C-Suite Shuffle: Latest CEO Transitions in the Software World - November 2023 ^Featured

• Geographic distribution:
  • California has 36% of the appointments and 48% of the open roles. 
  • Texas has 10% of the appointments and 14% of the open roles.
• Internal/ External vs. M&A:
  • Appointed CEOs: 60% of the newly appointed CEOs are external appointments followed by 33 % external and 7% M&A (appointed from acquired company).
  • Interim CEOs: 71% of interim CEOs are appointed from the company, 19% external and 10% emanating from an acquired company.
• Functional expertise:
  • Appointed CEOs: overall, experienced CEOs and Presidents are expectedly the main sources of newly appointed CEOs. Followed by divisional presidents, CROs, CFOs and a CTO.
  • Interim CEOs: In terms of functional expertise, a board member is appointed iCEO 29% of the time, CFOs consist of 19% of all appointments and President/ COOs are 14% (19% if you count divisional Presidents).
• Gender Diversity: Only five percent of software CEOs recently appointed are women. In terms of the interim CEOs, we see a 19% gender diversity.

Appointed CEOs

• California had 21 software CEOs appointed, Texas six, Massachusetts five, Minnesota four.
• Florida, Illinois and Georgia had three each and Arizona, New York and Ontario two each.

Open Roles Regions

• California has 48% of the open software CEO roles and Texas has 14%.
  
  

Functional Expertise of Appointed CEOs

Overall, experienced CEOs and Presidents are expectedly the main sources of newly appointed CEOs. Followed by divisional presidents, CROs, CFOs and a CTO.

CEO Sources

60% of the newly appointed CEOs are external appointments followed by 33 % external and 7% M&A (appointed from acquired company).

External sources are (as we would expect) experienced CEOs. The second source for external appointments are experienced President/ COO and divisional presidents. What may be worth noting is that the divisional Presidents outnumber the President/COOs by a little.

Internal sources include as expected President/COO or divisional President promotions . The internal CEO is a bit of an anomaly as it is a co-CEO appointed as sole CEO.

In the M&A cases, we see either the CEO or a President/COO of the acquired company be appointed as the CEO of the acquiring entity.

Interim CEO Sources

71% of interim CEOs are appointed from the company, 19% external and 10% emanating from an acquired company.

In terms of functional expertise, a board member is appointed iCEO 29% of the time,  CFOs consist of 19% of all appointments and President/ COOs are 14% (19% if you count divisional Presidents).

Only five percent of software CEOs recently appointed are women.  In terms of the interim CEOs, we see a 19% gender diversity.

Hope you enjoy this newsletter and find it useful. Suggestions and corrections are most welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks again and all the best,

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. * Direct: (617) 416-9088

Vell Executive Search is a retained executive search firm that specializes in recruiting technology execs for boards and executive roles, including Board Members, CEOs, Presidents, GMs, CTOs/Chief Digital Officers/VP Engineering, SVP Sales, Chief Revenue Officers, CMOs, and CFOs. Vell has built a reputation for recruiting talented high-performing leadership teams globally. www.vell.com.

East Coast Appointments

• Massachusetts: PTC (NasdaqGS: PTC), EnterpriseDB, Access Corp., Revenue Solutions, SeaChange International (OTCPK: SEAC),
• Tristate area: Latch (OTCPK: LTCH), Yieldstreet, Logicbroker
• Southeast: NCR Voyix (NYSE: VYX), Anthology, Shipmonk, Revalize, Apptega
• Mid-Atlantic: Affiniti

East Coast Open Roles

• LivePerson (NasdaqGS: LSPN)
• Rebellion Defense
• Passport Labs
• Savi Technology

East Coast Appointments

PTC (NasdaqGS: PTC) - PTC announced the appointment of Neil Barua as the new CEO. Barua, who has been serving as President of PTC’s Service Lifecycle Management Business, since PTC acquired ServiceMax Inc., will succeed James Heppelmann. Prior to joining PTC, Barua was CEO of ServiceMax Inc. and has held leadership roles at IPC Systems Inc. and Silver Lake. PTC is a global software company focused on the digital transformation of industrial and manufacturing processes. (MA)

EnterpriseDB - EnterpriseDB Corporation announced that Kevin Dallas is joining as its new CEO, succeeding Ed Boyajian, who has led EDB for 15 years, and will remain on its board. Dallas most recently served as CEO of Wind River was also in senior roles at Microsoft, including corporate VP of its cloud and AI business development. EnterpriseDB Corporation focuses on developing enterprise-class products and services based on PostgreSQL, an open-source database. (MA)

Access Corp. – Access Corp. has promoted Tony Skarupa to Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Ken Davis. Skarupa brings nearly 40 years of financial experience, having joined Access in 2016 as Chief Financial Officer. He previously held CFO roles at The Brickman Group and other senior financial positions at CapitalSource and the Advisory Board Company. Access, also known as Access Information Management, provides transformative services, expertise, and technologies for organizations.

