Executive Bios
SEAN FLAHERTY
Mr. Flaherty is chief executive officer of Nemetschek North America, creators of Vectorworks, a global leader in design software preferred by users in more than 80 countries, and one of the early pioneers of CAD and its applications in architecture.
Formerly Nemetschek North America's chief technology officer, Mr. Flaherty has been with the company since its inception. He worked closely with early CAD adopters to help create the firm's core technology and product. An industry veteran, he has witnessed the evolution of CAD from computerized drafting to complete digital design, adopting BIM capabilities before BIM became a buzzword. An innovator and proponent of design software that works the way designers think for more than 20 years, Mr. Flaherty has been helping architectural firms evaluate and implement technology to improve their design processes and decrease operating costs.
Mr. Flaherty graduated from the University of Maryland where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering.
RICHARD DIEHL
Former CEO Mr. Diehl is chairman of Nemetschek North America. He is the founder of Diehl Graphsoft Inc. and served as its president and CEO since its inception in 1985. Prior to establishing the company, Mr. Diehl was a computer engineer for Privac, Inc., of Falls Church, Virginia, until March, 1985. Previously, he worked as a computer engineer for the Bendix Aerospace Technology Center in Columbia, Maryland, and as an engineering technician with W.R. Grace & Co. Mr. Diehl holds a Master of Science degree
in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University.
STEWART ROM
Mr. Rom is Nemetschek North America's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, overseeing US sales and managing corporate relations with the international distributor channel.
In addition to increasing the Vectorworks presence through aggressive marketing, Mr. Rom has significantly expanded the US-based sales staff, resulting in consecutive years of record revenue. Supervising the introduction of the Vectorworks Industry Series, he has played a vital role in the company's entrance into the landscape, lighting design, and mechanical drafting markets.
Prior to his tenure at NNA, Mr. Rom accumulated over 20 years of combined sales and marketing experience in the construction, design, and software industries, and has particular expertise in the field of landscape design. Mr. Rom is a graduate of Rutgers University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture.
DR. BIPLAB SARKAR
Dr. Biplab Sarkar is the Chief Technology Officer of Nemetschek North America. He has been with Nemetschek North America since 2000, serving as manager of the geometry and rendering teams. In his time with the company he has overseen and driven the development of Vectorworks into a best-in-class CAD application. Notably, Dr. Sarkar has enhanced the power and capability of Vectorworks product line with the implementation of robust 3D solids and surface modeling tools, architectural modeling tools, presentation and drafting tools.
Prior to joining the company, Dr. Sarkar was part of the development team at ICEM systems, Intergraph and Computervision/Parametric Technology, where he last served as the Director of R&D. He has been developing CAD software for almost 20 years.
Dr. Sarkar received his Ph.D. and Master of Science degrees from the Mechanical Engineering department of The Ohio State University and Bachelor of Science degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.
PAUL PHARR
Mr. Pharr is the Chief Information Officer of Nemetschek North America. He has been with Nemetschek North America since 1991, and has also held the position of Chief Technology Officer. As CIO, Mr. Pharr is responsible for IT, management information systems, web applications and delivery technologies.
Prior to joining the company, Mr. Pharr developed mathematical induction solution software for Abtech, Inc., in Charlottesville, VA. He has researched and written in the fields of artificial intelligence and 3D graphics, as well as authored articles for software development publications.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University.
ROBERT ANDERSON
Mr. Anderson, AIA, is vice president of Nemetschek North America's Integrated Products Group. A magna cum laude graduate of Rice University, Mr. Anderson has overseen the direction and scope of all new product development since joining the company in 1998. He is a professional architect and brings more than twenty years of architecture experience to NNA.
In 1997, Mr. Anderson captained the winning MiniCAD team in the "3D Architect's CAD Shoot-Out." He has also produced, published, and marketed add-on software for Diehl Graphsoft's MiniCAD software, namely LayerMAP and MiniReporter.
Prior to joining NNA, Mr. Anderson was a network architect with Seton Medical Center. Prior to that, he was the owner and principal of an architectural and CAD consulting practice. Throughout his career, Mr. Anderson has lectured and instructed at various educational institutions including his alma mater, Rice University, and the University of Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree.