AI Career Notes: October 2020 Edition
In this monthly feature we bring you up to date on the latest career developments in the enterprise AI community -- promotions, new hires and accolades:
Heather Adams joins e-commerce AI vendor, Octane AI, as its new vice president of marketing. Adams comes from DigitalOcean, where she held the role of head of global B2B & Partner Marketing. At Octane AI, she will help the company achieve the next level of evolution, expand new customer acquisition, and grow its internal marketing team.
"From the first conversation, I could tell there was something very special in the making at Octane AI that I wanted to be a part of," Adams says. "The founding team shows a rare coupling of product vision and humility, along with a laser focus on team culture and customer empathy. Given this strong alignment with my personal and professional values alongside the huge market opportunity and momentum they have, the choice was very clear, and I'm elated to be joining this team."
CJ Bruno
Data center liquid-cooling vendor Submer appointed CJ Bruno as a strategic advisor in the Americas. Bruno has 34 years of experience in sales and marketing, including serving in a leadership position at Intel Americas as corporate vice president and general manager of Intel Americas.
"It's an honor to have the opportunity to collaborate with the innovative, talented team at Submer," Bruno said. "It's rare to get a chance to work with a company with such a powerful combination of subject matter expertise, technology leadership, and passionate, driven people. I look forward to the chance to help Submer exceed their global goals while helping establish and grow their North American business."
Elizabeth Buse
F5 Networks, an application security and delivery vendor, appointed former chief executive officer of Monitise PLC, Elizabeth Buse, to its board of directors. Buse is the 12th member to be tapped to serve on the company's board of directors bringing the total members up from the previous ten members. She has an extensive background in the financial services industry and brings over a public company board experience.
Buse has held the role of co-CEO and CEO of Monitise PLC between 2014 and 2015. She has also held various senior leadership positions at Visa during her 16-year stay, including holding the role of group president for Asia-Pacific, Central Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
Software-defined storage vendor, SoftIron Ltd., appointed Craig Chadwell as vice president of product, where he will be responsible for driving the SoftIron's flagship HyperDrive storage, HyperSwitch networking, and HyperCast transcoding product portfolio. Chadwell comes from Lenovo, where he held the role of senior product manager in the software-defined business unit of the Data Center Group.
"We're seeing radically new demands on data infrastructure design as applications evolve to meet people where they are – a phenomenon which accelerated in 2020 as organizations face increasingly distributed workforces," said Chadwell. "It's exciting to join SoftIron right now. They have engineered a brand new approach to designing, manufacturing, and delivering data center solutions that change the game. I believe we will see a further shift in what data center operators are demanding. SoftIron has an amazing team and a seriously disruptive technology approach to meeting those needs. I'm excited and honored to join the SoftIron team."
Rescale, a cloud services and software vendor, announced the additions of Chris Choi and Edward Hsu as the company's vice president of finance and vice president of product, respectively. Choi will manage future financial investments and the company's financial records. Choi brings over a 15-year career in investment banking, corporate development, financial operations, and strategic finance.
Hsu will be responsible for Rescale's product portfolio's growth and success, including product strategy, design, roadmap, and go-to-market. Before joining Rescale, Choi served as chief financial officer of ShopKick Inc.
Ted Clark
Ted Clark joined AI-based Insights-as-a-Service vendor, Birdie, as its chief operating officer. As COO, Clark will be responsible for managing operations, heading the client service team, and growing the company's business. He brings over 19 years of experience overseeing operations, client service, and solutions consulting.
"I found Birdie's offer fascinating!" Clark said. "Their AI makes sense of the universe of consumer opinions across e-commerce reviews, social media, and discussion boards. We are living in the validation economy, where online research is embedded in every purchase journey. Brand and product information has been decentralized by the ubiquity of user reviews and consumer-generated content. Shoppers have never had more voices to consult, and brands have never had less control or visibility into the themes being messaged. Using machine learning and NLP, Birdie spots themes in user feedback, showing brands what matters to their customers, and the trends shaping shopper perceptions."
Elissa Fink joined file data platform vendor Qumulo's board of directors. Fink has an extensive background in marketing, including working at Tableau Software for 11 years, where she held the role of chief marketing officer. Currently, Fink is an adjunct professor at the University of Washington – Michael G. Foster School of Business. She also serves as a member on the board of directors at Concora and Pantheon Platform.
"Qumulo's forward-thinking strategy and disruptive file data technology will help customers thrive in the digital era," said Fink. "It's an exciting time to join the company's board. Amidst an environment of global market uncertainty, Qumulo is experiencing surging demand and accelerating momentum. The team is helping more and more customers gain value from their file data faster and at scale. I look forward to helping guide Qumulo's visionary leadership team and talented professionals as they define a new category in enterprise data management with an unrivaled file data platform built for the cloud."
Rohan Hall
Rohan Hall joins e-commerce blockchain vendor, RocketFuel Blockchain, as its chief technology officer. Hall brings over a 30-year career working with technology businesses including HP, PeopleSoft/Oracle, Corning, Honda, and American Red Cross.
