logo
01 Management Team

Management Team

Claranova promotes autonomy for each of its activities and relies on the talent of experienced entrepreneurs who benefit from the additional leverage Claranova is able to provide as a Group

Pierre Cesarini
CEO of Claranova group

Pierre Cesarini joined the Group in 2013 as CEO. Drawing on his entrepreneurial vision and experience, he promptly reorganized the various businesses, invested in sectors of the future and ensured a return to profitability that would transform Claranova into a global technology player with half a billion euros in sales in just five years.

He began his career at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, CA. where he was instrumental in the creation of PowerMac After ten years at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, he founded TempoSoft, an HR solutions developer acquired by the US company Oracle in 2005. He then founded Atego, the world leader in embedded software, which he managed as CEO for six years until its acquisition by the PTC group. He holds an advanced engineering degree from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications (Télécom Paris) and for more than ten years he has been sharing his experience as an entrepreneur at the École des Mines ParisTech school, where he teaches business management and development.

Xavier Rojo
Deputy CEO of Claranova group

Prior to joining the Claranova Group in 2022, Xavier Rojo occupied a number of strategic and financial management positions with major groups. With more than 20 years of experience in banking and finance, he has led numerous strategic and business development, transformation and digitization projects in France and other countries. Also an entrepreneur and coach, he has advised numerous companies (SMEs) and private banks on their restructuring and strategic development, and also assisted company directors address reconversion and management projects.

Roger S. Bloxberg
CEO, PlanetArt

Co-founder of Nova Development, Roger S. Bloxberg joined the Group in January 2007 following the acquisition of this company by Avanquest.

Along with Todd Helfstein, he contributed to the launch of PlanetArt’s businesses and became its CEO. His areas of expertise include strategic planning, marketing and business development.

Kevin Bromber
CEO, myDevices

As the CEO of myDevices with more than 20 years of experience in the technology sector both as an investor and entrepreneur, Kevin Bromber is responsible for setting the vision, strategy and overall roadmap of Claranova’s IoT division.

 He has previously served as Co-Founder and CEO of 3DGreetings.com, an electronic greeting card company sold to Mattel (NASDAQ: MAT); Co-Founder and CEO of NowLive, an interactive, live broadcasting platform; and General Manager of Arvixe, a web hosting company sold to Endurance International Group (NASDAQ: EIGI).

Eric Gareau
CEO, Avanquest

Eric joined Claranova in 2018 when it acquired Lulu Software (PDF), where he was CEO. Since joining the Group, he has successfully managed Avanquest’s transition to a subscription-based sales business model. He has more than 25 years of experience in sales and marketing software and fast moving consumer goods with large international companies.

Todd Helfstein
President, PlanetArt

In 1984, Todd Helfstein co-founded Nova Development, a leading publisher of PC consumer software products. Following its acquisition by Avanquest, the company strengthened its position, primarily through direct sales channel to end users. Within PlanetArt, he provides oversight in the areas of finance and operational planning.

02 Board of Directors

Board of directors

Combining expertise in technology sectors, entrepreneurship and investment, Claranova’s long-term development is spearheaded by an experienced Board of Directors.

Francis Meston
Chairman of the Board of Directors and CSR Committee

Francis Meston has held key positions in major international technology groups where he developed his expertise, particularly in the telecommunications field. At Atos Group (CAC 40 listed company), he served as Executive Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee, Director of the IMEA (India, Middle East, Africa) division and Group Digital Transformation Officer. He was also head of the global “Consulting & Systems Integration” division. With experience in the technology sector spanning several decades, he was also Vice-President at AT Kearney and Gemini Consulting and then CEO of EDS France.

Marc Goldberg
Vice-President of the Board of Directors

Founding partner of Maslow Capital Partners and CEO of Resilience Lab, Marc Goldberg has over 30 years’ experience in the media and communications technology sector in Europe and the United States as an operator, advisor or investor. He is a graduate of the University of Paris VI and the IHEDN.

Roger S. Bloxberg
Member of the Board of Directors

Co-founder of Nova Development, Roger S. Bloxberg joined the Group in January 2007 following the acquisition of this company by Avanquest.

Along with Todd Helfstein, he contributed to the launch of PlanetArt’s businesses and became its CEO. His areas of expertise include strategic planning, marketing and business development.

Michele Anderson
Member of the Board of Directors and the CSR Committee

Michele Anderson has more than 30 years’ experience in business development and growth, particularly in the digital and e-commerce sectors. Over the course of her career, she has held senior positions at Staples, Shutterfly and Activate, helping to develop and implement growth strategies based on digital transformation, e-commerce and innovation.

Dividing her time between Paris, New York and Sydney, she is currently CEO of Thirsty Logic, a company she co-founded. She is also a director on the boards of Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA and Ecofibre Limited.

Michael Dadoun
Member of the Board of Directors and the Appointments and Compensation Committee

Michael Dadoun is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 28 years’ experience in the technology and real estate sectors.

A graduate of HEC Montréal in Finance and CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), he began his career at Nortel Networks as Director of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) before launching a consumer software company with Daniel Assouline in 2004, which merged with Avanquest in 2018. He finances/coaches numerous technology start-ups and founded two real estate investment companies (Claria and Trantor) which manage a portfolio of high-end properties across Canada, the USA and Mexico.

Craig Forman
Member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Appointments and Compensation Committee

Craig Forman is Managing Partner of NextNews Ventures, an investment firm in Silicon Valley and New York. He is former CEO of McClatchy Co. a large local news company in the US, which operates daily newspapers and digital assets in 30 markets in 14 states (The Miami Herald, The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, The Charlotte Observer,…).

A graduate of leading universities (Princeton University and Yale Law School), he is a leader in digital transformation, with over 40 years of global experience in technology, media and telecommunications. He has held a variety of general management positions, overseeing finance, personnel, legal, strategy and business development for major groups (The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Co, Time Warner Inc.,Yahoo Inc.,…). Over the course of his career, he has developed expertise in IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and transformation.

Christine Hedouis
Member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit Committee

Christine Hedouis is a senior manager of the finance function with more than 25 years of experience in auditing, accounting, entrepreneurship and financial management of growth companies.

After serving for nearly 20 years in French and international audit and accounting firms and corporations, Christine Hédouis is today the Chief Administrative and Financial Officer of Quanteam, an international consulting and IT engineering firm specialized in the bank and financial services sectors. Quanteam currently has more than 600 consultants in eight offices including Paris, London, New York and Montreal.

Gabrielle Gauthey
Member of the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee

Graduated of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole des Mines,. Gabrielle Gauthey has extensive experience as a strategic investor and in strategic management acquired in the public sector (Groupe Caisse des Dépôts, ARCEP) and with major French/European groups in telecoms, media, energy and infrastructure.

Currently Director of European Public Affairs and representative of the Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies to the institutions of the European Union, she is also a director of the Gecina group and a member of the Académie Française des Technologies.

Daniel Assouline
Observer

Daniel Assouline holds an MBA from Queen’s University and has been an entrepreneur since the age of 13.

Passionate by technology, he started his career at Dell in the sales, marketing and technology departments.  Over the past 15 years, he has created, acquired and developed several high-tech companies, including Adaware, Lulu Software and UpClick, which he sold to the Claranova group. He now runs a real estate investment company (Dlign.com) developing a portfolio of rental properties across Canada, the USA and Mexico.

Documents

15 December 2023
2024 publication Schedule and quiet and blackout periods
See document