Leadership

Elly Perets joined Utilis (now ASTERRA) in 2015. Previously, he founded Progressive Labs and served as the CEO, providing an innovative SAAS based software solution for retailers worldwide. Elly served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Pageflex Inc., a US based company, operating from Marlborough MA, providing web-based branding, documenting compassion engines and campaign management solutions. Elly has a vast knowledge in Theory of Constraints having served as a consultant at the Goldratt Group. Prior to that, Elly served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Press-sense Ltd., a web-based software management systems provider.

Elly Holds a Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) from University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, The Wharton School and the School of Engineering & Applied Science as well as a Law degree (L.L.B) and a Business degree from the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzlia, Israel.

Lauren is an entrepreneur by heart, and an avid fan of using the power of remote sensing to achieve the impossible. Lauren co-founded Utilis (now ASTERRA) in 2013 with a novel approach to finding water leaks from space. With a master in geophysics and a bachelor in hydrology and geomorphology, Lauren wrote and executed algorithms being used at Utilis.

Lauren is currently ASTERRA’s CTO, setting the fundamentals for the R&D and productions teams, in addition to developing new products. He has highly diversified skills across industry and function – a deep technical background, mainstream management capabilities and start-up ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking.

Lauren possesses seven patents in remote sensing and SAR.

James Perry has spent over thirty years driving disruptive innovation. In both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies, James’ key mission is market adoption and to achieve a deeper foothold into new markets. James currently serves as the VP for Business Development at ASTERRA, based in San Diego, CA. In his free time James likes to sail out of the Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego and has formerly held the position of Commodore in 2016.

Gadi Kovarsky serves as the General Manager for ASTERRA’s worldwide Water Division. He has more than 20 years hands-on experience working with high-tech companies around the world, specializing in building sales networks from scratch and establishing brand recognition. He brings with him vast experience in business development and consultative sales, both direct and through distribution channels. Gadi holds a B.A. degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and has called San Diego, CA his home since 2006.

Jasmin is responsible for implementing the company’s long term strategy including expansion into new markets and formation of strategic partnerships towards company growth and development.

Prior to ASTERRA, Mrs. Inbar worked for more than nine years at Israel’s renowned defense provider – Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. In her recent role, she served as a director and led the business development activities in North America, in the areas of intelligence, space and cyber defense solutions.

Jasmin holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Ben Gurion University, Israel and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

Yuval Lorig has an extensive background in water and the geosciences. Following his B.A. and M.A. in Geography with a concentration in geomorphology, physical geography, and palaeohydrology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, he joined the R&D department at ASTERRA. Yuval has nearly a decade of R&D experience from a variety of geospatial startups and has made an undeniable impact on the advance of SAR applications and analytics.

Gary Eaton has over 30 years’ leadership experience in both the public and private sector, including executive roles as Chief Business Development Officer, Director of Operations and Chief Innovation Officer. Experienced in strategic and operational planning, Gary managed all aspects of water treatment, delivery, hydropower generation and reservoir operations for the San Diego County Water Authority. In addition, Gary participated in the development of international standards for innovation in the water industry and the first in-pipe deployment of acoustic fiber optics to monitor the condition of large diameter pipelines. Gary leads ASTERRA’s product management efforts with a passion for identifying new and innovative solutions to difficult problems. He holds a Master of Science in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas and undergraduate degrees in Business and Civil Engineering Technology

Inon Aviad is a licensed certified public accountant (CPA) in Israel and Holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in finance and banking as well as a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Economics both from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Prior to joining ASTERRA, Inon led the revenue recognition team at Nice Ltd (NASDAQ: NICE) were he was heavily involved in revenue recognition accounting.  He also served as Director of Finance at Marriott Int. (NASDAQ: MAR) within Israel. Inon began his career with PwC Israel High-Tech Cluster.

Dr. Shimada is a Professor of Tokyo Denki University, school of science and engineering, an invited researcher of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and a guest Professor of Yamaguchi University. He graduated from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Kyoto University in 1977, and received an M.Eng. from the university in 1979. In the same year, he joined the National Space Development Agency of Japan (now JAXA). Since then, Dr. Shimada has performed spaceborne microwave sensing research, i.e., scatterometer and synthetic aperture radar at JAXA.

Paul Gagliardo has over twenty-five years’ experience in the water utility business. He created and operated a water technology research center at the city of San Diego and directed the Innovation Program at American Water for nine years. Paul has been a judge and advisor for ImagineH2O for the past ten years. Currently he is an independent consultant providing advice to firms interested in the municipal water business. He is a registered engineer in California and has a Masters’ degree in Public Health.

Jacquie Matzkin, with a background in remote sensing and soil science, holds a B.A. in archaeology and geography and an M.A. in remote sensing and geoinformatics. Joining ASTERRA in the R&D department, she now serves as the Director of Product. Jacquie is dedicated to propelling ASTERRA to the forefront of technology, leveraging her unique background, deep understanding of ASTERRA’s solutions, and commitment to impactful technology.