VAST Executive and Leadership Team

July, 2026

Leadership Overview

VAST has 9 executives leading key functions including strategy, finance, revenue, marketing, and technology.

Driven by innovation, VAST is dedicated to powering the next generation of intelligent systems with a unified software infrastructure stack purpose-built to unlock the full potential of AI, transforming modern infrastructure into a global fabric for reasoning AI.

Leadership Roles at VAST

  • Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Renen Hallak
  • Chief Financial Officer - Amy Shapero
  • Chief Revenue Officer - Rick Scurfield
  • Chief Marketing Officer - Marianne Budnik
  • Global Cisco Field Chief Technology Officer - Bryan Schramm
  • Field Chief Technology Officer - Matthew Koehr
  • Chief Technology Officer, Office of & Senior Solutions Architect - Joshua Wentzell
  • Field Chief Technology Officer - Andy Pernsteiner
  • Office of The Senior Solutions Architect & Chief Technology Officer - Phillip Wagstrom
  • Global System Integrators Field Chief Technology Officer - Jesse Thaloor
  • Renen Hallak - Founder & Chief Executive Officer

    Renen Hallak, the Founder & Chief Executive Officer at VAST, architects the overarching strategy for the AI Operating System company. Directing the consolidation of foundational data and compute services, Hallak ensures the VAST AI OS platform scales globally to facilitate AI agent communication and automate complex workflows. Overseeing the company's vision, Renen Hallak drives the innovation behind the DASE architecture, the world's first true parallel distributed system, which eliminates tradeoffs between performance, scale, simplicity, and resilience. This leadership ensures VAST transforms modern infrastructure into a global fabric for reasoning AI, enabling organizations to deploy and reason over real-time data with unprecedented efficiency and power. The Chief Executive Officer's focus remains on pushing the boundaries of what's possible in AI infrastructure.
    Renen Hallak

    Amy Shapero - Chief Financial Officer

    Amy Shapero, the Chief Financial Officer at VAST, manages all financial operations and strategic fiscal planning for the AI Operating System company. Directing the financial health and resource allocation, Shapero ensures VAST's infrastructure investments align with its mission to power next-generation intelligent systems. Overseeing budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting, the Chief Financial Officer provides critical insights that support the company's global expansion and technological advancements. Shapero's leadership ensures the financial stability necessary for VAST to continue its breakthrough work in AI infrastructure, particularly with its DASE architecture. By optimizing financial strategies, Amy Shapero directly contributes to the company's ability to scale its unified software infrastructure stack and maintain its position as a leader in enabling AI agent communication and complex workflow automation.
    Amy Shapero

    Rick Scurfield - Chief Revenue Officer

    Rick Scurfield, the Chief Revenue Officer at VAST, drives all revenue-generating activities and global sales strategies for the AI Operating System company. Directing the expansion of VAST's market presence, Scurfield ensures organizations worldwide can leverage the unified software infrastructure stack for AI. Overseeing sales teams and channel partnerships, the Chief Revenue Officer focuses on delivering the full potential of VAST's purpose-built platform to clients. Scurfield's leadership is crucial in translating VAST's technological innovations, including its DASE architecture, into tangible business outcomes for customers. By cultivating strong client relationships and driving adoption, Rick Scurfield directly impacts the company's growth trajectory and its mission to create a global fabric for reasoning AI. This role is pivotal in scaling the deployment of AI agents and automating complex workflows.
    Rick Scurfield

    Marianne Budnik - Chief Marketing Officer

    Marianne Budnik, the Chief Marketing Officer at VAST, shapes and executes the global marketing strategy for the AI Operating System company. Directing brand positioning and market outreach, Budnik ensures the unique value proposition of VAST's unified software infrastructure stack is clearly communicated to drive adoption. Overseeing all marketing functions, including demand generation, product marketing, and corporate communications, the Chief Marketing Officer highlights VAST's role in unlocking the full potential of AI. Budnik's efforts amplify the impact of VAST's DASE architecture and its ability to create a global fabric for reasoning AI. By articulating the benefits of consolidating data and compute services, Marianne Budnik plays a key part in enabling organizations to deploy AI agents and automate complex workflows at scale. This leadership ensures VAST remains at the forefront of the AI infrastructure revolution.
    Marianne Budnik

    Bryan Schramm - Global Cisco Field Chief Technology Officer

    Bryan Schramm, the Global Cisco Field Chief Technology Officer at VAST, provides deep technical expertise and strategic guidance across global client engagements. Directing the integration of VAST's AI Operating System with complex enterprise environments, Schramm ensures seamless deployment of its unified software infrastructure stack. Overseeing technical solutions and architectural designs, the Global Cisco Field Chief Technology Officer focuses on demonstrating how VAST enables organizations to unlock the full potential of AI. Schramm's role involves translating VAST's DASE architecture and its capabilities for reasoning AI into practical, high-impact solutions for large-scale deployments. By collaborating with clients and partners, Bryan Schramm drives the adoption of VAST's technology, facilitating the communication between AI agents and the automation of complex workflows. This technical leadership ensures VAST's infrastructure is optimized for cutting-edge AI applications.

