and Principal of Syntax, which was established in 1972. Over the last four decades, Michael has been instrumental in the evolution of the company and growth of its diverse customer base. A major industry milestone for Syntax, thanks to Michael, was the company’s introduction of Syntax Distribution Management (iSDM) software in 1983. After becoming a high-value Oracle JD Edwards partner in 1997, Michael has helped Syntax expand its North American footprint with offices in Toronto, New York, and Boston. Michael continues to help Syntax expand the scope of its strategic capabilities with outstanding technology industry leadership and vast industry knowledge. Michael has a Bachelor of Science from McGill University, and has done tireless work as a Community Leader.
Tony Veilleux
Global CFO
TONY VEILLEUX
GLOBAL CFO
As the Chief Financial Officer at Syntax, Tony brings more than 20 years of experience in all areas in the business including financial accounting, risk management, treasury, acquisitions and integration. He has managed growth throughout his career and has developed the ability to navigate across the different phases in an organization where he has promoted change and diversity. Tony held a position of CFO at WSP Canada where he worked as a Business partner to the CEO and the leadership team where he was involved in the corporate strategy for Canada. Tony graduated from Laval University and holds a CPA, CMA designation.
Marcelo Tamassia
Global CTO
MARCELO TAMASSIA
GLOBAL CTO
Marcelo Tamassia is currently Global CTO at Syntax and is responsible for all software engineering, DevOps, monitoring, public cloud, and product management areas.
Marcelo has over 20 years of experience in the technology industry and has joined Syntax through the acquisition of EmeraldCube Solutions, which he co-founded in 2013. At EmeraldCube, Marcelo established and led the AWS cloud practice and the software R&D team, creating innovative solutions that propelled EmeraldCube to a leading position in the Oracle JD Edwards ecosystem. Prior to founding EmeraldCube, Marcelo led a technical consulting organization and actively participated as a technical leader in more than 90 ERP projects worldwide.
Marcelo is a passionate and respected technology executive who is frequently invited to speak at OpenWorld, Collaborate, and Infocus conferences as well as OAUG and Quest user groups meetings.
Marcelo holds advanced AWS, Oracle, and Microsoft certifications in addition to an MBA from the University of Florida and post-graduate education courses from Stanford University. He resides in Atlanta with his wife and two children.
Joseph McKenna
GLOBAL CIO
JOSEPH MCKENNA
GLOBAL CIO
As the Global CIO at Syntax, Joe focuses on devising an IT strategy that accelerates how the business can best perform and succeed. He joined Syntax as Senior Director of Design and Engineering through the FIT acquisition in 2016, his extensive experience a definite asset to achieving Syntax’s ambitious vision.
“What impresses me most at Syntax is the amount and range of talent, and the genuine desire to work together to give our customers what they really need,” says Joe. “I get involved; I am very passionate about where we are going as an organization. I like to look at complex issues and break them down into simpler, impactful yet manageable solutions to help reach our goals.”
Both an accomplished technician, and an open and frank leader, he believes in the work hard play hard saying. Always striving to deliver impactful work, he insists that everyone should disconnect and recharge outside work hours, to spend time with family and keep a healthy work-life balance.
Joe started his career at Fidelity Investments, where he spent 20 years moving up to increasingly strategic positions, making his mark by managing infrastructure architecture and mission-critical applications that always offered the environment necessary to deliver the highest customer experience and satisfaction. One of his greatest achievements at Fidelity was being part of an elite team tasked to building a state-of-the-art Monitoring Centre that provided sustained availability and performance, establishing the foundation for a robust process that is still used today.
Joe studied Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Alexis Burnett
GLOBAL SENIOR DIRECTOR MARKETING
ALEXIS BURNETT
GLOBAL SENIOR DIRECTOR MARKETING
As the Global Senior Director of Marketing, Alexis leads the planning and execution of Syntax’s global marketing strategy including branding, go-to-market, demand generation, customer acquisition, and communications. She joined Syntax as Americas Marketing Director through the EmeraldCube acquisition in January 2019.
“Each day, I strive to nurture a productive and collaborative environment for our team,” says Alexis. “It’s important to empower co-workers so everyone can make a difference while growing a sustainable business.” Her relentless commitment to innovation and strong work ethic built on a foundation of integrity continue to be pillars in her professional success.
