Phil Gilbert, IBM’s Head of Design, Joins Geoforce Board of Directors

Appointment brings software design guru to leader in IoT for field operations

DALLAS, TEXAS, USA – December 15, 2016 – Geoforce, a world leader in providing global traceability solutions for field equipment, announced the appointment today of Phil Gilbert to the company’s Board of Directors. The appointment was effective November 1^st, 2016.

“Phil is a world-renowned thought leader in software design and user experience who, like us, believes software should be easy to try, easy to buy, and easy to use,” said James MacLean, President & CEO of Geoforce. “His experience building and running global businesses and leading design thinking at IBM will be extremely valuable as Geoforce continues to expand the capabilities of our award winning Track and Trace software and mobile applications.”

“Having already built the world’s largest network of connected oilfield equipment, we want to expand our leadership and become the #1 provider of the Internet of Things (IoT) for all field operations,” said Mr. MacLean. “Phil is ideally suited to help develop strategies for capitalizing on our leadership, so we can do for field equipment what Telogis, Fleetmatics, and other telematics leaders have done for vehicle tracking.”

“While I’m most excited to join Geoforce because of its tremendous leadership team, I’m also energized by the unique marriage of hardware and software it brings to the Internet of Things,” said Mr. Gilbert. “Geoforce is doing for field equipment and vehicles what Nest did for home devices. Except this is connecting assets globally, where there is often no wi-fi or cellular service, nothing but blue sky. That’s an exciting, large and high growth opportunity, and I’m proud to be part of it.”

Mr. Gilbert currently serves as General Manager for Design at IBM, where, since 2012, he has led the reinvigorated IBM design program, spearheading a broader transformation of the company. The program is based on two principles: adding formally-trained designers into IBM at an unprecedented scale, and reskilling its global workforce in design thinking and agile practices. Through mid-2016, more than 1,000 designers have been added, and IBM is on pace to have more than 100,000 practicing design thinkers by the end of 2016. The program was most deeply captured in a 2015 article in the New York Times.

Previously, Mr. Gilbert led the Business Process Management segment for IBM, where he drove the simplification of its portfolio and the ease-of-use of its products. He joined IBM in 2010 via the acquisition of Lombardi Software, where he was President.

Mr. Gilbert is a recognized leader in the technology industry, having led three successful start-ups, and is in demand around the world as an acknowledged expert and thought leader on topics of portfolio and software design, design governance, strategy and culture. He has also been awarded multiple patents across his career, and has most recently been called upon to advocate before the US Congress for a new “Digital Americans with Disabilities Act.” He graduated as a Pe-et (top ten) senior from the University of Oklahoma in 1978.

About Geoforce

Combining a cloud-based software platform with ruggedized GPS tracking devices, Geoforce’s Track and Trace solutions bring control to even the most remote field operations. Our asset tracking devices are built for the world’s toughest field operators in these industries: oil and gas, rail, construction, mining, transportation, government/defense, and agriculture. Today more than 1,300 customers track 150,000+ assets in almost 100 countries. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Geoforce operates a research and development office in Bozeman, Montana. Sales and support offices are maintained throughout the U.S. and in Brazil, Australia, and Canada.