Leadership

Lars Färnström has more than 25 years of experience in the software industry, where he has held a variety of senior and executive positions in management, sales, marketing, product marketing and program management. He joins CrateDB from C3.ai where he was responsible for the Nordics, Benelux, and Switzerland.

Prior to C3.ai, he worked for small, medium, and large enterprises such as HPE, Siebel Systems, CAS, GoodData, and Board International where he helped scale their businesses.

Akos has more than 26 years of experience in the field of finance, strategy consulting and corporate development, including over 15 years of executive management experience in scaling up a company on 3 continents. He has a comprehensive experience in all areas of financial management and corporate development as well as Venture Capital, M&A, Treasury Management, Project Finance, Law, IP, Supply Chain.

Stephane Castellani has more than 25 years of experience in the software industry where he has held several management positions in marketing, driving international teams to success worldwide. He joins CrateDB from Axway (Phoenix, AZ) where he worked for 9 years and hold several VP Marketing positions. Prior to Axway, he founded a couple of companies - one AdTech startup and one IT architecture consulting firm - and worked at a few other software vendors such as HPE and Systar where he embraced multiple leadership positions requiring a strong combination of business focus and technical background.

Christian has more than 15 years of experience in the software industry where he has held several positions in early-stage start-ups, scale-ups, and consulting. He joins CrateDB from MongoDB where he was leading the solutions architecture team and helped scale the Central & Eastern European region to ~30x revenue in 5 years. Prior to MongoDB, he opened the Central European market for Denodo, a leader in Data Virtualization. Furthermore, he led the product development of active metadata platforms and did technical data warehouse consulting.

Anna has more than 10 years of experience in Human Resources, Management Consulting and Management Development in startup and corporate environments. She has been at CrateDB since 2019 leading the People & Operations team internationally. Prior to Crate, she worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers as Management Consultant. She focused on Strategy, Change Management and Process Optimization.

Ibrahim Gokcen is the Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Aon, one of the leading risk and human capital solution providers in the world, leading analytics and AI strategy, governance and products. Prior to Aon, Ibrahim invested in startups and VC funds across the globe, with multiple exits in the portfolio and consulted PE funds, primarily focused on industrials and technology. Prior to that, Ibrahim was the global Chief Technology Officer at Schneider Electric and global Chief Digital Officer at Maersk, two of the largest  and leading enterprises in their industries, building new products and services, launching new businesses and driving transformations of culture and business models. Ibrahim also spent more than a decade at GE across a number of IT, product, R&D leadership roles in the US and EMEA. Ibrahim is on the board of the publicly-traded US company Lindsay Corporation and has served on the boards or advisory boards of shipping, transportation, logistics companies such as Maersk Tankers, ZeroNorth, PNO and Blume Global. Ibrahim has been an advisory board member for Crate since summer 2023.

Mikko Tepponen is the Chief Digital & Chief Operations Officer at FLSmidth, one of the leading industrial equipment manufacturer’s for the mining industry, leading digital transformation, AI as well as managing the manufacturing network of FLSmidth. Prior to FLSmidth, Mikko has worked in various leadership and management roles in other industrial equipment manufacturers such as Wartsila, Outotec and others, always connecting the digital world to the analog one driving new business models and monetizing digital. Mikko is also currently on the board of publicly-traded Finnish company Etteplan.

Tanvi Singh is the Managing Partner at Nirmata Ventures, where she leads a CHF 60 million early-stage fund focused on backing AI-driven startups in Biotechnology, Fintech, and Cleantech innovations across India and Switzerland. With over 25 years of experience in technology and digital transformation, Tanvi has a proven track record of driving large-scale initiatives in the banking and financial sectors, including roles at UBS and Credit Suisse as Managing Director & Group Head overseeing AI, Data, and Digital Assets. A recognized thought leader in AI and Blockchain, Tanvi serves on the board of the Global Blockchain Business Council and advises several startups globally. She holds a Master's in Software Systems from the University of Zurich and executive education from Stanford University.

Dr. Maria Papastathi is Chief Data Officer at Shell. She was named in the DataIQ 100 as one of the Most Influential People in Data for 2024 and Global CDO 100 2023 Winner. Maria has over 26 years of experience in business leadership across energy, operations, IT, and high-value acquisitions and divestments. She guides executive teams in programs where data, technology, and culture are critical to bridging the gap to business potential. Accountable for multimillion-dollar business and data management investments, Maria has established a reputation for operational excellence, innovative strategic thinking, integrity, and commitment to fostering high-performing cross-functional teams. Her career spans multinational environments, with senior executive roles across four continents.

Peter J. van der Spek is a researcher and professor known for his contributions to biomedical sciences, bioinformatics, and genomics. With a strong background in molecular biology and computational analysis, his work focuses on integrating clinical data with genomic insights to advance personalized medicine. Van der Spek has held academic and leadership roles at renowned institutions, where he has led multidisciplinary teams in cancer research, systems biology, and medical informatics. Through publications, collaborations, and mentorship, he continues to influence the fields of bioinformatics and precision medicine, bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI technology for datamining and clinical practice.