Leadership Team
3E Company’s management is a proven team with combined EH&S and information services expertise and strong business leadership skills.
Robert S. Christie
President & Chief Executive Officer
With more than 25 years of executive management experience, Christie joined 3E in 2004 as a seasoned CEO with a successful track record as a leader of information service providers. In his role, Christie is building on 3E's success by drawing from his experience in order to strengthen 3E's leadership position and accelerate growth at a global level.
Christie joined 3E from Credit Suisse First Boston, where he served as an acquisitions consultant responsible for identifying, investigating and acquiring companies in the service industry sector. Prior to Credit Suisse, Christie was president and CEO of Thomson Learning, the second-largest global education and learning company. While at Thomson, Christie transformed a business division from a domestic book publisher into a global learning company, while increasing revenues from $550 million to over $1.4 billion in less than three years. He built and developed a world-class management team that ultimately led a group of 18 global operating companies. During his tenure, Christie improved profits and doubled net margins over a 3-year period.
Prior to Thomson Learning he served as president and CEO for Thomson and Thomson Corporation, the world's leader in trademark and copyright services and information. During his tenure at Thomson & Thomson he had revenue responsibility in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and managed a staff of 700 people globally. He also served as president of McGraw-Hill Higher Education Company and group-vice president of Standard & Poor's Information Company in New York. Earlier in his career, he held senior-level positions with McGraw-Hill publications, Publex Publishing and Beatrice Foods Co. He serves on the board of directors for Von Hoffman Press, Classroom, Inc. and Alternative Technologies. Christie holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in management of organizational behavior with a minor in marketing from Rider University.
Linda S. Allen
Vice President, 3E Operations
Linda S. Allen is a ten-year 3E veteran who has played an instrumental role in the company's tremendous growth. Allen is responsible for all service departments, database management functions and manages a staff of more than 80 employees with 24-7-365 shifts. She also oversees the company's technical managers to ensure that the well-trained and skilled staff stay abreast of complex and constantly evolving issues associated with regulatory compliance.
In applying her extensive experience in managing large workforces, motivating employees around goal attainment and focusing teams on performance quality and strategy, Allen has been a key component in 3E's success.
With a twelve-year history in large operations management, Allen brought to 3E both a "big-picture" perspective and experience in implementing management and development programs for growing companies. In previous positions, she managed business units with annual revenues in excess of $40 million and participated on several special task forces debating corporate issues.
Outside of 3E, Allen is a member of The Executive Committee's Key Group, a professional organization for CEO's and executives in key management positions.
Jillaine Dellis
Vice President, Ariel Global Research & Operations
Jillaine is the Vice President of Ariel Global Research and Operations at 3E Company where she is responsible for leading Ariel’s comprehensive global regulatory information decision support products and regulatory support services business. Dellis has over 15 years of regulatory compliance leadership. Prior to joining Ariel Research, Dellis managed the regulatory compliance department for a top global consumer products company where her responsibilities included management of the company’s compliance programs associated with FIFRA, TSCA, GLPs, GMPs and CPSC. Dellis was also responsible for global compliance of the company’s food storage/contact products. Moreover, she developed and managed the company’s global product safety, regulatory and environmental compliance assessment program.
Dellis is on the Center for Social Leadership Board of Directors, Chairs the Washington Metropolitan Leadership Committee and is Chair of the 2006 Field of Dreams gala. She is also on the Corporate Board of Directors at Milwaukee School of Engineering and has led and participated in a number of professional societies. Some of her activities include the Milwaukee School of Engineering Alumni Board of Directors and Biomedical Engineering Industrial Advisory Committee, Society of Quality Assurance Board of Directors, Founding Chair of the Council on Professional Registration, and the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers Board of Directors - Milwaukee section.
Dellis holds Master and Bachelor of Science Degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering respectively.
Sylvia Gaffney
Vice President, Legal Affairs
Sylvia Gaffney joined 3E in 2005 as Vice President, Legal Affairs and also is the Corporate Secretary and Ethics Compliance Officer. Ms. Gaffney brings more than 23 years of global business and legal experience spanning government, aerospace, telecom and the hospitality industry. She has more than a dozen years of experience as a licensed attorney. Most recently, Ms. Gaffney worked at Skyworks Solutions, Inc., a publicly traded semiconductor company as Legal Counsel; and prior to that position, Ms. Gaffney was Legal Counsel and Assistant Secretary at Ericsson Wireless Communications, Inc. She is licensed to practice law in California and in Maryland. Ms. Gaffney earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Loyola College.
