Management

Robert F. Byrne
Chief Executive Officer
As CEO and co-founder of Terra Technology, Robert Byrne is honored to work with some of the world’s leading CPG companies and thrilled to have Terra ranked in the top five on CGT’s Reader’s Choice awards for 4 consecutive years. Working with customers like Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Kraft Foods, Kimberly-Clark, ConAgra Foods and Campbell Soup, Terra pioneered the first demand sensing solution, using better mathematics and downstream data to improve supply chain performance. Prior to establishing Terra, Robert led the supply chain consulting practices at J.D. Edwards and Numetrix, and held management positions at James River and Unilever. He has degrees from Princeton University and Carnegie Mellon. Robert has been a Supply & Demand Chain Executive Pro to Know since 2007.

Piet Buyck
General Manager, Europe
Piet Buyck is responsible for increasing Terra's global presence. Prior to joining Terra's team Piet held management positions throughout Europe and the United States, most recently as Vice President, Sales Western Europe, at Kronos. Prior to working at Kronos, Piet was Country Manager, Benelux for Captor and Director of Strategic Accounts at Manugistics. He holds degrees in Law and Economics as well as an MBA from the University of Antwerp.

David S. Byrne
Vice President Engineering
David Byrne has been involved with Terra Technology since the company’s founding and currently serves as the VP of Engineering. His extensive software industry experience prior to joining Terra Technology includes over 12 years working for Microsoft as a senior software engineer and project leader in networking, operating systems, source code control systems, programming languages, and digital television. He is the co–inventor on five U.S. patents. David earned a BA in Computer Science from Yale University.

Hongliang Dai, Ph.D.
Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Hongliang Dai has been CTO for Terra Technology since co-founding the company in March 2001. Prior to joining Terra’s management team, Hong spent 12 years developing supply chain software for Appareon, Inc., J.D. Edwards and Numetrix and was associate professor, aircraft engines at the University of Nanjing Aeronautics and Aerospace. He holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Nanjing Aeronautics and Aerospace and a Ph.D. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Stas Grishin, Ph.D. 
Executive Vice President of Research and Product Management
Dr. Stas Grishin developed the mathematics for Terra’s first software solution in 2001. Prior to forming Terra, Stas designed and implemented forecasting, inventory optimization, deployment planning and strategic optimization models for J.D. Edwards (now Oracle). He holds a Diploma with Honors in Mathematics from Moscow State University and a Ph.D. in Stochastic Analysis from Princeton University.

Dilip Kuppuswami
Chief Financial Officer
Dilip Kuppuswami is responsible for managing Terra’s finances to support the company’s rapid growth. Most recently, Dilip worked at Oracle as the Chief Financial Officer of Sophoi. He has over 15 years of financial management experience within a variety of public and private software/technology companies, including senior management positions at Caymas Systems, Network Chemistry, Internet Barter and Synopsys. Dilip holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

John Lash
Vice President of Marketing and Strategy
John Lash leads Terra Technology’s brand, global communication and marketing efforts, and works with the executive team to explore strategic directions for the company and its solutions. Prior to joining Terra, John held leadership positions in the environmental sustainability and high tech industries, with more than 20 years of experience in marketing, business development, strategy, sales and mergers and acquisitions. John holds an Honors Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Larry Layden
Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Care
Larry Layden is responsible for helping consumer products companies identify ways to improve supply chain performance through demand-driven initiatives. Prior to joining Terra, Larry spent 11 years as a senior business development supply chain executive for IBM. Throughout his career Larry has helped consumer goods companies extend their supply chain planning and execution to become demand-driven and achieve best-in-class results, which have been published by AMR Research. Prior to working for IBM, Larry spent five years as a senior management consultant for Ernst & Young and an additional five years as an operations manager in the cell culture division of Sigma Chemical. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Central Methodist University.