    Matthew Koehr - Field Chief Technology Officer

    Matthew Koehr, the Field Chief Technology Officer at VAST, delivers critical technical leadership and solutions architecture for clients leveraging the AI Operating System. Directing the implementation of VAST's unified software infrastructure stack, Koehr ensures organizations can effectively deploy and manage AI workloads. Overseeing the technical validation and demonstration of VAST's capabilities, the Field Chief Technology Officer focuses on how the DASE architecture empowers reasoning AI. Koehr's expertise is vital in showcasing the platform's ability to consolidate data and compute services, enabling seamless communication between AI agents and automating complex workflows. By providing hands-on technical guidance, Matthew Koehr directly supports clients in unlocking the full potential of their AI initiatives and transforming their infrastructure into a global fabric for intelligent systems. This role is essential for driving technical adoption and success.

    Joshua Wentzell - Chief Technology Officer, Office of & Senior Solutions Architect

    Joshua Wentzell, the Chief Technology Officer, Office of & Senior Solutions Architect at VAST, spearheads advanced technological initiatives and designs complex solutions for the AI Operating System company. Directing the strategic technical vision, Wentzell ensures VAST's unified software infrastructure stack remains at the forefront of AI innovation. Overseeing the architecture for consolidating data and compute services, the Chief Technology Officer, Office of & Senior Solutions Architect focuses on maximizing the platform's ability to facilitate AI agent communication and automate workflows. Wentzell's deep technical acumen is critical in advancing VAST's DASE architecture and its application in creating a global fabric for reasoning AI. By architecting robust and scalable solutions, Joshua Wentzell empowers organizations to unlock the full potential of AI, driving efficiency and enabling sophisticated data analysis and automation. This leadership ensures VAST's technology consistently meets the evolving demands of intelligent systems.

    Andy Pernsteiner - Field Chief Technology Officer

    Andy Pernsteiner, the Field Chief Technology Officer at VAST, provides essential technical expertise and strategic architectural guidance to clients implementing the AI Operating System. Directing the deployment of VAST's unified software infrastructure stack, Pernsteiner ensures organizations can effectively harness the power of AI. Overseeing the technical validation of VAST's capabilities, the Field Chief Technology Officer emphasizes how the DASE architecture enables advanced reasoning AI and data processing. Pernsteiner's role involves translating the benefits of consolidating data and compute services into tangible outcomes, facilitating AI agent interaction and automating complex operational workflows. By offering deep technical insights, Andy Pernsteiner helps clients unlock the full potential of their AI investments and transform their infrastructure into a global fabric for intelligent systems. This focus on client success drives the adoption of VAST's cutting-edge solutions.

    Phillip Wagstrom - Office of The Senior Solutions Architect & Chief Technology Officer

    Phillip Wagstrom, the Office of The Senior Solutions Architect & Chief Technology Officer at VAST, drives the technical strategy and architectural innovation for the AI Operating System company. Directing the development and refinement of VAST's unified software infrastructure stack, Wagstrom ensures its suitability for the most demanding AI applications. Overseeing the design of solutions that consolidate data and compute services, the Office of The Senior Solutions Architect & Chief Technology Officer focuses on enabling seamless AI agent communication and complex workflow automation. Wagstrom's technical leadership is instrumental in advancing VAST's DASE architecture, positioning it as a global fabric for reasoning AI. By architecting scalable and resilient systems, Phillip Wagstrom empowers organizations to fully leverage AI, driving significant advancements in data analysis and operational efficiency. This role ensures VAST's technology remains a cornerstone for next-generation intelligent systems.

    Jesse Thaloor - Global System Integrators Field Chief Technology Officer

    Jesse Thaloor, the Global System Integrators Field Chief Technology Officer at VAST, provides specialized technical leadership and architectural expertise for VAST's AI Operating System within the system integrator ecosystem. Directing the strategic technical engagements with global partners, Thaloor ensures the seamless integration of VAST's unified software infrastructure stack into broader enterprise solutions. Overseeing the technical enablement and support for system integrators, the Global System Integrators Field Chief Technology Officer focuses on maximizing the impact of VAST's DASE architecture for AI-driven initiatives. Thaloor's role involves translating VAST's capabilities in consolidating data and compute services into powerful solutions that facilitate AI agent communication and automate complex workflows across diverse environments. By fostering strong partnerships, Jesse Thaloor drives the widespread adoption of VAST's technology, enabling organizations to unlock the full potential of AI and build a global fabric for reasoning AI.

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    Frequently Asked Questions Regarding VAST Top Executives and Leadership Team

    Who leads VAST?
    VAST is led by Renen Hallak (Founder & Chief Executive Officer), along with executives such as Amy Shapero (Chief Financial Officer) and Rick Scurfield (Chief Revenue Officer).
    Who is part of VAST’s executive team?
    The executive team of VAST includes leaders such as Renen Hallak (Founder & Chief Executive Officer), Amy Shapero (Chief Financial Officer), Rick Scurfield (Chief Revenue Officer) and other senior executives.
    How many executives does VAST have?
    VAST has 10 executives leading key business areas.
    What roles are included in VAST’s leadership team?
    The leadership team of VAST includes roles such as Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Global Cisco Field Chief Technology Officer.