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.
Sumit Kumar, in his role as President, works closely with the CEO, the senior management team, and the Board of Directors to develop and execute the overall strategy for the Company. Mr. Kumar has significant technical and executive experience with the Company, having worked in the R&D department on the architecture and development of EdgeQAM and WiMax products as well as within the business development and senior management groups since joining Vecima in 1995. Mr. Kumar holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree and a Bachelor of Computer Science degree from the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Hugh Wood is the Chief Operating Officer of Vecima Networks Inc. in Saskatoon. Dr. 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. 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. Dr. Wood serves as a member of the Saskatchewan ICT Council and the Enterprise Saskatchewan Sector Team on Manufacturing where he advises the Provincial Government on policy issues surrounding the growth and expansion of the IT industry in Saskatchewan. He is also a volunteer Director and President of the Saskatchewan Orchestral Association.
John Hanna joined Vecima Networks in July 2010. Mr. Hanna brings 15 years of experience, including 12 years of high-tech executive level experience to his role as CFO. In the 6 years prior to joining Vecima, Mr. Hanna was an executive at iFire Technology, a developer of a low cost flat panel display, where he was VP Finance & Administration. Prior to iFire, Mr. Hanna spent 7 years with The Westaim Corporation where he held a number of positions of increasing responsibility including Director Corporate Development, VP Investments, and VP Finance & Administration of Nucryst Pharmaceuticals. At Westaim, he participated in a variety of corporate M&A transactions including the investment in and sale of a number of businesses.
Mr. Hanna has served as a board member of a number of private technology companies. He holds an MBA in Finance & Strategy from the University of British Columbia, a BSc in Biology from the University of Victoria and is also a Certified General Accountant. Working closely with Dr. Kumar and the Board of Directors, Mr. Hanna is responsible for managing Vecima's finance department and is a key member of Vecima's strategic leadership team.
Mark is responsible for developing, managing, and executing the overall strategy for Spectrum, and provides essential hands-on technical and business leadership throughout the organization. Mark has held numerous roles at Spectrum including: Vice President of Product Management, Vice President of Marketing, Vice President of Operations, and most recently Vice President of Business Development.
He began working in communications in 1988 as a software designer for Bell-Northern Research, and has since held many roles in product development, delivery, marketing, sales, and business development. Immediately prior to joining Spectrum in 2001, he was Director of Switch Products in the Wireless Messaging Group for Glenayre, Inc.
Mark received his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from McMaster University and his Master of Business Administration from the Sauder School of Business, at the University of British Columbia. He has been a licensed professional engineer since 1991.
