Softeq Bolsters Global Growth with C-Suite Additions

Softeq Development Corporation (Softeq), a Houston-based global hardware and software services development company serving Fortune 500 companies, today announced several strategic additions to their executive team: Craig Ceccanti, Chief Operating Officer, Albert Esser, Chief Delivery Officer, and Edwin Lemus, Chief People Officer joined the company effective June 1. After a record year in 2022 with 70% financial growth and the expansion of operations to 22 countries, Softeq adds to its leadership and solidifies its global presence as an agile, consultative partner for clients and startups alike.

"With the significant growth of our engineering services business plus the addition of our Venture Studio and $40 million Venture Fund, we saw an opportunity to welcome new leaders with global experience and fresh thinking to continue evolving our business and scaling for the future," said Christopher A. Howard, founder and CEO of Softeq. "This is a huge investment in our team, and with the addition of these three leaders to our C-suite we will centralize our global leadership team in Houston while providing support and expertise to our team across 22 countries and clients worldwide."

Craig Ceccanti, Chief Operating Officer, joins Softeq from T-Minus Solutions, a custom software development company he founded and served as CEO and President. Before that, Ceccanti founded Pinot's Palette, a retail entertainment franchise with 130+ locations in the U.S. and Canada, and sEATz, a software startup revolutionizing the concession and in-seat experience at sporting and entertainment events. Craig has a BS in Computer Science, a BA in MIS, and an MBA from Rice, where he also serves on the faculty at the Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business. In his new role as COO at Softeq, Ceccanti will work with CEO Chris Howard to oversee the day-to-day operations of the company and improve internal and external processes.

Albert Esser, Chief Delivery Officer, brings 30 years of experience in technology and consulting. Prior to joining the team, Esser began his career as a Staff Scientist at Daimler AG. He subsequently held leadership positions at GE, Emerson, Hilti, and Dell, where he worked on various high-profile projects worldwide. At Softeq, he will lead the delivery organization including Solutions Engineering, Project Management, and Resource Management. Esser will expand the team's capabilities and agility by adding to the global network of consultants. He'll also ensure Softeq leads the way in emerging new technologies like IoT, AI/ML, vision systems, industrial automation, robotics, cloud applications, and cyber security.

Edwin Lemus, Chief People Officer, joins the Softeq team with 22 years of experience leading people and talent-related programs globally for technology enterprises. Lemus recently led the People Experience organization for a cybersecurity company where he designed and executed their people experience strategy centered on building a destination culture for employees. Lemus previously held the position of Director of the Americas for a technology company where he successfully expanded their LATAM region that included a new R&D center in Mexico City. Lemus will further elevate the company's people operations team and will build a cohesive company culture with an increasingly distributed workforce in 22 offices around the world.

To learn more about the company, its capabilities, mission, values, and strategies, visit the Softeq website at www.softeq.com/about.

About Softeq Development Corporation

Founded in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Softeq Development Corporation provides early-stage innovation, technology business consulting, and technical solutions to enterprise companies and innovative startups. The company's clients are often disrupting existing industries or going through digital transformation?an effort that requires a broad range of business and technical skills. Softeq offers a full spectrum of consulting services plus full-stack software, firmware, and hardware engineering services all under one roof and delivered by 400+ employees globally. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas, and maintains sales and delivery offices in Los Angeles, London, and Munich, Germany. The company's development centers are based in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Monterrey, Mexico. Softeq bridges technology gaps in knowledge-intensive projects and builds end-to-end solutions for connected devices and IT systems from the ground up. To help clients transition from analog to digital, the company provides expertise in various trending technologies, including the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Industrial Automation, Robotics, Blockchain, and AR/VR. Softeq customers include Verizon, Epson, Microsoft, Lenovo, AMD, Disney, Intel, NVIDIA, Arrival, Halo by PAWS, and others.

In 2020, the company launched the Softeq Innovation Lab to provide an environment where corporate intrapreneurs and preeminent innovators from Houston and beyond can collaborate, create the technologies of tomorrow, and expedite the commercialization of ideas. In 2021, the Softeq Venture Studio was created to help early-stage startups build their products and get follow-on funding. The Softeq Venture Fund was launched in 2022 to provide capital to the Venture Studio and make follow-on investments in the top portfolio companies. Learn more at softeq.com.