With experience in both B2B and B2C spaces, Alexis has put her brand positioning and strategic communications planning to work for the past 20+ years in the retail athletic, HVAC and payroll industries, as well as through the creation of her own consulting firm. She joined EmeraldCube as Marketing Manager in November of 2013, soon after the founding of the company. Through her focus on brand development, marketing strategies, communications and customer acquisition, she contributed to EmeraldCube pioneering the deployment of JD Edwards in the number-one Public Cloud space (AWS) and to making it the leading provider of JD Edwards Managed Services in the Public Cloud.
Alexis holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Lehigh University and was honored with the Business Partner Distinguished Service Award from the Quest Oracle Community in 2019.
Ken Lastowski
GLOBAL SENIOR DIRECTOR HUMAN RESOURCES
KEN LASTOWSKI
GLOBAL SENIOR DIRECTOR HUMAN RESOURCES
As the Global Senior Director of Human Resources, Ken leads Syntax’s global people strategy including talent management, learning and development, talent acquisition and workforce planning, compensation and benefits, as well as HR systems and tools. He has played a key role in integrating Syntax’s Americas HR functions and programs, bringing employees together under one mission – to be the number one ERP Cloud Provider enabling businesses worldwide to succeed. Ken joined Syntax in March 2019 as the Americas HR Director through the Freudenberg IT acquisition.
“We are an extension of our customer’s teams, so when we succeed, our customers also succeed. In this global organization, my focus is to develop and enable our people to be the best they can be and to tap into their diversity of talent and unique perspectives,” says Ken. Built on a foundation of integrity and trust, his strong relationship approach and his commitment to bringing creative solutions to complex questions continue to be pillars to his professional success.
For the past 20 years, Ken has put his HR leadership and program execution to work in global Technology, Manufacturing, Retail, and Healthcare industries. He joined Freudenberg IT as Regional HR Director for the Americas in December 2015 and took on global HR leadership responsibilities in 2016. Through his focus on the development of the HR organization, he was able to build a new HR team for the region and implement a comprehensive talent and performance management strategy.
Ken holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management with a concentration in HR from North Carolina State University and a Master’s of Business Administration from Elon University.
Americas Region
Ryan Etinson
CEO Americas
RYAN ETINSON
CEO AMERICAS
Since joining the company in 1996, he has held several executive positions including Managing Partner, Vice President, and Executive Vice President. After becoming a high-value Oracle JD Edwards partner over 17 years ago, Ryan has helped to expand Syntax’s offerings over the years across different industries, platforms and geographies. Over the last five years, he has been directly responsible for changing the company from one that primarily served customers in Eastern Canada into a North American success story. He holds an MBA with honors from John Molson School of Business and completed his undergraduate studies at McGill University.
Pierre-Luc Toupin
CFO Americas
Pierre-Luc Toupin
CFO AMERICAS
As CFO for the Americas, Pierre-Luc leads a team that focuses on being a pillar for growth and for customer satisfaction, creating financial solutions that fit our customers’ needs. With over 15 years of experience in financial leadership including two years at Syntax, he drives a strong financial performance for the region and oversees internal financial systems and procurement as well as Governance, risk and compliance.
“The best thing at Syntax is the ingenuity of our people; I am especially inspired by the desire of our Finance team to put in the extra effort every day to support our Sales and Operations colleagues,” says Pierre-Luc. “I like to challenge the status quo and our team is always ready and motivated to continuously improve our processes and efficiency.”
In the earlier part of his career, Pierre-Luc was Director at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton (RCGT), a worldwide accounting firm specializing in financial and tax audit. He then acquired extensive expertise in Information and Communication Technologies in a public company as the CFO for iWeb Technologies Inc. and then expanded his knowledge of financial leadership in context of international corporations and of listed public companies in the US stock exchange as the Vice President of Finance at Internap Corporation, a division of web hosting services and Cloud Computing. Before joining Syntax, Pierre-Luc was Vice President of Finances at T Investment Corporation, a Family Office Fund invested in several industries, where he made his mark by accelerating the growth and the financial performance of various assets.
Pierre-Luc holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a DESS in Accounting from HEC Montréal, as well as the CPA, CA title.
Kevin Dattolico
CRO Americas
Kevin Dattolico
CRO AMERICAS
Kevin Dattolico joined as the company’s Chief Revenue Officer of the Americas in April 2020. Kevin is responsible for enabling Syntax to continue delivering the high-quality customer experience for which it’s known across its North American customer base. In addition, he leads both the pre-sales and sales teams and establishes best-in-class revenue-generating strategies.
