Gurvendra Suri, CEO

Gurvendra Suri is the founder and CEO of Optimal. As CEO, Suri focuses on strategic direction and managing critical client and partner relationships. With two decades of industry experience, Suri is one of the leading SAP technologists in the world, still managing to work with SAP clients around the globe to design and implement complex, large-scale, highly available enterprise architectures. He has personally consulted to over 50 SAP clients, including Pepsi, Dupont, the Department of Defense, Texas Instruments, Celanese, Halliburton, Applera, Caterpillar, YPF Argentina, Molinos, Telefonica, Asahi Beer, Sony Japan, Ericsson Sweden and many others. He founded Optimal in 1995 to provide high-end SAP implementation expertise to a global client base. Prior to Optimal, Suri was a technology strategist and architect for a domestic drug distribution firm, where, in 1993, he helped evaluate, select and deploy SAP. He has also consulted on behalf of TELCO and Unisys. Suri received his engineering degree in Computer Science from M.N.R Engineering College in Allahabad, India.

Sam Sliman, President

Sam Sliman is President of Optimal with responsibility for charting the Company’s business development strategy, enhancing its workforce, strengthening client relationships and implementing sales and marketing initiatives to drive future growth. Prior to joining Optimal, Sliman served as Vice President at Commerce One, where he held P&L responsibility for the Southeast and Latin America within the Global Services business unit. Sliman also served in various P&L leadership and business development roles as a Vice President at AppNet and Research & Planning, an SAP consulting firm acquired by AppNet in 1998. He began his career as an SAP technical architect with Accenture. His clients have included Exxon/Mobil, Philip Morris, GMAC, Schindler, Tenneco, Danaher, Kellogg’s, Bayer, Georgia Pacific, Dial and Genzyme, among others. Sliman earned his degree in Computer Science from the University of Mississippi and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Andre Champagne, Senior Vice President, Operations

Andre Champagne is Senior Vice President of Operations for Optimal and is responsible for directing Optimal’s global operations team and spearheading strategic client relationship and acquisition initiatives. Champagne comes to Optimal from Accenture, where he has worked for the past seventeen years and has served as a Partner. During his distinguished tenure with Accenture, Champagne helped to build the consulting firm’s strong SAP practice by leading a number of large, prominent global SAP engagements. Champagne’s client experience includes work with Celanese, Sony, DuPont, and Sun Chemical, among other industry-leading multinational corporations.

Elliott Garofalo, Senior Vice President, SME

Elliott Garofalo is Senior Vice President of SME for Optimal and is responsible for driving sales and directing operations for the company’s Small, Medium Enterprise Business Unit. (SME). Garofalo has been in the SAP services market for over 12 years. Prior to joining Optimal, he served as SVP of Sales for Metamor Enterprise Solutions (acquired by CIBER.) After the acquisition, Garofalo stayed on with CIBER as Director of Sales for the SAP Commercial Practice and was directly responsible for the development and management of sales operations for SAP Business All-in-One solutions, Application Management Services (AMS), and national SAP license re-seller activities. In this capacity, Garofalo was instrumental in helping the company achieve Gold status as an SAP SME Implementation Partner/VAR. Garofalo’s additional SAP experience includes serving as Managing Director for The Baer Group, where he was responsible for developing new regions of the U.S. and building and managing the firm’s SAP sales and consulting teams

.Roy Chandler, General Manager, Washington, DC Office

Roy Chandler is General Manager of Optimal’s Washington, DC office with responsibility for managing the company’s Federal and State/Local client base and spearheading future growth initiatives for Optimal’s public sector practice and SAP IS-Media engagements. Chandler has more than 25 years of industry experience and has served as a Vice President at Commerce One, where he held P&L responsibility for the Management Consulting practice within the Global Services business unit. Chandler also served in P&L leadership roles as a co-founder of Transform IT and Division President of AppNet. Prior to AppNet, he held Managing Director and Principal positions with BSG, SHL Systemhouse, and AMS and served as a Manager at EDS. Over the course of his career, Chandler has consulted to well over 40 clients, including The Washington Post, Delta Airlines, Mars, the Department of Treasury, Hollinger and many others. Chandler earned his B.S. degree from Auburn University and his M.S. from the University of Tennessee

.Richard Larrabee, Vice President, Business Development

Richard Larrabee is Vice President of Business Development at Optimal with responsibility for expanding and managing Optimal’s direct sales force, which focuses on securing SAP engagements at Fortune 2000 companies across a broad array of vertical markets, including consumer package goods, communications, energy, high-tech, retail, industrial manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries. Larrabee comes to Optimal from Cognizant Technology Solutions where he served as sales manager for the Central U.S. Prior to Cognizant, Larrabee spent 5 years with BearingPoint in a variety of senior business development roles, including director of the company’s ERP Solutions Group. Larrabee earned his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas.

Gagan Ghai, Director, Business Development

Gagan Ghai is Director of Business Development for Optimal. Ghai’s responsibilities include working closely with Optimal customers to identify needs and devise solution roadmaps in the areas of system integration, master data management, and supply chain management, among other core enterprise technology areas. Prior to joining Optimal, Ghai honed his technical and customer service skills as a senior product manager and integration solution architect for i2 Technologies, and as a senior SAP consultant for IBM Global Services. Ghai’s extensive experience includes designing and implementing complex enterprise technology solutions for industry leaders across a broad array sectors. Select clients include IBM PSG, Philips Semi Conductor, Loma Negra, IDT, OxyChem, Asian Paints, Infineon Technologies, Vanity Fair and Seimens, among others.

Ashish Shanker, Director, Operations

Ashish Shanker is responsible for managing the Talent Development Group at Optimal, which includes all Optimal’s Talent Specialists and Resource Managers. Shanker also holds responsibility for other critical components of Optimal’s operation, including overseeing relationships with sub-tier vendors and managing Optimal’s corporate infrastructure. Prior to Optimal, Shanker was a Product Manager at i2 Technologies, focused on the product strategy and marketing aspects of i2’s TradeMatrix Platform. Shanker earned his engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Valeri Wickersham, Director, Human Resources

Valeri Wickersham manages human resource functions for Optimal, including employee and contractor relations, immigration, employee on-boarding, and professional development. Wickersham also functions as Optimal’s Security Officer. She has an extensive background in roles that include performance management and staffing coordination. Prior to Optimal, Wickersham worked in human resource management positions with Adjoined Consulting and Accenture. Wickersham received her BBA degree in Marketing and Management from Texas A&M University.