GemStone Systems Inc., opens operation in Japan

According to Neil Katkov, group manager of Asia research at Celent, "Financial services institutions in Asia-Pacific are augmenting their investment in external software and external IT services far more than any other region." Celent estimates IT spending growth at financial services institutions in Asia-Pacific at 11.4 percent per year from 2006 to 2008.

With extensive experience in grid computing and over 25 years of sales and strategic planning experience in Japan, Kerakawachi will lead GemStone System KK's sales and partnership efforts across the Asia-Pacific region. Previously, Kerakawachi served as a senior manager, sales and marketing at Hitachi, Ltd. and BEA Systems Japan, Ltd, where he worked on both direct and channel sales teams across industries including financial.

"This moment is the culmination of the work and commitment of our Japanese partners who collectively have trained large teams of their engineers to ensure our Japanese customers have the local support and expertise required to succeed in their mission critical applications. We continue to demonstrate our commitment to Japan and our leadership in this space," said Juan Menendez, senior vice president, GemStone Systems.

"Kerakawachi's proven expertise and deep knowledge of the local market will help us grow our presence in the region and strengthen our ability to target and engage key customers and partners."