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Bob Paul is a business leader with a proven knack for getting--and keeping--companies focused on what they do best for their customers. His record as Covisint’s President and COO shows it and his efforts to facilitate Compuware’s acquisition of Covisint prove it.
Before coming aboard at Covisint Bob’s experiences include being the President of SYNAPZ a provider of web-based supply chain management procurement applications for the auto industry. Bob was also President and COO of Coherent Networks Incorporated (CNI).
His position at CNI gave Bob the opportunity to experience the second of three turnarounds in which he has played a leading role. By guiding the company to focus on what its customers valued and by applying technology and services to solve those problems Bob and his team were able to take out 36 percent of the company’s operating costs in his first nine months at the company and attain 72 percent of annual revenues by the end of the first full quarter of the subsequent year
Bob’s influence at Covisint was even more significant. Coming in as a Vice President of Sales and Marketing in October 2001 Bob learned that the company was competing in too many application spaces and did not have the resources to succeed in all of them effectively. Bob was key player on the team responsible for focusing the company on the things it was competitively qualified to do areas that would also provide sustainable revenue. With Bob’s help Covisint grew its registered user base to almost 100 000 in the first year of the turnaround nearly quadrupling it. During this same timeframe Covisint’s results featured a 56 percent operating cost reduction while the company maintained top-line revenue objectives.
Advancing to CEO and President of Covisint Bob’s next challenge was to manage the acquisition of his company. Part of the turnaround for Covisint was the realization that Covisint customers often require substantial development and operational support when implementing services. With an extended services organization Covisint could provide even greater value to its customer base.
So Bob and his team went shopping for a large company with experience doing large IT-based projects. It also had to be a company with a lot of the same automotive customers. A headquarters in Detroit would be a strong plus. And above all the purchasing company had to be a place where high-performance people were welcomed and respected.
Compuware had its offer on the table within seven days. On March 1 2004 the acquisition was completed giving Covisint access to a 5 000-person services organization and 2 000 development programmers.
Bob will be the first to admit that turnarounds and acquisitions are never easy for the people of a company to endure and he could not be more pleased to have Compuware as a very happy ending and beginning. In Bob’s words it’s great to bring bright people home to grow their careers in a company that cares in a real way.
In addition to his dedication to Covisint and Compuware Bob is an active industry citizen. He speaks on IT topics at business schools and industry events all over the world. He also authors supply chain management articles for business publications.
Beyond corporate walls Bob has always been a serious sports enthusiast. He attended Aquinas College in Grand Rapids Michigan on a soccer scholarship and earned recognition as a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American in the sport. Bob continues to play soccer and has coached several teams including the Olympic Development Team for Michigan soccer. Currently he coaches his son’s under-seven team on weekends. Bob is also a golfer and former University of Michigan club rugby player. In support of his golf habit Bob serves as President of Walnut Creek Country Club.
Born and raised in England until he was 12 Bob now lives in Northville Michigan with his wife four kids and two dogs--a treasured Bernese mountain dog and an equally beloved mutt. When not working or coaching Bob can usually be found cheering on his kids at one of their many extracurricular performances and sporting events. | 