Our Management Team
Peter Nieforth, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Peter Nieforth was instrumental in bringing together the founders who designed Vitrium's business model based on Narayan Sainaney's research and protectedpdf technology. Mr. Nieforth specializes in financing, organizing and commercializing promising start-ups, most recently acting as Director of Investment for The Loreto Bay Company, where he raised 18 million US dollars for the development of the world's largest sustainable resort community, in the Mexican Baja. Mr. Nieforth has also served as an investment specialist for BMO Bank of Montreal, a Financial Advisor for Yorkton Securities and a Financial Consultant for Merrill Lynch Canada Inc.
Mr. Nieforth studied Political Science at Acadia University and graduated from Mount Saint Agnes Academy in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Terry Coatta, Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Terry Coatta has over two decades experience with distributed object technology and component infrastructures. In addition, he has successfully led teams through a number of complete development cycles, from production inception, to delivery and support. Before joining Vitrium, Dr. Coatta was the Director of Development at GPS Industries, where he spearheaded the adoption of new technologies. As the Vice President for Products and Strategies at Silicon Chalk, he led the design and implementation of a ground-breaking peer-to-peer collaboration tool. He has also worked as the Director of Development for Distributed Systems at Open Text Corporation and was a co-founder of NSG Network Software Group, a consulting company specializing in high-performance network computing. Dr. Coatta is an active member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He has held prominent positions on a number of ACM boards.
Dr. Coatta holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia.
Grant Burnard, Director of Development
Grant Burnard oversees Vitrium's technology development and manages the company's team of development staff. Mr. Burnard is responsible for ensuring that products are designed, implemented, tested and delivered on schedule and on budget. He has been a preeminent player in the software industry for over ten years. Most recently he introduced software development practices that allowed the Certified General Accounts Association of British Columbia to more clearly communicate business requirements and realize these requirements in a shorter implementation timeframe. He has also worked with MinDesign Biotechnology Consulting Group, Mindquake Software and Transport Canada.
Mr. Burnard holds a Bachelor of Science degree, with a specialization in Computer Science, from Simon Fraser University.
Alex Cann, Director of Finance and Operations
As a consultant, Alex Cann was responsible for setting up Vitrium's accounting systems. He has since joined the Vitrium team full time and now oversees all of the company's finances and human resources. With over a decade of combined education and experience in business, Mr Cann has successfully run his own consulting and accounting services for several years. Having worked within a diverse selection of companies and industries, he brings a broad range of experiences and perspectives to Vitrium.
Mr. Cann studied business and accounting at Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia.
Sherman Hu, Director of Online Marketing
Joining Vitrium Systems in December 2009, Sherman Hu has brought his expertise and experience in web marketing. Mr. Hu excels in helping small to medium businesses worldwide to develop social media strategies, including business blogging approaches that leverage podcasting and video mediums, and creating search engine optimization tactics to generate traffic and drive online sales.
Mr. Hu is counted as one of the web’s experts on Wordpress and its applications for business and marketing. He is the head blogging instructor at WordpressTutorials.com and helps businesses learn how to set-up, customize, utilize, market with, and profit from Wordpress blogs. In addition, Mr. Hu is also a blogging instructor and curriculum creator for a web marketing eLearning company based in Atlanta. As a regular columnist for “The Net Effect” magazine, Mr. Hu shares his expertise with business owners, consultants and entrepreneurs on such topics as eCommerce, search engine optimization, online traffic generation, conversions, and web marketing strategies.
Mr. Hu holds a diploma in Graphic Design from Kwantlen University in British Columbia. He currently lives in Vancouver, BC with his wife and two children.