Latch (OTCPK: LTCH) – Latch has announced that Jamie Siminoff, founder of Ring, will be appointed CEO. Latch acquired Siminoff’s new company, Honest Days Work (HDW), but has yet to be announced. Latch is rebranding to door.com and moving headquarters to St. Louis. Latch is an enterprise technology company operating in North America. (NY)

Revenue Solutions – Revenue Solutions Inc. has promoted its President Ms. Jean Orlando to CEO. Orlando has been involved in some of the most successful tax and revenue programs in the industry. Orlando joined RSI 18 months earlier, after an extensive career at CGI. Revenue Solutions specializes in developing integrated tax and compliance software for government organizations. (MA)

Litify - Litify appointed Curtis Brewer as the new CEO, coinciding with the most successful quarter in the company's history. Brewer served as CEO of Davisware, a leading ERP software company for commercial field service providers, as well as on the executive team for TravelClick. Litify specializes in designing and developing a cloud-based platform for law firms. (NY)

Affiniti – Afiniti has announced Hassan Afzal as its new CEO. Afzal, who was one of Afiniti’s first employees and served as its CTO, will take over from Larry Babbio. This transition is part of a planned CEO succession process conducted by the company’s Board. Afiniti specializes in Enterprise Behavioral Pairing technology, which matches customers with agents based on predicted interpersonal behaviors. (DC)

Yieldstreet – Yieldstreet announced that its co-founder and President Michael Weisz has been promoted to CEO. Outgoing CEO and co-founder Milind Mehere and Weisz have jointly led Yieldstreet for the past nine years. Mehere will serve as a board member, senior advisor, and shareholder. YieldStreet, Inc. operates in the alternative investment and wealth management space within the specialty finance industry. (NY)

Logicbroker - Justin Hartanov joins the company as its new CEO, succeeding long tenured CEO and founder Peyman Zamani, who remains on the board. Hartanov previously served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Syndigo, an e-commerce communications platform, and held several global leadership and commercial roles at Market Track. Logicbroker, Inc. develops an e-commerce and supply chain automation platform for companies, brands, and retailers. (CT)

SeaChange International (OTCPK: SEAC) – SeaChange promoted its CRO and President Chris Klimmer to CEO, after he played a pivotal role in the company's operational and financial turnaround. Before joining SeaChange, Klimmer led the Sales department at Danish OVP pioneer Xstream, which was acquired by SeaChange in 2019. Peter Aquino, the outgoing CEO, will transition to the role of Executive Chair of the Board. SeaChange International specializes in providing video delivery, advertising, streaming platforms, and emerging Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) products and services globally. (MA)

Anthology - Jim Milton is retiring as CEO of Anthology after over nine years, including leading several key acquisitions and the creation of Anthology through the merger of major higher education technology providers. Milton will be succeeded by Bruce Dahlgren, previously CEO of MetricStream, who brings over three decades of experience in the B2B software sector. Anthology develops and provides a platform for the EdTech ecosystem for higher education colleges and universities, K-12, and businesses. (FL)

Shipmonk - Jan Bednar, the founder of ShipMonk, has stepped down as CEO but will continue to contribute to the company in a creative capacity. Josh McCarter, formerly CEO, Booker Software and MindBody, has been named the new CEO. Under Bednar's leadership, ShipMonk grew from a startup to securing significant investments, including a $290 million funding round. McCarter joins ShipMonk with a background in leading technology firms and serving on the board of Compass. Shipmonk develops order fulfillment SaaS for e-commerce industries in the United States and internationally. (FL)

Revalize - Michael Sabin has taken over as the new CEO of Revalize, succeeding Jim Contardi, who has led the company since its inception in June 2021. Sabin brings a history of leadership and growth acceleration from his time as CEO of SNH Automotive Group and his tenure at Dun & Bradstreet Corporation, where he managed Global Business Solutions. Revalize develops and operates cloud-based software solutions for industry-specific revenue operations. (FL)

Apptega – Dave Colesante has been named CEO and board member of Apptega, taking over from founder Armistead Whitney, who remains involved on the board. Colesante, with over thirty years in cybersecurity, was most recently COO, Securonix, and prior to that COO, AlertLogic, and served in leadership roles at VeriCenter. His appointment aligns with Apptega's growth, as the company recently doubled its compliance programs to over 15,000. Apptega develops and operates cybersecurity management software solutions. (GA)

East Coast Open Roles

LivePerson (NasdaqGS: LSPN) – LivePerson announced that its CFO John Collins, has been appointed as the interim CEO after Robert LoCascio stepped down as CEO and board member. LoCascio will continue as a Special Advisor. Before joining LivePerson in 2020, Collins co-founded Thasos, a cloud-based AI platform amongst other senior roles. LivePerson specializes in conversational artificial intelligence. (NY)

Rebellion Defense – Barry Sowerwine has been appointed as Interim CEO of Rebellion Defense, taking over from Co-Founder Chris Lynch, who has stepped down to become the Interim Chief Strategy Officer. Sowerwine brings valuable experience to the role, having played a key part in taking four companies public, notably contributing to the development and expansion of go-to-market operations in the Americas for Tableau Software. Rebellion Defense is a company focused on providing advanced defense technology solutions. (DC)

