Company Management Bios

Christian J. Bockhausen  Senior Vice President, Technology and Chief Information Officer

When he graduated from Detroit's Wayne State University with a combined Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degree in Business and French, Chris Bockhausen had no idea that he'd end up as a tech guy. He remained in his first financial job for a mere three hours. The next day he tested with Honeywell and immediately embarked on a long and impressive technical career that would eventually direct him to a number of key leadership positions. Today, Chris serves as Compuware's Senior Vice President of Technology and Chief Information Officer. Starting in Software Development at Honeywell in 1965, Chris found himself working on innovations that would help the company gain market leadership over IBM. He was the first to put "hardware multiply/divide" into Honeywell software, making the execution time of the company's machines several orders faster. After three years of software development, Chris churned ahead, forming his own company developing software. It was right around 1972 that Pete Karmanos and Chris joined American Motors Corporation, and Pete invited Chris to join him in a venture that would be called Compuware. As it happened, it would be decades before Chris would take up Pete's offer. In the meantime, Chris kept on innovating at AMC and quickly advanced to become the Director of IS Operations.   Finally, when Renault acquired AMC, Chris got a chance to put one of his degrees to use…French! As the Paris-based CTO for Renault from 1983-1985, Chris had to quickly refine his second language to the point where he could live, work and lead a French-speaking team of 1,000 strong. His success in this endeavor has been a lasting source of confidence for Chris: "Working in a foreign language multiplies the difficulty of a job ten-fold." When AMC was acquired by Chrysler from Renault, Chris returned to the U.S. and became the CIO for Chrysler Credit in Allentown, PA. Nations Bank then acquired Chrysler Credit and Chris was named their CIO. With 25 years seniority in the AMC/Renault/Chrysler chain, and also employed by NationsBank, Chris retired from both companies in 1996. At last Compuware got him. Chris took the position of Vice President and director of Compuware's Farmington Hills, Michigan product development organization, responsible for all development in Detroit. Then, Chris led Compuware's internal Information Services Division, becoming Compuware's CIO. Today, as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Chris is responsible for leading Compuware's Technology organization, managing 10 development labs in five countries and for the operation of Compuware's software product development and internal IT efforts. Still, he'll tell you the most important part of the job isn't technical at all—it's about selecting and nurturing great people and helping them gain the skills they need to rapidly advance and—bottom line—deliver value to their customers. Chris and his wife live on Oxbow Lake in White Lake, Michigan, where they enjoy boating and fishing. Chris also enjoys spending time with his three children and granddaughter. (And, yes, he still speaks fluent French.)

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Laura Fournier  Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

To direct the finances of a worldwide company like Compuware takes all the attributes you would expect—intelligence, dedication and plenty of hard work. For Laura Fournier, Compuware’s Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer, there’s one more very important component—lots of heart. Lots of heart for the job, and lots of heart for the team she works with. In fact, Laura followed her heart all the way along her career path. Although starting off with a degree in elementary education, Laura took a position in the accounts payable department of a lumberyard. In the process, she discovered a true passion, and went on to get her accounting and finance degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Laura credits UNLV for her rapid success, having been challenged hard enough in her studies to pass her CPA exam on the first try. Several successful years in public accounting followed, ultimately leading Laura to the post of Senior Manager at Laventhol and Horwath. Compuware became one of Laura’s most challenging and interesting clients. As she explains, “Compuware was always doing something different!”  The opportunity to move over to Compuware appeared in 1990, when Laura was also considering an attractive post with a major automaker. Once again, she followed her heart, choosing the position in which she felt she would never become “a brick in the wall.” She chose Compuware, joining as Director of Internal Audit and Controller.  Today, Laura’s responsibilities include overseeing Compuware’s Finance, Human Resources and Legal organizations. She also performs the treasury function and guides strategic planning and all business practices and policies related to finance. She has experienced some of the company’s greatest moments in her present role, including the crowning achievement of going public. Although the role brings no shortage of challenges, Laura credits her success to her ability to step back from complicated situations and apply common sense to make decisions for the greater good of the company and its people. One of Laura’s mentors once assured her that “Good people do not languish at Compuware.” She has cherished those words and made them her own guiding principle in building and guiding what she believes is the best accounting team in the business. As leader of this team, Laura works hard to continue honing her skills and maintains her CPA status to this day. Laura has also built a successful team outside of her Compuware business units—one that brings comfort and joy to dozens of families each holiday season. Working with friends, fellow Compuware employees and the St. Vincent de Paul organization, Laura helps bring truckloads of holiday gifts and food to more and more families each year.  Laura and her husband make their home in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Whenever she can, she enjoys spending time with her two children and her grandchildren.

