3rd Oct 2005 07:01
DAT Group PLC03 October 2005 Embargoed. For release at 0700h, 3 October 2005 DAT Group plc/ Synchronica ("DAT" or the "Group") Appointment of New Chief Executive Officer and Management Restructuring London, 3 October 2005 - DAT Group plc, an international developer and providerof software solutions for mobile device management and synchronization,announced the appointment of Carsten Brinkschulte as chief executive officer ofthe DAT Group and a new management structure and team, following the review ofoperations undertaken by the Group over the past three months. Chief Executive Officer Carsten, 38 brings over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience in the ITindustry to the position. He founded Synchronica GmbH in January 2004, focusingon development and licensing of mobile synchronization and device managementsoftware based on the open industry standard SyncML-DS/DM. He won a major dealwith a leading European device manufacturer and established strategicpartnerships with Ergon Informatik AG and Smarttrust. Synchronica was acquiredby DAT in April 2005 and Carsten was appointed to the DAT Board in July 2005. Before setting up Synchronica, Carsten founded venture-capital funded WebliconTechnologies AG. Weblicon focused on the development and licensing of personalinformation management software for telecom companies, portals and ISPs. AtWeblicon, he recruited a team of 30 developers and sales people and wasresponsible for technology development, sales and corporate strategy. He alsopromoted the increased use of SyncML technology for wireless synchronisationwith Microsoft Outlook, PDAs and SyncML-enabled mobile phones and launched theworld's first SyncML server in a mobile operator environment. As well as a strong background in establishing technology-based companies suchas Synchronica, Weblicon and, prior to that, Century Software (a developer ofpersonal information management software for Macintosh), Carsten has alsoprovided consultancy to various companies on software development andimplementation. His clients have included SAP, Apple Computer, Olympus Optical,and Linotype-Hell. He has also lectured frequently on advanced operating systemstrategies. Commenting on the announcement, John Gunn the chairman of DAT said: "We aredelighted to welcome Carsten as CEO of DAT. He brings with him a wealth ofexperience and expertise in launching and leading software companies in themobile world. He has a proven leadership style, strong track record in ourindustry and immense technological know-how. I am confident that he will be ofgreat value to the group as we plan the future development of DAT." Carsten adds: "I am delighted to have been appointed CEO at DAT and would liketo take the opportunity to thank the board and DAT shareholders for the trustthey have put in me. After some strategic restructuring, the company is nowmoving in the right direction. Under my leadership, DAT will be very focused andcomplete the transition toward becoming a truly product-driven andcustomer-focused company. DAT has with very competitive technology and anexcellent staff with huge potential. I am confident that we will be able totranslate this into the commercial success DAT deserves, and our shareholdersexpect." Management Restructuring The restructured corporate team is built around new Sales, Marketing, Operating,Financial and Technical officers who will report to the new CEO, CarstenBrinkschulte. The team will be based at Group headquarters in Sussex, U.K., withadditional support from the offices in the U.S and Germany. The position of Chief Sales Officer is filled by Bruce Eley, a new appointment,who will be working to develop well defined sales channels for DAT's variouscustomers and products. His team will be in charge of international sales,predominately for the Group's products and also for its range of professionalservices. Bruce joins DAT after a career working internationally in theAeronautical industry and then directing sales of IT solutions to blue chipcorporations. Since 1998 he has accredited himself in the wireless industry.Whilst with Allen Telecom he opened an EMEA office rapidly establishingComsearch, a division of Allen Telecom, successfully providing mobile networkdesign solutions in the region, before they were taken over by AndrewCorporation. Nicole Meissner has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer and is responsiblefor all aspects of marketing, investor and public relations and productmanagement. The department Nicole is heading will also be responsible forbuilding strategic alliances in order to develop new and existing saleschannels. Before joining DAT in April this year, Nicole co-founded SynchronicaGmbH, now part of DAT Group. Prior to that, Nicole was vice president ofmarketing and product management at ASDIS Software AG and has helped developseveral IT start-ups in her role at venture capital firms. She also formerlyworked as manager of international press and investor relations at Siemens AG. Allan Jonnes is Chief Financial Officer, responsible for financial planning,control and reporting as well as customer contract management. On Carsten'sappointment, Allan has relinquished the position of Interim CEO. Allan, aChartered Accountant, has significant public company experience and has beeninvolved with DAT since 2002. He joined the Board in 2004 and together withCarsten led the review of the Group's operations which resulted in therestructuring and refocus announced today. Terry Page, currently director of commercial delivery, has been appointed ChiefOperations Officer. Terry will be responsible for professional services duringthe delivery of custom-developed products, customer support and all DAT's ITrequirements. Terry's previous experience includes technical consultancy andproject management for NatWest and BT Cellnet. He joined DAT in 1998 and wasappointed to the Board in July 2005. Back in his role as Group Chief Technical Officer, Tim Carmichael will beworking to extend and evolve the Group's technical resources. He will now beresponsible for two development teams: product development and professionalservices. Tim has spent his entire career in the IT industry and co-founded DATin 1996. Commenting on the restructuring, John Gunn, Chairman, said: "Carsten's newexecutive team has both the experience and the enthusiasm to drive the refocusedbusiness forward. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank everyone in theGroup who was involved in the review process, particularly the Interim CEO AllanJonnes, for their hard work and enthusiasm which has resulted in a business ableto take full advantage of its very significant opportunities. I am pleased withthe progress we are making to address our problems." For more information please visit www.datgroup.com or contact: Carsten Brinkschulte Nicole Meissner, CMO DAT Group plc DAT Group plcTel: +49 172 88 72 758 Office: +49 30 616 75 650 Mobile: +49 173 606 91 60 Simon Hudson / Clemmie Carr Tavistock CommunicationsTel: +44 20 7920 3150 Notes to Editors About DAT Group plc DAT Group plc focuses on mobile management solutions for operators, devicemanufacturers, retailers and enterprises. The company offers a varied productportfolio ranging from data synchronization (DS) to device management (DM),firmware updates over-the-air (FOTA) and mobile device management (EnterpriseAssistant). DAT has unique expertise in smart devices across all platforms basedon its over-the-air (OTA) delivery platform. Based in the UK, the company alsohas offices in Germany and the U.S. DAT is a public company listed on the LondonStock Exchange. More information about DAT is available at www.datgroup.com About Synchronica Synchronica focuses on SyncML synchronization and device management solutionsfor mobile operators, device manufacturers, and enterprises. The company offersa complete SyncML product portfolio ranging from data synchronization (DS) todevice management (DM) and firmware update over-the-air (FOTA). Synchronica hasa strong track record in the SyncML space, including the launch of the world'sfirst SyncML DM FOTA server with a leading European device manufacturer. TheSynchronica SyncML Gateway provides over-the-air synchronization ofSyncML-enabled mobile phones with corporate Microsoft Exchange servers. Moreinformation is available at www.synchronica.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
Syncona