Passport Labs – Passport Labs, Inc. announced that David Evans, CEO since 2021, has stepped down to focus on personal matters. Brian Mooney, an Independent Passport Board Member since 2019 and with extensive management and operating experience, will assume the role of interim CEO. Passport Labs, Inc. specializes in designing and developing a digital platform for transportation software and parking payments. (NC)

Savi Technology - Rosemary Johnston has been appointed as Acting CEO of Savi Technology, succeeding her previous position as SVP of Operations. Johnston, who joined Savi in 2006, has a diverse background with the company, encompassing roles in services and support, business process improvement, integration, and IT systems. Her expertise in military supply chain and logistics is augmented by her 23-year tenure in the United States Air Force. Savi Technology specializes in supply chain visibility and sensor technology, delivering real-time data on the whereabouts, condition, and security of goods and assets during transit. (VA)

Great Lakes & Midwest Appointments

• Great Lakes: Jamf Holding (NasdaqGS: JAMF), Perforce Software, SPS Commerce (NasdaqGS: SPSC), VelocityEHS Holdings, GTY Technology, Davisware
• Mid-West: Perficient (NasdaqGS: PRFT), Dwolla

Great Lakes & Midwest Open Roles: CDK Global

Great Lakes & Midwest Appointments

Jamf Holding (NasdaqGS: JAMF) – John Strosahl has been promoted to CEO of Jamf Holding Corp., following the retirement of Dean Hager. Hager will remain on the board to ensure a smooth transition. Jamf Holding offers a cloud software platform for Apple infrastructure and security platform. (MN)

Perficient (NasdaqGS: PRFT) – Perficient announces CEO, Jeff Davis, is transitioning to Executive Chair, and President and COO, Tom Hogan, has been appointed as the new CEO. Perficient provides digital consultancy services and solutions. (MO)

Perforce Software – Jim Cassens has been appointed as the new CEO of Perforce Software effective Jan 1, 2024, succeeding Mark Ties, who will now serve as Executive Chair. Prior to joining Perforce, Cassens was the President of Fortra, a cybersecurity and automation software provider with over 2,800 employees and over 35,000 customers. He also served as EVP, M&A and MD, International Business at Fortra and held IT roles at Electrolux. Perforce Software develops enterprise-scale development tools for technology developers and development operations teams.

SPS Commerce (NasdaqGS: SPSC) – Chad Collins is the new CEO of SPS Commerce, succeeding Archie Black who announced his retirement. Collins, CEO of Software at Körber Supply Chain, has extensive experience in supply chain management, including leadership positions at HighJump Software. His earlier career included consulting at CG E&Y and management at E&Y. SPS Commerce provides cloud-based supply chain management solutions worldwide. (MN)

VelocityEHS Holdings – Matt Airhart, President of VelocityEHS, will take over as CEO, succeeding John Damgaard. Airhart, with over two decades in the EHS software industry and a background in company leadership roles since co-founding an acquired core business, will step into his new role while Damgaard transitions to Executive Chair, continuing to offer strategic guidance to the leadership team. VelocityEHS Holdings provides cloud-based chemical and safety data sheet management tools. (IL)

GTY Technology – Tom Amburgey has been named CEO of Euna Solutions. Amburgey, who has over two decades of experience in government technology, joins from Civix, where he was CEO. His background includes leadership roles at CentralSquare Technologies as senior vice president and general manager, and public sector experience as CIO for municipalities in Florida. GTY Technology Holdings operates as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that offers a cloud-based suite of solutions for the public sector in North America. (IL)

Davisware – Tasos Angelopoulos, COO, has been promoted to CEO. His tenure as COO was marked by the launch of new SaaS products and significant growth into new markets. Angelopoulos has a rich background in executive leadership, notably as Vice President of Sales and Revenue Operations at SMS Assist and as a management consultant at P5 WC. His appointment coincides with Davisware's substantial growth, including a 30% increase in recurring revenue and strong retention rates, following an investment by Serent Capital. Davisware has also expanded strategic partnerships with key industry players under his operational guidance. Davisware builds and operates ERP software for the service industry. (IL)

Dwolla – Dwolla has promoted its President Dave Glaser as its new CEO, succeeding Brady Harris. Glaser joined Dwolla with a background in payments, having worked with Visa and Mastercard, and is steering the company towards serving larger enterprise clients with Dwolla Connect, an API tailored for such businesses. The company, which develops APIs for bank transfers and account management, has restructured in response to a downturn in fintech funding, focusing on integrating their technology with legacy systems in various industries. (IA)

Great Lakes and Midwest open roles

CDK Global – Brian P. MacDonald has been named the acting President and CEO of CDK Global, replacing outgoing Brian Krzanich. MacDonald is returning to the role he previously held from 2016 to 2018, a period during which he led significant transformation at CDK. His past leadership experience includes roles as president and CEO at Hertz and Sunoco. CDK Global is a major provider of retail automotive software, offering an advanced dealer management platform and solutions to support dealers and manufacturers. (IL) 

