SINGAPORE 8 December 2022 ecoSPIRITS is marking a major expansion of its investment in its Intelligent Circular™ roadmap, which includes its CircularONE™ software platform, with two senior technology appointments. Eric Tan has joined the ecoSPIRITS Board of Directors as an independent board member and Derek Tang has been appointed to the newly-created role of Chief Technology Officer. Together, the new appointments add five decades of technology, software development and Internet-of-Things IoT (IoT) leadership experience to ecoSPIRITS’ board and executive leadership team. Messrs. Tan and Tang will help direct ecoSPIRITS’ expanded financial investment in the development of its software, IoT and data solutions. ecoSPIRITS’ Intelligent Circular roadmap is anchored by its CircularONE software platform, which integrates a complex global supply chain of hardware packaging assets into an IoT network. Through this integration of hardware and software, ecoSPIRITS is able to use data and automation to deliver real-time commercial insights, traceability and supply chain security, and unique performance features such as the patent-pending Verified Sustainable Refill™ technology. Having completed the first phase of development of CircularONE, ecoSPIRITS is now embarking on an intensive second phase of software development, which will see new features and capabilities released over the course of 2023.
ecoSPIRITS’ cloud-based CircularONE software platform is being developed to power a global closed loop network.
Tan joins the ecoSPIRITS Board of Directors as an independent board member, with a mandate to mentor ecoSPIRITS’ CEO Paul Gabie and newly-appointed Tang in the development of its software vision. Tan currently sits on the Chief Information Officer (CIO) advisory boards of Gartner and the Wall Street Journal, and has spent many years working for PwC in various leadership roles. He brings to ecoSPIRITS a wealth of experience in technology, AI/ML, and cybersecurity. Tan currently holds the role of CIO and Senior Vice President for Technology at Coupa, the California-based, NASDAQ-listed global SaaS company for business spend management. In 2022, he was a Bay Area’s ‘CIO of the Year’ at the ORBIE Awards for his outstanding leadership and innovation. He is a Certified Public Accountant, and holds a Masters in IT and Bachelors in Accounting.
“ecoSPIRITS’ mission to end single use glass by transitioning the spirits and wine industry to circular packaging technologies is an inspiring one. Developing an integrated platform powered by IoT and data is an immense undertaking, but one well worth pursuing. A future where we waste less and save more is possible. I look forward to working closely with my fellow board members and the leadership team at ecoSPIRITS.”
“Our Intelligent Circular roadmap will help us, and our customers, deliver circular solutions at unprecedented scale. I am delighted to welcome Eric to our board as ecoSPIRITS’ navigates the challenges and opportunities of building a global Intelligent Circular network. His wealth of technology leadership will be invaluable in helping our board and leadership team make smarter strategic decisions as we expand our investment in this all-important roadmap.”
In the newly-created role of Chief Technology Officer, Tang will be responsible for overall product and technology development at ecoSPIRITS. Leading a team of hardware and software engineers, Tang will take charge of bringing to life ecoSPIRITS’ vision of a global Intelligent Circular network of IoT hardware powered by software and data. In this role, he will oversee ecoSPIRITS’ entire product portfolio, including its ecoPLANT™, ecoTOTE™, SmartPour™, SmartKiosk™ and CircularONE™ technologies. In his new role, one of Tang’s first tasks will be to expand ecoSPIRITS’ team of hardware, IoT and software engineers in both Singapore and Shanghai. Tang has spent his 20-year career on the forefront of IoT and software development and innovation. Prior to joining ecoSPIRITS, Tang was most recently a founding member and Head of Engineering at Singapore-based SaaS logistics start-up Spares CNX, where he built and led a software development team of 30 engineers. Previously, Tang held senior software development and IoT leadership roles at Amazon Web Services, Accenture, Intel Corporation and GE Aviation. Throughout his career, he has focused on digital transformation strategies, with a specialization in IoT software platforms.
“Over the past few years IoT has become one of the most important technologies of the 21st century and I have dedicated my career towards understanding and developing ways in which the physical world of products meets the digital world. I am delighted therefore to be able to use my experience and passion about future technology to work with ecoSPIRITS, a company that is dedicated to the sustainable future of our planet.”
“Over the past four years, ecoSPIRITS has built an industry-leading hardware product portfolio. We have also completed the first phase of development of CircularONE, which has now deployed with some of our largest customers. Over the next three years, we will be investing heavily in software, IoT and data integration to power our network. Derek’s extensive technology development and leadership experience, and his specialisation in IoT are the perfect fit for this next chapter in ecoSPIRITS’ journey.”
The ecoSPIRITS circular packaging technology is now operating in more than 15 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Americas, with network coverage on pace to expand to 25 countries by early 2023. For media inquiries or general information on ecoSPIRITS, you may contact Sonya Hook, Senior PR Manager at [email protected].
About ecoSPIRITS
ecoSPIRITS is a circular economy technology company that has developed the world’s first low carbon, low waste distribution technology for premium spirits and wine. Our patent-pending closed loop system nearly eliminates all packaging waste in the supply chain. By dramatically reducing packaging and transport, ecoSPIRITS provides both a powerful cost advantage and a transformative carbon footprint reduction. Founded in Singapore in 2018, the ecoSPIRITS technology is now available in more than 15 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. More than 1,000 leading bars, restaurants, hotels and retailers have adopted the technology, including Michelin-starred restaurants, World’s 50 Best and Asia’s 50 Best bars and iconic hotels. ecoSPIRITS is now rapidly building a global network of closed loop service, with coverage to grow to 25 countries worldwide by early 2023. Together with our brand partners, importers, distributors, wholesalers, venues, and retailers, we are already making a difference. Each year, ecoSPIRITS and our partners are eliminating hundreds of tons of single use glass waste, planting tens of thousands of trees, and inspiring others to change.