Diverse leaders transforming industries

Stephen is a technology executive, entrepreneur, and angel investor based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is the CEO and Chairman of Newfire Global Partners, a consulting firm that helps companies with digital transformation and innovation. Stephen has held senior operating roles in startups to NASDAQ-listed companies and has experience as an independent board member. He is also a board member of BioProcure Inc. and Scrum Inc. Stephen is a respected tech leader and a member of the Forbes Technology Council. He has a keen understanding of building shareholder value and is known for his strategic perspective and technical prowess.

William Crawford has been a leader in the healthcare and technology industries for 25 years, including at Fitbit (as VP of Engineering), Medically Home (CTO) and SmartSense by Digi (Chief Product Officer). As CTO at Invantage, Inc, he launched the first major SaaS platform for Clinical Trial Management. From 2006 to 2007 he was the HIT Policy Lead at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He is the co-author of three books on enterprise software published by O’Reilly & Associates, and has been an invited speaker on technology, healthcare and policy issues around the world. As an angel investor he has supported many successful startups and continues to mentor startups through TechStars Boston. He holds a BA from Yale University and an MS and MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Kevin C. Riley has over 25 years of experience in executive and sales management in global tech companies. He has been instrumental in company turnarounds and strategy evaluations, significantly contributing to their growth and expansion. During his tenure at Digi International (DGII), Riley served as Chief Operating Officer and later as President, where he successfully developed a new healthcare and logistics-focused cold-chain monitoring IoT business, expanding its reach to over 60,000 sites in just four years. Kevin aligns perfectly with Newfire Global Partners' commitment to excellence in the tech industry. As the Executive Vice President for Sales Strategy and Operations, he brings a wealth of experience to our leadership team, further solidifying our dedication to innovation and transformative growth.

Patrick Roach, based in Boston, has spent more than 15 years helping organizations turn strategy into execution. At Scrum Inc., he served as Chief of Staff and later Chief Operating Officer, leading international expansion into the UK and Japan, structuring joint ventures, and building a global delivery network. Throughout his career, Patrick has partnered with Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, and high-growth firms to deliver operational transformations that have yielded more than $1.6 billion in client outcomes. At Newfire, Patrick drives strategic decision-making and execution.

Bobby Samuel is a General Partner at Newfire. He is also the General Manager and CTO of Care Lumen. Bobby is a technology executive and former CTO of Apixio/Machinify, with a proven track record of driving AI, data, and digital transformation initiatives at companies including Elevance Health and Apixio. He has led large-scale platform builds, enterprise M&A integrations, and operational strategies that have delivered hundreds of millions in value across the healthcare landscape.

Jennifer Lefebvre is a finance leader with 25 years of experience in private equity, specializing in overseeing accounting operations, financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting. Throughout her career, she has played a critical role in ensuring accuracy, compliance, and audit readiness across a range of investment firms. Jennifer has held key finance and Controller roles at Arthur Andersen, Grove Street Advisors, Bain Capital, Castanea Partners, and MPM BioImpact, where she has consistently supported strategic growth and operational excellence through robust financial oversight and internal controls.

Tetyana Sakhno is a seasoned finance and operations executive with a proven track record of success in driving organizations forward. With extensive experience in senior leadership positions at Newfire Global Partners, Eni, Ericsson, and a number of other international companies she has honed her expertise in strategic financial management and operational excellence. Tetyana's deep understanding of financial planning, budgeting, and operational optimization has been instrumental in achieving exceptional results. With strong leadership abilities and a commitment to driving growth, Tetyana brings a wealth of experience and a track record of outstanding financial performance.

Hrvoje Strepački is a technology executive with over a decade of leadership experience guiding complex projects and assembling proficient teams in telecom, fintech, healthcare, IoT, high-performance computing, and managed services. As General Manager for Europe at Newfire Global Partners, he drives strategic growth and oversees diverse teams. He focuses on innovation, change management, and building global collaborations to deliver impactful results. Previously, he led product development and service delivery at Ericsson and Atos. Hrvoje also shares his expertise as a lecturer at the University of Zagreb, where he mentors future leaders.