Southwest Appointments

• Texas: CS Disco, Trax Group, Core Scientific, Jasper AI, Quext, Dura Software, iDonate
• Arizona: Early Warning Services, GPS Insights
• Other: Sightline Payments, Consensus Sales

 Southwest Open Roles: E2open Parent Holdings (NYSE: ETWO) (TX)

 Other – Southwest: PFSweb (TX) - was acquired

Southwest Appointments

CS Disco – Kiwi Camara, Co-Founder of CS Disco, has stepped down as CEO and from the board of directors. Scott Hill has been appointed as the interim CEO and will remain on the board, which he joined after serving as CFO of Intercontinental Exchange. Camara will be available to assist during the transition period. CS Disco, known for its AI-powered legal technology, has been a significant player in the legal tech industry since its inception, offering solutions for eDiscovery, document review, and case management. (TX)

Early Warning Services – Early Warning Services has appointed Cameron Fowler as its new CEO. Fowler has an extensive background in the financial sector, having previously served as Chief Strategy and Operations Officer for BMO Financial Group. Prior to BMO, Fowler held leadership positions at Barclays, managing wealth businesses across various regions. His career spans software, consulting, and public policy. Early Warning Services develops and delivers risk management and payment solutions for financial institutions (FIs), government entities, and payment companies, as well as consumers in the United States. (AZ)

Trax Group – Blake Tablak has been appointed as the new CEO of Trax Technologies, taking over from Hampton Wall, who will now serve as a special advisor. Tablak has a background in leading and scaling enterprise software companies, with notable experience at ProcessMAP where he led to a successful acquisition by Ideagen. He has also held leadership roles at Udacity, Workiva, and Topia, focusing on innovative market strategies. Trax Group specializes in SaaS-based technologies for logistics and business intelligence. (TX)

Core Scientific – Adam Sullivan has been promoted from President to CEO of Core Scientific. He succeeds Mike Levitt who continues as the Chair of the Board of Directors. With over ten years of experience in financial services and investment banking, particularly in digital assets and infrastructure, Sullivan brings considerable expertise in strategy, corporate finance, and M&A to his new role. Before his tenure at Core Scientific, he was a Managing Director at XMS Capital Partners and played a pivotal role in transactions within the crypto mining industry. Core Scientific specializes in digital asset mining and colocation services across North America. (TX)

GPS Insights – GPS Insight, has appointed Charles Layne as the new CEO. Prior to this, Layne served as CEO of PatientNow, Calero-MDSL and others. GPS Insight, a leading provider of SaaS-based fleet and field service management software solutions. (AZ)

Jasper AI – Jasper AI has appointed Timothy Young as its new CEO to spearhead the company's growth. Young's previous experience includes roles as President of Dropbox and VP of Product & Engineering at VMware, equipping him with extensive knowledge of enterprise needs and expertise in scaling businesses. Dave Rogenmoser, the co-founder, and former CEO of Jasper will transition to the role of Chair of the Board. Young aims to leverage his background in product-led growth to enhance Jasper's suite of AI-based content writing solutions for enterprise teams. (TX)

Quext – Quext welcomes Tom Bres as the new CEO and President. Bres brings over three decades of leadership experience, including significant roles at IBM where he played a key role in integrating acquisitions and expanding the software business. He also led transformative technology initiatives at Sparrow Health System, achieving notable healthcare industry recognitions. In his new position at Quext, Bres will focus on merging the Quext and Homebase teams to streamline operations and enhance product offerings, advancing Quext's mission as a leading property management platform provider. (TX)

Dura Software – Dura Software has appointed Jon Bohrer as the new CEO. Bohrer has a strong background in commercial strategy and operational execution, previously demonstrating leadership as the Senior Vice President of Operations at 6Connex and Revegy, part of Dura's portfolio. He has also made significant contributions to sales enablement at Esko Brand Solutions and 1WorldSync. Dura Software, through its subsidiaries, provides administration software for the deployment and management of single-purpose mobile devices at any scale. (TX)

Sightline Payments – Sightline Payments has announced that Co-Founder Omer Sattar will take on the sole role of CEO, transitioning from his previous position as Co-CEO. With his deep understanding of the payments market, he will also lead the Payments Innovation division, emphasizing his dedication to driving innovation in gaming sector payment solutions. Sightline Payments develops and operates electronic payments and mobile application development services to help the gaming industry move towards a cashless system. (NV)

Consensus Sales – Consensus has appointed Doug Johnson as its new CEO, replacing founder Garin Hess, who will now assume a strategic role on the Board of Directors. Johnson has a notable track record in the enterprise software market and has held roles such as CRO, President, and CEO in various technology companies. Consensus Sales develops and operates an intelligent demo automation platform to scale presales and qualify buyers. (UT)

iDonate – Brad Little has been named the new CEO of iDonate Inc., taking over from founder Ray Gary. Little, with substantial experience as President and interim CEO as well as other leadership roles at Blackbaud, Meta, Nielsen, and a joint venture with Nielsen and McKinsey, will focus on expanding iDonate's recently launched 2.0 platform. This platform aids nonprofits in enhancing donor engagement. Ray Gary, having led the company through its initial growth and the successful launch of the 2.0 platform, will now serve as Chair of the Advisory Board, concentrating on customer and partner relations and providing market insights. (TX)

