Management Team
Alan Trefler is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pegasystems. He also serves as Chairman of the Pegasystems Board of Directors
Alan was named The American Business Award's “Software CEO of the Year” for 2009. He was also named “Public Company CEO of the Year” in 2011 by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council. Alan has frequently presented to international audiences, written for major publications, and consulted extensively in the use of advanced technologies and work automation. In 2011, Alan was a keynote presenter at the Baron Funds Conference. He has been profiled in national print and broadcast media including CNBC, Fox Business News, Fortune Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Forbes, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, Bloomberg Television, Barron’s, Reuters, and Investor’s Business Daily. Alan has also been named the inventor of five issued US patents and several US and international patent applications for Pegasystems' distinctive Inherited Rule-Based Architecture, which provides the framework for Pegasystems' rules-based Business Process Management (BPM) solutions.
Alan’s interest in computers originates from collegiate involvement in tournament chess, where he achieved a Master rating and was co-champion of the 1975 World Open Chess Championship. His passion and support for chess and the game’s community and current champions continues to this day. Alan holds a degree with distinction in Economics and Computer Science from Dartmouth College.
"Pegasystems brings a heritage of advanced technology to the highly pragmatic problems of the world’s largest organizations. The combination of our technical sophistication and the strategic challenges that our customers are looking to solve gives Pegasystems the unique opportunity to really change the game."
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Craig Dynes is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Pegasystems. Craig also oversees the IT function at Pegasystems.
Prior to joining Pegasystems, Craig served as CFO at Demandware, a venture-backed enterprise-software firm. Previously he was President and CEO of Narad Networks, where he led the company's successful turnaround effort. Prior to Narad, Craig's experience includes serving as CFO at SilverStream Software (acquired by Novell), and holding senior financial positions at Sybase and Powersoft.
Craig is a Canadian Chartered Accountant, and holds a degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business Administration at the University of Western Ontario.
"We are a 27-year-old software company that is singularly focused on BPM. No other company can make that claim. Our recognition as an industry leader is proof of our strong position in the marketplace."
Douglas Kra is Senior Vice President of Pega Consulting for Pegasystems, where he is responsible for managing the company's Professional Services and Education Services groups.
Douglas brings more than 20 years of successful services experience to Pegasystems, most recently as Vice President with eLoyalty. Prior to eLoyalty, he served as president of an Internet services company, Zefer, and prior to that spent more than nine years with Cambridge Technology Partners, where he built and managed both strategic account programs and held P&L responsibility for major CTP geographies. Earlier in his career, Douglas served as a software engineer for other large technology companies.
Douglas holds a B.A. in computer science from Brandeis University, and an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business.
"We work with some of the world largest organizations to solve some very complex business challenges. We have a culture and commitment to customer success that really sets us apart from anyone else in the industries that we serve."
Grant Johnson is Chief Marketing Officer for Pegasystems, responsible for global marketing strategy and execution, including: corporate and product marketing, industry solutions marketing, customer, field and partner marketing, communications, communities, industry analyst and press relations, and Web presence.
Johnson joined Pegasystems from Guidance Software (GUID), where he was Vice President of Marketing. Previously, Johnson was a Vice President of Marketing and served as an officer for FileNet, a $400+ million BPM and ECM software provider acquired by IBM in 2006. Johnson was also Vice President of Marketing for FrontBridge Technologies (acquired by Microsoft) and held executive roles at Symantec, Toshiba and AST Computer.
Johnson received his bachelor of arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his master’s in business administration from Pepperdine University. Grant also co-authored the book, PowerBranding™.
"Pegasystems target account model and unique combination of industry expertise, market-leading technology and unyielding focus on customer success has fueled rapid growth in recent years. We believe these strengths will enable us to continue Pega's growth trajectory as we extend our brand into new markets and geographies."
Jeff Yanagi is Pegasystems’ Vice President of Human Capital, responsible for all Human Resources functions of the organization, including employment, compensation and benefits, training and development, organizational development and employee relations.
