People and Positions: PhotoChannel Appoints President. Oracle Hires Lockhart. Parker Joins Benchmark.

December 1, 2000

SHORT TAKES

PHOTOCHANNEL APPOINTS PRESIDENT & COO

Vancouver, BRITISH COLUMBIA — PhotoChannel Networks Inc., an open, global digital imaging network, announced the appointment of Ranjit Mulgaonkar to President & Chief Operating Officer of PhotoChannel, Inc., the U.S. operating subsidiary of PhotoChannel Networks Inc. Mr. Mulgaonkar has over eighteen years of experience in networking, e-commerce, digital printing, desktop publishing and digital imaging technologies. He has represented many high technology companies in product marketing, business development, engineering and executive capacities. Mr. Mulgaonkar joins the Company from Network Commerce Inc., a global technology infrastructure and services company, where he served as Senior Vice President. During his 18-month tenure at Network Commerce Inc., he established their e- business services division and was also responsible for b2bnow.com, a global business-to-business marketplace and directory with more than 950,000 businesses in more than 230 countries. Prior to Network Commerce Inc., he served as General Manager of products at iCat Corporation, an organization providing e-commerce solutions. Intel Online Services, a division of Intel Corp., purchased iCat in 1999. He also served as Vice President and General Manager of Moore Corporation’s interactive marketing solutions, a pioneer in one to one digital printing technology. Additionally, Mr. Mulgaonkar has held management positions in Xerox Corporation and Aldus Corporation, now a part of Adobe Systems Inc. He earned a masters degree in Computer Science from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and an undergraduate degree in Electronics and Telecommunications from Poona, India.

“I am pleased and delighted to join such a progressive organization committed to providing an open, global digital imaging network. The opportunities with PhotoChannel are only limited to one’s imagination,” commented Mr. Mulgaonkar. “We are very excited to have Ranjit join our team,” states Geoffrey G. Briant, Chairman and CEO. “Ranjit is a highly respected professional who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and negotiating skills. He will be directly responsible for the implementation of the organization’s long term strategic objectives.” Arthur Tesser, the former President & Chief Operating Officer of PhotoChannel, Inc., has left the Company to pursue personal business interests.

JNI NAMES WADDINGTON PRESIDENT

San Diego, CALIF. — JNI Corporation, the fastest growing Fibre Channel host bus adapter company in 1999, named Neal M. Waddington, 53, as president and chief executive officer. With more than 15 years of experience in executive leadership positions, most notably with Quantum ATL, EMC, Tandem and Unisys, Waddington will use his proven ability to execute on growth strategies to drive JNI’s continued expansion as the premier provider of enterprise-level Fibre Channel solutions. Waddington fills the posts being vacated by Terry M. Flanagan, Ph.D., who announced his decision to retire last September. Flanagan, who turns 63 in January, served as president and chief executive officer since the company was first organized as a business unit of former sister company Jaycor in 1993. Flanagan will act as a consultant to JNI over the next 12 months, and will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Directors.

“Neal has demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout his career,” said Terry Flanagan, outgoing CEO and president, JNI. “His strong track record of successfully taking emerging companies to the $500 million level and beyond, as well as his comprehensive operational background and varied experience with servers, software, and primary as well as secondary storage systems, positions him well to lead JNI’s future growth.” “As the Solaris and Unix market leader in the Fibre Channel space, JNI has a great future, and I’m excited to be a part of it,” said Waddington. “The company has a strong experienced management group, and I am eager to work as part of this team to continue to execute and expand the existing JNI vision and strategy, and pursue the kinds of growth opportunities that will bring JNI to the next level.” “Terry’s vision and leadership took JNI from an idea to a publicly-held company growing 30 percent per quarter with a $120-million-run rate in just a few short years,” said Waddington. “This is a phenomenal accomplishment that has set JNI on a firm path for continued growth. Terry’s insight and experience will continue to be a guiding force for JNI as part of our Board, and I look forward to working closely with Terry over the next year.” “JNI’s Board of Directors is pleased to have found a CEO of Neal’s caliber to succeed Terry,” said Eric Wenaas, chairman, JNI. “Neal’s experience and vision will help drive JNI’s growth, while his industry knowledge and relationships will be key to the execution of the company’s strategic plan. We are confident Neal will be able to lead and develop JNI’s business as we continue to define and deliver the next generation of products for enterprise-level storage networks.”