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Andrew Hittle Vice President, Business Transformation

As Vice President of Compuware’s Business Transformation Team (BTT), Andrew Hittle knows the company inside and out. As part of his role leading the BTT, Andrew is responsible for examining exactly how Compuware conducts its business with external and internal customers, and suggesting changes that will have positive, lasting impact on the future of the company. Reaching the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness for Compuware and all of its customers is his goal. Considering Andrew’s rich history in the IT field, he is uniquely qualified to examine these ongoing intricate and complex issues within Compuware. One might consider Andrew a student of technology, with more than a dozen years of experience in many aspects of the IT world. Andrew began his technology career with Syntel, Inc., where he was responsible for selling and delivering staffing, turn-key and offshore application delivery solutions. As part of this position, Andrew lived in India, seeing firsthand how the offshore development industry began. In 1997, Andrew came to Compuware and promptly graduated from the company’s Professional Development Program, a rigorous, in-house training program based on Compuware solutions. A quick study, Andrew translated his success from that program into several high-profile customer-facing roles and leadership positions across Compuware’s Field Technical Support, Product Related Services and Global Sales Director organizations for both the Vantage and Application Delivery Management lines of business. Now at the helm of the BTT, Andrew has a unique impact on Compuware’s future as a worldwide industry leader in IT-related business solutions for customers. His passion for the company and its success is undeniable. “Our Business Transformation Team not only understands the business—academically and fundamentally—but also what is so strong and unique about the Compuware culture,” Andrew said. “There is a cultural DNA that runs through Compuware that everyone is very proud of and celebrates. Knowing the type of fantastic and talented people we have employed in this company, it becomes a very inspiring element knowing you are working on behalf of those people.” Andrew graduated from Purdue University with an emphasis on Management and Finance. He is married and has two young children.

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Peter Karmanos, Jr.  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

