As L-Soft's CEO, Eric Thomas has successfully expanded the company's product and service offerings well beyond the original LISTSERV® product. Under his leadership, the company today has more than 3,700 customers worldwide – including 23 of the Fortune 100 – and continues to break records, delivering more than 30 million messages per day to more than 130 million list subscriptions.
In 1986, Eric created L-Soft's flagship product, LISTSERV, the first email list manager and the current de facto standard for the administration of email lists. Eight years later Eric founded L-Soft – now the global provider of software and outsourcing services for email list management, discussion groups, newsletters and direct email marketing campaigns.
A citizen of both Panama and France, Eric began his career working for CERN in Geneva and in 1990 moved to Stockholm where he helped SUNET (Swedish University Network) launch the Internet in Sweden. Prior to that, he studied engineering in Paris. Eric has also worked in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. He speaks French, Spanish, Swedish, Italian and some Russian.
Dr. Manfred Bogen, Managing Director L-Soft Germany
Dr. Manfred Bogen, Managing Director at L-Soft Germany, leads L-Soft's German operations and is in charge of the business aspects of the software development office in Erlangen. Manfred worked as L-Soft's Vice President of Computer Services between May 2001 and August 2004 and was responsible for customer support, training & consulting and computer operations from L-Soft's Landover office.
Before joining L-Soft in May 2001, Manfred worked for GMD – the German National Research Center for Information Technology. Under his leadership, the German Research Association (DFN) extended its value-added services to include email, file transfer and directory in a networked multi-protocol environment. He was also responsible for developing a secure Internet and WWW infrastructure for the German government and media outlets such as Deutsche Welle and Süddeutsche Zeitung. After his return from the US, Manfred joined the Fraunhofes Gesellschaft where he manages the "Virtual Environments" department of the Fraunhofer Institut Intelligente Analyse- und Informationssysteme (IAIS).
Dr. Bogen received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Nottingham, UK, and his Master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Bonn. Manfred speaks German, French, English and Latin.
John Harlan, VP of Computer Services
As Vice President of Computer Services, John Harlan's management responsibilities encompass L-Soft's Computer Operations, Customer Support, and Training & Consulting services. His mission is to provide outstanding technical infrastructure and support services to L-Soft's customers worldwide. John joined L-Soft in 2000 and was instrumental in the successful development of L-Soft's Training & Consulting unit.
John has two decades of experience in academic libraries and higher education computing. Before joining L-Soft, he worked at Miami University and the University of Notre Dame, specializing in electronic information access and dissemination. He has been an active list owner and advocate/evangelist for LISTSERV since the application's introduction in 1986. In 1990 he founded LSTOWN-L, the LISTSERV list owners' forum. In 1999, John was awarded the Society of American Archivists' (SAA) J. Franklin Jameson Award for Archival Advocacy, for co-founding and managing the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV list.
John received his Bachelor of General Studies degree from Indiana University, following undergraduate studies in Political Science and Comparative Religion at Coe College. He has pursued graduate studies in Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.
Donna Laster, VP of Administration
As Vice President of Administration, Donna Laster serves L-Soft in numerous management roles. Donna brings her commitment to quality and to L-Soft and its people to all aspects of her work, overseeing the company's human resources and accounting departments as well as overall administration. Donna joined L-Soft in 1999 and quickly established herself in an integral role, helping to build the HR department and carrying out critical executive-level projects.
Donna is a seasoned human resources and accounting professional with more than 30 years of experience in the computer software, hospitality management and film production industries. Before joining L-Soft, she conducted budgeting and administration for a major motion picture studio, managed all aspects of hotel operations and coordinated software trainings and handled related scheduling and logistics for a major contract. Donna holds a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies.
Outi Tuomaala, VP of Marketing Europe & Executive Vice President
Outi Tuomaala is L-Soft's Executive Vice President and also heads the European marketing department. She started working for L-Soft in the United States in 1998, and has since then played a leading role in the development of the company. One of her earliest responsibilities at L-Soft was the launch of L-Soft's first European office in Stockholm. She was promoted to Executive Vice President in 2000 and is now responsible for corporate and marketing strategies in Europe, as well as for international co-ordination.
Originally from Finland, Outi has also worked in Germany and in the United States. She speaks Finnish, English, Swedish and German and holds a Master's degree in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Uppsala.