Jeff has more than 20 years of direct experience in Human Resources leading teams and managing operational functions for high tech companies such as Wang Laboratories, Lotus Development and CMGI Inc. He also previously managed organizational effectiveness, employee relations, leadership and employee development, talent acquisition, compensation programs and diversity as Managing Director at FleetBoston Financial Corporation.
Immediately prior to joining Pegasystems, Jeff served as Vice President of Administration and Finance for Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., where his responsibilities included oversight of Human Resources, Fiscal Affairs, Legal and other departments.
Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Rutgers University.
"Pegasystems is in a unique position because we are a 27 year old company, yet we are also the leader in an emerging space. There are not a lot of companies that have the opportunity to be in such an exciting position."
Leon joined Pegasystems in 1998 as an account executive for strategic business development, and has held management positions across the organization during his tenure with the company. In 2002, Leon launched the commercialization of Pegasystems' flagship BPM solution. From 2007 through January 2010, he served as Vice President of Sales for North America. Leon was promoted to Senior Vice President of Global Sales in January 2010, and he is also responsible for global alliances and the development of industry vertical solutions.
Leon holds a B.A. degree from Dartmouth College. He has also won the Pegasystems’ Medallion Award for sales excellence in each of the positions he has held with the company.
"Pegasystems has forged strong relationships with our clients based on the rapid return on investment they are able to realize with our solutions. Our team is dedicated to delivering client success and empowering business people to drive transformation initiatives in many of the world’s leading organizations. This focus has propelled Pegasystems to our market-leading position in both the BPM and CRM markets."
Max Mayer is Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for Pegasystems, responsible for driving the company's integrated strategy and development process.
Max brings more than two decades of experience in successful executive management to Pegasystems, most recently as the head of The Mayer Group, which served as management consultants to more than a dozen technology companies. Previously, he was president of a $400 million, publicly traded telecommunications company, and prior to that, spent 15 years with Digital Equipment Corporation.
Max holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from Boston University. He has also completed executive education at Insead in Fountainbleau, France.
"As the leader in BPM, Pegasystems enables its customers to quickly realize tangible business benefits. We help our customers increase revenue, productivity, and customer retention. Our Build for Change technology has become a core part of their business architecture, enabling organizations to swiftly address business transformation initiatives."
Mike Pyle is Senior Vice President of Engineering and Product Development at Pegasystems. In this role, he is responsible for leading a growing worldwide team of developers with diverse skill sets in business and engineering disciplines.
Joining Pegasystems in 1985, when it was a 20-person company, as Manager of Applications Development, Mike has been instrumental in evolving the technical architecture and feature content of Pegasystems' products to meet important business challenges. He has also worked extensively in the field with Pegasystems customers to deploy the company's solutions in mission-critical operational areas.
Prior to joining Pegasystems, Mike's professional background encompassed software development and managerial experience throughout Europe and the United States. He has specialized in developing large-scale communications systems for a diverse span of applications and industries, including financial services and manufacturing. Mike began his computer career in government service in the United Kingdom.
Mike holds a BCS degree from the Civil Service College in London, with specializations in operating systems and systems programming.
"The people at Pegasystems are smart, energetic, and motivated. We really have a great balance between the culture and innovation of a startup organization and the stability and strong business base of an established market leader. It is the best of both worlds."
Shawn Hoyt is Vice President and General Counsel for Pegasystems. He is the chief legal advisor to the company, and is responsible for the operations of the company's legal team.
Prior to joining Pegasystems, Shawn served as Corporate Counsel for Sapient Corporation, where his responsibilities included corporate and securities law, governance and compliance, client contracting, and serving as legal counsel for Sapient's India operations. Before joining Sapient, he was a senior associate with the Boston-based law firm of Choate, Hall & Stewart, where he was involved in acquisitions and securities transactions and provided counsel to clients on general corporate and operational issues.
Shawn holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame, and a JD from Harvard Law School.
"Pegasystems is one of the most strategically focused companies that I have ever seen. We are focused on helping our customers be successful with their business initiatives over the long term, and the alignment across the entire organization on achieving this is amazing.."
