Leadership Team
Joel Schuster
Chief Executive Officer
Ping Yao
Chief Technology Officer
Maria Wong
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Technology Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Optigo Networks’ industry leading suite of hardware and software solutions help build and maintain healthy building automation networks.
Joel Schuster is the CEO for Optigo Networks, a company that helps organizations build and maintain healthy networks throughout their smart building portfolios. He also sits on the board of directors.
Prior to joining Optigo’s executive team in 2021, Joel was Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel at APOLLO Exchange. He also held the role of Chief Legal Officer at Avigilon, a leading global provider of end-to-end security solutions, where he played an instrumental role in its eventual acquisition by Telecommunications giant, Motorola.
Joel has twice been nominated as a finalist for the Canadian General Counsel of the Year award, and was awarded the Innovatio Award for Law Department Leadership in 2017.
Joel holds two degrees from the University of Toronto, including a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree and an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.
Ping Yao is the Co-Founder and CTO of Optigo Networks, a company that helps organizations build and maintain healthy networks throughout their smart building portfolios. Many of the world’s largest commercial building owners and system integrators already deploy Optigo Networks’ solutions, including Siemens, Distech, Penn State University, CBRE, and many more.
In 2015, Optigo was named British Columbia’s Most Promising Startup by the BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA). That same year, Ping was recognized as one of 2015’s top entrepreneurs, executives and professionals by Business in Vancouver for excellence in business and for his dedication to his community.
Outside of Optigo, Ping sits on the Board of Directors of his local francophone pre-school, and can frequently be found in the gym training for an upcoming CrossFit competition.
Maria Wong is the Chief Financial Officer of Optigo Networks, a company that helps organizations build and maintain healthy networks throughout their smart building portfolios. Maria joined Optigo in 2017, and has held a variety of roles within the company before being appointed CFO in 2022.
In addition to owning her own small business, Maria has previously worked for the Government of Canada.
Maria holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University.
Mark Friend is the CRO at Optigo Networks, a company that helps organizations build and maintain healthy networks throughout their smart building portfolios. He also sits on the board of directors.
Prior to joining Optigo’s executive team in 2022, Mark was Executive Vice President of Growth at Carbon Lighthouse. Mark was also a co-founder of Maponics, a company that produces geographic boundary data, and was a key component of their success, culminating in an eventual acquisition by Pitney Bowes.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance from California State University, Fullerton.
John Attala is the Vice President of Marketing at Optigo Networks, a company that helps organizations build and maintain healthy networks throughout their smart building portfolios.
Prior to joining Optigo in 2022, John was Director of Marketing at Verdant Energy Management Solutions, a manufacturer of smart thermostats for commercial buildings, where he played a key role in growing sales and elevating the brand, leading to its acquisition by Emerson Electric in 2020.
John holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Concordia University.
James Whalen is a member of the Board of Directors at Optigo Networks, a company that helps organizations build and maintain healthy networks throughout their smart building portfolios.
In addition to serving Optigo’s board since 2017, James is currently
James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government from the University of Notre Dame.