If you've met Peter Karmanos, Jr., you've met passion personified. As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Compuware, Pete uses that passion every day to ensure that the company delivers value to its customers. How? Simple--through the hottest distributed products in the market, through outstanding professional services and through the most-respected mainframe software in the world, Compuware helps make its customers more productive. Getting the company to where it is today, however, has not always been so simple. Flashback to 1973, when Pete sat in his dining room with two buddies and gambled. The stakes were higher than he could've imagined at the time, because with $3,000 each in tax-return money, Pete and his friends formed Compuware, a company that would become a worldwide leader in delivering technology value to customers. Pete, Thomas Thewes and the late Allen B. Cutting, wanted to build "…a 20 to 25 person company that would be a fun place to work." Instead, they created Detroit's technology giant, with nearly 8,000 employees and more than $1.2 billion in annual revenue. Since Compuware began, Pete's had a front seat on the rollercoaster of the technology industry, and he's seen it all. He's seen the fads come and go. He's seen little sock puppets star in $2 million TV commercials only to end up bankrupt and on the auction block. What does it take to thrive in the midst of the madness? As Pete will tell you, there's no big secret. It's a time-tested formula consisting of highly visible leadership, hands-on management, a keen awareness of what's happening in the industry and--most importantly--a strong foundation. For Pete, that foundation is the straightforward, unwavering mission of Compuware--to deliver value through technology, allowing customers to focus on what they do best, from selling cars to selling widgets. This focus has allowed Pete and his worldwide teams to see through the trends and fads and build real solutions that customers want and need. With solutions that ensure application quality, speed Java or .NET development or help software performance surpass expectations, Compuware continues to help people do things with computers. Compuware has been called the blue-collar software company, and perhaps that all began at Peter Karmanos, Sr.'s diner in Detroit. They called it Pete's Place, though it was really named Grand & Lahser Hamburgers. That's where Peter Jr. learned firsthand what it meant to meet the expectations of customers. And the value of coming to work every day and getting something done has stayed with Pete since his days running the cash register. Another thing that's stuck with Pete since his days in the diner is his respect for the hardworking people who help drive business forward every day. Having well overshot his goal of building a 25-person company, Pete also strove to over-deliver on the promise of giving his employees a fun place to work. Today, with its fresh, open design, incredible views, health club, day care facility and many other employee amenities, the new Compuware building in Downtown Detroit is a perfect encapsulation of Compuware's fun, friendly culture. Pete is an avid gardener, a master gardener in fact. He's also a member of Mensa and has had the good fortune to have his name be one of the (incorrect) answers on a famous trivia game show. He is also an athlete and sports fan, which led Pete into co-ownership of three hockey teams--the Carolina Hurricanes (National Hockey League), the Plymouth Whalers (Ontario Hockey League) and the Florida Everblades (East Coast Hockey League)--and drove him to create youth hockey programs for the children of Southeast Michigan. In addition to his personal and business pursuits, Pete is deeply committed to philanthropy. In memory of his late wife, Pete made gifts of more than $50 million to establish the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, the only nationally recognized center to be named for a woman. Pete, along with Compuware employees around the world, supports a wide variety of other causes. Pete attended Wayne State University in Detroit, before pursuing his fascination with business and technology. Pete lives in the metropolitan Detroit area with his Video Producer wife, Danialle. Pete and Danialle enjoy movies (with popcorn and "Milk Dudes"), traveling, reading the paper and golfing. The couple is already working on ideas for the documentary they'd like to co-produce someday.

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Denise Knobblock  Chief Administrative Officer

Officially, Denise Knobblock is known as Compuware's Chief Administrative Officer. Unofficially, she could be called Compuware's Resident Miracle Worker. To begin with, some may consider it miraculous that anyone can handle as long a list of vital functions as Denise manages at Compuware. Among her responsibilities are all corporate real estate, facilities, purchasing, shipping and receiving, fleet operations, license management, product distribution, insurance, travel, security, building telephone operators, mail services, administrative support and Compuware's 24-hour customer service hotline. Denise joined Compuware in 1989, and held positions of increasing responsibility in facilities and administration including Manager, Director, Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President. In her tenure, Compuware's offices in North America have grown in number from six to more than 45. Among Denise's most notable accomplishments is her role in making the new Compuware world headquarters an incredible place to work and visit. Throughout Compuware's relocation, she oversaw the construction and occupancy of the building, but the job didn't end there. Denise also played--and continues to play--a leading role in bringing services and retail establishments to the building. Denise is responsible for Compuware's child development center, wellness center and cafeteria, as well as the popular shops and restaurants that occupy the building's ground floor. Denise will explain that, in one way or another, everything she does boils down to service--a skill she honed early on in her 13-year career with the Detroit Free Press. As a manager in the circulation department, she was responsible for customer service. She also oversaw the carrier billing system, which she helped to create and roll out to district managers. Doing what Denise does every day takes time and plenty of effort. But she credits her endurance to two things: a passion for having fun and a knack for finding creative solutions to unique challenges. Before switching her major to business administration at the Mercy College of Detroit (now the University of Detroit Mercy), Denise studied social work--and she values the experience for helping her to inspire groups to work together more effectively. A big part of that is keeping work fun. Denise loves what she does, and she shares that passion by openly expressing her sense of humor and encouraging creative thinking among her coworkers. While Denise brings miraculous results to Compuware every day, it's perhaps even more impressive that she still finds time to work miracle after miracle in her community. She makes it a priority to share her talents, influence and compassion with others in some very unique and outgoing ways. Denise serves on a long list of non-profit boards including HAVEN, Hospice Foundation, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Gleaners Food Bank, Women's Leadership Foundation and the Michigan Minority Business Development Council (for which she is also the Sector Chairperson for IT). Denise's work as a Mentor in Wayne County's Michigan Mentoring Program has resulted in providing direction and motivation to a student who now passionately aspires to work in Compuware's child development center someday. Denise also participates in the Make-a-Wish Foundation's Wish-a-Mile 300-mile bike ride every July. Although not a bicyclist, she'll train three months for the trip. Denise has helped increase participation within Compuware each year, which recently resulted in a donation of more than $80,000. Denise also supports fundraising efforts for the Karmanos Cancer Institute. These considerable contributions are not the limit of Denise's generosity. Very sensitive to problems in her community, Denise always feels compelled to help in any way she can. In the recent past, Denise found clever ways to help the parents of a young girl with the expenses and travel problems associated with getting their daughter a liver transplant. Denise has a grown son who lives in the Western United States. She shares her home in Oakland County with a black Lab named Jake. Additionally, Denise enjoys reading management literature and humorous books--a combination that may someday inspire her to turn her journal into a book on her amusing experiences serving customers.