Kevin previously held roles at VMWare and Novell and most recently served at Virtustream as Senior Vice President of Sales, where he led global growth strategies and market leadership by delivering and supporting the full range of Cloud Services and Software solutions. He has over 15 years of expertise in IT infrastructure sales, a deep background in cloud solutions for enterprise, and extensive experience developing market-focused strategic plans that deliver measurable business growth. He holds a degree in Business Administration, Marketing from Hofstra University.
Mike Evans
COO Americas
MIKE EVANS
COO AMERICAS
As the Chief Operating Officer of the Americas, Mike oversees Syntax’s operations in the Americas regions, which includes the development and execution of the company’s vision, strategic plans, budget, business development, customer engagement and succession planning. He joined Syntax June 2020 with over 25 years of experience in IT, service, and support delivery.
“My commitment is delivering customer value, all my interactions with my clients and my team reflects a culture around our customers and their needs. I play a great role in overseeing engagements and improving customers overall experience, enabling them to realize business value.” Hand-in hand with his team he continuously fosters improvement to ensure Syntax is delivering what our customers expect.
Before Syntax, Mike worked at Virtustream as Senior Vice President Global Operations where he oversaw the execution of delivery and support for all cloud offerings and in key customer engagements and relationships. Prior to that, Mike served in a variety of roles at Dell EMC, including Senior Vice President Global Specialty Presales, Vice President Backup and Recovery Systems and Global Director Services, and many positions at IBM.
Mike honorably served in the United States Marine Corps.
Brian Koh
EVP - Business Development
BRIAN KOH
EVP – BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Brian Koh serves as VP of Cloud Sales, with responsibility for global Sales of Syntax’s expanding portfolio of services.
Brian is a seasoned executive who brings a wealth of knowledge, breadth, and depth of skills to this pivotal position. Previous to his role at Syntax, he joined Core Services after 14 years with IT Convergence, where he created a global business development team, most recently as Vice President and Managing Director. Brian was instrumental in building a successful business development organization across the USA, South America, and Asia. Additionally, Brian frequently published and presented at industry conferences, including OAUG, Collaborate and Oracle Open World.
Brian received a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin and he resides in New York City with his wife and two children.
Casey Husar
COO SAP Americas
CASEY HUSAR
COO SAP AMERICAS
Casey Husar has more than 25 years of cross industry experience in IT applications and service delivery. He has a proven track record of providing optimal technology and business services and solutions, reducing costs, and enhancing the client experience. Casey is highly skilled in implementing continuous improvements and emerging technologies, and cultivating key partnerships and relationships.
Casey spent the early part of his career with several companies in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, including Accenture and SAP. Casey later joined GlaxoSmithKline as Director of SAP Operations and managed technical architecture, administration, and availability with responsibility for service delivery in their regulated and validated environment, ensuring compliance with systems and services.
Casey then joined Freudenberg IT (FIT), now Syntax, where he has spent the past six years. He began as the Director of Strategic Operations and subsequently held the role of Chief Operating Officer. Casey currently serves as COO SAP of the Americas Region for Syntax. During his tenure, Casey has successfully transformed the organization’s SAP group into world-class delivery team by overseeing company operations encompassing development and execution of vision, strategic plan, budget, business development, customer engagement, and succession planning.
Jake Van der Vort
SVP Cloud Solutions
JAKE VAN DER VORT
SVP CLOUD SERVICES
Jake Van der Vort serves as Senior Vice President of Cloud Solutions, with responsibility for global professional services.
Jake is a seasoned executive who brings a wealth of knowledge, breadth, and depth of skills to this pivotal position. Previous to his role at Syntax, he joined Core Services after 10 years with IT Convergence, where he led all Service Delivery operations for Consulting, Managed/Cloud Services, and Development Services, most recently as COO. There, Jake was instrumental in creating the Hosting, Managed and Development Services, and Fusion Middleware offerings across the USA, South America, and Asia.
Previously, Jake held the positions of Vice President at TUSC, where he created the Managed Services practice, and Operations Director at IB Diffusion.Additionally, Jake frequently published and presented at many industry conferences, including IOUG, MOUG, and Oracle Open World.
Jake received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and he resides in Chicago with his wife and daughter.
George Massoud
SVP Cloud Ops
GEORGE MASSOUD
SVP CLOUD OPS
George Massoud joined Syntax as Senior Vice President of Operations and is responsible for the IT Cloud Infrastructure Operations, including Systems Resiliency and Capacity Planning. In addition, George leads the Global Service Desk Operations and Incident Management Organization, a critical layer in Syntax commitment to exceptional customer service and experience.
