Lyris Announces Three Key Additions to Management Team

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lyris, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: LYRI), the online marketing expert, today announced the addition of three talented new executives to its management team to drive growth and the company's emerging vision for predictive marketing.  Phil Sakakihara joins as chief technology officer (CTO), Keith Taylor as chief financial officer (CFO), and Nello Franco as SVP of customer success.  All report to CEO Wolfgang Maasberg and form part of the executive leadership team.

New executive team member backgrounds:

Phil Sakakihara, CTO

• As CTO, Phil Sakakihara is responsible for driving Lyris' technical vision and managing all the day-to-day activities of the Lyris engineering department including product development and team growth. Phil brings broad commercial and technical expertise to his role, in both building startups and working in executive roles at large corporations like Fidelity National Financial and at Hewlett Packard, where he began his career as an engineer and worked his way up to CTO and General Manager. Most recently, Phil was founder and CTO of OnVideon, a provider of SaaS-cloud computing solutions that enable multi-media content providers to offer various advertisement campaigns and pay-per-view models for PCs, mobile devices and set-top boxes. Phil possesses degrees in Applied Mathematics, and served as a full time visiting professor at the University of California, Davis in networks, database, and object based systems.

Keith Taylor, CFO

• Keith Taylor's responsibilities as CFO include all financial and accounting activities at Lyris.  During his 25-year career in high tech and services, Keith has served as CFO for Exigen Capital, Magellan Navigation and Encover, and as division CFO at Adecco.  Most recently at Exigen Capital, Keith managed all finance and accounting matters for the company, leading to the successful launch of eight portfolio companies.  He also rose to the position of Controller, Global Infrastructure in his nearly ten years at Apple Computer.  Keith earned an MBA degree from San Jose State University, and a BSBA degree from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo.

Nello Franco, SVP of Customer Success

• As SVP of customer success, Nello Franco spearheads all aspects of Lyris' customer account planning, implementation and relations process. Nello has 25 years of experience across an array of sectors, with a track record of establishing Global 1000 companies as marquee customers for technology companies.  Prior to joining Lyris, he was vice president of field operations at SCOPIX where he managed global partner relationships and operationalized the company's implementation of its managed technology service, enabling retailers to measure engagement with customers in their stores.  Nello calls on additional executive level experience with W5 Networks, Tacit Software, and Tradaq, where his focus was on improving project and process management, customer satisfaction and revenue growth.  He is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Supporting quotes:

• "Keith, Nello and Phil all bring strong track records in building great companies and products that closely align with customer requirements.  They also possess keen insight into market and industry trends and extensive technology acumen about long-term product direction.  Their additions further build out the talent of our leadership team, so we continue to deliver transformative digital solutions in line with our vision and our customers' business needs."
  • Wolfgang Maasberg, chief executive officer at Lyris
• "After many years of experience in the technology sector, I know that a company's product roadmap and vision is essential to long-term success.  Lyris has developed a compelling new product vision to deliver more predictive online marketing, which is why I'm looking forward to being part of the Lyris family.  We are a company that is committed to delivering solutions that empower our customers— marketing professionals— to succeed."
  • Phil Sakakihara, chief technical officer at Lyris

• "Lyris understands that empowering the bottom line success of customers is fundamental to growth.  Lyris particularly stands out due to our emerging predictive marketing approach that will enable Lyris customers to both maximize interactions with their existing clients while converting prospects like never before.  This grasp of building and maintaining long-term profitable relationships— for both our customers and their clients— is a principal reason why I am now part of the Lyris team."
  • Keith Taylor, chief financial officer at Lyris

• "As I join Lyris, I know that customers and their requirements will remain our central focus from both a service and technology perspective.  We understand the need for marketers to always actively listen to their clients. This means tracking behavior across multiple digital channels— email, social and mobile— to predict their engagement preferences.  This commitment to understanding our customers and their clients' needs is the reason why I am excited to join the Lyris team."
  • Nello Franco, senior vice president of customer success at Lyris

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About Lyris, Inc.

Lyris, Inc. is the online marketing expert delivering the right mix of software technology and industry knowledge to help its customers simplify their marketing efforts and optimize campaign ROI. Through its on-demand integrated marketing suite, Lyris HQ, and reliable on-premise solutions, including Lyris ListManager, Lyris provides customers the right tools to optimize their online and mobile marketing initiatives.

SOURCE Lyris, Inc.