Southwest Open Roles

E2open Parent Holdings (NYSE: ETWO) – Michael A. Farlekas has departed from his role as CEO and board member at E2open and Andrew Appel has been appointed as the interim CEO and board director. Mr. Appel brings extensive experience, including a longstanding tenure as President and CEO at IRI, roles at Accretive Health, Aon, McKinsey & Company, and involvement with advisory boards and directorships such as Constant Contact. E2open provides a cloud-based supply chain management and orchestration SaaS platform across multiple global regions. (TX)

Other Southwest

Company acquired – PFSweb, Inc. (NasdaqCM: PFSW) - PFSweb announced the termination of Michael Willoughby, CEO since 2013, after GXO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: GXO)– acquires PFSweb for $180 million. PFSWeb provides omni-channel commerce solutions in the US. (TX)

West Coast Appointments

• California: Synopsys (NasdaqGS: SNPS), RingCentral (NYSE: RNG), Coupa Software, Cloudera, Riverbed Technology, Certinia, Kyriba, Bluebeam Software, Reputation.com, Sauce Labs, Telesign Corporation, Snapdocs, Eightfold AI, Visual Supply Company, Dremio Corporation, Turvo, Worldly Holdings, Zendrive, NUECHIPS, Nitro Software, Applitools
• Washington: Chronus

 West Coast open roles:

• California: Unity Software (NYSE: U), Tradeshift Holdings, Proofpoint, Mobileum, Wrike, Aryaka Networks, ICANN, Xsolla, Virsec Systems, Near Intelligence (NasdaqGS: NIR)

 Other West coast – company acquired.

• Embark Technology (Nasdaq: EMBK) – Open (CA)

West Coast Appointments

Synopsys (NasdaqGS: SNPS) – Synopsys has appointed Mr. Sassine Ghazi as the new president and CEO, with Aart de Geus, the company's co-founder, transitioning to the role of Executive Chair. Ghazi, with his extensive experience in chip design, applications engineering, and business management, has been integral to Synopsys' operations as COO and president. Synopsys provides electronic design automation software products used to design and test integrated circuits. (CA)

RingCentral (NYSE: RNG) - RingCentral has appointed Tarek Robbiati, a current board member and the CFO and EVP of Finance and Strategy of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, as its new CEO. Vlad Shmunis, RingCentral's current CEO, will take on the role of Executive Chair to focus on the company's strategic product vision and innovation. Before his tenure at HPE, Robbiati was CFO at Sprint Corp and held CEO positions in companies across Australia and Hong Kong. RingCentral provides cloud communications, video meetings, collaboration, and contact center software-as-a-service solutions worldwide. (CA)

Coupa Software – Leagh Turner will take over as CEO of Coupa, a leader in Business Spend Management, and will also join the company's Board of Directors. Turner, with over two decades in the tech industry and a track record of driving growth and innovation, comes from a recent position as co-CEO at Ceridian, a human capital management technology firm. Her background includes senior roles at SAP and Oracle, and she is recognized as one of Canada's 100 Most Powerful Women. Coupa Software develops and operates a cloud-based business spend management platform that connects its customers with suppliers worldwide. (CA)

Cloudera – Experienced CEO. Cloudera has appointed Charles Sansbury as its new CEO. Sansbury has a robust history in the software industry, previously serving as CEO of ASG Technologies until its sale, COO, and earlier CFO of The Attachmate Group before its sale, and as CFO of Vignette. His extensive leadership experience is expected to guide Cloudera in its data analytics and management offerings. Cloudera offers a suite of data analytics and management products. (CA)

Riverbed Technology – Former EVP, Oracle, EVP, HP appointed after Vector Capital Acquisition. Riverbed Technology has appointed Dave Donatelli as the new CEO following the closing of a transaction. The outgoing CEO, Dan Smoot, will assist with the company's transition. Donatelli has a comprehensive background in tech leadership, with previous roles including EVP of the Cloud Business Group at Oracle Corporation, and EVP of the Enterprise Group at Hewlett-Packard. He also has considerable experience from his time at EMC Corporation, culminating in his role as President of the EMC Storage Division. Riverbed Technology specializes in developing application performance infrastructure solutions. (CA)

Certinia – Donald J. "DJ" Paoni has been appointed as the CEO and Board Director of Certinia. Paoni transitions to this role after more than a quarter-century at SAP, recently holding the position of President of SAP North America. He replaces Scott Brown, who steps down after a tenure of nearly three years. His experience includes leading SAP's strategy and customer success in the US and Canada, managing over 25,000 employees, and overseeing 200,000 customer relationships. He has also served on the Board of Directors for Qualtrics and GENYOUth Foundation. Certinia specializes in creating a platform that integrates various aspects of service operations, including estimation, delivery, customer success, and financial planning. (CA)