ORACLE HIRES LOCKHART

Redwood Shores, CALIF. — Oracle Corp, the world’s No.2 software maker, said on Tuesday it hired former White House press secretary, Joe Lockhart, as a member of its senior management team. The Redwood Shores, California-based company said Lockhart will focus initially on “refining and communicating Oracle’s business strategy.” Lockhart, who has held numerous high-level communications posts in U.S. politics, will report directly to Oracle Chairman and Chief Executive Larry Ellison, the company said. “Joe will help us clearly and broadly communicate the benefits of e-business and e-government,” Ellison said in a prepared statement. Lockhart will remain in Washington D.C., where he lives with his wife and daughter, but will spend one to two weeks a month in Silicon Valley, the company said.

“Oracle is laying the foundation for the way business will be done in the future, but the impact of what this company has to offer is still not widely understood,” Lockhart said in the statement. “I look forward to playing a role in helping Oracle to become a household name.” Oracle shares finished off $1 at $23-1/8 on the Nasdaq on Monday. The stock has a 52-week high of $46-7/16 and a 52-week low of $16-3/4.

STORAGE INDUSTRY EXECUTIVE JOINS BENCHMARK

Boulder, COLO. — Benchmark Storage Innovations, Inc., the value line DLT storage solutions company, announced that storage industry veteran Jess Parker has joined its management team as executive vice president of operations. Parker will direct all of Benchmark’s production, test and assembly, contributing to the company’s success as it quickly ramps up manufacturing of its DLT storage products to meet large OEM customer demands. He brings 17 years of senior operational experience within the storage industry. “The addition of Jess Parker to our senior management team is a key component in helping Benchmark effectively deliver its products to the marketplace,” explained Lew Frauenfelder, president and CEO. “His in-depth experience in volume production and efficiently managing operations for storage companies is of significant value as we strive to maintain the best-of-breed service level to our customers.”

Prior to joining Benchmark, Parker served as senior vice president of operations for Conner Technology, Inc. Before Conner Technology, he served as senior vice president of U.S. and European operations for Seagate Technology and as senior vice president of manufacturing operations at Conner Peripherals and Archive Corporation. He brings a wealth of experience, from establishing and overseeing emerging, early stage growth companies’ production processes to running and managing major multi-million dollar storage companies’ operations departments. Benchmark is associated with some of the industry’s most prominent OEM customers and library partners. In recent months, Benchmark secured major contracts for its DLT1 products from industry giants Dell Computer Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). In addition, it also has customer relationships with Tandberg Data ASA, Advanced Digital Information Corp., Breece Hill Technologies, M4 Data, Overland Data Inc. and Qualstar. The company anticipates its production volume to significantly increase over the next three to four months and remain strong in response to current and future OEM demands. Benchmark’s products include the DLT1, which offers 80 GB of compressed capacity and a 6 MB/second compressed transfer rate; the DLT7, a seven-cartridge, 560 GB compressed capacity autoloader; and, its most recent addition – a new half-high DLT1 drive with the same price/performance as its original DLT1, but with a much smaller footprint. Benchmark also recently announced the closing of its third and largest round of funding to date, securing more than $40 million in financing. Previous investors backed the company’s current round of funding along with several new industry players, including Advanced Digital Information Corp. (ADIC), Lafe Holdings Limited and StorageTek. For more information, access Benchmark’s web site at http://www.4Benchmark.com .

