Meet Our Leadership Team

Niko has over 15 years of Quality and Process Strategy Consulting for Information Systems across virtually every industry. After starting as a developer, he found his true passion in taking on testing management, project management and process appraisal roles.  Niko started and led Hewlett-Packard Asia-Pacific’s QA solution architecture team, growing the team, revenue, and client accounts more than tenfold through expanded pursuit efforts, impactful capabilities and exciting innovations – touching all aspects of software testing and developing global Software-as-a-Service delivery models. He also started and previously led the quality program for CareerBuilder as Enterprise Quality Director.  Niko now leads the Quality Engineering Consulting Practice for RCG Global Services, where he drives best practices, standards, innovation, and capability building internally and through technology partners. Before that he was Director of QA, building and running TCOEs, roadmaps, architecture and automation programs for enterprise clients.  He is passionate about leveraging AI and RPA technologies in Quality Engineering.

Joe joined RCG as Head of the RCG Global Services Financial Services Practice following many years as an international digital transformation and fintech executive.  He started his career in the front lines of banking and left the industry at the SVP level to take a leadership role in the technology and advisory ecosystem.  This cross-discipline perspective provides him with a unique combination of hands-on experiences from both sides of the table which he brings to every client and engagement with RCG. ​ Joe leverages his practical understanding of banking and advisory to create new sources of value by emphasizing digital transformation, fintech and innovation solutions at the intersection of information technology and the business side of financial services. ​ Prior to joining RCG, his career includes global business unit leadership positions at Coforge, EY, Globant, Wipro, National City, and PNC Financial Services.  Over his career, Joe has sold and led transformational engagements in 14 countries. ​ Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Duquesne University and resides in Pittsburgh, PA. ​

Dr. Rob  Nelson’s  industry  experience  includes  healthcare, high-tech, not-for-profit, manufacturing, some financial and Insurance services, and a variety of others. Rob has a proven record of establishing and implementing a full-spectrum of initiatives that help organizations achieve performance transformation and deliver strategic, operational, and financial results that ensure market leadership.  Dr. Nelson is also faculty at the Illinois Institute of Technology and the Jack Welch Management Institute, where he focuses on marketing, strategy, innovation, technology, and the new economy. Rob holds a Doctor of Business Administration in Strategic Marketing from Grenoble Ecole de Management with expertise in the transformation of organizations to deliver higher performance.  His MBA in Strategic Marketing is from the Kellogg School of Management, and his BA in Political Science is from the University of Oklahoma. He holds certificates in Global Leadership and Strategy from the Thunderbird School of Global Management; and in Innovation, AI, Digital Marketing from Dartmouth and Kellogg. He is a former Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and Pragmatic Marketing Certified.

Debashis Rana joined RCG as Director for Business Intelligence & Data Delivery in 2004. Under his leadership, RCG has delivered dozens of data and analytics solutions to our clients. Adept at the entire concept-design-execution lifecycle, he has led successful client engagements in numerous industry verticals as part of broader digital transformation efforts. Debashis has been a key contributor in maturing practice methodologies, processes and templates, and has spearheaded development of reusable frameworks and accelerators that our teams use across the company. He has spent 35 years in the technology industry, helping enterprises of all sizes derive value out of their data to drive positive business outcomes. Prior to joining RCG, Debashis was a Managing Consultant at EDS’s Global Business Intelligence Practice. He has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, and a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Georgia.

Charles has a noteworthy history of partnering with clients to deliver strategic, focused, and innovative solutions for the insurance industry. He provides thought leadership and measurable business outcomes affecting meaningful change to the Insurance and InsureTech organizations through process and technology enablement. Prior to RCG, he served as a Managing Consultant for Majesco where he built a reputation as a trusted advisor to senior client leadership, helping develop best practices for delivery, solution designs for business challenges, and partnered with clients to implement business/technology decisions.  Charles brings over two decades of experience in insurance technology, operations and management consulting. He is recognized as an invested and engaged leader capable of providing exceptional value, leading cross-functional teams in multi-vendor environments delivering on business outcomes. He not only brings a focus of efficiently and quality to delivery but also a focus on mentorship of junior resources in their career development. Charles holds a BS in Finance with honors from DePaul University in Chicago.

