Leadership Team
AppTrigger executive team has many years of focused and relevant experience in the telecom switching industry. Members of the team have led the architecture and software designs, and successfully launched switching systems at Bell Labs, Nortel, Cisco, DSC Communications, IEX/Tekelec, and Alcatel.
Chris Todd
President and Chief Executive Officer
Chris joined AppTrigger in March of 2006 and has been instrumental in directing the company’s focus to become the preferred Network Layer Service Delivery Platform. He has a 21-year track record of providing critical executive leadership to innovative technology companies that grow to become powerhouses in the service provider and enterprise equipment market. Before joining AppTrigger, Chris served as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Field Operations at Kodiak Networks, a successful wireless applications start-up. Prior to Kodiak, Chris held the position of Senior Vice President at Extreme Networks with responsibility for Worldwide Sales, Field Operations, and Customer Advocacy. Chris also served as Group Vice President of Carrier Operations at Cisco Systems. Chris was responsible for the business relationships with Cisco’s 20 largest service provider customers in the United States and was instrumental in growing the $2 billion dollar business. As head of AppTrigger, Chris is dedicated to meeting the needs of application developers and telecommunications service providers with innovative network layer platforms to enable competitive advantage. Chris has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas where he also has served for the last 5 years on the Executive Board of Directors of the Cox School of Business.
Jim Bunch
Vice President, Engineering
Jim is responsible for engineering design and development of the company’s products. Jim brings more then 30 years of product development experience on voice, data, and multimedia telecommunication systems. Prior to joining AppTrigger, Jim was VP of Engineering at Samsung Telecommunications America and led the development of the wireless and wireline softswitch products. Previously, Jim held senior R&D management positions at DSC Communications Corporation developing tandem switching, digital cross-connect, and next generation switching systems. Earlier in his career, Jim worked at Rockwell International developing message switching systems. Jim holds an MSCS from Southern Methodist University and a BA in Mathematics from the University of North Texas.
Jose Deras
Vice President, Sales Engineering
Jose is responsible for technical sales engagements. Prior to AppTrigger he was VP Sales Engineering for Siemens Communications, responsible for the global technical sales and support for the broadband equipment segment. At Siemens (which acquired startup Efficient Networks), Jose also held positions of VP Product Line Management and Director of Technical Marketing and Business Development. Prior to Efficient Networks, Jose held several roles in sales and sales engineering at Compaq Computer and Networth Inc., a startup in Dallas, TX that Compaq acquired in 1995.
Patrick Fitzgerald
Sr. Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing
Patrick is responsible for strategy, product management, new channel development, and corporate positioning at AppTrigger. Prior to joining AppTrigger, he held the position of VP of Global Marketing for Broadband Products at Siemens Communications. Prior to joining Siemens, he was responsible for Product Marketing and Channel Marketing for Efficient Networks, a broadband start-up company that went public in 1999 and was acquired by Siemens Communications. In addition to his work with Siemens and Efficient Networks, Patrick also held sales and marketing positions at Compaq Computers. He holds a BS in Political Science from the University of North Texas.
Paul Stewart – Vice President, Customer Support
Paul is responsible for delivering world class professional services, training, and technical support services to AppTrigger customers worldwide. He brings over 16 years of customer service experience to AppTrigger. Prior to joining AppTrigger, Paul served three years at Extreme Networks as Director of Service Sales and Marketing where he increased service revenues and profitability to record levels. Prior to Extreme Networks, Paul held various service management roles at Cisco Systems and Silicon Graphics. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Minnesota, and an MBA from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA.
