Brett Hurt, Founder and CEO

Brett is the Founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice, where he is responsible for guiding the company's strategy and overseeing day-to-day operations. Brett is a seasoned executive widely recognized throughout the online industry for turning groundbreaking ideas into leading businesses.

Brett has extensive experience in the online marketing arena, especially as it pertains to the eCommerce industry. He founded Coremetrics in February 1999 after spending 10 years developing Internet-based software. Brett helped grow Coremetrics into the leading marketing analytics solution for the eCommerce industry, servicing more than 1,000 clients today. Forrester Research eventually rated Coremetrics #1 in the industry. Prior to Coremetrics, Brett was the founder and CEO of Hurt Technology Consulting and BodyMatrix, an online retailer of sports nutrition products, which he sold. Before that, he was a consultant at Deloitte Consulting and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Brett has more than 15 years of Internet programming experience and has developed multiple software applications, including Internet marketing analysis solutions, eCommerce platforms, Web-based classroom management applications, virtual communities, multiplayer online games, and Bulletin Board System (BBS) software. He started programming when he was seven years old, launched a BBS on a 110-baud modem when he was ten, and created one of the first Internet-based multiplayer games in 1990. Brett holds an MBA in High-Tech Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BBA in Management Information Systems from the University of Texas at Austin.

Brett was named Entrepreneur of the Year for Austin in 2009. He is currently serving his third term on the Board of Directors of Shop.org, the leading non-profit industry association for retailers online and a division of the National Retail Federation, the largest trade organization for retailers. He also serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Wharton School and served as a Board of Advisors member to the non-profit Web Analytics Association. Brett actively advises several early-stage technology companies. He is an inventor (US Patent #7,050,989) and a regular speaker at various industry events and universities.

Brett is one of the few, the proud – a native Austinite. Outside of Bazaarvoice, his biggest project is raising Rachel and Levi with Debra, his incredible wife. He enjoys reading Business Week, The New York Times, Wired, and almost anything written by Bruce Sterling, William Gibson, or Neal Stephenson (except for the Baroque Cycle… sorry, Neal).  Travel (especially Hawaii and Italy), restaurants (Uchi is the best in Austin and Alinea is the best anywhere), red wine, yoga, and exercise are also passions.

Brant Barton, Co-founder and Vice President of Business Development

In addition to supporting company expansion into new geographies and vertical markets and helping shape product strategy, Brant leads Radius – Bazaarvoice’s industry partnership program. Brant brings more than 10 years of online and start-up experience to Bazaarvoice, and speaks frequently at eCommerce industry and partner events on the topic of Web 2.0, user-generated content, and social commerce.

Prior to Bazaarvoice, Brant served as Director of Account Services at Coremetrics, a leading provider of analytics solutions for the eCommerce industry. At Coremetrics, Brant’s team of web analysts, support engineers, and trainers serviced more than 400 of the web’s most successful and demanding brands, including The Home Depot, QVC, Victoria’s Secret, Office Depot, Williams-Sonoma, and many others, while consistently exceeding the company’s high customer retention, satisfaction, and measured ROI targets. Brant began his career at Sapient, a leading interactive services consultant, and has held founding management team positions at two technology start-up companies. Obsidiana.com, a Latin American web portal network for women, was acquired by StarMedia Network in 2001. ProcessMAP, an ASP for environmental, health and safety management solutions, is an innovator and leader in its category. Brant is a proud native of Mississippi and earned his BS in Management Information Systems from the University of Alabama, home of the Crimson Tide. Roll Tide!

Outside of Bazaarvoice, Brant and his wife Andrea spend nearly all of their time with baby daughter Naomi, who was born in May 2008. When they can score a babysitter, they try to catch live music at Stubb’s or The Backyard and hit their favorite Austin restaurants. Uchi, Fonda San Miguel, Café Josie, Fino, Mars, and Mikado are their favorites!

Sam Decker, Chief Marketing Officer

Sam Decker is a recognized expert in eCommerce, word of mouth marketing, and direct marketing. A frequent speaker at marketing and eCommerce events and author of an award-winning marketing blog (www.deckermarketing.com), Sam brings more than 15 years of marketing and online retailing experience to Bazaarvoice. As Chief Marketing Officer, Sam is responsible for leading Bazaarvoice’s corporate marketing and PR.

Before joining Bazaarvoice, Sam spent seven years of leadership at Dell, Inc. in marketing, eBusiness, CRM, and customer-centricity. From 1999-2003, he led Dell's consumer web site, building Dell.com into the largest consumer eCommerce site at $3.5B in annual sales, and established global best practices in merchandising, analytics, product management, and operations. Sam pioneered Dell's customer-centricity strategy and customer segmentation using Six Sigma methodology. Later he directed marketing for Dell's $1B+ installed-based marketing division, responsible for eBusiness, marketing communications and brand management. Before Dell, Sam spent more than six years leading marketing at B2C and B2B startups and became a pioneer in online community building. Prior to that, he consulted with companies such as Apple, Claris, Adobe, and Borland to help them develop word of mouth and loyalty marketing strategies.

