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Ayuda Media Systems was founded in 2003 with the objective of building the world’s best OOH system. With a current team of more than 20 employees whose main focus is on R&D, Ayuda’s headquarters are located in Montreal, Canada. More than half of Ayuda’s silicon-valley class R&D team have worked for either Microsoft, Oracle, Dell, SAP and Business Objects. Its flagship product, BMS.net currently manages over 300,000 billboards in the United States and Canada.
321 De la Commune West, Suite 200
Montreal, Quebec
H2Y 2E1
Canada
Tel: +1 (514) 845-0824
Fax: +1 (514) 845-8073
Andreas Soupliotis is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ayuda. Andreas founded Ayuda in 2003, with the vision of building the world’s best out-of-home system. Andreas oversees all aspects of Ayuda – including client demonstrations, sales, marketing, R&D, user experience, cosmetic look and feel, and he also manages the financial side of the business. Over the past five years, Andreas has succeeded in raising $8M in private capital to develop BMS.net – the company’s flagship product for outdoor media companies. Prior to founding Ayuda, Andreas worked for Microsoft Corporation for almost a decade. He worked for Microsoft Research in Redmond, Washington as a Research Software Design Engineer, where he worked closely with Dr. P. Anandan to develop numerous prototypes for next generation media experiences. Andreas also worked as one of the earliest .NET Developer Evangelists for Microsoft Corporation based out of New York City. In this capacity, he acted as a key enabler in migrating important Microsoft accounts such as Reuters and Bloomberg from J2EE to the .NET platform, resulting in multi-million dollar revenue for Microsoft. Earlier in his career with Microsoft, Andreas worked as a Software Design Engineer, architecting and developing core image processing algorithms for high-end digital video authoring and management software. Andreas has authored several publications in the field of digital imaging, and also holds numerous U.S. and European patents in this space. Andreas actively participates in several out-of-home committees, including the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, and the Traffic Audit Bureau. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree Summa Cum Laude from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, with Honors in Pure Mathematics and Computer Science. Andreas is passionate about being passionate during the design and creation of amazing software experiences.
Joe is the Vice-President of Client Services at Ayuda. As one of Ayuda’s initial founding team, Joe has managed all aspects of client services for the last five years – including customizations, professional services and support. Joe has the unique ability to straddle two traditionally disparate worlds: translating domain-specific complex customer requirements into software engineering deliverables. Thanks to the relationships that Joe has fostered and maintained with Ayuda’s clients, Joe has ensured that the implementation of over 2,000 new features have met and exceeded customer expectations. Joe is an industry-acknowledged expert on the field of Business Intelligence (BI). Possessing over ten years of experience working in the field of software and BI, Joe previously worked for Business Objects (now SAP) as a Senior Consultant in Silicon Valley. During his tenure of Business Objects, Joe managed the roll out of numerous, successful multi-million-dollar implementations of BI solutions to Fortune 500 companies such as GE, eBay, Verizon, Cisco and Ford. Joe twice-received the Business Objects MVP Award for Consulting Services and was also awarded the Customer Care Award for Professional Services. Prior to joining Business Objects, Joe worked as a Development Lead and Solution Architect for various BI software vendors in Silicon Valley. His business intelligence expertise spans Data-Warehousing, ETL, Relational Reporting, H/M/ROLAP solutions and Ad-hoc query & reporting tools. Joe sits on many committees pertaining to out-of-home, such as the American Associations of Advertising Agencies’ “eBiz for Media” project, and is directly involved with the Traffic Audit Bureau’s “Eyes On” initiative. A mathematician at heart, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Statistics & Computer Science from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Joe enjoys playing ice hockey and soccer, reading Dr. Seuss books to his children, and has a profound interest in all things digital.
Pierre-Yves is the Chief Software Architect at Ayuda. As one of Ayuda’s initial founding team and as the company’s very first software developer back in 2003, Pierre-Yves has driven all aspects of software development since Ayuda’s inception – including software architecture, user experience design and prototyping. Under his leadership, Pierre-Yves has built a world-class team of highly-skilled software developers, many of which used to work for Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington. Prior to joining Ayuda, Pierre-Yves worked for various recognized R&D organizations in software development, including Dell’s Ireland R&D Division, specializing in supply-chain management software. Pierre-Yves’ area of expertise is designing and developing exciting software user experience (UX). As an industry-recognized leader in this space, Pierre-Yves passionately and artisanally crafts UX that solve real business problems in the out-of-home arena using technologies such as the Windows Presentation Foundation, Silverlight, .NET Framework, and Expression Blend. He holds numerous advanced certifications from Microsoft such as MCSD.NET (early achiever), MCPD (Web) and MCTS (Win/Web). Pierre-Yves holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Networking from the University of Rennes in France. Pierre-Yves has a deep knowledge of the entire Microsoft stack of tools and framework; he is constantly involved in early adopter programs and has a real thirst for new technologies. There is always something cooking up in Pierre-Yves’ lab. As a native Frenchman from Brittany, Pierre-Yves is often found reminiscing of Cassoulet and snails.
