Meet Your Multi-Cloud Solutions Team
Led by cloud and technology experts, our team is made up of creative minds driven by a desire to bring multi-cloud innovation to the masses.
We identify impossible problems. Then we solve them.
We’re a group of analytical problem solvers. Nothing makes our team feel more alive than facing a complex problem that seems impossible to solve, because we won’t take no for an answer. We value creative thinking, regardless of role, and will do whatever it takes to deliver solutions that drive value for our customers.
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Enabling a data-first world.
“With our industry-shaping patent portfolio and expertise in cloud and data, we’re leading the charge in enabling a data-first world. We’re driven by the fundamental idea that data is one of the most valuable and powerful assets a company possesses, and we’re giving organizations of all sizes the tools they need to harness a competitive business advantage.”
– Sean Charnock, CEO
Leadership
Sean Charnock
CEO
Sean is a proven technology entrepreneur and executive with a track record of successful ventures. Prior to becoming Faction CEO in 2019, he served as President on the Faction Executive Board. Before joining Faction, Sean was President of Humach, where he led the expansion and evolution of the company’s technology portfolio and key technology partnerships and guided corporate strategy. Sean was also Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President at ISIGHT Partners (acquired by FireEye in 2016), where he led all aspects of the business, including operations, engineering and product development, product management, global intelligence, and customer success.
Sean was co-founder and Senior Vice President of SoftLayer Technologies, which was acquired in 2013 by IBM for more than $2 billion. He gained extensive international experience spearheading global business development efforts for Efficient Networks, where he led manufacturing efforts, established OEM/ODM business partnerships, and enhanced their worldwide footprint prior to an acquisition by Siemen’s AG for $1.5 billion.
Sean’s vast experience also includes work as an investment banker and operating partner with DH Capital, a New York investment bank focused on strategic growth financing for internet infrastructure, telecommunications, and SaaS firms. Sean continues to be an active technology investor, and he maintains multiple board and advisory roles. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Banking from the University of North Florida, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Regis University.
Luke Norris
Founder, Executive Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer
Luke founded Faction under the name Elementek in 2006 and has been the driving force behind Faction’s expansion from a hosted private cloud provider to a leader in multi-cloud services. In 2019, Luke’s role transitioned from CEO to Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer. He is focused on driving Faction’s vision and innovation, with an emphasis on Faction’s key partnerships and technology portfolio. Prior to Faction, Luke was the Manager of the Integrated Operations Center at SunGard Availability Services, where he was responsible for the operations of over 5 million square feet of data center space worldwide. Before joining SunGard, he was the Senior Security Officer for Kroll Factual Data and chaired the Mortgage Information Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) security group.
Luke has authored nine US patents, is a three-time nominee for the Denver Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” award and has been named one of ColoradoBiz’s “25 Most Influential Young Professionals.” He has been a distinguished presenter at VMworld in both Barcelona and San Francisco.
Matt Wallace
CTO
As Chief Technology Officer, Matt is responsible for product development, managed and professional services, and architecting Faction’s cloud infrastructure offerings. Prior to Faction, Matt worked 20 years in technology roles at both startups and Fortune 500 companies, including leadership roles at Level 3 Communications, ViaWest, and Exodus Communications, among others.
Matt is the co-author of “Securing the Virtual Environment: How to Defend the Enterprise Against Attack”, one of the first books to holistically address cloud security concerns. Matt attended the University of California at Santa Cruz and is an official member of the Forbes Technology Council.
Derek Pilling
CFO
Derek joined Faction as Chief Financial Officer in 2020 and leads the company’s finance and accounting functions. Derek co-founded Workhorse Capital in 2016, leading the firm’s strategic and operational direction. Derek represents Workhorse on the Boards of Directors of Datavail, Inc. and Traackr, Inc.
Previously, Derek was a Managing Director of Meritage Funds, a multi-stage private investment firm. He led Meritage’s efforts to reposition itself as a growth-equity firm during the firm’s 2008 formation of Meritage Fund III. Derek was active in the firm’s sourcing and marketing efforts, originating a number of the firm’s investments, including EdgeConneX, Faction, and Crisp Media.
