INSIDE Contactless Strengthens Executive Team for Major NFC Push in North America

Moving to expand its position in the near field communication (NFC) market in North America, INSIDE Contactless, a leading provider of advanced, open-standard contactless chip technologies, named two top sales and marketing executives for the company's NFC business line.

INSIDE appointed Andy Germano, an executive with more than 21 years of experience in wireless and telecom marketing as VP of sales and business development, and named Bob Locascio, who has more than 15 years of strategic, technology and team-leadership experience, as director of product marketing and business development.

Germano will lead INSIDE's North American sales and business-development efforts, focusing on securing NFC business from leading handset providers, promoting INSIDE products and executing-marketing strategies with members of the NFC ecosystem, such as carriers, banks, and payment brands, and developing new business opportunities emerging from the consumer-electronics market.

Germano joins INSIDE from AuthenTec, a leading provider of fingerprint sensors and solutions, where he participated in the company's recent initial public offering. Prior to AuthenTec, he led sales and marketing teams for several start-up companies, including WiDeFi, Tantivy, and BEC Technologies. He also held numerous marketing positions at Verizon (GTE), Nortel, and Qualcomm. Germano earned a Bachelor's degree from Saint Vincent College, a second Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from Duke University.

Locascio will help lead INSIDE's marketing and business development efforts in North America, working closely with handset makers, regional standard bodies and industry forums and other ecosystem partners, supporting regional sales efforts in promoting INSIDE's NFC offerings and providing valuable feedback to the product group.

Prior to joining INSIDE, Locascio's experience included leading the creation and execution of new business and solution strategies for Agilent Technologies’ $1 billion wireless test-equipment business. As president and executive director of the Telematics Suppliers Consortium, he planned, formed and led this organization to establish and promote an industry-standard architecture for the wireless in-vehicle information and entertainment market. Locascio also held a number of engineering and management positions at Motorola. Locascio holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.