Leadership

Leadership

Meet the Digi Leadership Team

With decades of in-depth experience in the machine-to-machine (M2M) field, the Digi leadership team's talent and track record translate into meaningful, measurable value for our customers and shareholders.
Ron Konezny

Ron Konezny

President and CEO

Ron Konezny joined our company December, 2014, as President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining us he was Vice President, Global Transportation and Logistics division of Trimble Navigation Limited, a global provider of navigation and range-finding equipment and related solutions. He had served in that role since September 2013. Prior to this position, he served from August 2011 to September 2013 as the General Manager of this division and as the Chief Executive Officer of PeopleNet, Inc., after PeopleNet was acquired by Trimble in 2011. Ron was a founder of PeopleNet where he held a variety of executive positions since 1996, including Chief Technology Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and, from September 2007 through PeopleNet’s acquisition by Trimble, Chief Executive Officer. PeopleNet is a leading provider of telematics solutions for the transportation industry. 

Ron has extensive experience in the wireless M2M industry working with solutions comprised of hardware and cloud-based applications. He brings extensive leadership experience in corporate strategy, manufacturing, operation, technology, finance and business development to the Board. Ron was the 2009 winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® award in the Technology category.

Jamie Loch

Jamie Loch

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer

Jamie Loch is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Treasurer. He joined Digi in May 2019 with a history of helping businesses drive growth while building strong efficient teams focused on growth and customer value. Prior to Digi, Jamie was CFO for Nilfisk, Inc., a provider of industrial cleaning solutions, where he helped develop strategy and improve profitability while overseeing all finance activities and reporting. Previously, Jamie held a series of executive positions for more than 12 years with Honeywell, including vice president of sales and CFO for Honeywell Building Solutions America's division. Jamie is a CPA (inactive) and a graduate of Carleton College, with a Bachelor of Arts in economics.

David Sampsell

David Sampsell

Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

David Sampsell joined our company in April 2011 as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. In January 2014, David’s role expanded to include oversight of Corporate Development. Prior to joining us, David worked as corporate counsel at ADC Telecommunications, Inc. from December 1999 until March 2011. His most recent role at ADC was as Associate General Counsel overseeing corporate transactions and securities law compliance. Prior to joining ADC, David was an attorney in private practice from 1993 to 1999.

Steve Ericson

Steve Ericson

Senior Vice President, General Manager, OEM Solutions

Steve Ericson joined Digi in 2000, holding multiple leadership positions including product management, global sales strategy and operations, and international sales. In October 2020, Steve became Senior Vice President, General Manager, OEM Solution. Steve is a skilled leader with deep experience in leading sales and product management teams. Before joining Digi International in 2000, Steve held product management and leadership roles at Honeywell for 12 years, overseeing creation and execution of product strategies and distribution through multiple channels worldwide. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Brian Kirkendall

Brian Kirkendall

Senior Vice President, General Manager, Infrastructure Management

Brian Kirkendall joined Digi in 2019 as Senior Vice President of Product Management. In October 2020, he became General Manager, Infrastructure Management. Brian is a collaborative and innovative global product management and product development leader with expertise in corporate strategy, marketing and business transformation. Prior to joining Digi International in 2019, his roles included Vice President of Global Product Development and Technology at Nilfisk, and executive leadership in product management, product development and marketing for Polaris, Hoover, Little Tikes and Step2. He brings a customer focus and a dedication to people, process improvement and achieving results in sales and profits to his role at Digi. Brian has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has completed graduate courses at The University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business.

Gary Marks

Gary Marks

Senior Vice President, General Manager, Opengear

Gary Marks is Senior Vice President, General Manager, Opengear. Gary has led Opengear since 2014 in the role of CEO until the its acquisition by Digi International in December 2019. Prior to joining Opengear, Gary was the SVP Global Sales and Marketing for Raritan, a power and infrastructure management provider for data centers and remote sites. . In addition, Gary has held senior leadership positions with Dialogic (acquired by Intel), Conner Peripherals (acquired by Seagate), Western Digital and AT&T. Gary is a 30-year veteran of the technology, storage and telecommunications industries, with a track record of successfully guiding major expansion efforts, turnarounds and strategic partnerships. Gary holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami and an MBA in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Justin Schmid

Justin Schmid

Senior Vice President, General Manager, Managed Solutions

Justin Schmid is Senior Vice President, General Manager of the Cellular division at Digi, joining Digi in August 2021. Justin has more than 30 years of experience in high tech, including 20-plus years in commercial wireless M2M/IoT and data communications. Through a series of leadership positions at start-ups, late-stage private firms, and established public corporations, Justin was instrumental in significant market and business growth and deeply involved in key corporate transformations. He has built and led teams focused on sales, marketing, business development, product management, corporate development, and strategy as well as product development, program management, systems engineering and operations.