Hall was the founder, chief executive officer and chief technology officer of blockchain startup Vottun. At the company, he developed products in education, healthcare, supply chain management. He is an author and speaker on blockchain, cryptocurrencies, FinTech, and related technology topics.
Dennis Howard
IT infrastructure management vendor, SolarWinds, appointed Dennis Howard to its board of directors. Howard, who is currently the executive vice president and chief information officer for Schwab Technology Services at Charles Schwab & Co, replaces the chief executive officer of Red Hat, Paul Cormier. Howard will also serve on the SolarWinds audit committee.
"The SolarWinds leadership position in the market and a strong focus on continued disruption of the IT infrastructure management space make it a compelling time to join the company," said Howard. "I look forward to adding my experience as an IT leader to this Board."
Daniel Ley
Quantum computer vendor, D-Wave Systems Inc., appointed Daniel Ley as senior vice president of sales. Ley has over a 25-year career in technology and software. Before D-Wave, he held the role of VP of Global Sales at the Blue Planet Software Division of Ciena for the Routing Optimization and Assurance product series. He has also held the role of VP of Solution Sales at CA Technologies.
"D-Wave sits at the intersection of business and innovation. I know how transformative the right technology can be for enterprise success, and I'm eager to bring my expertise to an ecosystem that's evolving as quickly as quantum computing is right now," said Ley. "I have devoted my career to strategic technology sales, and I am thrilled to now play a crucial role in expanding D-Wave's customer and partner base while driving global adoption of quantum computing via the cloud."
Patrick Little succeeds Dr. Naveed Sherwani as president and chief executive officer of custom chip vendor, SiFive. Little brings over a 30-year career in leadership roles to the company. Most recently, he served as senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm. Sherwani remains as chairman of the board of directors.
"I am honored to lead the brilliant, hard-working team of innovators and engineers at SiFive who are responsible for creating some of the most impactful architectures in our industry," said Little. "Across the technology industry, a sharpened focus on workload-acceleration to solve next-generation computing challenges is driving demand for SiFive's configurable RISC-V-based platforms. Our industry-leading technology portfolio provides a unique platform that empowers our customers to deliver differentiated solutions in their markets."
Jon Masters
Jon Masters rejoined open source Linux vendor, Red Hat, as a distinguished engineer. From November 2019, he held the role of vice president of software at NUVIA. Before NUVIA, he had the role of computer architect and distinguished engineer at Red Hat for over 13 years.
"A company that had been my home for almost 14 years, since even before moved to the US," Masters said about rejoining Red Hat in a blog posted on Medium. "When I left last year, I told my colleagues at the time that deciding to leave in order to pursue a passion for learning about silicon design was one of the toughest decisions I have ever made. And I really meant that. Red Hat isn't just a company, it's a family, and the love that I still have for that place permeates my soul. I know I am not alone in being someone who has left Red Hat and felt a profound sense of loss. The feeling quite literally filled my dreams.
Amy Medeiros
Tintri, an intelligent infrastructure vendor, tapped Amy Medeiros as head of Global Marketing and Inside Sales. Medeiros has over a 25-year career and will be responsible for developing marketing and sales programs to accelerate Tintri's mission.
"I am excited to work with such a fantastic team, and because of our shared dedication to helping customers and partners succeed in the new normal, we are firing on all cylinders and already seeing positive results," said Medeiros. "With over 140 patents1 driving innovative next generation technologies, Tintri is really transforming IT operations, and I am excited to lead this team as we continue moving Tintri in its new direction."
Phillip Miltiades joins Linux and open source vendor, SUSE, to lead the Asia Pacific Region as president. Miltiades will be based in Sydney and will be responsible for driving customer and partner business outcomes and success. Miltiades has over 25 years of leadership experience, including serving as the chief operating officer at SAP Digital Core.
"This is a wonderful time for me to join SUSE, and I couldn't be more thrilled," Miltiades said. "Open source is becoming the backbone for driving digital innovation, according to Gartner. Increasingly, open source is being adopted for leading-edge innovation like mobile, big data, AI, and machine learning, and we see great potential for growth across APJ. We provide simplified, innovative, and adaptable open source solutions for our customers' mission-critical business applications to help them achieve the outcomes they desire."
Mohsen Moazami
Vcinity, Inc, a data management vendor, named Mohsen Moazami chairman of the board of directors. Moazami is the founder and managing partner at Seif Capital. He is also an advisor to the boards of companies such as Luminous Computing, Deep Cube, VoiceBase, Maxeler Technologies, Movandi, and Pact.
"Vcinity is deploying game-changing technology that enables enterprises to derive timely and significant value from their data assets regardless of where that data resides around the country or across the globe," Moazami said. "Vcinity is at an inflection point as it is the ultimate enabler of the hybrid cloud. Vcinity is the only technology I'm aware of that allows computing applications in the cloud to run on data at the customer location, or anywhere else outside the cloud, with performance as if the data were local (to the compute) – it will redefine the connected edge."
