Leadership Team
Joel Schuster
Chief Executive Officer
Ping Yao
Chief Technology Officer
Joe Miller
Chief Financial Officer
Mark Friend
Chief Revenue Officer
Maria Wong
Vice President of Finance
John Attala
Vice President of Marketing
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Technology Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Revenue Officer
Vice President of Finance
Vice President of Marketing
Optigo Networks’ industry leading suite of hardware and software solutions help build and maintain healthy building automation networks.
Joel Schuster is our Chief Executive Officer. He also sits on the board of directors.
Prior to joining Optigo’s executive team in 2021, Joel 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 Chief Technology Officer of Optigo Networks.
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.
Joe Miller is the Chief Financial Officer at Optigo Networks.
Prior to joining Optigo in 2023, Joe held leadership roles across a breadth of industries including technology, energy, mining, education and construction.
With over 15 years of senior financial leadership experience, he has successfully led numerous enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations, built scalable finance organizations and has been instrumental in securing financings and developing comprehensive financial strategies to support business objectives.
Joe is a member of the Certified Professional Accountants of British Columbia and is a former Director of two non-profit organizations and a junior mining & exploration company in Vancouver.
Mark Friend is our Chief Revenue Officer, and his responsibilities include oversight over our network of sales associates.
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.
Maria Wong is the Vice President of Finance at Optigo Networks.
Maria joined Optigo in 2017, and has held a variety of roles within the company before being appointed Vice President of Finance in 2023.
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.
John Attala is the Vice President of Marketing at Optigo Networks.
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.
Bruce Marginson is a board member at Optigo Networks.
Bruce has over 40 years of experience in the private security industry where he has excelled as a leader, innovator, and team builder in senior executive positions in the corporate world. A serial entrepreneur, Bruce played a significant role as a founder/investor in Avigilon, one of British Columbia’s largest tech company exits that was sold for over 1.2 billion to telecommunications giant, Motorola.
Based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Bruce is a dedicated family man and community
leader who is currently in give-back mode by mentoring and investing in business
incubator/accelerator companies and other charitable and community initiatives.
Bruce is also an avid fisherman and has traveled the world pursuing this passion.