Before joining Digi, Justin was the senior vice president and general manager for CalAmp's LoJack Global business unit, an approximate $100 million business focused on the connected-car market. Earlier, Justin was senior vice president and general manager of CalAmp's Telematics Systems business unit, an over $300 million business comprising roughly 85% of CalAmp's total revenue. Earlier, Justin held executive leadership positions at Xirgo Technologies and Sierra Wireless focused on the AirLink business.

Justin holds has a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of California – Santa Barbara.

Guy Yehiav

Guy Yehiav

Senior Vice President, SmartSense by Digi

Guy Yehiav is Senior Vice President of SmartSense by Digi. A highly respected industry thought leader and keynote speaker who over his 25-year career has built world-class technology companies like Demantra and Profitect, he leads the company's overall strategy, direction, development and implementation of its enterprise software solutions. Yehiav's expertise spans mergers and acquisitions, strategic product portfolio planning, B2B enterprise software solutions, SaaS metrics, conflict management, profit and loss and AI and IoT solutions across retail, supply chain, CPG and complex manufacturing.

Prior to SmartSense by Digi, he served as General Manager and Vice President of Zebra Technologies' Zebra Analytics, where he set the organic and non-organic growth, M&A, leadership strategy and customer success for the Zebra Analytics business unit. Prior to Zebra Analytics, he served as CEO of Profitect before it was acquired by Zebra Technologies in 2019. He also held multiple senior leadership positions at Oracle and was a founder and executive board member of Demantra, which was acquired by Oracle in 2006. Yehiav holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and industrial management from Shenkar College of Israel and an MBA in entrepreneurship from Babson College. He is fluent in English, French and Hebrew, which enables him to work with a diverse range of clients from Israel, Europe, APAC and the United States while taking the needs of different cultures into account.

Jim Freeland

Jim Freeland

Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer

Jim Freeland joined Digi as Senior Vice President and CIO in February 2024. Prior to joining us he held various roles driving innovative new solutions with global impact over 18 years at Medtronic, the world’s leading medical device manufacturer. These included the development of their IT Audit practice, growing the Enterprise Mobility function around sales, marketing and service and repair, and leading many of the company’s efforts related to digital health for the past seven years. Prior to Medtronic, Jim held IT roles in the hospitality and travel business with Carlson Companies, and the healthcare sector with United Health Group. Jim holds a CISA and CISSP (both inactive), and both a BS in Accounting Information Systems and a Master of Business Administration from St. Cloud State University.

Brian McGonegal

Brian McGonegal

Global Vice President, Human Resources

Brian McGonegal joined Digi in January of 2022 as the Global HR Director, Business Partners and was promoted to his current role in 2023. As Global Vice President of Human Resources, Brian oversees all aspects of the global HR organization, providing executive-level leadership and guidance in the areas of talent acquisition, business consultation, total rewards, compliance, and HR analytics. Additionally, he provides human resources strategic support, driving business results while leading a global team in North America, APAC and EMEA, and he is responsible for defining and driving the employee experience and culture at Digi.

Prior to Digi, Brian had a short stint at AHV International (start-up) as HR Leader for North America. Prior to AHV, Brian was a Director, Human Resources for Allianz Life supporting Operations and Distribution in a Senior HR Business Partner role. He has held numerous HR roles for mid-to-large organizations, including Restaurant Technologies, National Life Group, TD Ameritrade and Soar Consulting.

Brian holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in human resource management from Georgia State University in Atlanta GA and a Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR) designation.

Terry Schneider

Terry Schneider

Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Management

Terry Schneider joined Digi in 2016, bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience to his role. As Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Management, Terry oversees all aspects of Digi's global supply chain including strategic sourcing, manufacturing, quality, inventory management and fulfillment operations. He started at Digi as Vice President of Product Management, where he oversaw Digi's hardware and software product portfolio managing market research, new product development and product management.

Prior to joining Digi, Terry held several senior-level leadership positions at PeopleNet and the Transportation and Logistics Business Unit of Trimble, PeopleNet's parent company. He has also had past roles at Renaissance Learning, Emerson and Eastman Kodak/Imation, where he distinguished himself in all aspects of product development and management, supply operations, materials management, engineering, production planning and inventory management.

Terry holds a degree in Finance from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota.