David Stroud

Vice President MRO Sphera

David joined Sphera following its acquisition of sparesFinder in August 2018, and now is responsible for driving Sphera's MRO business globally, combining the best software, content and practice from sparesFinder and Sphera (originally Intermat, then IHS) to build an outstanding offer for existing and future customers.

He is a Cambridge-trained engineer, sponsored by the Royal Navy.  In active service he managed 40 aircraft-carrier-based engineering staff and subsequently became responsible for formulating Fleet Air Arm logistics policy. After leaving the RN he worked at Citibank for 6 years, firstly as an IT project manager and then as a derivatives trader specializing in European Government Bond Options based in Frankfurt and London. 

In 1998 he founded sparesFinder and led the company over the next 20 years from its roots as a dot.com start up through being one of the earliest enterprise level SaaS vendors to becoming a global leader in spare parts Master Data Management (MDM) software and services.  

The sparesFinder suite of software is unique in the breadth and depth of its data management software and services which are designed to provide a comprehensive solution to MRO category managers in asset intensive and process industries, including Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Mining, Utilities, Food Processing, Agribusiness and Chemicals.