George has more than 20 years of IT experience. He began his career at Future Electronics where he led the North American inside sales team, specializing in electronic components. He later joined Nortel Networks as a Network Integration Project Manager and played a key role in helping migrate some of the world’s largest Tier 1 operators to a new technology and switching platform. Following Nortel, George joined Amdocs, where he grew within the organization over the past 16 years, holding several senior management roles, including Global IT Operations and Managed Services Executive roles. In this highly visible customer facing role, George was accountable for critical production systems including the management of all data centers and global infrastructure within the Managed Services domain.
Most recently, George led the Global Vendor, Asset, and Budget management teams, with a focus on building partnerships with major vendors, maintaining control of assets and purchasing, while driving operation optimization programs. Being an advocate for end to end managed services within Amdocs, George also led various major government and Tier 1 Telco sales initiatives globally, collaborating with the sales and professional services organizations to drive value through new business solutions and service offerings.
George holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.
Europe Region
Ralf Sürken
CEO Europe
Ralf Sürken
CEO Europe
Ralf Sürken is establishing an even stronger focus on the customer at Syntax in Europe.
Ralf Sürken is from Minneapolis, Minnesota and has been responsible for strategic and operative controlling at Syntax in Europe since July of 2016. His mission is to constantly drive the company’s development as a leading full-service provider for mid-sized enterprises. In fulfilling this mission, he closely aligns marketing, sales, and service quality with the needs of Syntax ’s European customers.
During 25 years of executive positions at companies such as Velocity, SAP, and ITelligence, he has gathered international experience in the fields of software and IT services. He has worked in Europe, Asia, Latin America, South America, and the US.
Dawn McNabb
CFO Europe
Dawn McNabb
CFO Europe
Dawn McNabb is a Regional CFO who works with the entire European team as well as colleagues throughout the world to support growth, development and customer satisfaction.
Dawn believes that when leaders are engaged and teams are aligned businesses will reach and exceed their goals.
Dawn managed rapid growth at Syntax in the US for 11 years before joining Syntax EU.
Dawn is a CPA and CMA who holds a BS in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts and a Masters in International Business from Schiller International University.
Dirk Nitze
COO Europe
Dirk Nitze
COO Europe
Dirk Nitze serves as Chief Operation Officer Europe, with responsibility for European Operations of Syntax.
Dirk has more than 30 Years of cross industry experience in IT applications and service delivery. He has a proven track record in selling complex products and services, implementing business applications from SAP and Oracle as well as building a stable operation.
Before joining Syntax in 2010, Dirk has been 11 years with Oracle where he holds several management positions in Consulting and Consulting Sales.
His mission is to constantly increase service quality and stability in operations.
He believes in the slogan “It’s all about people”.
Asia Region
Reto Bless
CEO Asia
Reto Bless
CEO Asia
Reto Bless develops ideas to expand business in Asia.
Reto Bless has headed Syntax’s activities in Asia from Shanghai since 2013. His success rests on a foundation of 20 years of international IT management experience. He previously served as vice president of the International Service Desk at T-Systems, a Deutsche Telekom company.
Lian Li
CFO Asia
Lian Li
CFO Asia
Lian Li is the regional CFO for Asia, working with Syntax China since 2006.
With 19 years of experience in finance & accounting (6 years in manufacturing and 13 years in IT), Li brings to the team a breadth of knowledge in a multitude of financial areas including controlling, accounting, taxation and risk management. She has a solid understanding of the business and is influential in establishing positive financial results.
Li holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Auditing from Soochow University, with a specialization in Business.
Shi Rongfeng
COO Asia
SHI RONGFENG
COO Asia
Shi Rongfeng is regional COO, working with Syntax China (formerly FIT China) since 2006.
Over the past 12 years, Rongfeng has developed an exceptional Managed Services delivery team in China for SAP and Microsoft applications with solid performance and unparalleled customer support. He excels at managing business critical applications while successfully exceeding the needs of the customer.
Beginning his career as a technology consultant, Rongfeng has worked in multiple fields including project management, customer engagement, product management and quality management, resulting in extensive technical knowledge and hands-on experience.
Rongfeng holds a Master’s degree in Communications Engineering from the Tongji University, and is a certified SAP technology consultant, PMP® and ITIL.