Executive Changes: Convoke Systems Announces Executive Team Appointment

SAN FRANCISCO – Convoke Systems bolstered its senior leadership team today with the announcement of three new strategic appointments.

Alongside Gary Portney, the company’s President and Co-Founder, will be Chief Executive Officer David Pauken, Chief Operating Officer Michael Dillow, and Vice President of Finance Jeffrey Ochs.  Together, they bring a unique and powerful mix of business and technology experience to Convoke and, having worked together previously, the company reaps the benefits of a proven and well established team.  Gary Portney will continue in his role of overall vision, strategy, and technology development.

“I am very pleased to welcome this highly regarded executive team to Convoke Systems, each bringing and impressive track record of success in world class organizations.“ said Gary Portney, President and Co-Founder.  “Their significant level of business acumen and expertise are ideally suited to build upon the achievements of Convoke and to have people of this caliber join Convoke is a validation of our past achievements and our prospects for the future.  It demonstrates the critical importance of our products and services to the financial services industry and consumers, as well as the rapidly growing momentum behind the company, and the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Prior to joining Convoke, Pauken, Dillow, and Ochs served at Eka Systems, Inc., a leading technology supplier of smart grid networking solutions.  Eka grew to become an important contributor to smart grid implementation at utilities nationwide and was successfully sold to Cooper Industries, plc (NYSE: CBE) in 2010.  At Eka, Pauken served as the President and CEO, Dillow as the Chief Operating Officer, and Ochs as Vice President of Finance and Controller.  Prior to Eka Systems Pauken served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Washington Redskins.  While there, he developed new business lines and implemented innovative technology to drive sales and earnings growth.  He provided important leadership and management as each of the various businesses grew to generate several hundred million dollars in annual revenue.  Earlier Pauken served as Chief Accounting Officer for Snyder Communications, an international marketing and advertising firm.  During his tenure, the company completed a successful IPO and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, growing revenue to $1.2B before being sold to the French conglomerate Havas in 2000 for over $2 billion.  Ochs also served as the Controller at Snyder Communications where he led the accounting and financial reporting functions.

Pauken began his career at Andersen spending twelve years providing financial expertise in the financial services, technology, networking, and marketing sectors.  Dillow held tenures at Jack Kent Cooke Inc., Ameritch Communications, and Grant Thornton and Ochs held senior finance positions with Atlantic Realty Companies, NHP, Inc. and US Airways.

David Pauken said, “This is a unique opportunity to head the leading company in such a dynamic and growing industry.  I look forward to working with Convoke’s outstanding customers, partners, and employees to make the most of our exciting future.  Convoke is progressively solving the systemic data accuracy challenges that have plagued the revolving and non-revolving debt industries for years.  Today, the company is uniquely positioned to expand its footprint and become the primary source for validation and verification of consumer debt through its reliable, scalable, and secure technology platform.”

About Convoke Systems
Founded in 2006, Convoke Systems, Inc., manages, automates, and accelerates accurate business information for the recovery of debt.  The Company is a PCI Compliant Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider, delivering an on-demand platform and applications that manage access and delivery of data and information for the financial services and accounts receivable management industries (ARM) necessary to recover debt and conform to Federal State and Local laws and regulations.  The Company is privately held, and has established relationships with leading financial institutions in the U.S.  For more information, visit www.convokesystems.com.