Joseph Hart
Vice President, Sales
Joseph Hart brings nearly 30 years of executive and sales management experience to his position at 3E Company. As the vice president of sales, Hart is chartered with spearheading 3E's sales team, expanding customer relationships, penetrating new accounts, responding to new market opportunities and contributing to the aggressive growth plan of the company.
Prior to joining 3E he served in senior executive sales management positions at companies including Dot Hill Systems, nStor Technologies, Peak Technologies, DataWorks Corporation and Intermec Corporation, where he sold multimillion dollar technology solutions to companies such as AT&T, Johnson & Johnson and Thermo Electron.
While serving as northwest regional sales manager at Computer Automation, he successfully increased sales from $2.3 million to $8.4 million in two years. During his tenure at Group Three Electronics, he inherited a regional office running 50% below quota and floundering. Within 18 months, he successfully restructured the sales team and achieved 118% of quota resulting in $10.4 million in revenue.
Hart holds a bachelor's degree in business management and mathematics at Metropolitan State College in Colorado, and an MBA from Pepperdine University.
Leo Oves
Vice President, Research & Development
Leo Oves brings more than 20 years of IT experience. He joined Ariel Research Corporation more than a decade ago as a senior software consultant and later became Chief Information Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ariel, prior to its acquisition by Eastman Chemical in 2001. Oves' knowledge of advanced technology and his ability to apply it to the business needs of customers led Ariel from a paper-based information publishing firm to a provider of sophisticated, web-based reference and data integration products and services. His combination of technical, EH&S and management expertise continues to play a pivotal role in the development of 3E's products and services.
Prior to joining Ariel, Oves worked for several research institutes in St. Petersburg, developing models and software for the optimization of large multi-product marine transportation networks. Upon moving to the U.S., he worked as a software development consultant for Hughes Network Systems and Plantronics.
Oves earned Operations Research, Computer Science, and Management degrees from the University of St. Petersburg, Russia and University of Maryland, USA.
Jeffrey Starr
Vice President, Marketing
Jeffrey Starr leads and manages the overall marketing effort at 3E Company, including strategic and tactical direction as well as guidance across all marketing functions. Starr’s areas of responsibility include Product Management, Marketing Communications, Marketing Programs and Channel Development. Before joining 3E Company, Starr served as a General Partner at Mission Ventures, a Southern California regional technology venture capital firm. In addition to his involvement in all areas of the Mission Ventures investment process, Starr was instrumental in providing consultation and direction to several of the portfolio companies, especially in the areas of strategy, sales and marketing.
Prior to Mission Ventures, Starr worked in a series of VP level and senior marketing positions with companies such as Magic Software Enterprises, Amdocs and Data General Corporation. Starr has executed leadership roles for numerous start-ups involved in e-commerce enablement, website content management, knowledge management, and call center systems during their start-up, rapid growth, IPO, and acquisition periods. He also worked as an Analyst for Booz, Allen, & Hamilton.
Starr’s education includes an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a BA from Columbia University.
Jytte Syska
President, Ariel Operations & Managing Director, 3E Company Europe
Jytte Syska has more than 20 years of experience as an EH&S regulatory expert. Syska spent several years as Vice President of International Operations before taking on the role of President of Ariel™ operations, in charge of all the business units that support Ariel products and services. She is responsible for Ariel Global Product Development and Operations, in Bethesda, Maryland; the Ariel Authoring and Related Services Center in Kingsport, Tennessee; and the international operation where she resides in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Syska also held the position of Director of Occupational Health and Toxicology for the prestigious Danish Toxicology Centre (DTC) where she enjoyed scientific, financial and managerial responsibility for a department of 25 consultants.
Robert M. Ward
Vice President, Information Systems
Robert M. Ward started with 3E Company in 1990 as employee number five. Wearing multiple hats with various titles, he has played an integral role in the growth and success of 3E Company. During his thirteen year tenure, he has helped take 3E from a small company with five employees to an industry leader with 175 employees -- and is poised to be a key player in fostering the company's aggressive growth goals over the next few years.
As the initial designer, developer and programmer of 3E's core software and hardware systems, Ward's expertise and professional direction have been key components in 3E's domination of the hazardous materials information management and emergency response industry. Specializing in strategic technology identification and application, Ward oversees 3E's Information Technology department. Throughout his history with 3E, he has also held positions as Financial Manager and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) Manager. Today he serves as the Vice President, Information Systems.
Prior to joining 3E Company, Ward held several positions with McDonnell Douglas Aircraft from 1982 to 1990. A California native, Ward was born in Glendale, raised in La Crescenta, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, with a BS in Business Management Information Systems.