Kurt Wysock joined RCG as a Principal in 2021 establishing RCG as a leader in cloud engineering services with a focus on application modernization in the cloud. Under his leadership, RCG has delivered dozens of successful cloud migrations and data & analytics platforms across 3 cloud service providers. Adept at the entire concept-design-execution lifecycle, Kurt leads RCG’s Cloud Engineering Practice providing thought leadership and measurable business outcomes for RCG clients as they continue their digital transformation journeys and embrace modern cloud enterprise architectures.  Kurt is an accomplished enterprise architect with over 35 years of experience delivering solutions in a broad range of industry verticals including retail, marketing, manufacturing, HSSE, logistics, and finance.  Kurt has led enterprise-wide, multi-year application rationalization and modernization programs that have delivered on both business and IT strategy and goals. As part of the global cloud practice, Kurt evaluates technologies, vendors, and market trends and works with RCG customers to help deliver application modernization and cloud migration strategies and initiatives.

Aziz Virani serves as Chairman of RCG Global Services. He also serves as a board member at Excellarate. Aziz has 30+ years of experience growing technology and consulting services companies. He is the former CEO of CLEAResult, a private equity backed, leading provider of energy efficiency programs and services in North America. Aziz previously served as President of North America for Avanade, a global professional services company providing IT consulting services for the Microsoft platform. Prior to that, he was a senior partner at Accenture where he held several senior management positions globally and provided strategy, consulting, digital transformation and operations services to Fortune 500 company clients. Since 2019 Aziz has been working with private equity companies The Frontenac Company and The Halifax Group as an executive advisor. In this role Aziz is an advisor to these private equity firms as they evaluate and invest in IT services businesses. Upon doing such leveraged buyouts, Aziz personally invests and serves on the Board of Directors of those companies.

Rob Simplot joined RCG as CEO in 1999. Under his leadership, the company has advanced its Data & Analytics business consulting capability dramatically while also driving revenue growth in the outsourcing of Product Engineering development and support, utilizing the company’s subsidiaries in the Philippines and India. Rob led the management buy-out of RCG in 2013 in partnership with Eos Partners, a private equity firm in New York City. Subsequently, he led a company recapitalization in 2021 with Frontenac, a leading private equity firm in Chicago. Rob has spent 44 years in the technology industry, helping large complex organizations solve critical business problems. Prior to joining RCG, Rob enjoyed a 21-year career at Unisys Corp. His last position there was Vice President & General Manager for North America – leading the technology professional services division. Rob completed the executive development program at the Wharton Business School and received both his MBA and BBA degrees in Finance from the University of Iowa.

Mike is a Managing Director and focuses on investments in the business services sector. He is a director of Integris, Motion Solutions, RCG Global Services and XanEdu. Mike’s prior investments and directorships include A.H. Harris, Behavioral Health Group, Crescent Healthcare, e+ CancerCare, H-E Parts, Salient CRGT and TPC . Mike first joined Frontenac as an Associate in 2001. Mike rejoined the firm in 2009 after serving as a Senior Associate at Genstar Capital. Mike began his career as an analyst at DLJ Merchant Banking. A Michigan native, Mike graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan and received an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Joe is a Principal and focuses on investments in the business services sector. Joe is a director of CoCreativ, Excellarate, Integris and RCG Global Services. Joe’s prior investments and directorships include GNAP LLC, La Tavola and Whitebridge Pet Brands. Prior to Frontenac, he was an investment banking analyst at Citigroup Global Markets. A Chicago native, Joe graduated from Northwestern University and received an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Markie is a Vice President and focuses on investments in the business services sector. Markie is a director of Motion Solutions, Newterra, RCG Global Services and XanEdu. Markie’s prior investments and directorships include TPC. Prior to Frontenac, she was an investment banking analyst at Robert W. Baird where she focused on the business services segment. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Markie graduated with general honors from the University of Chicago.

Patti has spent more than 20 years leading and advising companies, largely within the insurance vertical. She most recently served as the Chief Product Officer at Duck Creek Technologies, a provider of core system solutions to the P&C and general insurance industry. Patti played a significant role in Duck Creek’s carveout from Accenture and its acquisition by Apax Partners in 2016. Prior to Duck Creek, Patti served as Managing Director at Accenture, advising P&C insurers globally on technology and business transformation, focusing on operational efficiencies and customer service. Prior to joining Accenture, Patti spent the early days of her career working for insurance companies in both personal and commercial business across underwriting and claims.