Kyriba – Experienced CEO and former SAP Salesforce exec. Melissa Di Donato has been appointed as the new CEO of Kyriba, succeeding Jean-Luc Robert. Di Donato is a recognized technology leader with a commendable track record, including her role as the first female CEO at SUSE, where she led the company through significant growth, acquisitions, and an IPO. Her career spans senior executive positions at prominent tech firms such as SAP, Salesforce, IBM, and Oracle. her extensive experience includes serving on the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG, as a Non-Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Europe Limited, advising Notion Capital portfolio companies, serving as Chief Executive of the Handelsblatt and Bain & Company Female Allstar Board, and recently, a Non-Executive Director role at the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. She also co-founded Inner Wings; a foundation aimed at empowering young women. Di Donato has been honored with several awards, including the 2023 European CEO Businesswoman of the Year. Kyriba specializes in cloud-based treasury management solutions for financial professionals. (CA)

Bluebeam Software – Mr. Usman Shuja has been appointed as the new CEO of Bluebeam and will also take on the role of Nemetschek Group Chief Division Officer of the Build & Construct Division. Prior to this, Shuja was the Vice President and General Manager of Honeywell’s Connected Buildings, a significant software business segment at Honeywell. His background also includes positions at Boston Consulting Group, IBM, Dell, and as a founding member of the AI company SparkCognition. Jon Elliott, the former CEO of Bluebeam, is stepping down to pursue personal endeavors but will remain as an advisor during the transition period. Bluebeam specializes in creating PDF solutions aimed at streamlining project communications in the construction and architecture industries. (CA)

Reputation.com – Experienced CEO Joe Burton is taking over as CEO of Reputation, following a successful tenure by Joe Fuca, who will still serve on the Board of Directors and aid in the company's continued expansion. Burton brings a wealth of experience from leading billion-dollar companies, with previous CEO roles at Telesign and Poly, and a background as CTO at Cisco. His expertise spans big data, analytics, machine learning, SaaS, and more. Reputation.com specializes in online reputation management services globally. (CA)

Sauce Labs – Sauce Labs appointed Dave Rhodes as its new CEO, with previous CEO Aled Miles transitioning to an advisory role for the company. Rhodes has an extensive background in scaling software businesses, most recently leading Unity Software's Digital Twins Business as SVP/GM and serving as Unity's CRO, where he significantly increased revenue. His prior roles include EVP of Sales, Services, and Marketing at Paradigm/Emerson and Vice President of the Americas at Autodesk. Sauce Labs provides a cloud-based platform for automated testing of web and mobile applications. (CA)

Telesign Corporation – Telesign, communication platform-as-a-service (CPaaS) company, appointed Christophe Van de Weyer as the new CEO. Van de Weyer, previously with Proximus Group and Bain & Company, succeeds Joe Burton and will lead the company's growth in customer identity and engagement solutions. TeleSign develops a communication platform-as-a-service (CPaaS) for short messaging service (SMS), voice, mobile app verification, and phone intelligence services. (CA)

Snapdocs – Michael Sachdev has been promoted from president to CEO of Snapdocs. He succeeds founder Aaron King, who transitions to executive chair. Sachdev will lead the company’s operations and strategy, while King will advise on product strategy and maintain market connections. Snapdocs develops and operates a platform for mortgage loan closings and real estate closing work. (CA)

Eightfold AI – Chano Fernandez has been appointed as Co-CEO of Eightfold AI. Ashutosh Garg, CEO and Co-founder also becomes co-CEO. Chano Fernandez led HR's transition into the cloud at Workday from 2014-23, most recently as Co-CEO. During his tenure, Workday grew from $450M to $6B in revenue. As a leader of Eightfold AI, Chano Fernandez will help transform HR once again, this time with artificial intelligence (AI). Eightfold ai develops a talent intelligence platform to address enterprise talent acquisition and management. (CA)

Visual Supply Company – Eric Wittman has been appointed the new CEO of Visual Supply Company (VSCO), succeeding the co-founders Flory and Lutze. Wittman, previously served as VSCO's President. His appointment comes during a period of growth and product expansion for VSCO, which has over two hundred million creators worldwide. Visual Supply Company develops and operates VSCO, a creative channel to build creative tools, spaces, and connections driven by self-expression for creative people. (CA)

Chronus – David Satterwhite has been appointed as the new CEO of Chronus, succeeding Seena Mortazavi, who led the company since 2015 and significantly grew its revenue. Mortazavi will remain as an investor and active board member. Satterwhite, was most recently CRO at UserTesting, where he helped lead the company to a successful IPO in 2021 and subsequent acquisition. Chronus, develops a mentoring software for organizations to start, manage, and measure mentoring programs worldwide. (WA)

Dremio Corp. – Dremio has appointed Sendur Sellakumar as its new CEO to spearhead the company's next growth phase. He joins Dremio after a significant tenure at Splunk, where he served as Chief Cloud Officer, and grew that business to over $1 billion in ARR. His role in product strategy and business transformation at Splunk, coupled with prior experience in technology investment banking at Morgan Stanley, positions him to lead Dremio's expansion in data analytics and management. Dremio is known for its data lake house platform that offers SQL analytics and data warehouse capabilities. (CA)

