Fast-growing Swiss information management firm recruits former Open Text Senior Vice President to pilot second growth phase

 

Zurich, Switzerland, 24 September 2014 – Qumram AG, a Swiss company specialising in information management, has appointed Patrick Barnert (43) as CEO with effect from 1 September 2014. As a seasoned manager experienced in growing companies and global business units, Barnert’s principal mission is to actively drive the young company’s growth and internationalisation. His management experience includes a spell as an entrepreneur and several years at OpenText, a leading global provider of enterprise information management solutions, where his last position was as Senior Vice President of partners and alliances. The Qumram Big Data platform enables companies to seamlessly record and store all their customers’ interactions across their web, social and mobile channels, while complying with legal requirements. They can then analyse this information and use it to optimise processes and create additional business value.

 

“I’m very happy that Patrick Barnert has joined us,” says Simon Scheurer, founder and board member at Qumram. “He has the proven know-how, experience and track-record we need to drive the company forward and establish it as an international software provider. This is particularly important for our launch in the UK and US markets, which we’re planning for 2015/16.”

 

“The innovative Qumram platform responds to a growing demand in a market that’s really taking off,” adds Patrick Barnert, the company’s new CEO. “Qumram stands out with its combination of gaining insights through data analysis and at the same time securing compliance with all legal requirements. This is particularly important for companies in heavily regulated industries that want to increase the amount of business they do via digital channels. With Qumram, they can be part of the vanguard of the transformation to a digital economy while benefiting from competitive advantage and ensuring compliance.”

 

Expansion of experienced management team
Patrick Barnert’s appointment expands the existing management team at Qumram. He is taking over the CEO role from Mathias Wegmüller, who will be concentrating fully on sales in the Swiss market as well as co-innovating new solutions with customers and partners.

 

Throughout his career to date, Barnert has always been involved in the analysis and optimisation of content enriched business processes. Prior to joining Qumram, he was Senior Vice President of Partners, Alliances and Ecosystems at the Canadian billion-dollar company OpenText, which he joined in 2004. In this position, he developed and successfully implemented a new global partner strategy and organisation, which led to a significant increase in worldwide channel revenues. Previously, he formed and managed the SAP Solutions Group business unit at OpenText and was responsible for the company’s strategic partnership with SAP. Prior to OpenText, Patrick Barnert was co-founder and CEO of a leading Swiss e-business consulting firm.

 

Second growth phase
Qumram has established itself successfully on the Swiss market over the last three years. The appointment of Patrick Barnert now heralds the next phase of its growth, which the company plans to achieve with international expansion. One of its first goals is to enter the German market by building an indirect sales channel there. Lars Baumann, a co-founder of Qumram, will be focusing on managing and implementing this strategic plan.

 

Market success
Qumram’s core product – and the reason for its success – is its Big Data platform that provides end-to-end seamless recording, discovery and analysis of all customer interactions across all channels, including web, mobile and social networks. It ensures compliance with all legal requirements while providing full insights into the digital user experience.

 

“Alongside the team’s expertise and the product itself, one of the things that impress me the most is the successful implementation at organisations like UBS, CSS health insurance, PROJECT CONSULT and the Swiss federal administration,” notes Patrick Barnert. “This is proof of the company’s capacity for innovation and its excellent perspectives for the future. Qumram manages to ensure compliance while helping our customers to take their customer service to the next level. This is a combination I haven’t seen in the market up to now, which is why I believe we can reproduce our success in the Swiss market on an international level and continue to double our revenues every year.”