Sam has authored two books on word of mouth and guerilla marketing, serves on the board of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), is president of Austin Texchange, and serves on the board of advisors for the Web Analytics Association. He holds a BS in Business Marketing Management from California Polytechnic University.

Sam is originally from the California Bay Area, but the great barbecue, lakes, and friendly people make Austin his home. Away from work, Sam spends time with his top three priorities: his wife, three sons, and daughter. Sam aspires to one day enjoy an impressive collection of unused technology, get his money's worth out of Netflix, tap into a growing stack of unopened business books, and share ideas on his blog once in awhile for how to lead, live and market in a world where customers do the talking.

Heather Brunner, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Client Services

Heather oversees Bazaarvoice’s industry-leading services organization as it helps companies gain higher ROI from social commerce initiatives. Her team sets the standard for professional services, implementation support, content moderation, and community management for businesses around the world.

Heather has built a career delivering technology to create business value for both privately-funded new ventures and Fortune 500 companies. Before joining Bazaarvoice, Heather served as President and CEO of Nuvo, a wholly owned subsidiary of Trilogy and provider of managed network services, and she was previously COO for B-Side, a privately funded entertainment technology company. She has held various other executive management roles at leading technology companies, including Coremetrics, Trilogy, and Concero, where she led a team of 130 business and consulting professionals. She was also a practice director at Oracle, where she led the grounds-up development of the Central Texas enterprise sales and consulting practice, building an $18 million book of business in less than 18 months. She began her career at Accenture, where she ascended to Senior Manager in less than five years.

Heather holds a bachelor's degree in international economics from Trinity University and is an active, almost decade long volunteer with the Capital Area United Way, serving on the Community Impact Cabinet, the “working board” of the organization. In her free time, she enjoys time with her husband Brian and two wonderful daughters, Summer and Sienna, rocking out with her iPod at the gym, or attending yoga class.

Michael Osborne, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales

Michael is responsible for driving Bazaarvoice's growth through expansion of the client base and revenue. Prior to joining Bazaarvoice, Michael served as Director of Client Services at Coremetrics where he led a large team of Account Executives and Account Analysts responsible for more than $30 million in annualized revenue. Michael and his team directly managed and grew the relationships with clients such as Bank of America, Victoria's Secret, Columbia House, and many more. Michael's expertise is in sales leadership, achieving growth goals, and building and motivating world-class teams of sales and service people coupled with a strong understanding of how online businesses operate.

Michael previously worked as Presales and Partner Manager at Trilogy Software, an enterprise software firm specializing in solving the most complex business problems through technology solutions. Michael worked directly with Accenture and IBM Global Services to facilitate Trilogy implementations across numerous financial services clients. Before that, Michael worked with companies such as Intel and Microsoft, leveraging his BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

When not in the office, Michael can be found on a golf course chasing that ever-elusive 80, or in his back yard playing fetch with his Jack Russell terrier, Icarus. Michael is an avid photographer and well versed in all things technological. When friends need a recommendation on which new gadget to buy or how to install the one they just bought, Michael is usually their first call. He's a self-proclaimed “Grill Master” and someone who just might be caught singing karaoke from time to time.

Mike Svatek, Vice President of Product Strategy

Mike drives Bazaarvoice’s long-term product strategy and market roadmap. He works with global, strategic clients to understand their long-range business plans and ensure Bazaarvoice’s roadmap is strategically aligned with the world’s most respected retailers and manufacturers. Prior to joining Bazaarvoice, he was a founding executive at Baynote, a market leader in recommendations and social search. As the senior executive responsible for product management and marketing, Mike defined the core products and positioning and launched the company out of stealth mode. Mike oversaw the growth of Baynote’s products and markets, culminating in hundreds of customer deployments globally. Prior to Baynote, Mike was Director of Product Management at Interwoven, and he has held various leadership positions in marketing, product management, and application development at Cisco Systems, Dell, and ExxonMobil.

Mike is an accomplished speaker and has published industry articles related to Internet technologies including social technologies, search and content management. He has appeared as a guest lecturer at Stanford University. Mike holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, and a BBA from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas, Austin.

When not at Bazaarvoice, Mike enjoys winning office pools for college football and pretending the NFL doesn’t exist in order to salvage his overall record. Mike is a proud native Austinite whose love for technology and entrepreneurship took him to the San Francisco Bay Area for a decade where he developed a love of sushi and the outdoors. An avid runner and hiker, Mike can be found most weekends lost in the hills around Austin, or with his wife, Shannon, and his new son, Dalton.

Ken Saunders, Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer at Bazaarvoice, Ken manages strategic financial concerns for this fast-growing company, as well as leading the team responsible for day-to-day finance, IT, and human operations.

A Pennsylvania native, he brings 25 years of experience in accounting and finance to Bazaarvoice. After graduating from Widener University in Philadelphia, he received his CPA while working in auditing and consulting with Arthur Andersen. He spent the bulk of his professional career in technology in California, first as CFO of start-up Risk Data Corporation, which was later acquired by HNC Software (NASDAQ) where, as CFO, he lead the merger with Fair Isaac Corporation (NYSE) and remained on as CFO of the combined organizations. He subsequently became part of the turnaround team of Peregrine Systems (NASDAQ) in San Diego. Most recently he was CFO of Open Solutions, an enterprise software company, where he helped them double in size before taking the company private. He has global experience in mergers and acquisitions as well as significant experience with international accounting and finance, capital markets, and high tech growth companies.

