Ari Backholm

Ari Backholm is Chief Technology Officer of SEVEN Networks and has been a member of the executive team since 2005. In this position, Backholm leads the design, development, and continuing evolution of SEVEN software and data science product lines. He also focuses on enhancing SEVEN Networks’ position of technology leadership in mobile data management, analytics, and optimization.

Backholm joined SEVEN Networks in April 2005 through SEVEN's acquisition of Smartner, which he co-founded in 1999. At Smartner, Backholm served as executive vice president and headed Smartner's product development, marketing, and business development organizations. In that role he led the engineering organization in building products that fulfilled customer needs, opened up operations in new territories such as Asia Pacific, and secured partnerships with leading players in the mobile industry – including Nokia, Ericsson, IBM, Sony Ericsson, and Microsoft. He was instrumental in the rapid growth of Smartner from its foundation to serving over 30 operators around the world. His leadership helped the company achieve multiple awards of distinction, including the Frost & Sullivan 2005 Entrepreneurial Company Award and inclusion in the Tornado top 100 private technology companies in Europe.

Before joining Smartner, Backholm worked for Sedecon Consulting where he oversaw strategy, business development, and knowledge management projects for major Finnish and international corporations. Backholm holds an M.Sc. (Tech) with Distinction in Industrial Management from Helsinki University of Technology and numerous patents in mobile technologies.