Provider of On-Demand Sales Compensation Planning Solutions
Rounds Out Board with SaaS and E-Commerce Executive
LEXINGTON, Massachusetts--October 9, 2007--Makana Solutions[SM] Inc., provider of innovative on-demand solutions for sales compensation plan design, today announced that Stephan Schambach, an entrepreneur with extensive experience in software as a service (SaaS) and e-commerce, has joined Makana Solutions' board. Schambach is founder and chairman of Demandware, developer of the breakthrough On-Demand e-Commerce Platform used by leading brands such as Bare Escentuals, Playmobil, and Gardener's Supply Company to help achieve higher conversion rates, increase average order size, and improve customer retention.
"Stephan's SaaS, e-commerce, and business success will be valuable assets to Makana Solutions," said Elizabeth Cobb, chairman and CEO. "Makana Motivator[SM] and Makana Motivator for Salesforce[R] AppExchange[R] have been well received. Stephan's insights will enable us to further maximize customer benefit."
Schambach joins Makana Solutions board members William J. Warner, founder of Avid Technology, Inc., and Wildfire Communications, Inc.; Daniel A. Keshian, managing director of TD Capital Ventures; and N. Louis Shipley, general manager and group vice president of Citrix's Management Systems Group.
"Makana Solutions addresses a critical unsatisfied need: simplifying the process of building effective sales compensation plans. Delivering this solution in a SaaS subscription model, with the ability to subscribe online, provides customers with the ease of access they need," said Stephan Schambach. "This, combined with Liz and the Makana team's extensive sales comp experience, is a winning combination."
E-Commerce Visionary
Prior to founding Demandware in 2004, Schambach was CEO of Intershop, an e-commerce company he founded in 1992, built to market leadership, brought public in 1998 on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange's Neuer Market, and led to a successful NASDAQ listing in 2000.
An industry visionary, Schambach was among the first to recognize e-commerce as a major software market. He is the developer of a number of industry standards for the technology and also produced the first integrated e-commerce software package, enabling major global brands to sell and offer service over the internet. Schambach also currently serves as a board member of the SIIA (Software Information Industry Association of America SIIA) Software Division, and he regularly speaks in the industry about emerging technologies.
Earlier in his career, Schambach studied physics at Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, Germany, and was among the first to found a company in East Germany after the Berlin Wall came down.
About Makana Solutions
Makana Solutions' on-demand software helps companies design, model, and communicate sales compensation. Effective sales incentive plans support company goals and help teams pull together to achieve them. Makana Motivator is the industry's first on-demand solution designed specifically for effective sales compensation planning. For more information, or to test drive or subscribe to Makana Motivator, visit www.makanasolutions.com [1].
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Editors, Please Note:
A digital image of Stephan Schambach is available for download at:
http://links.pictures.aol.com/pic/e7c0nZy0EGZnYLVERTPy-Pa7iXUP*WaO3pCJv4... [2]
(link should appear all on one line, with no spaces)
Editorial Contacts:
Frances Y J Wheeler
Wheeler PR & Marketing
fwheeler@wheelerprandmarketing.com [3]
978-475-7970
or
Gretchen Mather
Demandware, Inc.
pr@demandware.com [4]
617-877-7273
or
Liz Ashley
Makana Solutions
lashley@makanasolutions.com [5]
781-652-7081