When not at work, Ken enjoys spending time with his wife, Christen and their three children, as well as relaxing over a cigar and riding his Harley-Davidson or horses when he gets the chance.

Andy Maag, Vice President of Engineering

Andy Maag oversees all technology research and development for Bazaarvoice. Andy brings more than 10 years of expertise in software research and development to the Bazaarvoice management team. Prior to joining Bazaarvoice, Andy spent six years at Trilogy Software where he held multiple research, development, and technical management roles. Most recently, he was a Senior Research Scientist where he developed data mining algorithms for applications in the eCommerce space. Prior to Trilogy, Andy worked for Hewlett Packard as a software developer on the HP-UX Operating System, and held positions at eBay and Apple. He holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science from Stanford University.

When not at work, Andy is probably focused on one of his “hobbies” which are really just an excuse to own some form of transportation. He is an avid pilot, holding FAA commercial ratings in airplanes and gliders. Keep an eye out for his future book, Airplanes without Engines and Other Ridiculous Hobbies. He also enjoys running and cycling in an attempt to stay in shape.

Andy Leaver, Vice President of International Sales

Andy manages Bazaarvoice’s international expansion. He’s responsible for growing our international footprint, with current offices in London, Paris and Singapore.

Andy comes to Bazaarvoice with nearly two decades of experience building out EMEA operations for technology leaders. Most recently he led the EMEA team for two years at SuccessFactors, where his team won over 350 customers. Prior to SuccessFactors, Andy was the EMEA VP for Ariba, delivered the first large projects with Microsoft Consulting, and worked directly with the board and Jack Welch at General Electric.

Andy spends his spare time with his family – two daughters, Roame and Ethne. He lives in London and on the South Coast of England, where he gets to experience the fast pace of London and the slower pace of being on the water. Andy believes life is about variety, and loves the variety of travel, food and culture.

Greg Brown, Vice President of North American Sales

Greg oversees Bazaarvoice’s revenue in North America. Since joining the team in 2006, Greg has held several positions with the company, most recently with the Retail and Travel verticals. Prior to that, Greg was a Sales Director responsible for selling to retailers in the Central U.S.

Prior to joining Bazaarvoice, Greg held various management, sales and account management positions with enterprise software organizations and startups in Austin. Greg was first introduced to the power of word of mouth while working with J.D. Power and Associates, and jumped at the chance to join an organization with a vision of how to transform the shopping experience for shoppers, retailers, and manufacturers alike. He graduated from Miami University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Psychology.

Greg likes to think of himself as the Lance Armstrong of the company. Most would say that’s because he is one of the more “mature” members of the team, but Greg likes to think that his cycling abilities best resemble Lance’s. Or, it could simply be that they both have a house in Austin and a deep appreciation for Mexican food. Outside of work and working out, Greg spends all remaining free time with his wife and kids. When asked what he wants to do when he grows up, Greg’s top three choices (in order) are: an usher at Wrigley Field (since the Cubs won’t take him as their second baseman); a photographer for the live music scene in Austin (since he can’t sing, lip sync, dance, or play an instrument); or a bicycle mechanic (since he’s too slow to compete).

Marc Ostryniec, Vice President of Manufacturing Division

Marc is responsible for leading Bazaarvoice’s expansion into manufacturing verticals, including consumer electronics, consumer packaged goods, durables, and food.

Through the course of his career, Marc has worked with many of the world’s leading companies on transformation programs covering channel optimization, consumer marketing, and real-time decisioning. Prior to coming to Bazaarvoice, Marc was a Vice President with Tata Consultancy Services, heading the presales organization for the Americas. Marc has also held leadership roles at Chordiant Software where he was the Director of Presales, and Trilogy as a Presales and Product Manager. Marc holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Marc lives with his wife and two children in Austin, Texas. When not in the office he can be found swimming at Deep Eddy pool and spending time with his family. Marc is an avid mountain biker, but for now that bike has a kid-trailer attached, and makes it about as far as patience from the back seat allows.

Zach Hotchkiss, Director of Market Development

Zach manages the Market Development team, responsible for lead generation and opportunity creation supporting Bazaarvoice’s North American Sales Directors. His team is responsible for generating over 500 new opportunities a quarter, and providing sales assistance throughout the closing process.

A native Texan, Zach’s passion for technology and sales has had him riding the dot.com/technology wave in Austin since 1999. Bazaarvoice’s tenth employee, Zach is the most tenured sales person on the team. He started out at Bazaarvoice as a Market Developer in 2006, developed into a successful Sales Director, and now manages the large market development team for retail, manufacturing, financial services, media, and new verticals.

Zach loves what he’s doing, and he loves working for Bazaarvoice. Ask him about his work and he’ll tell you he can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning and hit it hard! His personal interests include his family, his dog, exercise, walking Lady Bird Lake, cooking, raw vegan food, working on his house, and music.