At this stage of Vecima’s rapid growth and development it is fitting that we put in place a foundational management team which holds the skill set necessary to deliver upon our vision. I am very pleased to have put together this creative and capable team and am confident that we are well poised to achieve our goals.
-- Dr. Kumar.

Vecima Networks' Key Personnel

Dr. Surinder Kumar

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Surinder Kumar founded Vecima Networks Inc. in 1988. Dr. Kumar was a professor and holder of the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council's Industrial Chair in Telecommunications at the University of Saskatchewan from 1987 to 1997. From 1982 to 1987, he was Vice President of Research for SED Systems where he was involved in the design of a variety of satellite earth stations. Prior to 1982, he worked with a government research laboratory in India. Dr. Kumar received his Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical communication engineering in 1967 from the India Institute of Science, Bangalore, India and his Masters of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India in 1971. He received his Ph.D. in Electronics Engineering from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada where he was a Commonwealth Scholar. Dr. Kumar was named 1998 Entrepreneur of the Year for Western Canada and 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year for the Pacific Region in Information Technology.

Dr. Kumar is a well recognized expert in microwave engineering and has a number of patents and papers in this area. He has supervised a number of M.Sc. and Ph.D. students and has extensive industrial experience. Dr. Kumar has been a consultant to a number of industries and is listed in Who's Who in America (Marquis), Who's Who in Canada, Who's Who Amongst Business Executives, and many similar publications. He is dedicated to conducting market and technical research in the microwave communications area and is heading the Vecima Networks Microwave Research Laboratory in Victoria, British Columbia.

Dr. Hugh Wood

Director and Chief Operating Officer

Dr. Hugh Wood is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan with degrees in Engineering and in Applied Physics. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Saskatchewan. After post-doctoral studies in Stockholm, Sweden, Dr. Wood joined SED Systems in Saskatoon as an R&D engineer. He became manager of R&D for the company, directing the development of a full line of industrial monitors and controllers. While with SED Systems, Dr. Wood also assisted with marketing activities for new products, especially the development of European markets in Scandinavia, Germany, Denmark and England for the industrial monitors. After a change of priorities at SED, Dr. Wood became a faculty member of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan in 1980 and was the Department Head from 1993 until 2000. He taught electronics and control systems and published a number of original papers in the area of automation and control. Some of his research work, in conjunction with others, was adopted by the Government of Alberta and used as the basis for marketing agricultural products to Japan and other Pacific Rim countries.

Dr. Wood has been a director of Vecima Networks Inc. since 1990, and has served on the boards of several other companies. He is currently Chief Operating Officer of Vecima Networks in Saskatoon. Dr. Wood also serves on the Minister's Council on Information Technology where he advises the Provincial Government on policy issues surrounding the growth and expansion of the IT industry in Saskatchewan.

Dr. Wood serves on the Board of Directors of TRLabs, an international industry-university-government communications research consortium. He is also a volunteer Director of the Saskatchewan Orchestral Association.

Mike Barry

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Barry joined Vecima Networks in March 2000. Mr. Barry worked for the Government of British Columbia as a First Nations and claims negotiator from 1996 to 1999 and as an energy efficiency and technology manager, developing energy efficiency requirements for equipment and appliances, from 1990 to 1996. He also worked as a consultant from 1987 to 1997, specializing in venture capital financing, project management and initial public offerings. From 1983 to 1987, Mr. Barry was Director of Corporate Development at SED Systems. From 1971 to 1981, he worked for the Government of Saskatchewan as Executive Director of Revenue. Mr. Barry has been a director of a number of companies including Agra Industries, SaskTel, Prince Albert Pulp, Prairie Malt and Intercontinental Packers.

Mr. Barry received a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with honours in finance, from the University of Saskatchewan in 1969, and a Master of Arts degree in economics from the University of Washington in 1971. Mr. Barry was presented with a Canadian Standards Association Award of Merit in 1995 for his contributions to the development of energy performance standards.

Gerald Harron

Chief Technical Officer

Gerald Harron received his Electronic Engineering Technologist Diploma in 1981. He then joined SED Systems where, as a technical officer,he worked on numerous projects including OQPSK VSAT stations, RF circuit design, and Satellite communications design and test. In 1987, Gerald joined the University of Saskatchewan, Center of Communication Studies where he worked closely with Dr. Kumar and other professors on the design of OQPSK Digital Radios, EMI measurement software/hardware design, and software/hardware design for data prefiltering and pre-distortion in direct PSK modulator.

In 1988 Gerald founded Vecima Networks Inc., with Dr. Kumar when approached by a large American company looking for solutions to communications problems in subways and tunnels. Since that time, Gerald has continued to lead Vecima Networks' rigorous research and development efforts and has been involved with all aspects of the company's product design efforts.

Gerald's learning capacity and hardworking nature are the leadership characteristics which encourage others to do the same. His dedication to research has resulted in the successful development of products which meet the rapidly changing demands of the electronic communications industry and demonstrate the technological sophistication which is characteristic of all Vecima Networks products.

