COGNEX - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Our Board of Directors
Mr. Sun is Chairman of our Board of Directors, succeeding Cognex founder Dr. Robert "Bob" Shillman after his retirement in May 2021. Mr. Sun was the managing general partner and Chief Executive Officer of Venrock Associates, a venture capital partnership, from 1997 until his retirement in 2010. He joined Venrock in 1979 and was a general partner of Venrock from 1980 until 1997. Mr. Sun has served as a Director of Cognex since 1982 and was our Lead Independent Director prior to becoming Chairman. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of several private companies. Mr. Sun holds a B.S. and M.S. in Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Executive Vice President, Vision and ID Products
Mr. Gerst oversees global engineering and product development, product management, and product marketing for Cognex's Vision and ID products. Since joining Cognex in 1999, Mr. Gerst has been instrumental in managing and scaling the development, innovation, and performance of the company's products. Under his leadership, Cognex has released market-leading products in the areas of embedded vision systems, high-performance barcode readers, 3D dimensioning systems, vision-enabled mobile terminals, and logistics solutions. Prior to joining Cognex, Mr. Gerst held roles in engineering, sales, and product marketing for Hand Held Products (now Honeywell Imaging and Mobility), a leading supplier of Automatic Identification and Data Collection equipment. Mr. Gerst holds a B.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University and an M.B.A. from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester.
Dr. Parrotte has been an independent consultant to corporations, law firms and insurance companies on human resources matters involving employee health and wellness since 1995. Prior to that, she served as chief in charge of occupational health at Bath Iron Works (later acquired by General Dynamics) and on-site medical director at Polaroid Corporation. She has served as a Director of Cognex since 2018 and was a Cognex director from 1981, at the time of the Company's incorporation, to 1982. Dr. Parrotte holds an M.P.H. from the Medical College of Wisconsin, an M.D. from the Boston University School of Medicine and a B.A. from Boston University. She also completed the Penn State Executive Program.
Job Titles:
- President and Chief Executive Officer of MKS Instruments, Inc
Dr. Lee has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of MKS Instruments, Inc. (Nasdaq: MKSI), a global provider of technologies that enable advanced processes and improve productivity with nearly $3 billion in annual sales, since 2020. Prior to that, he held a series of progressive leadership roles after joining the company in 2007, including Chief Operating Officer from 2016 to 2019. Earlier in his career, Dr. Lee worked at various leading technology companies, including Applied Materials, Lucent Technologies, and AT&T Bell Labs. He currently serves on the MKS board of directors (since 2020) and as Vice Chair and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts High Technology Council (since 2021). Dr. Lee was appointed a Director of Cognex on May 4, 2022. He holds a B.S. from Princeton University and both an M.S.C.E.P. and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all in Chemical Engineering.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Senior Vice President, Advanced Vision Technology and Chief Technology Officer
As Senior Vice President of Advanced Vision Technology and Chief Technology Officer, Mr. Kuechen manages the research and development of core vision technology for Cognex while advising the company on major engineering and technology decisions. Mr. Kuechen also plays a crucial role in attracting, developing, and retaining high-potential engineering talent. Before joining Cognex, Mr. Kuechen was the CEO of Gavitec, a maker of vision-based ID readers which he co-founded in 1997 and was acquired by Cognex in 2003. Mr. Kuechen studied electrical engineering at the RWTH Aachen University and holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit Committee of the DiaTribe Foundation
Ms. Sennett currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit Committee of The diaTribe Foundation, a private entity focused on improving the outcomes of people with diabetes. From 2014 to 2018, she was a director and member of the Audit Committee at QuinStreet, Inc. (Nasdaq: QNST), a performance marketing technology company. Named one of "20 Women in Finance You Should Add to Your Company's Board" by Business Insider, Ms. Sennett previously served as a managing director of Farallon Capital Management, LLC where she invested in publicly-traded securities for eight years. Before that, she was Chief Financial Officer at eGroups, Inc., where she co-led the sale of the company to then publicly held Yahoo! Inc., and at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where she led the company's initial public offering and multiple follow-on public offerings. Ms. Sennett has served as a Director of Cognex since November 3, 2021. She holds a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Mr. Alias has been Senior Vice President of Cognex since April 2005, and previously was Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing at Cognex from 1991 through April 2005. Over the past three years, Mr. Alias has been involved with growing Cognex's Logistics business and supporting Cognex's Deep Learning technology. Prior to joining Cognex, Mr. Alias spent more than 20 years in high technology management in Europe, Japan and the United States. Mr. Alias has served as a Director of Cognex since 2001. He holds a Master's Degrees in Electronics, Mathematics, and Economics, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Senior Vice President of Finance
As Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Todgham leads Cognex's global finance and administration organization. Prior to joining Cognex in March of 2020, he spent six years at Levi Strauss & Company (NYSE: LEVI), where he held a range of senior leadership positions, including leading finance for the company's Global Supply Chain, Distribution, Merchandising, Planning, Design and Marketing teams. He previously served as Vice President of Finance for Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) where he oversaw Financial Planning & Analysis and Treasury. Earlier in his career, Mr. Todgham worked at The Boston Consulting Group, advising clients in the technology and consumer sectors on issues of strategy, operations and organization. Mr. Todgham holds an MBA from Stanford University, an MPhil in Economics from the University of Cambridge, and a BA in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- President
As President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Willett oversees all aspects of strategy and operations for Cognex Corporation. Mr. Willett came to Cognex in 2008 from Danaher Corporation, a diversified manufacturer of industrial controls and technologies, where he served as Vice President of Business Development and Innovation for the company's Product Identification business group. Prior to that Mr. Willett was President of Videojet Technologies, a leader in coding and marking products, which is a subsidiary of Danaher. Mr. Willett also served as Chief Executive Officer of Willett International Ltd., a $125 million privately owned coding company with 30 wholly owned sales companies around the world, which he sold to Danaher in 2003 and which was merged with Videojet. He holds a B.A. from Brown University and an M.B.A. from Yale University. Mr. Willett currently serves on the Board of Clean Harbors, Inc, a publicly held company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Job Titles:
- President and Chief Executive Officer, Visteon Corporation
Mr. Lawande has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Visteon Corporation (VC), a leading global technology supplier of vehicle cockpit electronic products, since 2015. Previously, he worked at Harman International Industries, Inc. (HAR), which was an independent public company at the time, for 10 years, where he held a range of leadership positions including president of the company's largest division with nearly $3 billion in annual sales. Since 2015, Mr. Lawande has served as a director of Visteon Corporation (VC), a publicly held company listed on Nasdaq. He was also on the board of DXC Technology Company (DXC) from 2015 until August 2020. Mr. Lawande has served as a Director of Cognex since January 1, 2021. He holds a B.S. from Bombay University, and a Master's Degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Executive VP of Employee Services and Corporate Officer
As Executive Vice President of Employee Services, Ms. DiPalma is responsible for talent recruitment, compensation, benefits, payroll and employee development for Cognex, and oversees the wide array of programs designed to enhance and preserve the company's unique corporate culture. Ms. DiPalma joined Cognex in 1992 as Senior Reporting Accountant. She served for more than 20 years in a series of increasingly responsible roles in the Finance Department, including six years as Cognex Treasurer, before transitioning to Corporate Employee Services in 2016. Prior to joining Cognex, Ms. DiPalma was a member of the audit firm at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from Boston College, a M.S. in Taxation from Bentley College, and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Mr. Krantz served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Airmar Technology Corporation, a world leader in ultrasonic sensors for the marine and industrial markets, from 2011 until his retirement in 2018. He had previously served as President of Airmar Technology, Inc. from 2000 to 2011. From 1984 to 1999, he was President, and later Chief Executive Officer, of Velcro Industries. Mr. Krantz has served as a Director of Cognex since 2007. For more than 14 years, he has been serving as a member of the board and audit committee of Hitchiner Manufacturing Company. He also served as a member of the board and audit committee of ControlAir, Inc. from 2002 to 2021. Mr. Krantz holds a B.A. from Princeton University, and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.