New York, NY According to Willow, former Microsoft executive Bert Van Hoof has joined the firm as president and chief operating officer.
Prior to joining Willow, Van Hoof led the Smart Spaces and Energy Team, as partner and group product manager, in Azure IoT at Microsoft. Van Hoof is widely acknowledged as one of the global leaders behind the rise of digital twins and whilst at Microsoft he worked closely with Willow, who continues to be one of their leading digital twin Independent Software Vendors.
Van Hoof’s appointment is part of a wider industry trend, where established technology leaders are signaling to the market that the built world is now on the cusp of a tectonic digital shift, and Bert will continue to be a driving force in this industry transformation at Willow.
As president and chief operating officer, Van Hoof will lead key functions that include product & engineering, marketing and people & culture. He will report directly to Willow’s Global CEO and co-founder Joshua Ridley.
“Willow is at a transformational point in time,” said Ridley. “We are excited to welcome Bert to our leadership team during this pivotal period. With his experience scaling software businesses and his existing familiarity with Willow, Bert is the ideal leader to take on the role.”
“Willow has incredible global technology solutions as well as an amazing team,” said Van Hoof. “I’ve valued their leadership in this emerging technology category, and I’m excited to work directly with their customers to realize the business value that digital twins offer”
Van Hoof has an established track record of identifying new technology transformation trends and driving them within the industry, demonstrated through his experience with digital imaging, e-health, IoT, and now Digital Twins. He brings 30+ years of experience across multiple sectors to Willow as and in his new role at Willow, he will also continue build upon the existing Microsoft partnership.
Willow is the “digital twin” for the built world. Through their software and professional services, Willow creates a digital replica of a built asset, that collects and aggregates data into a “twin”. Through this approach, Willow enables the owners and operators of major portfolios and infrastructure to make smarter, more proactive, and data-led decisions. By providing data-driven insights, Willow empowers users to manage with greater efficiency, drive operational improvements at scale and provide their occupants with an enhanced and more connected experience. Willow’s customer base includes some of the world’s largest and most influential owners of real estate and critical infrastructure including Brookfield Properties, as well as several Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft. The company also has several iconic campus and stadium precincts including the newly completed SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park in Los Angeles. Willow is a global technology company with offices in Dallas, New York, Seattle, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto, London, Amersfoort and Manila.
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