Turvo – Billy Sarracino has been appointed as the new CEO of Turvo, transitioning from his previous role as CFO. The former Chair and CEO, Scott Lang, will continue as an Advisor. Turvo develops cloud-based software and mobile applications that connect the supply chain worldwide. (CA)

Worldly Holdings – Technology company Worldly, formerly Higg, has appointed Scott Raskin as its new CEO with immediate effect, while former CEO Jason Kibbey takes up a new position as the company’s founder and president, based in Paris. Raskin, formerly president at consumer goods digital marketing platform Quotient Technology, joins Worldly - the technology partner of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). Worldly Holdings operates as a technology company that delivers, implements, and supports the Higg Index for consumer goods industries. (CA)

Zendrive – Zendrive has appointed President Dennis Ellis as the new CEO, succeeding Co-Founder Pankaj Risbood who will now return to his previous role as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Ellis, the new CEO, has been notable in his contributions to Zendrive by establishing its go-to-market strategy, fostering cross-industry partnerships, and expanding its IQL network to over fifty million users. Zendrive develops the Mobility Risk Intelligence (MRI) platform to make roads safer through data and analytics. (CA)

NUECHIPS – NEUCHIPS has appointed Ken Lau as its new CEO, bringing his broad experience from sectors like data centers, PC clients, and semiconductors. Ken, who previously held the position of General Manager at Intel Taiwan, successfully led Intel's Chromebook engineering product line, collaborating with OEMs and major cloud service providers to position the x-86 Chromebook as a market leader in cloud client systems. NEUCHIPS develops purpose-built AI inference chip platforms for data centers. (CA)

Nitro Software – Cormac Whelan has been appointed as the new CEO of Nitro Software, succeeding Sam Chandler following the company's acquisition by Potentia Capital. Whelan brings a wealth of experience from his previous positions, including Chairman of Qstream and Boxever, as well as C-level roles in various tech firms like Voysis, Datalex Plc, and Epicor Software Inc. Nitro Software is a leading global SaaS provider specializing in PDF software, document management, and eSign solutions, offering a suite that includes PDF editing tools, digital workflows, and secure eSigning with identity verification. (CA)

Applitools – Alex Berry has been named the new CEO of Applitools, taking over from co-founder Gil Sever, who remains on the board. Berry, known for his expertise in scaling businesses and go-to-market strategies, previously led operations at Sonatype. His focus at Applitools will be on accelerating growth in test automation. Berry's background includes experience with M&A strategy and a history of creating shareholder value. Applitools develops cloud based automatic visual testing tools for web and mobile applications.

West coast open roles

Unity Software (NYSE: U) – Unity Software has announced the retirement of John Riccitiello as CEO and the appointment of James M. Whitehurst as the Interim CEO. Whitehurst is an experienced executive, having served as a Senior Advisor and President at IBM, and was the CEO of Red Hat from 2008 until its acquisition by IBM in 2020. His background includes leadership roles at Delta Air Lines and The Boston Consulting Group. Whitehurst also serves on several boards, including United Airlines and Amplitude. Unity Software operates a platform that provides real-time 3D development tools and services. (CA)

Tradeshift Holdings – In late August of this year, Tradeshift’s newly constituted Board and management team became aware of serious allegations of sexual assault and harassment against Christian Lanng, former CEO of Tradeshift. Chief revenue officer James Stirk has taken on the role of interim CEO since Lanng left the company. Tradeshift Holdings operates a cloud-based business-to-business platform that allows companies to enhance their invoicing, workflow, and supplier financing processes. (CA)

Proofpoint – Proofpoint has appointed its CFO, Rémi Thomas, as interim CEO. He takes over from Ashan Willy, who after a seven-year tenure is leaving the cybersecurity company to pursue opportunities in a different sector. Ashan Willy will assist in a transitional phase to support Rémi Thomas. Bringing over 30 years of operational experience in technology and software, Rémi Thomas has a strong background in the financial aspects of both large and smaller firms within the industry. Proofpoint designs, develops, and operates Software as a Service that enables large and mid-sized organizations to defend, protect, archive, and govern their sensitive data. (CA)

Mobileum – After being acquired by HIG Capital from Audax in 2022, Mobileum appointed Mike Salfity, COO as iCEO. CEO Salfity is Operating Partner at HIG, Executive Board Director for Exxat Corporation, Board Director at noHold Inc., and lectures on Strategy and Leadership at USC's graduate business school. He was the Chair of EvoNexus.org for 4 years. EvoNexus became the second largest technology Incubator in the U.S., with over forty start-ups and over $1B raised. Prior CEO, Bobby Srinivasan, Audax’s CEO choice for Mobileum, stepped down with the acquisition by HIG. Mobileum Inc. develops voice and data roaming, fraud analytics, data monetization, and analytics software solutions for customer experience and service performance measurement and assurance solutions to the telecom industry. (CA)

