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 Global CFO at Syntax, Tony leads worldwide strategic and operational finances, including Risk management, Treasury and Tax. He partners with the CEO and key contributors from all regions to create value and sustain a thriving, rewarding business.
“I genuinely enjoy working with such smart people, they inspire me to go the extra mile every day and to always reach for the highest performance. I like being pushed out my comfort zone, that’s where the magic happens!” says Tony. “I’m very passionate about developing people. I give them the space they need to learn and grow, and I guide them through it, keeping my focus on the long-term vision.”
With more than 25 years of experience in financial accounting, risk management, treasury, acquisitions and integration, he has managed growth throughout his career, strengthening his expertise in navigating the different phases of expansion and change in large organizations.
Before joining Syntax in 2017, Tony spent many years at WSP. He started as regional Corporate Controller and took on increasingly strategic roles including Global VP of Finance & Treasury and CFO for Canada, acting as a key business partner to the CEO and the leadership team. He was deeply involved in the planning and execution of the corporate strategy and in close to 50 important acquisition processes, making his mark by driving thorough transaction analysis, due diligence, and integration projects.
Tony holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a licence in Accounting from the Laval University in Quebec City as well as a CPA and CMA designation.
Marcelo Tamassia
Global CTO
MARCELO TAMASSIA
GLOBAL CTO
As the Global CTO at Syntax, Marcelo leads all technology and innovation strategies, including software engineering, DevOps, monitoring, public cloud, product management, Cloud Engineering and Security areas. He joined Syntax through the acquisition of EmeraldCube Solutions, which he co-founded in 2013.
“I believe that Syntax is an amazing organization for anyone who truly wants to push boundaries, learn, and grow. We move fast and we are passionate about finding innovative ways to solve our customer pain points,” says Marcelo. “We work hard for our customers and set high expectations for ourselves. We value entrepreneurial spirit, ownership, simplicity and we only hire the best.”
A respected technology executive, Marcelo is frequently invited to speak at OpenWorld, Collaborate, and Infocus conferences as well as OAUG and Quest user group meetings.
With over 20 years of experience in the technology industry, Marcelo established and led EmeraldCube’s AWS cloud practice and its software R&D team, creating innovative solutions that propelled the company to a prominent position in the Oracle JD Edwards ecosystem. Prior to founding EmeraldCube, Marcelo led a technical consulting organization and actively participated as a technical expert and authority in more than 90 ERP projects worldwide.
Marcelo holds advanced AWS, Oracle, and Microsoft certifications in addition to an MBA from the University of Florida and postgraduate education courses from Stanford University.
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
As the CEO Americas at Syntax, Ryan drives a truly collaborative team that focuses on staying close to customers while innovating to remain an absolute pioneer of the industry. Always putting people first, he has played a key role in many transformational projects at Syntax.
“I am extremely motivated by the genuine and unrelenting team spirit I see daily; we have an incredible group of individuals who have a passion for what they do and a fierce dedication to the impact our products and services have on our customers,” says Ryan. “We have the privilege of working in a rewarding organization with superior offerings that fill critical customer needs.” An advocate of the open-door policy, he is always available to help anyone at Syntax and encourages his teams to seek out all the growth and career opportunities that come from being part of a dynamic, global company.
Since joining in 1996, Ryan has held several executive positions, including Executive Vice President and President. He has been instrumental in growing and expanding the company’s offerings into a global success story across different industries, platforms and geographies, through Mergers & Acquisitions as well as organic growth. In 2010, he led the expansion of the organization that primarily served customers in Canada into the U.S., building the business and team that is now the largest and most influential region for Syntax.
Ryan became a high-value Oracle JD Edwards partner over 15 years ago. He holds an MBA with honours from the 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
As CEO and Geschäftsführer (Managing Director) of the German and Slovakian entity, Ralf leads the European region for Syntax, focusing both on strategy and execution and overseeing all functions from Go-to-market to delivery. He joined the organization in July 2016 and came to Syntax through the FIT acquisition.
“Our ability to drive end-to-end solutions for our customers is unrivaled. Putting mission critical systems in the cloud, implementing and supporting them functionally and delivering real digital innovation both on the top floor as well as on the shop floor sets us and our people apart,” says Ralf. “It is always a joy seeing our customers thrive because of the good work of our people.”