Derek continues to represent Meritage on the Board of Directors of Faction. He has held a number of operating and financial advisory positions in the tech-enabled services segment, including Chief Executive Officer of IP Commerce and Vice President of NetLibrary. Derek’s prior experience also includes work as an investment banker with the Wallach Company and A.G. Edwards & Sons. Derek is a graduate of Indiana University and The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where he graduated with honors.
Eric Culp
Co-Founder & VP of Operations
Eric has been with the company since its founding and has grown with the business into his role as Vice President of Operations. Eric is responsible for all aspects of technical operations at Faction including client onboarding, implementation, and 24/7 support, as well as platform uptime and engineering. Eric earned a Bachelor of Science in Business with a focus on Information Systems from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
John Drake
SVP of Strategic Alliances
John joined Faction in 2012 and leads strategic technology and go-to-market relationships. In this role, he is responsible for developing go-to-market strategies, spearheading product integrations, aligning joint-services offerings, and driving marketing and enablement initiatives with our strategic alliance partners. John has played a significant part in the company’s year-over-year double-digit growth.
Prior to Faction, John served as Commercial Account Manager, Senior Technical Consultant, and Senior Systems Engineer at EMC Corporation, where he managed all commercial accounts for their Rocky Mountain Region. He brings to Faction more than 17 years of experience in the IT industry. John holds a Master in Business Administration from the University of Colorado as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Regis University.
Brian Hoekelman
VP of Product
Brian joined Faction in May of 2018 and leads the Product Management organization. In his role, Brian oversees the company's product portfolio across on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. He has consistently evolved Faction's product roadmap of cloud-attached storage and cloud data services, leveraging the company's patented Faction Internetwork eXchange (FIX) networking fabric.
Prior to Faction, Brian has held numerous product leadership roles at organizations including Level 3, Time Warner Telecom, and Qwest Communications. Brian created the cloud-networking portfolio at Time Warner Telecom and led multiple joint development efforts with AWS, Microsoft, and Google. Brian holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunications from the University of Denver and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Oregon State University.
Josh Mariea
VP of Strategic Accounts
Josh is responsible for Faction’s strategic account development, sales, and enablement strategies. He was promoted to the role of Vice President after serving as Faction’s Director of Business Development from 2010 to 2011. Under his sales leadership, Faction grew sales by more than 300 percent and expanded the company’s customer base by more than 5000 percent.
Prior to joining Faction, Josh served in several sales management roles at technology companies such as ISC and CenturyLink, providing advanced networking solutions to government, education, and commercial markets. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Colorado State University.
Heather Allen
VP of Marketing
Heather joined Faction in 2022. She owns all aspects of marketing, including go-to-market strategy, demand generation, ABM campaigns, channel marketing and sales enablement. Heather has an extensive, 20+ year career in B2B and channel marketing across cloud computing, networking and cybersecurity. She has spearheaded the creation of partner development programs, led growth marketing initiatives, and fueled pipeline development through integrated sales and marketing campaigns.
Jeff Heller
VP of Engineering
Jeff leads Faction’s product engineering and architecture teams, having more than 25 years of experience in software and hardware engineering leadership. Prior to Faction, he worked at NetApp where he led many teams including NetApp’s Advanced Technology Group and the WAFL file system team. Jeff is an author on 5 issued patents in the area of the WAFL file system and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Brandeis University.
Lauren Rosario
VP of Finance, Planning & Analysis
Lauren leads Faction's accounting, audit, cash management, revenue billing, capital and budget planning, debt/lease financing, purchasing and procurement activities. Prior to Faction, she was senior manager of FP&A and sales operations for ReadyTalk and senior financial analyst for Good Morning America.
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Create a competitive business advantage with multi-cloud.
Faction is a global leader in multi-cloud data services, helping data-rich organizations of all sizes realize the true value of their data.
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