Wrike –Wrike announces that Founder and CEO Andrew Filev will take on the role of Board Advisor. Stepping up as the Interim CEO is Thomas Scott, who previously served as the company's CFO. Scott, who joined Wrike in March 2022, brings over two decades of executive experience from various companies, including Zebra Technologies, Fetch Robotics, Corning Optical Communications, and Spidercloud. Wrike develops and delivers on demand project management and collaboration software. (CA)

Aryaka Networks – Matt Carter, former CEO of Aryaka Networks left the company in August 2023 to become CEO, Intrado. Darin Mcareavey, CFO, is named iCEO. Aryaka is the leader in fully managed SD-WAN and Unified SASE solutions. Aryaka meets customers where they are to help them overcome their network and security challenges with an absurdly great customer experience. (CA)

ICANN – Long time senior advisor and former experienced regional CEO appointed as iCEO. Göran Marby has resigned as President and CEO of ICANN, effective immediately. Sally Costerton will serve as the Interim President and CEO while ICANN looks for a permanent CEO. Costerton brings experience as the former CEO of Hill & Knowlton in EMEA before her tenure at ICANN as a Senior Advisor and SVP of Global Stakeholder Engagement. ICANN, responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces of the Internet, ensures the network's stable and secure operation. (CA)

Xsolla – Chris Hewish, President, has been named Interim CEO of Xsolla, a global video game commerce firm, after having contributed to the company's growth and global expansion. Hewish is an award-winning Interactive Executive and Studio Head who has been instrumental in driving operations and go-to-market strategies across all segments of the video game industry. His extensive background includes leading multi-team studios and worldwide interactive business units at public and private companies, including Activision, DreamWorks Animation, Survios, Skydance, and Xsolla. Xsolla offers a comprehensive suite of tools and services tailored for game developers and publishers to fund, market, launch, and monetize their games worldwide across multiple platforms. (CA)

Virsec Systems - Chief Product Officer becomes iCEO. Dave Furneaux, founding investor and CEO since 2020, remains on the board. Mr. Simone Sassoli, GM and Chief Product Officer, and former SVP Customer Success, is named iCEO. Virsec Systems, Inc. develops cyber security solutions for DevOps, SecOps, and ICS/SCADA. (CA)

Near Intelligence (NasdaqGS: NIR) – Near Intelligence has placed CEO Anil Mathews on administrative leave pending an internal investigation and appointed Gladys Kong as interim CEO. Kong, who has been with the company since its acquisition of UberMedia, brings a rich history of leadership, including her tenure as CEO of UberMedia and her previous role as CEO of her own company, GoInteractive. Near Intelligence operates as a cloud-based data intelligence platform. (CA)

Other

Embark Technology (Nasdaq: EMBK) – Company acquired. It is unclear who will replace Alex Rodrigues. Embark Technology announced the resignation of Alex Rodrigues as CEO following the company's merger with Applied Intuition. After the merger, Embark continues as a wholly owned subsidiary of Applied. Embark develops autonomous driving software solutions for the truck freight industry in the United States. (CA)

Canada Appointments

• Ontario: Ataccama, Aptum Technologies

 Canada open roles:

• Ontario: BlackBerry, Voxtur Analytics

Canada Appointments

Ataccama – Mike McKee, former CEO, Dotmatics, has been appointed CEO of Ataccama, taking over from Michal Klaus, who led the company's development into a premier data management firm since its start. With a history of driving customer satisfaction and innovation, McKee has previously held leadership roles in high-growth tech organizations such as PTC, Rapid7, ObserveIT (acquired by Proofpoint), and Dotmatics. Ataccama provides data quality (DQ), master data management, and data governance software solutions and services. (ON)

Aptum Technologies – Ian Rae has been appointed as the new CEO of Aptum, succeeding Susan Bowen. Rae, a prominent entrepreneur, and technology visionary with extensive expertise in cloud operations, software development, and managed services, founded CloudOps and the Canadian cloud platform cloud.ca. He is an active advisor and angel investor in the tech startup scene in Montréal, Québec, and serves on several boards, including Air Transat. Rae's appointment follows Aptum's acquisition of his company CloudOps. Aptum operates as a cloud-managed service provider. (ON)

Canada open roles

BlackBerry Limited – John Chen is retiring as Executive Chair of the Board at BlackBerry. Chen will be succeeded by Richard (Dick) Lynch as Chair of the Board and Interim CEO. Lynch, a director at BlackBerry since 2013 and President of FB Associates has previously served as CTO at Verizon Communications and Verizon Wireless and held various directorship roles in the tech industry. BlackBerry helps organizations defend against cyber threats. BlackBerry is a leader in cybersecurity—helping businesses, government agencies, and safety-critical institutions of all sizes secure the Internet of Things (IoT). (ON)

Voxtur Analytics (TSXV: VXTR; OTCQB: VXTRF) – Jim Albertelli has resigned as CEO and director of Voxtur Analytics Corp. Gary Yeoman, currently the Executive Chair and former CEO, will step in as interim CEO. Voxtur is a tech company focused on creating a transparent and accessible real estate lending ecosystem. It provides data analytics for property valuation, tax solutions, and settlement services for the lending industry. (ON)