Executive Bios

Zikria Syed
Chief Executive Officer

Zikria Syed, co-founder of NextDocs, is responsible for overall management of the company as well as guiding the business and product strategy for NextDocs.

Previously, as CEO of Broadpeak, Mr. Syed successfully led the company to market leadership of clinical trial management software. After Broadpeak was acquired by DataLabs, he served as Vice President of Product Management & Collaborative Solutions. Prior to Broadpeak, Mr. Syed held several senior technical and management positions at Microsoft Corporation and Siemens Medical Systems.

Mr. Syed holds a Masters of Science in computer science from Drexel University and Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from Lock Haven University.

Matt Walz
Chief Technology Officer

Matt Walz, co-founder of NextDocs, is responsible for ensuring customers receive the very best and highest quality software products.  Mr. Walz manages the company's product development and related programs including engineering, support, and SaaS Site Operations.

Prior to NextDocs, Mr. Walz served as Director of Software and Services for DataLabs where he led product development, consulting services and customer support for the company's collaborative solutions business. Mr. Walz also held several technical and managerial positions for Microsoft Corporation, Morgan Lewis and Bockius, PSCI and the Rollins Corporation.

Mr. Walz holds an M.B.A. from the University of Delaware's Learner College of Business and Economics and a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from the University of Delaware.

Ken Lownie
Vice President, Global Services

Ken Lownie is the Vice President of Life Sciences at NextDocs.  As the head of the NextDocs Worldwide Implementation Services team, Ken is responsible for ensuring that every NextDocs implementation leads to a successful "go-live" that delivers exceptional value to the customer.  Ken leads a global team of consultants that are responsible for installing and configuring NextDocs solutions, and he is responsible for the definition and deployment of NextDocs project delivery methodology and best practices.

Prior to NextDocs, Ken was the Chief operating officer of Glemser Technologies, a content management solutions provider for life sciences companies. Prior to Glemser, he played executive roles at several software and IT services companies, including Art Technology Group (ATG), where he was Vice President of Global Services, and Renaissance Worldwide. In addition to his corporate roles, Ken has started and led several successful ventures, including Connexus Consulting Group, which focused on the Lotus Notes market. Ken began his career at Lotus Development Corporation.

Ken earned a BA from Colgate University and a Masters in the Management of Technology from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.

Brian Doran
Vice President,  Finance & Administration

Brian Doran serves as Vice President of Finance & Administration at NextDocs.  In this role, he is responsible for accounting & controls, financial planning & analysis, financial forecasts and business systems.

Prior to joining NextDocs, Brian served as Chief Financial Officer of The Neat Company, maker of NeatReceipts and NeatDesk which are software and scanning solutions for small businesses.  Prior to that, Brian worked in senior management positions at numerous startups in the aviation and technology industries.  In addition, Brian was a consultant at SMG where he led finance and strategy engagements for some of the largest firms in the world, working throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe, India, Africa and Australia.

Brian holds business degrees from both the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

Vatsala Syed
Vice President,  Human Resources

Vatsala Syed is responsible for all aspects of Human Resources including staffing, employee care, training, company culture, and benefits.

Prior to joining NextDocs, Vatsala was a co-owner of Broadpeak a software company that produced clinical trial management software. Prior to that, Vatsala has been in the software development industry holding management and technical positions for various companies.

Vatsala Syed has a Masters in Computer Science from Drexel University, a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from Southern New Hampshire University, and a Bachelors of Physical Sciences (major in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) from St. Joseph's College in Bangalore, India.

Jeff Burk
Vice President, Product Management

Jeff is a product management executive with extensive experience in Internet services and consumer products. As VP of Product Management, he is responsible for defining and implementing NextDoc's product strategy across all of its existing and emerging product offerings.

Prior to joining NextDocs, Jeff was Executive Vice President, Software Development at The Neat Company, maker of NeatReceipts and NeatDesk.  At Neat, Jeff was the Product Owner for the company's flagship products delivering multiple product releases while growing annual product revenue from $5.4 MM to $23.1 MM to an annual run rate of $32 MM.  Before Neat, Jeff spent over 15 years in product and software development across a broad range of industries including technology, media, and consumer products. He has held senior technical and product positions with a variety companies, including Narrative Communications, Salesnet, Excite@Home, StarCite and Monster Worldwide (Monster.com).

Jeff earned a B.S. in Information Technology from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, MA. Jeff is a passionate Agile practitioner and leader in successfully implementing agile development techniques, such as Scrum and Extreme Programming (XP), driving cultural change in organizations.