Ventana Research Management Team

Leadership Team

Mark Smith, CEO & Chief Research Officer
Mark is responsible for the overall business and research direction of Ventana Research and drives the global research agenda covering both business and technology areas. He defined the blueprint and methodology for improving business by using benchmark research to provide guidance across people, processes, information and technology. Mark is an expert in enterprise software and business technology innovations including: business analytics, big data, cloud computing, business collaboration, mobile technology and social media. Mark has held CMO, research and product development roles at research and software companies. Mark started Ventana Research more than a decade ago; he has worked in the software industry for 25 years leading innovations in research and technology. Mark was rated the 2011 software industry analyst of the year by The Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR). Mark is also ranked as one of the top ten technology influencers in 2012 by Human Resources Executive magazine. Check out Mark's Klout Score or check out his Kred Score. Mark can be found on Twitter at @marksmithvr, on LinkedIn, on Google+ and can be reached via email at mark.smith@ventanaresearch.com and read his blog at http://marksmith.ventanaresearch.com.

Mitchell Struthers, CFO and Senior Vice President – Finance & Administration
Mitchell heads up Ventana Research’s finance and administration. He comes to Ventana Research with more than 20 years experience as a performance leader in financial management. He has held senior finance management positions including Controller & Treasurer, and directed financial planning and analysis, budgets, capital management, M&A, accounting and treasury. He has been an integral part of senior management teams at early-stage and mature-market companies including Atlantic Richfield, the Pacific Stock Exchange, Pacific Telesis Group and SBC Communications. Mitchell is a Chartered Financial Analyst and earned his BS from the Wharton School and his MS from the London School of Economics. Mitchell can be reached at mitchell.struthers@ventanaresearch.com.

Robert D. Kugel, CFA, SVP & Research Director - CFO and Business Research
Rob heads up the CFO and business research focusing on the intersection of information technology with the finance organization and business. The financial performance management (FPM) research agenda includes the application of IT to financial process optimization and collaborative systems; control systems and analytics; and advanced budgeting and planning. Prior to joining Ventana Research he was an equity research analyst at several firms including First Albany Corporation, Morgan Stanley, and Drexel Burnham, and a consultant with McKinsey and Company. Rob was an Institutional Investor All-American Team member and on the Wall Street Journal All-Star list. Rob has experience in aerospace and defense, banking, manufacturing and retail and consumer services. Rob earned his BA in Economics/Finance at Hampshire College, an MBA in Finance/Accounting at Columbia University, and is a CFA charter holder. As an industry veteran with more than 30 years experience, Rob can be found on Twitter at @rdkugelvr and on LinkedIn and reached via email at robert.kugel@ventanaresearch.com and read his blog at http://robertkugel.ventanaresearch.com.

Alan S. Kay, Senior Vice President, Research Management
Alan manages the development, publication and syndication of the company’s research projects and other analytic and advisory materials. Alan is a veteran business journalist, newspaper and magazine editor and publication consultant who has written in and directed coverage of many of the areas addressed in Ventana’s research agendas. He served as executive editor of Corporate Computing and editor of Knowledge Management, and his writing has appeared in BusinessWeek, CIO, CRM, Datamation, Field Force Automation, Forbes, Fortune, InformationWeek, Mobile Computing & Communications, Small Business Computing & Communications, the Washington Post and Wired. Alan has been a judge for the Industry Solution Awards, has spoken widely on knowledge management issues including delivering an American Productivity and Quality Center conference keynote address, and has chaired sessions at the Seybold Seminars, the Bay Area Knowledge Management Cluster and the Cyber Summit. Alan attended Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and Princeton and Yale universities. Alan can be found on Twitter at @alankayvr reached and on LinkedIn and reached via email at Alan.Kay@ventanaresearch.com and read his blog at http://alankay.ventanaresearch.com.

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