Guidewire Group co-founders Chris Shipley and Mike Sigal joined forces in 2003 with a shared goal of furthering early-stage technology innovation around the world through visionary research, media and events focused on emerging markets. Inveterate entrepreneurs themselves, they bring their experience, passion and inquisitiveness to Guidewire Group’s products and services.
Chris Shipley
Chairman and CEO
Chris Shipley is a leading technology and product analyst. Best known as the executive producer of the DEMO Conferences for IDG Executive Forums, Chris has helped technology companies bring over 1,000 new products to market since 1996. As a founding partner, chairman and CEO of Guidewire Group, she analyzes emerging technology companies around the world to identify market opportunities and accelerate products to market.
Fortune Small Business Magazine placed Chris on its “Top 10 Minds in Small Business,” and the San Jose Business Journal named her a “Woman of Distinction.” She has often been cited as a leading influencer by Marketing Computers magazine. Chris has covered personal technology since 1984 and has worked as a writer and editor for a variety of technology and consumer media. She is currently working on a book on the social impact of technology-driven change.
Chris holds bachelor of arts degrees in literature and communication arts from Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa.
Mike Sigal
President and Chief Development Officer
Mike Sigal brings to Guidewire Group a 20-year record of building innovative technology-based businesses for existing and emerging global companies. Previously, he ran a strategic advisory and interim management consulting firm, with clients such as the Daily Mail General Trust, Fresher Information Corp, IDG, Office Depot, Pacific Bell, Philips Electronics, Synoptics and the U.S. Postal Service.
He has lived and worked in Europe, providing marketing and business development services to technology companies as they developed their trans-Atlantic strategies. As director of DASAR, producer of the annual European Technology Roundtable Exposition (ETRE) conferences, Mike built communities which fostered relationships among technology industry executives and investors.
An entrepreneur at heart, Mike has founded a number of technology ventures, including FM Waves and WiFinder. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Alice Mar
Business Operations Manager
Alice Mar expertly manages Guidewire Group’s business affairs. She has more than 20 years of administrative and project management experience in the computer industry, working for companies such as Apple, Avex Electronics, and Skyware. Her breadth of work experience as a development project manager, company administrator, customer support specialist, executive assistant, and HR generalist makes her ideally suited for organizing, adjusting and harmonizing activities in Guidewire Group’s fast moving environment.
Jean-Raymond Naveau Program Director, Software Products
Jean-Raymond Naveau is a twenty-year veteran in inbound and outbound product management of on-premise and on-demand ERP, CRM, and eCommerce systems. He relocated with his family to California in 1997 to help Oracle strategize, develop, and market its ERP And CRM solutions for the transition to the Euro and the inception of the shared services model in global companies. Prior to that, during his 10 year tenure at Dun & Bradstreet Software, formerly MSA, he operated from the European Development lab in Brussels, Belgium to conceptualize, build, and launch in nascent and established markets the first international financial systems of the Atlanta-based company.
Avid consumer of science, history, geography, and literature magazines in addition to French and English novels and essays, he is writing his third children’s illustrated book in French and actively looking for publishers.
Mike Rogers
Director
Mike Rogers has spent more than 30 years in media and advertising and has extensive experience in media, marketing, and research. As Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Fortune 500, Knight Ridder, he championed sales efforts with the largest advertisers across the country and across the newspaper industry.
In addition, he led Knight Ridder’s marketing effort for local websites. Mike spent 6 years at International Data Group, a global technology media company, where he spearheaded relationships with top advertisers, championed groundbreaking research, and served as President and Publisher of Computerworld. Prior to that, he spent more than 13 years in senior account management roles at leading advertising agencies in Denver, Detroit, and New York City on such diverse brands as IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, Unisys, Eastern Airlines, and Lipton.
Mike served as CEO of SyndicateIQ, an early entrant in the RSS marketing/advertising category, and is currently Vice President of Sales for AllBusiness.com, a Dunn & Bradstreet company.
Susan Thomas
Director
Susan Thomas is an accomplished marketing and public relations executive. The founder and president of Thomas Associates, Susan grew the agency to prominence in Silicon Valley, representing clients including Intuit, Sun Microsystems, Visa, and many emerging technology startups, before selling the firm to Ketcham Public Relations in 1997. Susan continues to consult with a range of companies on corporate and product messaging, public relations, and positioning.
Carla Thompson Affiliate Analyst
A veteran of the emerging tech industry, Carla Thompson has counseled startups around the globe on creating, launching, and sustaining smart businesses. As CEO and co-founder of Sharp Skirts, Carla is working to create a self-sustaining network for women entrepreneurs at every level. She consults independently with select women-owned startups on business strategy and continues to keep a finger on the pulse of emerging tech as a member of Guidewire Group’s Affiliate Analyst program. In her previous role as VP of Community Strategy & Engagement at Guidewire Group, Carla provided advisory services and strategic counsel to startups and helmed the company’s community initiatives, overseeing marketing and social media strategy. She also assisted Executive Producer Chris Shipley in screening and selecting demonstrators for the renowned DEMO conference.
She previously founded MC2 Communications and served as senior account executive at Ketchum Silicon Valley. In her work in communications and PR, Carla counseled companies such as Visa, Intuit, and Chase Capital Partners, and was publicist for Linus Torvalds, inventor of the Linux operating system. She currently serves on the advisory board of SXSW Interactive’s Accelerator program, MakeMeSustainable, and the Semantic Technology conference and as a mentor in the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce’s Apprentice Austin program.
Eric Franzon
Affiliate Analyst
An executive with experience in highly technical subject areas, Eric Franzon works with companies on strategic partnerships, marketing, communications, web development, SEO, and business process management. Over the last decade, he has served as VP of Wilshire Conferences, where he has been exploring the world of enterprise data. As VP of Semantic Universe, he has worked to raise awareness and explain the usage of Semantic Technologies and Web 3.0 in business and consumer settings.
A lifelong learner and teacher, Eric is frequently called on as a consultant, coach, and trainer around complex technical topics. He is an advisory committee representative with the World Wide Web Consortium. Eric has also taught improvisational comedy, early childhood education, blues harmonica, and gender studies. A Chicago native, he now lives in Los Angeles.
