Executive Team
Chairman of the Board and Co-Founder
James continues to lead the growth and ongoing evolution of Viiz’s business. Through investment in resources, customer relationships and more than 15 acquisitions, James nurtured the company from a provider of telephony hardware to a multi-faceted technology and communications company. James maintains a business culture of perpetual start-up mode to drive ongoing business innovation and reinvention. In his 30+ years of industry experience, James has held senior roles in business leadership, sales and marketing and R&D. Prior to Viiz, James was Group Vice-President at Gores Technology Group and Vice-President & General Manager at Nortel Networks.
Executive Vice-President, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder
John is a technology visionary, leading the implementation and ongoing evolution of the Viiz technology and network architectures. The Viiz platforms are recognized as being leading edge, with development teams designing solutions to fit the current and long-term needs of our diverse customer base. In his 25-plus years of industry experience, he has also held senior technology roles with Gores Technology Group and Nortel Networks.
President and CEO
Building on more than 20 years of investing in and expanding businesses through revenue growth, tactical implementation and acquisition, Norm joined the leadership team at Viiz in 2022 as President and CEO.
Prior to Viiz, Norm pioneered multiple liquidity events at Billing Services Group, resulting in more than $400 million in cash distributions and a $500 million market capitalization, and led dozens of acquisitions and related transactions. Norm's dedication to strengthening professional relationships at all tiers through career development opportunities and a welcoming work culture serves to encourage others in their own professional aspirations.
Vice President of Sales
Elise joined the Viiz team in February 2019 as part of the acquisition of the kgb Directory Assistance and Operator Services business. As Vice President of Sales, her focus is on supporting the expansion of our emergency and public safety support services and capabilities. Elise spearheads our outreach to clients as our representative at related industry conferences and events. Elise's contributions have been invaluable in driving business growth, developing new product and service strategies, and increasing customer loyalty. Her knowledge, expertise, and key insights have made a positive and profound impact on Viiz.
Vice President of Emergency Services Programs
Chad Brothers has over 25 years of experience in public safety, specializing in Public Safety Communications. He holds numerous certifications, including ENP, PMP, CSM, CMCP, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, alongside an MBA in strategic planning. Chad has led a broad range of projects and programs for E9-1-1 and NG9-1-1 solutions including consulting engagements in strategic planning, procurement, and implementation, along with R&D initiatives for Artificial Intelligence (AI). A U.S. Army Veteran and former NENA Institute Board President, Chad is also a frequent public speaker at industry events.
Vice President of Call Center Operations
Christy joined Viiz in 2014 as an Account Manager and has grown within the Viiz team. In 2016, she played a key role in the launch of the Viiz call center in Calgary, Alberta. Among Christy’s many other contributions were her involvement in developing our proprietary LiveAgent system, agent call scripting, and their functions. Christy previously held quality assurance, training, and sales positions in our contact center. She works closely with the IT team in service implementation and product enhancement as well as collaborating with the Sales team on emergency implementation and maintaining strong client relations. Christy’s dedication and efforts have greatly contributed to the success of Viiz.
Vice President of Finance
Kristin started with Viiz in 2019 and is responsible for all aspects of financial and internal reporting, tax compliance and cash and treasury management. She has more than 15 years of experience in finance and accounting, having held leadership positions in both public and private companies spanning a variety of industries. Kristin is currently a member of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta.
Vice President of Technology and Operations
Craig became part of the Viiz family in 2020 with the acquisition of the telecom clearinghouse portion of BSG Clearing Solutions, where he had led all technical functions for more than 20 years. Craig has extensive experience in communication, programming and database technologies. His responsibilities also include technical and control audits. He has led many technology transitions, reengineering efforts and company integrations and divestitures. Craig previously held technology leadership roles at ITA, Sprint and Southwestern Bell.
Vice President of Corporate Development
Nelson joined Viiz in November 2021. Prior to Viiz, he was most recently a Senior Manager at Deloitte in Transaction Services leading due diligence engagements on over 10 transactions ranging from $50 - $250 million. Additional experience includes investment analysis and portfolio management at a boutique private equity firm with $250 million of AUM and as a Corporate Finance Advisor at KPMG Corporate Finance.
We chose the name Viiz because it represents what technology, backed by human support, can bring to the moments that matter to our clients and their customers.
V represents VISION, the ability to assess our clients’ network communication challenges and develop creative, technically-advanced solutions. We strive to address the need at hand, but also anticipate future trends and changes so the technology will stand the test of time.
Our two I’s stand for technical INNOVATION matched with human INSIGHT. Viiz offers a stable, fully-redundant cloud-based, mesh network that can transport all modern forms of data, from any device, to enhance and personalize the end-user experience. With that foundation, our R&D team develops novel technologies to address modern communications challenges or update legacy products. That’s innovation in action. At the same time, we believe in the power of human insight to harness that technology and data and use it to support real people in their moments of need — whether in an emergency situation or simply when they need help to resolve a problem.
And why the Z? Because Z stands for completion and for ZENITH, the time and place in which something is most powerful and successful — and also the name of our powerful, IoT-connected network. Zenith describes our aim for our clients and their end users, to deliver the most satisfying customer experience possible so they feel their problem or challenge was fully understood and addressed. You might call us idealists, but that’s the standard we set for ourselves at Viiz.
In a nutshell, Viiz is both our
uncommon name and
extraordinary goal: to
provide VISION,
INNOVATION, INSIGHT
and a ZENITH experience
to those who entrust us
with their business.
From our board of directors to our in-house R&D team to our call center staff and work-from-home customer care agents, we share a common mission to offer smart solutions and stellar service to our clients and their customers.
We make that happen by doing what it takes to hire the best people, train them well, and retain them through excellent pay and benefits, recognition opportunities and a positive (dare we say “fun”?) work environment.
