Meet the Parasoft Management Team

Elizabeth Kolawa leads the overall direction and operations of the company. Her in-depth knowledge and experience managing large, diverse technical organizations have proven invaluable as Parasoft continues to evolve its industry-leading automated software testing solutions.

Dr. Kolawa joined Parasoft in 2011 with over 25 years of experience leading and managing technical projects at CalTech and JPL/NASA. She has authored over 140 technical papers and has been granted 11 patents. In 2010, she was awarded the JPL Explorer Award for strategic leadership.

Dr. Kolawa holds a Ph.D. in Solid State Physics from Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland.

Igor Kirilenko focuses on the strategy and execution of all product-related activities including product vision, innovation, development, and quality. He is also responsible for managing and expanding both the Development and Product Management organizations to support the rapid growth of Parasoft offerings to the market.

Since joining the company at the beginning of 2013, Igor has been in charge of technical strategy, architecture, and development of Parasoft’s cutting-edge technologies, bringing over 20 years of experience leading engineering teams. He enjoys building a culture of excellence through establishing and promoting the best Agile practices in software development environments, supporting customers’ needs, and delivering frequent releases of products without compromising their quality. Igor received his Ph.D. in Physics and Mathematics from the Institute of Cybernetics at NAS of Ukraine.

Arthur Hicken is an evangelist at Parasoft where he has been involved in automating various software development practices for over 30 years. He has worked on projects including the software development life cycle, application security, functional safety, and software safety in industries like automotive, aerospace, and medical.

Arthur’s popular blog, Code Curmudgeon, is known for its Hall-of-Shame lists covering SQL injection and IoT vulnerabilities. He also has a YouTube channel with software development and AppSec videos. As an expert in his field, Arthur speaks frequently at conferences on development strategies, compliance, and security best practices. He’s involved with software safety and security standards as a member of organizations like CERT, IEEE, UL, and ASQ.

Dave drives the overall strategy, vision, and execution of sales for Parasoft’s Americas region. He ensures that Parasoft is a dedicated partner in helping its customers deliver high-quality solutions faster and with less risk.

Dave brings more than 20 years of experience in technology sales and services. Prior to joining Parasoft, Dave held a variety of senior go-to-market leadership positions with Micro Focus, NetIQ Corporation, and BMC Software. Dave retired from the U.S. Navy with over 20 years of service both in active duty and as a reservist. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior College.

Dirk Giesen leads the field teams, inside sales teams, and distributors across the EMEA region. Dirk’s teams target long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with Parasoft customers and help them produce top-quality software consistently and efficiently as they pursue agile, DevOps, compliance, and safety-critical development initiatives.

With a degree in Computer Science, Dirk’s extensive experience helping customers achieve success in high-tech, embedded, and business IT markets includes roles with Telelogic (acquired by IBM in 2006), Benelux and German distributor QA-Systems, and Benelux distributor Koning en Hartman. Dirk joined Parasoft in 2006.

Marek Pilch provides strategic management and operational oversight of the company’s APAC region, and has been managing Parasoft’s Chinese branch in Shanghai since 2012. Pilch specializes in growing partnerships, streamlining operations, raising market visibility, and increasing profitability. After studying Civil Engineering at AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow Poland, Pilch joined Parasoft in 1989 as owner and CEO of Parasoft Poland.

Upon moving to Parasoft US in 2002, Pilch was responsible for directing special projects, including business development, account retention, and global customer care. Pilch has over 25 years of hands-on experience in strategic planning, business unit development, project and product management, and system engineering strategies.

Kenny is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of experience leading successful global teams in both pre- and post-sale technical services. As the driving force behind Parasoft Customer Success, Kenny ensures that customers effectively utilize Parasoft solutions to achieve their business objectives and realize long-term value.

Kenny’s expertise in Pre-Sales Engineering, Professional Services, and Technical Support has been honed through his leadership roles with esteemed organizations such as KPMG, IBM Global Services, Smarsh, and Micro Focus. In each of these positions, Kenny has delivered exceptional results by leveraging his deep understanding of customer needs, his ability to build high-performing teams, and his knack for creating effective strategies that drive business growth.

Kenny holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Centenary College and a master’s degree in information systems from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Adam Sontag is responsible for the global oversight and consolidation of Parasoft in the areas of accounting, tax, treasury, finance, and audits. Adam joined Parasoft in 2015 with experience leading accounting teams towards process improvement, accounting principles, strengthening internal controls, and mitigating credit/FX/audit risk, while acting as a business partner to Executives and VPs managing their regions.

Prior to Parasoft, Adam was responsible for a $1B budgetary process and business units comprising $300M in sales. He received his MBA from Arizona State University and is a board-recognized, active CPA in California. With a specialty in International Finance, Adam has helped several companies effectively scale their global expansion without sacrificing accountability, visibility, compliance, and efficiency, supporting entities in the UK, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, NL, Poland, Sweden, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and India.

John is an accomplished sales leader with a strong background in the technology industry, specifically in the U.S. federal market. At Parasoft, he holds a critical role in driving the sales strategy, vision, and execution for the Aerospace and Government Solutions division. His primary objective is to support the mission of aerospace and federal customers by ensuring the delivery of high-quality solutions efficiently with reduced risk.

With more than 20 years of experience in technology sales and services, John brings invaluable expertise to the team. Prior to joining Parasoft, John held federal leadership positions at renowned technology companies like Amazon and Google. These roles provided him with deep insights into the specific needs and challenges of the aerospace and U.S. government markets. His firsthand experience equips him with the knowledge required to develop effective sales strategies and drive revenue growth by addressing the unique requirements of customers in the aerospace and federal sectors.