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Bob Paul  President and Chief Operating Officer, Compuware

Bob Paul is a business leader with a proven knack for getting—and keeping—companies focused on what they do best for their customers. As President and COO of Compuware, Paul puts these capabilities to use as leader of the company’s worldwide products and services operations, the organization’s transformational Compuware 2.0 initiative and a number of other key functions, such as product management, marketing and communications, technical sales support, and recruiting, training and career development. Before this position, Paul served as President and COO of Compuware Covisint and was instrumental in helping to facilitate Compuware’s acquisition of Covisint in 2004. Prior to his Covisint days, Bob’s experiences include being the President of SYNAPZ, a provider of web-based supply chain management procurement applications for the auto industry. Bob was also President and COO of Coherent Networks, Incorporated (CNI). His position at CNI gave Bob the opportunity to experience the second of three turnarounds in which he has played a leading role. By guiding the company to focus on what its customers valued, and by applying technology and services to solve those problems, Bob and his team were able to take out 36 percent of the company’s operating costs in his first nine months at the company and attain 72 percent of annual revenues by the end of the first full quarter of the subsequent year Bob’s influence at Covisint was even more significant. Coming in as a Vice President of Sales and Marketing in October 2001, Bob learned that the company was competing in too many application spaces and did not have the resources to succeed in all of them effectively. Bob was key player on the team responsible for focusing the company on the things it was competitively qualified to do…areas that would also provide sustainable revenue. With Bob’s help, Covisint grew its registered user base to almost 100,000 in the first year of the turnaround, nearly quadrupling it. During this same timeframe, Covisint’s results featured a 56 percent operating cost reduction, while the company maintained top-line revenue objectives. Advancing to CEO and President of Covisint, Bob’s next challenge was to manage the acquisition of his company. Part of the turnaround for Covisint was the realization that Covisint customers often require substantial development and operational support when implementing services. With an extended services organization, Covisint could provide even greater value to its customer base. So Bob and his team went shopping for a large company with experience doing major IT-based projects. A headquarters in Detroit would be a strong plus. And above all, the purchasing company had to be a place where high-performance people were welcomed and respected. Compuware had its offer on the table within seven days. On March 1, 2004 the acquisition was completed. In addition to his dedication to Compuware, Bob is an active industry citizen. He speaks on IT topics at business schools and industry events all over the world. He also authors supply chain management articles for business publications.  Beyond corporate walls, Bob has always been a serious sports enthusiast. He attended Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan on a soccer scholarship and earned recognition as a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American in the sport. Bob continues to play soccer, and has coached several teams, including the Olympic Development Team for Michigan soccer. Currently, he coaches his son’s under-seven team on weekends. Bob is also a golfer and former University of Michigan club rugby player. In support of his golf habit, Bob served as President of Walnut Creek Country Club. Born and raised in England until he was 12, Bob now lives in Northville, Michigan with his wife, four kids, and two dogs—a treasured Bernese mountain dog and an equally beloved mutt. When not working or coaching, Bob can usually be found cheering on his kids at one of their many extracurricular performances and sporting events.

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