Rob Balgley, CEO
Rob is responsible for strategic direction and operational execution for SkyeTek™. Rob has over 25 years of business management experience in high technology, including responsibility for marketing, sales, product development, operations and finance. Rob was most recently the CEO and President of Colorado-based Jabber, Inc., a privately-held company that develops and sells instant messaging and collaboration software to corporate enterprises and service providers worldwide. While at Jabber, he implemented a business plan that enabled the company to triple revenues. He was also responsible for raising more than $16M in investment financing to provide necessary operating capital. Under Rob's direction, Jabber's XMPP protocol became the first complete industry standard for instant messaging and presence. Prior to Jabber, Rob founded and served as CEO and chairman of Wireless Technologies, Inc. (WTI) a provider of software technology that allowed corporate enterprise and telecom service providers to leverage wireless networks for critical applications to increase productivity and decrease operating costs. In addition to founding WTI, Balgley led the company through seven years of successful operation, culminating in profitability and a successful cash sale. Rob also oversaw raising more than $50 million from both financial and strategic investors to fund the operation of the business. In the 15 years prior to WTI, Rob built a career in the communications technology industry with executive management positions in sales, marketing, corporate development and operations for companies such as Hughes Aircraft, General Electric, Case Communications, and 3Com. In addition to his duties at SkyeTek, Rob is also a board director of OpenLogic, Inc. and an executive in residence at Appian Ventures. Rob studied Communications Science at SUNY Albany and Drew University from 1975-1979.
Martin Payne, SVP of Sales and Marketing
Martin is responsible for SkyeTek’s sales, business development, demand generation, and product management. He brings experience in marketing, sales, and P&L management from Sun Microsystems, StorageTek, and Dell Computer where he held senior positions in product line management, brand management, strategy, and channel development. Martin has been instrumental in developing and launching successful product lines into direct and multi-tier sales channels such as Dell’s Axim handheld computers and StorageTek’s StreamLine portfolio of enterprise storage. He has also carried P&L responsibility at all three companies in both B2B and B2C businesses. Prior to these roles, he served as an Air Force officer in the Space Test & Evaluation Program Office where he led the development of next generation satellite command and control systems. Martin holds a BS, with honors, in Aeronautical Engineering from the US Air Force Academy, an MS in Operations Research from the University of California-Berkeley, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.