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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION PRIVATE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
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FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) of the
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) March 4, 1998
INFERENCE CORPORATION
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(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
Delaware 0-26334 95-3436352
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(State or Other Jurisdiction (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer
of Incorporation) Identification Number)
100 Rowland Way, Novato, California 94945
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code:
(415) 893-7200
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N/A
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(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
The total number of pages is 6.
The Exhibit Index is located on page 4.
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ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS
Incorporated by reference is a press release issued by the Registrant
on March 4, 1998, attached as Exhibit 20.1, announcing Charles W. Jepson as
the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Registrant.
ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND EXHIBITS
Reference is made to the Exhibit Index annexed hereto and made a part
hereof.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
INFERENCE CORPORATION
(Registrant)
Date: March 4, 1998 By: /s/ William D. Griffin
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Name: William D. Griffin
Title: Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Sequential
Exhibit No. Name of Item Page No.
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20.1 Press Release, dated March 4, 1998. 5
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EXHIBIT 20.1
INFERENCE APPOINTS CHARLES W. JEPSON AS PRESIDENT & CEO
Former HP Executive and Industry Veteran
Adds Strength to Revamped Management Team
NOVATO, Calif. (March 4, 1998)--Inference Corp. (NASDAQ: INFR) today
announced that, following a search conducted over the past several months, the
Company has appointed Charles W. Jepson to succeed Peter R. Tierney as
president and chief executive officer. Tierney will continue as a board member
and a consultant to the Company.
"Chuck Jepson brings a proven track record of success in growing
companies," said Tierney. "Over the past year, we have worked to strengthen
our management team with several appointments. I am pleased to see this new
team now being rounded out with the addition of Chuck's proven leadership
skills. By focusing on improving the company's operational efficiency and
overall effectiveness, Chuck will lead Inference's efforts in establishing
itself as the leading provider of knowledge management solutions for self-
service and call center applications."
Jepson's appointment closely follows the promotion of Ralph Barletta to
senior vice president of Research and Development and the appointment of
Steven Gal as vice president of Marketing Strategy. Barletta and Gal join Glen
Vondrick and Philip Padfield, both appointed to their respective positions in
the last 12 months as senior vice president, Americas and Far East Operations
and vice president, Sales and Marketing, Europe, Middle East and Africa,
respectively.
"Inference has already established a strong reputation in the customer
service market," said Jepson. "I am looking forward to advancing Inference's
position in the dynamic customer care market and believe that the
opportunities for self service over the Internet and call center knowledge
management applications are tremendous. I am very impressed with the people at
Inference, and I am excited to work with them to grow our business by
delivering solutions that build a close bond for our customers with their
customers and prospects."
Jepson, 51, previously was president and chief executive officer of
Interlink Computer Sciences, Inc., where he led the company from insolvency
through the completion of a successful initial public offering in August 1996.
Jepson was credited with tripling revenues to $40 million in five years by
focusing Interlink's product strategy on building infrastructure products for
the corporate data center to implement the intranet strategies of large
enterprises.
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Jepson began his career at the Hewlett-Packard Co., where he spent 16 years
as division general manager as well as holding numerous marketing and finance
positions in the computer systems area. He subsequently spent a year as
president and chief executive officer of Touch Communications Incorporated. He
also held executive positions at Software Publishing Corporation and Convergent
Technologies, Inc.
Jepson received a B.S. from San Jose State University in 1969 and an MBA
from the University of California at Berkeley in 1971.
INFERENCE CORPORATION
Inference is a leading provider of knowledge management solutions for self
service and call centers to improve customer care. The company's headquarters
is located in Novato, Calif., with its international headquarters in Slough, UK.
The company offers a comprehensive set of pre-packaged knowledge and a complete
line of consulting, support and training services from offices throughout the
U.S. and Europe. For further information, contact Inference Corp. at 415/893-
7200, send an e-mail to [email protected] or visit its World Wide Web page at
www.inference.com.
* * * * *
Peter Tierney will introduce Charles Jepson during a conference call to
be held at 1:30 pm Eastern time today. The telephone number for those wishing
to participate is 719-448-2046.
For further information, please contact:
Bill Griffin
Inference Corp.
415 893-7200
Howard Kalt
Kalt Rosen & Associates
415 397-2686
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