After interviewing more than twenty CTO candidates over the course of several months, The FUSION Foundation is excited to welcome the newest member of the Fusion Foundation Leadership Team: Bret Schlussman, Chief Technology Officer of the Fusion Foundation.

An accomplished technology innovator, Bret brings over thirty years of experience across a number of industries and business sectors developing advanced software. Bret’s passion for innovation and automation solutions naturally drew him to the blockchain space, making him the perfect fit for the FUSION Foundation.

Over the past year, Bret has been working as the Chief Blockchain Architect at PayPlus AG (a token-based blockchain solution built to support over €25,000,000 in transactions) where he has quickly become a leading expert on blockchain infrastructure.

As CTO, Bret will streamline the delivery of FUSION’s main net and other innovative features and functionalities to be incorporated into the core protocol over the coming weeks and months. Bret is a unique blend of a product-oriented strategic thinker and leader, who also loves to be a hands-on developer. Bret is excited to personally build novel tools and functionality for the protocol while in parallel mange FUSION’s transition to main net.

Fusion is thrilled to have Bret onboard. Within the next month, look for Bret’s AMA with the community to introduce himself and answer some questions.

Bio

Bret is a seasoned CTO and Founder who has a strong track record in delivering technology solutions across a number of different sectors. Recently Bret served as the CTO for MIBI Inc., a Silicon Alley data-driven social platform and as the President of Netlogic Inc, a software company that develops products for the defense and industrial automation market. In positions at Pepsi Co., American Express and First Boston, Bret worked on various micro-to-mainframe communications systems including the creation of the first 3270 emulator for Windows. As a consultant, Bret developed GUI-based financial workstation software for Goldman Sachs, Bankers Trust and other clients in the financial services industry. Bret’s Java-based technology is used in the pilot houses of the U.S. Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ships. As an innovator, Bret is the inventor on four patents that cover real-time visualization and connectivity. Bret also founded the banking technology company ‘QBT’ in 1996 after recognizing the need for an open solution that would support the e-commerce needs of the financial services industry (QBT sold in 2005 to the NASDAQ listed Corrilian Corp.). QBT’s flagship product was used by over 750 Financial Institutions to enable true ‘plug and play’ connectivity to ETF networks. Bret’s significant breadth of experience gives FUSION the confidence that he will seamlessly slot into its fast-paced business environment and add value quickly.

Bret graduated with a degree in International Studies from NYU as an Honors Scholar and is currently working on a master’s degree in transnational security at The Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He has successfully completed the AWS Certified Solution Architect and AWS Certified Developer exams and is also a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP).

In his spare time Bret is regularly found in the CrossFit gym, partaking in martial arts classes, spending time with his family and experimenting with Ethereum-based smart contracts.