Image of Apera AI Vue robotic vision software performing bin picking of metal parts.

Leadership

Apera AI's management team has considerable experience in high-growth technology companies and the robotics / automation space. Collectively, they have more than U.S.$1.5 billion in successful exits.

Sina Apera AI

Sina Afrooze

Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder

Sina is a technical entrepreneur in artificial intelligence, machine learning and systems engineering, with more than 20 years of experience. He was a founding engineer at Avigilon, an innovator in the surveillance market acquired by Motorola for U.S.$1.2 billion. He was then a major contributor to the SageMaker Reinforcement Learning service used to train AI for robotic simulation at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He holds 10 patents in the fields of AI, digital imaging, image processing, and media streaming. Sina holds a Bachelor of Systems Engineering from Simon Fraser University.

Nick Apera Ai

Nick Hobbs

VICE PRESIDENT, SALES

Nick has 13+ years of experience in automation sales and leads sales activities for Apera AI. Before joining Apera, he started the Indiana branch of a major systems integrator and grew the territory to be the largest in the company. Nick holds a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering Technology from Ball State University.

 

Rachel Pan Apera AI

Rachel Pan

VP of Finance

Rachel has spent her entire career managing the financial aspects of high-growth technology companies in the Vancouver market, including Sierra Wireless, Avigilon, Westport and Angiotech. She is a licensed Chartered Accountant. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Sciences and a Diploma in Accounting from the University of British Columbia.

Jamie Westell

Director of Engineering

Jamie serves as the Director of Engineering at Apera AI, bringing a wealth of experience in software development and engineering management. With a career spanning 15 years in the field of imaging devices and computer vision, Jamie has played a pivotal role in driving technological advancements and overseeing large-scale development teams. His notable leadership experience includes managing a team of over 60 engineering professionals at Motorola Solutions, where he was responsible for the successful delivery of multiple product lines. Jamie holds a Masters of Applied Science with a focus on Computer Vision, and a Bachelor of Systems Engineering, both from Simon Fraser University. Jamie was born and raised in Vancouver, BC and enjoys cycling, hiking, and skiing on the local mountains.

Aleksey Senior ML Applied Scientist Apera AI

Aleksey Nozdryn-Plotnicki

Principal Applied Scientist

Aleksey is a specialist in machine learning for computer vision and applied mathematics, with over 8 years of hands-on experience in similar roles within the technology startup landscape. His professional journey also encompasses a solid foundation in operations research and business analytics. Aleksey holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Master of Management in Operations Research, from University of British Columbia. Aleksey has travelled to over 50 countries, but these days skis about 50 days a year.

Ralph Johns Apera Ai

Ralph Johns

Principal Software Development Engineer

Ralph is a founding engineer at Apera AI and an innovator with 20 years of engineering experience crossing software engineering, electronics/electro-mechanics, robotics, computer vision and graphics, and machine learning. He holds patents for electro-mechanical control systems, and at Avigilon he led the technical development of multiple products, including their flagship surveillance camera platform prior to their $1.2 billion acquisition. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics from the University of Alberta, and a Master of Science in Engineering from ECE Paris.

Josh Hudson Apera AI

Josh Hudson

Head of Talent

“When you’re uncomfortable, you are learning”.  Josh strives to push himself out of his comfort zone.  Josh has had the opportunity to learn from and work with the very best in Tech in his 12+ years of experience. 6 years of FAANG experience, 5+ at start-up, small and medium business, mixed in with 4+ years in various HR roles and has a HR Management certificate and Psychology degree.  His expertise is in technical recruiting for Software Engineering and Senior Leaders, consistently exceeding goals with closing ratios of over 90%.  Josh was a downhill ski racer for over 10 years at Provincial and National levels, and if he wasn’t skiing, he was skateboarding or playing soccer. Josh spends his personal time with his Wife and French Bulldog, or skiing.

Eric Petz Apera AI

Eric Petz

Head of Marketing

Eric brings 20+ years of experience marketing fast-growth, disruptive B2B technologies. Most recently, he led the marketing team at Vanrx Pharmasystems, which placed #1 on the Canadian Deloitte Fast 50 list. Vanrx was acquired in 2021 by Cytiva, part of the Danaher Corporation. He holds an MBA focusing on marketing and technology commercialization from the University of Alberta.