Francisco Alba is an accomplished leader with a proven track record of driving business and digital transformation. With expertise in general management, strategic planning, and operational effectiveness, he has achieved outstanding results throughout his career. Francisco has held key leadership roles at renowned companies such as Fiserv, Experian and Hewlett-Packard, where he consistently exceeded expectations and achieved world-class performance. As the General Manager for LATAM at Newfire Global Partners, he continues to drive innovation and deliver exceptional outcomes.

Erik Hjortshoj is an early-growth, strategic, technical and product leader with a passion for building solutions that truly engage and help people.  He has repeated experience building and scaling health and wellness companies including AmWell, ShapeUp, Wellist, Secure Senior Connections, and Grouper, while working with both payers and providers.  His career is built on a foundation of software R&D in Information Retrieval, NLP, and ML,  applied to large scale enterprise and B2B2C products.  His more recent focus has been on strategic applications of the "three-legged-stool" of product design, management, and development, and the responsible application of AI. He endeavors to walk and cook daily, drive race cars as often as possible, and occasionally build a piece of furniture.

With over three decades of experience in data warehousing, analytics, and leadership, Gordon has held prominent positions at companies such as Fitbit, HubSpot, Cityblock Health, TripAdvisor, and ActBlue. He has led data and business intelligence departments, advised on high-level strategy, and was an early adopter of technologies like Snowflake, Redshift, Looker, and dbt. Known for his collaborative and emotionally intelligent leadership style, Gordon focuses on empowering teams and driving business growth through data-driven decisions. At Newfire Global Partners, he leads the Data & AI Practice, ensuring top-tier training and development for data and analytics teams, and helps clients leverage data for enhanced decision-making and optimized data platform investments.

Jonathan Abbett is a user experience designer and software engineer who has dedicated his career to serving healthcare providers, researchers, insurers, patients, and families with highly appropriate and highly effective software and technology-enabled services. Over the last 25 years, he has established innovative user-centered design practices within Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and two startups. As Newfire's VP of User Experience, Jonathan is passionate about bringing user voices into technology teams, where empathy and evidence can drive meaningful outcomes.

As Director of Information Security & IT, Chad is responsible for Newfire’s global IT operations and internal security program, and also advises clients on security strategy. His career spans over 20 years, progressing from software engineering to leadership roles in cloud infrastructure and information security. He has extensive experience developing security programs and managing compliance initiatives for organizations in highly regulated industries, including healthcare and fintech. Chad holds an M.S. in Computer and Information Sciences and an MBA from the University of South Alabama.

Tami has over 20 years of experience leading HR operations and M&A integration across global technology, healthcare, and fintech companies. Her expertise in strategy, implementation, and compliance helped organizations scale from startup to enterprise across 30+ countries. Tami specializes in post-merger integration, having developed comprehensive M&A playbooks that significantly reduced integration timelines while maintaining high employee retention during critical transitions. She has consistently delivered substantial cost savings through strategic benefits optimization and payroll consolidation across global operations.

With an illustrious 30-year career in healthcare technology, Laurie McGraw brings a wealth of experience to her role. Her expertise in leading high-growth healthcare firms and commitment to innovation greatly enhance company strategies. At Allscripts, Laurie spent 14 years navigating the startup's transformation into a $1.5 billion enterprise, leading key projects as Chief Client Officer, President of Strategic Accounts, and President of Enterprise Solutions. At the American Medical Association (AMA), she held roles as President of Innovations and Senior Vice President of Health Solutions, directing critical data solutions both nationally and internationally. Laurie's early career includes significant contributions to ChannelHealth's EHR product development. Beyond her professional work, Laurie hosts the podcast, “Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw,” and participates in the Forbes Technology Council, using these platforms to champion innovation, leadership, and inspire others in digital health and beyond. A recognized TEDx Speaker, Laurie continues to empower others to make impactful changes.