Leadership Team

Patrick Quirk is a business and technology executive who specializes in operations management, strategic partnerships, and technology leadership in data center, telecommunications, software, and semiconductor markets. Prior to joining Digi, he spent the past four years as CTO of Nautilus Data Technologies, leading their transformation from a data center operator to a technology provider. Quirk was the President of Avocent Corp, a subsidiary of Vertiv, the Vice President and General Manager for the IT Systems business, and the VP/GM of Converged Systems at Emerson Network Power. He has held numerous global leadership roles in startups and large multinational companies including LSI and Motorola in the networking and semiconductor markets.

Patrick has an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, a master’s degree in engineering from UAH and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Auburn University.

Prior to the acquisition by Digi International, Bill was the CFO of Opengear.  In his current role, Bill oversees the Opengear Business Unit’s financial operations and provides strategic business and sales operations leadership to support continued worldwide growth. Before joining Opengear, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at FAST, LLC, a life insurance and annuity software provider, and has previously held similar positions at NextDocs Corporation, Voxware, Princeton Softech (acquired by IBM), and AXS-One, developing a stellar track record as a driver of financial growth within technology companies. Bill is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and was named the New Jersey Technology Council “CFO of the Year – Best Deal” while at Voxware.

Douglas has deep product management, strategy, business development, and general management expertise in unified communications, cloud PBX and contact center, enterprise, carrier, and mobile networking, IoT, security and subscription-based business models. Prior to joining Opengear, he started and grew T-Mobile for Business’s Product and Strategy team which is responsible for all non core wireless businesses.  He has been a member of the founding management team of several Silicon Valley technology startups with two successful exits and has taken stagnant companies with differentiated technology and found new markets leading to acquisition. Douglas has developed patented technology and written technical standards specifications for industry consortiums as well as contributed to standards bodies like the IETF, and ETSI.

Tracy has over 25 years of experience in leadership positions in the IT and Infrastructure industry. Prior to joining Opengear, Tracy led the Americas business for EkkoSense, the leading provider of AI/ML software that allows data center operators to operate more efficiently. Prior to joining EkkoSense, Tracy was the CEO of Alabama based Simple Helix, a regional colocation data center operator and MSP. Tracy spent over 21 years with Vertiv, in various leadership positions including leading the global channel organization.

Tracy has an extensive background in sales leadership, and channel development with a strong track record of driving growth while improving profitability. Tracy holds both a Bachelors of Science, Business Administration, and a Masters of Science in Management from the University of Alabama – Huntsville

Alan Stewart-Brown is VP of Sales EMEA with responsibility for overseeing all Sales, Channel Development, Marketing events and SE activities across the EMEA region. Alans’ primary focus is the development and execution of sales strategies, talent development and channel initiatives that will ensure the accelerated growth of the Opengear business across the region. Alan brings 25 years of sales leadership experience gained across the technology sector, including Wireless LAN, Enterprise Software, BI Analytics and e-Commerce. Before joining Opengear Alan held Senior Pan-European Sales Management positions at Xirrus, Fiserv, AIM Technology, eColor and Phoenix Technologies. Alan holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Imperial College, London

Brendan Walsh has over 20 years of sales and marketing experience and is responsible for sales leadership in the Australian Region. Brendan is a results focused sales leader with extensive success in the IT industry. Prior to joining Opengear, Brendan held senior roles with Qbt and Avocent forging new partnerships with key partners and developing direct relationships with corporate customers. Brendan excels at working with key accounts and building relationships in the data center markets. Brendan holds an Advanced Diploma of Computer Science from RMIT in Melbourne.

Analisa is responsible for leading the global marketing organization within Opengear. With more than 30 years’ experience in the telecommunications industry, she has a diverse background that includes sales, marketing, product development and management. A results focused leader, she specializes in developing creative, integrated go-to-market strategies to increase revenues of existing and new product portfolios. Prior to joining Opengear, Analisa worked at Ericsson, as well as Telstra Global, BT Global Services, AT&T and IBM. Analisa holds a Master of Science in Marketing with honors from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Tony Valiantis heads up the Engineering team within Opengear, and is responsible for overseeing the design, development, release, and maintenance of all of Opengear’s hardware and software products. With a career spanning more than 30 years in the IT industry, he has worked across many different industries including Mining, Financial systems, and Transportation. Prior to joining Opengear, Tony held a senior leadership and management role for more than a decade at Dassault Systèmes, overseeing a global development team, and delivering significant customer value for many of the world’s top players in the resources sector. He is focused on building high-performing and resilient teams, enabling them to develop innovative solutions to exceptional problems. Tony holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics), a Bachelor of Information Technology (Software Engineering), a Masters of IT, and an MBA, from the Queensland University of Technology.

Charlie Knudsen heads the Operations group at Opengear, with responsibility for the manufacturing facility in Sandy Utah, along with all of the company’s operational activities. With over 20 years experience in Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Fulfillment across the military, medical and electronics Industries, Charlie has a proven track record in eliminating waste, reducing variation and increasing efficiency through the use of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies. He holds a BS in Manufacturing Engineering Technology, and an MS in Computer Integrated Manufacturing, from Brigham Young University.