Signal AI, an AI media and business intelligence company, appointed Archie Norman as chairman. As chairman, Norman will deliver direction on Signal AI's undertaking that includes advancing into new areas, expand current portfolios in ESG, risk and compliance, legal, consulting, and PR and communications. Norman has previously served on the board of M&S, Asda, and ITV.
"It is a privilege to be a part of something as innovative as Signal AI," Archie said. "Today, AI is no longer a function just within the technology team. It is a business objective that impacts senior management and the bottom line. Artificial Intelligence has gone from obscurity to the foundation of modern business. I am thrilled to be part of this team and look forward to collaborating with them."
Pliops, a storage hardware acceleration vendor, appointed Henri Richard to its advisory board. Richard has decades of leadership experience and growing revenue for storage and semiconductor companies. Richard held executive vice president of worldwide field and customer operations at NetApp, where he led customer, partner, and ecosystem relationships.
"Pliops accelerators are to storage efficiency what GPUs are to AI and ML," said Richard. "With this groundbreaking technology, Pliops is tackling one of the greatest challenges the storage industry faces today – scalability of performance in a world of increasingly lae has a 20-year career in managing and developing engineering teams in dispersed locations, most recently leading a team of engineers at Cisco and CA Technologies.
Henning Smith
Luminoso promoted Henning Smith to chief technology officer. Smith started at the company as head of engineering in 2019 and was quickly promoted to the role of vice president of engineering. He has a 20-year career in managing and developing engineering teams in dispersed locations, most recently leading a team of engineers at Cisco and CA Technologies.
"During my time at Luminoso, I have been incredibly impressed with everyone's commitment to ensuring that we're delivering the highest-quality text analytics applications to all of our customers," said Henning. "As Chief Technology Officer, I look forward to overseeing the development and delivery of the next generation of Luminoso's text analytics applications."
Robin Smith
Robin L. Smith, MD, MDA joins the board of directors at Vcinity, Inc. Smith has served in the fields of regenerative medicine and predictive analytics. At Neostem, she served as a chairman and chief executive officer, and she helped transform the development of the company's proprietary cell therapy into a business model.
"Vcinity is at an interesting crossroads after having developed and deployed unique technology to transform wide area networks into a global LAN for its customers," Smith said. "Their innovative solutions are germane to a number of market verticals, and I am particularly excited to think about the possibilities to drive digital transformation across the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries."
Dr. Lisa Su, president and chief executive officer of chip maker, AMD, is the 2020 Robert N. Noyce Award recipient, named after Robert N. Noyce, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel Corp. The Semiconductor Industry Association presents the award annually to a leader who has made notable contributions in technology or public policy within the semiconductor industry. Su will accept the award at the virtual SIA Leadership Forum and Award Celebration.
"It is a tremendous honor to receive the Noyce Award and join the distinguished list of previous recipients, many of whom I'm fortunate to count as mentors, role models, colleagues, and friends," said Su. "I look forward to continuing to push the envelope of what we can accomplish in the semiconductor industry, which has become so instrumental in every aspect of our lives."
SymphonyAI, an AI B2B company, announced the addition of Mark Tice as an operating partner. Tice brings over 30 years of experience in multiple industries. He has held leadership positions – such as serving as chief executive officer of Bridgestream and SignalDemand – at software technology-focused companies including Unison, PROS, Mark Logic, Oracle, Mantas, Business Objects, and Sybase.
"SymphonyAI is the only operating company deploying a coordinated portfolio of vertical ventures for AI. While it has kept a low profile, focused on the specific industry each address, every enterprise's recent acceleration in advanced computing adoption has pulled SAI into the spotlight," said Tice. "It's well known that vertical ventures outpace horizontal SaaS businesses in market penetration and product development. SymphonyAI and its vertical ventures stand virtually alone in serving customers with the attention to detail and respect for domain expertise."
Rebecca Weekly
Rebecca Weekly joined the Open Compute Project Foundation's board of directors as a board member. Weekly succeeds Jason Wax, who served on the board of directors since 2011. She joins Andy Bechtolsheim, Jim Hawkins from Rackspace, Kushagra Vaid from Microsoft, Partha Ranganathan from Google, Rocky Bullock from OCP, and Chairman Mark Roenigk from Facebook.
Weekly is the senior principal engineer and senior director of Hyperscale Strategy and Execution at Intel Corp, where she manages a team and drives the development, production, and business strategy of the company's hyperscale platforms.
Intel tapped Safroadu Yeboah-Amankwah for the role of senior vice president and chief strategy officer. As SVP and CSO, Yeboah-Amankwah will lead the Global Strategy Office, including Intel Capital. He will also team up with the company's executive members to create and drive growth-oriented strategies.
"It's an exciting time for Intel and the semiconductor industry as computing becomes ever more pervasive and powerful," Yeboah-Amankwah said. "There is no company better positioned to take advantage of this expanding opportunity, and I look forward to being part of the Intel team and working with Intel's customers to help chart a course for long-term growth and success."
To read last month's edition of Career Notes, click here.
Do you know someone that should be included in next month's list? If so, send us an email at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you
