In April 2014, Erik Brieva was appointed as a new CEO of Strands, leading software provider for digital banking and e-commerce. Prior to joining Strands, Erik Brieva was President & CEO of Polymita, a worldwide leader in Business Process Management (BPM) software, which was acquired by RedHat in 2012. Polymita was recognized by Gartner as Innovator and Visionary (Magic Quadrant 2009 & 2010) and by IDC as Major Player (MarketScape 2011). Erik is a succesful serial entrepreneur in the enterprise software and internet business. Previously, he founded Intelligent Software Components S.A. (iSOCO - acquired by Private Equity Investors), Enzyme Advising Group (acquired by Nexe Group) and Altea Consulting. He also invests and serves as board director in several companies. He also has academic experience including teaching Entrepreneurship and Startup Development at IESE Business School, Computer Graphics at Middlesex University, Computer Programming and Digital Image Processing at the University of Havana.Erik has a degree in Cybernetics and Mathematics (University of Havana), MSc in Computer Graphics (Middlesex University), with complementary studies in Business Administration (San Telmo), Marketing & Sales (Bosel) and Global Growth (MIT). Erik was named Entrepreneur of the Year in Spain (Entrepreneurs Magazine, 2006). His achievements also include driving Polymita to be a finalist among the Best Startups in the European Venture Contest (2005) and to have raised 25M€ of Venture Capital for his different businesses.He is member of the CEO Collaborative Forum (CEO-CF) and the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), where he served as Finance Chair and Membership Chair for the Spain Chapter. Erik is passionate about entrepreneurship, processes and innovation, and currently gives lectures at leading universities and business schools worldwide. He also loves to spend time with his family and travel.Specialties: Make things happen. Entrepreneurship. Business Development. Innovation. Internet Businesses. Business Process Management (BPM).