Douglas Fast

Executive Vice President

Douglas Fast graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Shortly after, he joined Vecima Networks Inc. as a Design Engineer in the Research and Development Department. His initial work at Vecima Networks Inc. focused on DSP and embedded systems design for products ranging from analog modulators to frequency translators used in early cable modem deployments to high performance 64/256 QAM upconverters for data over cable (DOCSIS) applications.

After gaining several years of valuable hands on industry experience, Douglas returned to the University of Saskatchewan for further studies. He went on to graduate with a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering (Digital Communications) in 2002. His research focused on the application of modern digital signal processing techniques along with recent advances in FPGAs and programmable logic to emerging design challenges within the cable television industry.

Since graduation, Douglas' position changed to Senior Network Architect (2002) and then to Director of Research and Development (2004). The broader mandate of these positions along with his technical skills and desire to learn have ideally positioned him to keep abreast of new technologies and directions within the industries served by the company, and to identify and develop key synergies between new and existing customer requirements and Vecima Networks' internal technical skills and capabilities.

Sumit Kumar

Vice President, Corporate Strategy

Mr. Sumit Kumar will be responsible for leading Vecima's corporate strategic planning process, with a focus on developing strategies for organic growth through technology development as well as growth through mergers and acquisitions. Working closely with Dr. Kumar, Mr. Fast, and the Board of Directors, his primary responsibility will be overall corporate development. Mr. Kumar has significant technical experience with the company, having worked in the R&D department on both EdgeQAM and WiMax products and architectures as well as within business development since joining Vecima in 1995.

Richard Blenkinsop

Vice President, Marketing & Business Development

Richard Blenkinsop received his BE degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan in 1992. Earthvision Systems employed him from 1990 to 1991, where he worked on CATV plant distribution design, cable television system installation, and various other projects related to the CATV and Satellite industries.

Richard joined Vecima Networks in 1993 as a design engineer, moving to production engineering and then marketing/business development. Over time he has directed all aspects of the company's technical sales and marketing initiatives while also remaining heavily involved with production test, quality assurance, and production management. Richard has held the titles of V.P. Operations, V.P. Systems, and V.P. Business Development.

Richard's engineering background coupled with his management and sales skills have resulted in his ability to effectively relate the market suitability of Vecima Networks products. Furthermore, his learning capacity has allowed him to remain one step ahead of the rapidly changing technology in the communications marketplace. Richard's devotion to meeting customer needs and promoting Vecima Networks products on a case by case basis have resulted in recognition of Vecima Networks as a company which respects and values its client base and is dedicated to customer service.

Bob Colwill

Vice President, OEM Relations & Customer Support

Mr. Robert (Bob) Colwill has 17 years experience in the electronics field with a wide background in Customer Service and Marketing, including 10 years as Director of Product Support Services for Develcon Electronics Ltd. Bob received his Diploma in Industrial Instrumentation in 1980 from Algonquin College, Ontario. As well, he received his Diploma in Agricultural Technology in 1975 from the Kemptville College, Ontario.

Wayne Fredin

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development

Mr. Wayne Fredin joined Vecima in January 2007 and is now Senior Vice President, Corporate Development. In this role, Wayne will be responsible for actively leading Spectrum Signal Processing and WaveRider to achieve growth and net profit targets as established by the company. Prior to joining Vecima, Mr. Fredin worked in the energy industry in Alberta in sales and project management roles where he delivered complex hardware, software, and communications based production optimization solutions. He is also an active member of the Communication Reserves and serves as a Lieutenant Colonel commanding the 74 Communication Group based in Victoria.

Tracy Miller

Vice President, Manufacturing

Tracy Miller has over 18 years of management experience in a variety of industrial, commercial and consumer fields. Her background includes materials management, risk and skill assessment, marketing management, senior administrative and systems management, as well as training and project management experience. Tracy joined the marketing department of Vecima Networks in 1996, moving to Production management in 1998.

Tracy has two years of both the MCI and CMI certificate programs and is involved in a self-directed study group on project management. Since joining the production facility, Tracy and the production team have worked successfully toward increasing production capacity, productivity and quality while reducing expenditures and increasing opportunities for the staff.

Andrew F. Wood

Legal Counsel and Secretary

Mr. Wood is the newest addition to the team of talented men and women who have helped to make Vecima Networks a global success. He joined Vecima in October, 2008 following a distinguished career in private practice in Canada and the British West Indies. In addition to being a member of numerous professional associations, Andy has served his community in many capacities.

His professional experience is vast, evolving from civil litigation to banking, corporate and commercial law. He has successfully represented a number of large Canadian and foreign corporations in finance, manufacture, trade and risk management. His collaborative, forward-thinking and solutions-oriented approach to legal issues are coveted by Vecima Networks Inc.