Management Team
IDeaS Revenue Optimization is led by an active, involved founder and seasoned management team. IDeaS' management team consist of Dr. Ravi Mehrotra, Mark Derus, Joseph Martino, Linda Hatfield, James Ruttley, David Nelson, Rajiv Nashikkar, Grahame Tate, Uli Pillau, and Bernard Ellis. Together these individuals have been instrumental in building business for global Fortune and industry-leading companies.
Dr. Ravi Mehrotra - President & Founder
Before co-founding IDeaS in 1989, Dr. Ravi Mehrotra taught electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State and held engineering roles, designing solutions to real time scheduling and transportation problems, at Texas Instruments and Anderson Consulting. Dr. Mehrotra graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology and earned his PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. While an Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University, he invented new models for parallel computing, designed and analyzed both asynchronous and randomized algorithms for distributed processing and reviewed many proposals for key government scientific agencies. Dr. Mehrotra is a holder and co-author of more than one dozen patents.
Mark Derus - CFO & General Manager
Mark Derus, CFO & GM, Mark joined IDeaS in 2006 with more than 20 years of finance and general management experience in high tech growth companies. He has led or managed numerous growth company financings, from start-ups to M&A transactions and IPOs. Prior to joining IDeaS, Mark served as CFO of Visual Circuits, a digital media networking company headquartered in Minneapolis. There he raised $4 million in private placement funds and led the eventual sale of the company. Mark's career also includes nine years at Cherry Tree Ventures, a Twin Cities based venture capital firm with more than $80 million in managed capital where he served as VP Finance. Mark received an MBA in Finance from the Carlson School in 1991.
Joseph Martino - Senior Vice President
Joseph Martino serves as Senior Vice President at IDeaS and is responsible for the Worldwide Sales, Strategy, and Business Development activities across the regions. Joseph, a travel industry veteran, has held senior level management positions at MICROS Systems, Inc. and Fidelio Software for the past decade. As Vice President, operations and central systems business development for MICROS Systems in Naples, Florida, he was responsible for an enterprise software development organization in delivering state-of-the-art hospitality applications. Previously, Joseph held the position of Senior Vice President and COO of Fidelio Software in Munich, Germany, where he maintained worldwide headquarters responsibility for all internal operations, product development, sales and service. Prior to working at MICROS Systems, Joseph spent 10 years with increasing marketing and sales responsibilities with Marriott Hotels & Resorts. He began his hospitality career at Cunard Ships, Hotels and Resorts.
Linda Hatfield - Vice President, Product Management and Marketing
As Vice President of Product Management and Marketing for IDeaS, Linda Hatfield is responsible for the definition, development and marketing of the products which have positioned IDeaS as the leading provider of Revenue Optimization solutions in the hotel industry. Prior to joining IDeaS in 2002, Linda was the Director of Product Management and Marketing for JobBOSS Software, a leader in the enterprise management software and services for job shops and small contract manufacturers. Linda has also held various product management and development positions with Cummins Engine Company, AIG and GTE. Linda received her BA in Economics from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts.
James Ruttley - Vice President, Client Services
James Ruttley joined IDeaS in 1997 with more than 12 years experience in the hotel industry. In the position of Vice President - Client Services, James is responsible for all aspects of the delivery services which IDeaS provides to its client's including technical & forecasting support, project management, client training and client management. Previously, James served as Director of Consultancy Services and also as Director of Process Development. Prior to joining IDeaS, James held a variety of senior management roles in major London hotels in the Rooms Division, Conference & Banqueting and Food & Beverage areas. During his time with IDeaS James has been involved in the design and implementation of revenue optimization solutions for virtually all of IDeaS clients with particular emphasis on the integration of systematic revenue optimization into the hotel culture.
David Nelson - Vice President, Technology
David Nelson has joined IDeaS as Vice President, Technology. David comes to us from Thomson-Reuters Corp where he served for nearly 20 years in a variety of technology leadership positions. David’s experience includes development and implementation of a Software as a Service (SaaS) based medical information business unit inside Thomson in addition to management of large datacenter operations.
Rajiv Nashikkar - Vice President & Managing Director, India Operations
In the role of Vice President & Managing Director, India Operations, Rajiv Nashikkar is responsible for the company's Technology Center located in Pune. Rajiv was part of the core team which started the Pune development center in 1999. Prior to joining IDeaS, Rajiv built software applications and solutions for the manufacturing industry, including applications for IBM. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from the College of Engineering in Pune, India. He also holds a Masters in Management Science from the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management in Pune.
Grahame Tate - Managing Director, Asia Pacific
In the role of Managing Director of IDeaS Asia Pacific territory, Grahame Tate brings 18 years of experience in the hospitality technology industry. Prior to joining IDeaS in 1997, Grahame held management positions with NEC Australia where he was responsible for the hospitality technology division of their voice and data technologies. In the early 1990's, Grahame worked in telecommunications hospitality technology for Alcatel. Grahame currently is responsible for all sales and operations for IDeaS Asia Pacific territory and is based out of IDeaS Australia Office.
Ulrich Pillau - Vice President, Europe Africa Middle East
As Vice President of IDeaS Europe, Africa, & Middle East (EAME) territory, Ulrich (Uli) Pillau is responsible for IDeaS regional offices located in London and Munich, as well as all sales and operations in the region. Uli, a hospitality industry veteran, brings 22 years of hospitality experience and proven expertise in hotel software solutions to the IDeaS team. Prior to joining IDeaS in 1998, Uli held various senior level positions in Fidelio Software and later Micros Fidelio Software for 9 years and contributed much of their success making them the worldwide leader in hotel management software. From 1993 until 1998, he held the position of Vice President for Micros Fidelio at their corporate headquarters located in Munich.
Bernard Ellis, CHTP, CRME - Managing Director, Americas
As IDeaS' Managing Director for the Americas, Bernard Ellis is responsible for all sales activity in the region. Bernard joined IDeaS following a successful tenure at SynXis where he was the Senior Vice President of Strategic Accounts and Channels. Prior to that, Bernard was an executive with Micros-Fidelio, where he managed sales for several major accounts. Bernard is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. He sits on the boards of HSMAI’s DC Chapter and Global Revenue Management Special Interest Group, as well as the advisory board for Cornell Hotel School’s MMH program. He also represents IDeaS on the AH&LA Technology and E-Business Committee.