GARY GREEN JOINS VA LINUX

Fremont, CALIF. — VA Linux Systems, Inc. announced that it has named Gary Green as vice president of strategic sales. Mr. Green will be responsible for the growth of VA Linux Systems’ major enterprise accounts, including VA’s Global 2000 customers, on a worldwide basis. Gary Green will report directly to Robert Russo, VA Linux Systems’ senior vice president and general manager of worldwide sales, marketing and services. Gary Green joins VA Linux Systems from Synopsys, Inc. where he served most recently as vice president of global strategic sales. During his seven years at Synopsys, Mr. Green helped to build the company’s strategic account sales organization, more than doubling the average size of Synopsys’ top accounts within three years.

“In order to expand VA Linux Systems’ business with the Global 2000 and focus on key vertical markets, it’s essential that we develop long-term collaborative relationships with our customers,” said Robert Russo, senior vice president and general manager of worldwide sales, marketing and services, VA Linux Systems. “Gary Green brings valuable experience in building sales teams, programs and alliances dedicated to making large corporate customers successful in all aspects of their business.” Prior to joining Synopsys, Gary Green held a variety of positions in sales at Ingres and Mentor Graphics Corp. Mr. Green has a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

JOHN TERPSTRA JOINS CALDERA SYSTEMS

Orem, UTAH — Caldera Systems, Inc., a “Linux for Business” leader, announced the appointment of John H. Terpstra to the position of technology vice president and OEM strategist. Terpstra, a former TurboLinux executive and cofounder of the SAMBA project, joins Caldera’s chief technology office. At Caldera, Terpstra will guide product development and continue to act as liaison to the Open Source development community. Terpstra is well known for his involvement with Open Source development and its standardization process. “John’s strong relationship with the Open Source community and his unique ability to clearly communicate complex technological issues to diverse audiences will be significant additions to Caldera,” said Ransom Love, president and CEO of Caldera Systems, Inc. “His familiarity with Linux, UNIX and Windows NT technologies will be key to Caldera’s success in developing and managing open Internet infrastructure solutions needed in business today.”

“I share Caldera’s enthusiasm for working with Linux and UNIX technologies and look forward to additional opportunities in expanding Internet business applications,” Terpstra said. “My experience with Caldera demonstrates that they have the talent, the vision, the passion, and the resources to realize their industry-specific goals.” At TurboLinux, Terpstra designed and managed the development of workstation and server products, trained VARs and negotiated sales deals with enterprise business partners. Prior to his position at TurboLinux, Terpstra served as the chief executive officer for Aquasoft Pty. Ltd., where he managed a global network of IT specialists and the training for Linux, UNIX and Windows NT technologies. Previous to Aquasoft, Terpstra served as national sales manager for InfoLink Computer Services and marketing manager for Houseman (Aust.) Pty. Ltd., a division of Portals, Ltd., UK. Terpstra holds a certificate in Chemistry from the Queensland Institute of Technology and a graduate diploma in marketing, with credit, from the NSW Institute of Technology in Australia.

OMG ANNOUNCES DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Needham, MASS. — The Object Management Group, a software consortium responsible for establishing distributed computing specifications, is pleased to announce its new Director of Business Development, Ms. Nicole Glazen. Ms. Glazen joins the OMG staff as Director of Business Development where she will be managing the business development activities of OMG including recruiting new members and generating interest in the industry at large. Nicole is also responsible for the management and overall contact with OMG’s International Partners. She has a solid sales background, oftentimes exceeding company goals for sales in past positions, which include work in high technology markets. At her most recent position as Director of Business Development at Educational Multimedia Corporation (Boston, MA), Ms. Glazen developed new business partnerships/VAR opportunities and sold customized, integrated training solutions within the Global market. She holds a BA in Marketing, Communications and Design from American University.

“I am absolutely thrilled to join OMG’s dynamic team. I look forward to working with our future members as well as our current members, to solidify new relationships and to contribute to our mutual success,” said Ms. Glazen. With the support of its membership of software vendors, software developers and end users, the OMG’s CORBA is “The Middleware That’s Everywhere.” Since 1989, the OMG has been “Setting The Standards For Distributed Computing” through its mission to promote the theory and practice of object technology for the development of distributed computing systems.

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