Eric is a project manager, architect, and software developer with over 18 years experience in the software industry. Joining Ayuda in the summer of 2007, he is Vice President of Research and Development for the flag ship product, BMS.net. Eric worked for 5 years at Oracle Corp, where he was architect and lead developer on Oracle’s Calendaring Application Server. During this time, Eric was involved with organizations such as the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), SyncML, and the IETF as an original co-author of the Internet-Draft specification “iCalendar DTD Document (xCal)”. Prior to joining Ayuda, Eric spent 2 years at TimeSpring as Manager of Product Planning, after leading a C# .NET software development team. Eric started out his software career as a software developer in C/C++ with strong emphasis on Graphical User Interface applications at Visual Edge Software, North American Life Insurance, and Xerox Canada. Eric holds a degree in Computer Engineering, Honours Bachelor of Applied Science, from the University of Waterloo, located in Waterloo, Ontario. Eric is an avid fan of Dune, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and Terminator and is easily distracted by shiny objects.
Giovan is software architect with over 10 years experience in the industry and one of the original members of the Ayuda team. His software development and financial expertise has been critical to the success of BMS.net. Giovan’s skills range from in-depth understanding of Microsoft .NET and Microsoft SQL Server technologies. Wanting to keep up to date with new technologies, Giovan has pursued the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) and the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) for Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) certifications. Giovan holds a degree in Software Development, from Delta College in Montreal, Quebec. Giovan is an avid snowboarder and enjoys engaging in demanding (if not extreme) sports such as golf.
Stéfane Lavergne is an experienced developer with passion for databases. He is a Microsoft SQL Server guru and is well-versed into the associated technologies (SSAS, SSIS , SSRS). His love of databases first started back in 1997 with SQL Server 6.5 and he's been on it ever since. His certifications include MCTIP - Database developer and MCTS - SQL Server 2005. In addition to his database skills Stéfane also possesses over 6 years of experience with Microsoft .NET technologies earning the MCSD .NET certification. Stéfane has a Bachelor of Science - Computer Science degree from the University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada. Stéfane is a proud father of four and is a fan Montreal Canadiens. In his spare time he loves to spend time outdoors playing with his kids.
Athena Soupliotis is the Director of Operations at Ayuda. She manages all logistical aspects of the day-to-day operations of the business. As the wearer of multiple hats, she acts as Ayuda’s office manager, financial controller, and also drives marketing and manages several aspects of public relations. Athena is primarily responsible for "keeping Ayuda together" on a daily basis. Prior to Ayuda, Athena spent most of her career working for Avid Technologies, a software company specializing in digital content-creation. In this capacity, Athena assisted with technical documentation, and provided guidance on usability aspects of core products. Athena holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. Out of the office, Athena can be found bird watching, or camping in the wilderness looking for black bears.
In her role as Client Services Manager at Ayuda, Natalia is in constant communication with all of Ayuda’s industry-leading clients such as CBS Outdoor, Van Wagner, Eye Corp, and Burkhart Advertising. Her detailed & personable approach to client management has allowed Natalia to provide unparalleled end-to-end client services including release planning & management, user support, and new feature development. Born in La Patagonia, Argentina of Colombian parents, Natalia has lived in several countries including Scotland, Mexico, Colombia, and Canada. Her exposure to various cultures makes Natalia uniquely qualified as a customer service manager. In her five years of experience in the software industry Natalia has worked as a Customer Service Team Lead and Senior Support Specialist for multi-national companies such as HP and Merck providing leadership and coaching on products, policies and procedures to teams of 20 - 25 Support Specialists. Natalia moved to Montreal, Canada at the age of 18, where she completed her Bachelor of Science (Major Computer Science and Minor in Management) at McGill University and then went on to obtain a postgraduate certificate in Interactive Multimedia from Sheridan College in Ontario. During her studies, Natalia was honoured with the Award of Excellence for maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Natalia has a passion for technology, is fluent in multiple languages and enjoys latin dance.