An accomplished leader and motivator with lots of international experience, Ralf spent many years of his career doing business in North and South America, Europe as well as Asia. His entrepreneurial approach and his natural leadership skills give him the ideal profile to be able to drive change and excitement while managing a strong business for Syntax in Europe. He is Mr. Customer with much of his focus on customer success and satisfaction, and he expects the same from his organization.
Ralf started his career at Claas, a large agricultural manufacturer where he became a manufacturing expert and a first time SAP user. After completing his studies, he joined Itelligence and eventually founded their US practice, which he ran as CEO in the earlier stages of his career. He then moved to Silicon Valley to join SAP in supply chain optimization and spent several years in senior executive positions at various SAP partners, including Softbrands and Velocity.
Ralf completed his studies as an Applied Computer Scientist in Paderborn, Germany. An avid football (soccer) fan, Ralf lives outside Frankfurt, Germany, and is married with two kids in college.
Dawn McNabb
CFO Europe
Dawn McNabb
CFO Europe
As CFO Europe, Dawn works with the entire European team as well as colleagues throughout the world to drive growth, business development and customer satisfaction. She came to Syntax through the FIT acquisition where she was CFO for FIT in the United States.
“What I like most about the people at Syntax is their commitment to excellence and their motivation to work together to find solutions,” says Dawn. “My focus is on the strength and prosperity of our business and customers while ensuring that our teams keep the pace in terms of efficiency, processes and compliance. I believe that when leaders are engaged and teams are aligned, businesses can thrive and achieve great things.”
Dawn spent over 11 years leading people and projects through a period of major growth as the CFO for FIT US. Since her move to Europe, she has been working with the region to drive development and expansion of the business. In her early career, she worked in audit at KPMG and taught Management, Finance and Accounting courses at local colleges in the US.
Dawn holds CPA and CMA titles, a Bachelor’s Degree 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”.
Björn Bartheidel
VP Intelligent Industry Services
Björn Bartheidel
VP Intelligent Industry Services
As VP Intelligent Industry Services at Syntax, Björn leads the SAP Consulting & AMS services Business Unit at Syntax Europe supporting our Manufacturing Industry Customers in their Digital Transformation journey.
“What I like most about the people at Syntax is their unparalleled ability to always use creativity to find solutions for our customers, making the most of their broad experience and technical knowledge,” says Björn. “I am an open enthusiast and I thoroughly enjoy working with our people to drive innovative ideas and translate them into pragmatic solutions.”
Since joining the company in 2013, Björn has pushed the boundaries of Digital Manufacturing, advanced analytics and Industrial IoT. He was a key contributor to the transformation of Syntax’s Adicom Software Suite solution to a SAP-based Digital Manufacturing portfolio and is now a leading SAP consulting and implementation partner in Europe.
In his earlier career, Björn worked as a Principal Consultant at Dell Services implementing SAP solutions in the manufacturing industry. He also gained valuable experience at Siemens as a Business Consultant where he focused on business transformation and processes for manufacturing customers and as an IT Consultant and Solution Architect delivering integrated Shop-Floor-to-Top-Floor solutions.
In addition to a detailed knowledge of Design Thinking, Business Process Management and Agile Project Management, Björn holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Systems from the University of Applied Sciences in Ingolstadt.
Dirk Schawag
VP Corporate Affairs
Dirk Schawag
As VP Corporate Affairs
As VP Corporate Affairs, Dirk is responsible for Corporate Governance and leads Strategic Affairs, Legal Affairs, Supply Chain, Facility Management, and Health, Safety and Environmental Management (HSE) for Europe. He came to Syntax through the FIT acquisition.
“What is most inspiring at Syntax is the constant positive energy my colleagues and teams put into providing real value to customers,” says Dirk. “We have a clear vision of what our future looks like, we rally and take action, and we see our hard work turn into continuous growth for the company.” A strong communicator, he is a strategic thinker and likes to optimize his people’s contribution to Syntax’s leading initiatives.
Dirk has over 15 years’ experience in the IT industry including sales, legal affairs, project management and consulting and a proven expertise in creating and leading business units. Since joining the company in 2014, he developed and established the purchasing organization in Europe, achieving significant savings and increases in efficiency as Head of Supply Chain, and built the legal department as Head of Global Contract Management. He also put his strategic skills to work in the M&A Management Core Team with the former Freudenberg IT.
Dirk holds a degree in Business Law from Mainz University of Applied Sciences, Germany. He also studied Business Administration and Economics at the University of Gävle in Sweden.
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.