Michael Dering

Chairman

Michael Dering joined South49 Solutions as the Chairman of the Board in 2008, bringing with him over 25 years of technology industry experience. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of ServiceBench, a leading provider of on-demand service management solutions that was recognized by Deloitte as one of the 500 fastest-growing technology companies in North America.

Previously, Michael served as President and CEO of CrossAccess Corporation, a multinational software infrastructure company, and as President and CEO of two publicly traded Bell & Howell companies. Prior to these positions, Michael had a 20-year career at TAB Products Company, a $170 million publicly traded manufacturer of information storage and retrieval solutions. He served in a variety of sales and marketing positions at TAB, and in his last five years served as the corporation's President and CEO, helping turn the company around and make it the industry leader.

Michael holds multiple board positions including Cernium, Bridgeborn, Washington Management Group/CCS, eXpresso and MindShare. He received a B.S. in business administration and computer science from the University of Maryland.

Eric Arnson

Eric Arnson is a co-founder of Originate Ventures, a private equity fund focusing on early stage companies in Northeast Pennsylvania. Prior to starting Originate, Eric was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, serving as a leader in its North American Branding Practice. His responsibilities included stewardship of the brand development system he had launched previously through Envision, a firm he founded that was acquired by McKinsey, and involvement on numerous McKinsey growth engagements.

Before the acquisition by McKinsey, Eric led Envision in pioneering a new marketing philosophy: consumer-driven brand strategy. This now broadly-embraced approach redefined the core tenets necessary for accelerating growth. Eric began his professional career with positions at Procter & Gamble and Beecham Cosmetics, and was later one of the original Partners at The Cambridge Group.

A graduate of the University of Michigan where he earned a degree in Literature, Science & Arts (LSA), Eric continues to research and teach leadership development in conjunction with the 'Leadership for the Public Good,' an initiative encouraging broad-based service and philanthropy. He was also a contributing author to Blueprint to a Billion: The Seven Essentials for Exponential Growth. Eric is currently a board member of Nayatek, a privately held global software company focusing on information archiving, and E-Discovery.

Denis Seynhaeve

Denis Seynhaeve is a very active 'angel investor,' having invested in more than 30 startups and early stage businesses since launching his independent practice in 1992. Concentrating his activities in the Baltimore-Washington region with a focus on technology and services, Denis has funded a number of successful local companies over the years, including Visual Networks (VNWK), On-Site Sourcing (ONSS), Nextone and Current Analysis.

In 1985, Denis moved from France to the U.S. to establish and run the local subsidiary of Delsey SA, a leading luggage manufacturer. Under his leadership, Delsey became the fastest growing company in the industry. When he left in 1992, the company had 150 employees, and more than $25 million in revenue. Earlier in his career, Denis held management positions at Cartier, SA and Nestle.

Denis serves on the Board of Directors of South49 Solutions, Current Analysis, Apex, RF Technologies, KZO innovations, Safer, 3CLogic and CollectiveX.

Denis received a BA in economics from the Political Sciences Institute (Sciences-Po), in Paris, and an MBA from INSEAD.

Stefan T. Midford

President & CEO

As president and founder of South49 Solutions, Stefan Midford brings over 25 years of experience in information technology and operations management. His extensive business background includes leadership roles at major credit, retail and marketing businesses in the U.S. and Canada, as well as management assignments at Discover Financial Services, Sears Roebuck & Co. and Sears Canada Inc. Most recently, as COO at Intersections Inc., Stefan was responsible for the operations division of the rapidly growing privacy protection and identity theft prevention company.

Stefan's management and international experience across several companies provides him insight into the strategic challenges facing organizations with distributed workforces, as well as the specialized logistical issues that go with them. In addition, his leading-edge understanding of database design and optimization, business process improvement and related disciplines allows him to quickly understand clients' needs and requirements—resulting in customized solutions that deliver bottom line results.

In addition to his company responsibilities, Stefan co-chairs the Canadian Business Network of Washington DC, a networking organization for Canadians in the Washington area. An avid proponent of science and technology education in high schools Stefan also volunteers as a mentor and sponsor of a local high school robotics team.

Paul Carney Jr.

VP Technical Services

For almost two decades, Paul Carney has provided organizations with innovative solutions to help them thrive. Combining best technical practices with management know-how, Paul has excelled in the fields of higher education, consulting and Internet-based services. He launched his first Internet business in 1997, and has since helped build additional Internet-based service organizations in both consumer and business environments.

Paul also has several accolades to his name. He has earned numerous awards and certifications for his technical achievements, and his first Internet-based product line was highlighted in the Wall Street Journal as a "Best Value." More recently, Paul oversaw the development of the Natural Insight solution, a robust resource for managing and optimizing distributed workforces.

Paul earned his Masters in Business Administration from The Sage Graduate School and studied at the University of Vermont where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics.