Sphera appoints Chris Gutheil as CTO to drive AI push

Sphera has appointed Chris Gutheil as Chief Technology Officer, putting him in charge of the company's technology strategy and engineering organisation as it expands its work on artificial intelligence.

Gutheil has joined the Executive Leadership Team, reports to CEO and President Paul Marushka, and is based in Chicago. He leads Sphera's global technology organisation.

Sphera said the appointment supports its multi-year product roadmap and increased focus on product development. It comes as many software providers add AI features and rework internal development processes in response to customer demand and competitive pressure.

AI focus

A central part of Gutheil's remit is the ongoing development of Sphera AI, which the company recently announced. Sphera says the offering uses operational data to generate insights for organisations managing risk and meeting compliance requirements.

Marushka framed the role around changing expectations from corporate users and regulators.

"Technology-and especially AI-is reshaping how companies operate, manage risk and respond to increasing regulatory and stakeholder expectations," said Paul Marushka, CEO and president of Sphera. "Chris is a proven technology leader who knows how to turn deep data and complex platforms into scalable, high-impact products. His experience and vision will be critical as we accelerate innovation and deliver the next generation of solutions - including the continued advancement of Sphera AI - for our customers."

Gutheil will work across Sphera's product portfolio and oversee engineering execution. Sphera also linked the CTO role to faster product delivery and shorter timeframes for customers to see results after deployments.

Engineering remit

Gutheil will strengthen Sphera's global engineering organisation and guide its broader technology strategy, including development practices and the integration of AI features into products.

In his statement, Gutheil pointed to the challenges Sphera's customers face.

"Sphera helps companies address some of the most important challenges they face today-operating safely, responsibly, and sustainably," said Chris Gutheil, Chief Technology Officer of Sphera.

He also highlighted the outcomes he wants to prioritise for customers.

"I'm excited to leverage Sphera's wealth of data, product technology, innovation, and the powerful capabilities launched through Sphera AI to help customers reduce environmental impact, improve worker safety, and make better, data-driven decisions. This is a powerful opportunity to transform how companies operate efficiently and safely," said Gutheil.

Career background

Gutheil previously served as Chief Engineering Officer at QAD, a provider of enterprise resource planning and supply chain software. He has more than two decades of experience building and modernising enterprise software platforms and scaling global engineering teams.

Before QAD, he held senior engineering leadership roles at Accruent, which sells workplace and asset management software. His background includes large platform transformations and the use of AI in products and development practices.

The appointment gives Sphera a named executive owner for its technology strategy as AI product roadmaps increasingly require governance around data, model performance, and integration with existing workflows. In operational risk and compliance software, customers also often demand audit trails, data lineage, and consistent reporting across business units, shaping how AI-driven features are built and deployed.

Company footprint

Sphera sells software, data, and consulting services focused on environment, health, safety and sustainability, process safety, product stewardship, and supply chain risk management. The company says it has served 8,500 customers and more than one million users across 100 countries.

Sphera described Gutheil's appointment as part of an expansion of its AI roadmap and product portfolio, with the CTO responsible for execution across engineering and product development as those plans progress.