Management

Jan Hichert, Chief Executive Officer, has led Astaro since the company was founded in early 2000. Before Astaro, Jan consulted with software vendors and Internet service providers on IT security and open source business models. Jan studied business at the University of St. Gallen and computer science at the Technical University of Karlsruhe before becoming an entrepreneur. Today, he lives with his wife in the Boston area.

Gert Hansen, Chief Software Architect, co-founded Astaro in early 2000. He was previously with the Internet service provider Plannet Systems and also co-founded the web development company Timenet, collecting extensive experience in both technology and entrepreneurship. Gert studied computer science at the Technical University of Karlsruhe. At Astaro, Gert is responsible for product strategy and software design. Gert lives in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Markus Hennig, Chief Technology Officer, co-founded Astaro in early 2000. Markus has over ten years of experience in open source and network security and is an active member of the Linux community. In his previous career, he was Chief Technology Officer of the Internet service provider Plannet Systems where he built up the company's managed security business. Markus studied computer science at the Technical University of Karlsruhe. At Astaro, Markus oversees all product development. He lives with his family in the Karlsruhe area in Germany.

Ludwig Lutter, Chief Financial Officer, has fifteen years of experience in financial management and investor relations. Most recently, Ludwig served as CFO of the publicly traded Poet Holdings, a global provider of catalog platforms for B2B ecommerce and supplier relationship management. Prior to that, he served in public accounting and tax consulting for KPMG and other public accounting firms. Ludwig holds a Bachelor's Degree of Science in Business Administration from the University of Texas. Ludwig lives with his family in the Karlsruhe area in Germany.

Walter Schumann, General Manager EMEA, brings over twenty years of experience in building European IT businesses to Astaro. Before Astaro, Walter was Managing Director EMEA at security software maker Zone Labs where he started the company’s enterprise division. Before Zone Labs, Walter served in various management roles across Europe: Managing Director Germany at VA Linux, Marketing Director Europe at Adaptec and Managing Director Europe at Software Publishing. At Astaro, Walter is responsible for all aspects of Astaro’s operations in the EMEA region. Walter lives with his family in the Karlsruhe region in Germany.

Richard Walford, VP Engineering, joined Astaro in 2008. Formerly VP research and development at SDL Tridion, Richard has extensive experience in the software industry. He has held senior management roles at Compuware, Softlab and Metier Management Systems, with responsibilities spanning both software and business development, including specifying, planning, developing, delivering, launching and selling complex software products on the leading edge of technology. At Astaro, Richard’s is responsible for delivery of the Astaro product roadmap. Richard has a MA in engineering from Cambridge University, UK, and lives in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Alex Quinonez, Vice President Americas Sales & Support, has over eighteen years of experience in building world wide sales organizations. Alex is a frequent featured speaker at trade events and has been published on various security issues. Prior to joining Astaro, Alex held sales and management positions with Vernier Networks, Enterasys Networks, 3COM, and Computer Associates. At Astaro, Alex is responsible for all aspects of Astaro's operations in the Americas region. Alex holds a Bachelor's Degree of Science in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley. He resides with his family in the Boston area.