C-Suite Interviews
Tom Clayton
CRO
Bill.com
Cloud-based back-office software provider Bill.com (NYSE: BILL) digitizes financial operations for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Their 2Q21 acquisition of spend management provider Divvy.com, for $2.5B, expanded their capability to provide robust a platform for their customers.
I spoke with Tom Clayton, Bill.com’s CRO, about his role and his leadership. Read the interview here.
Damon Fletcher
CFO
DataRobot
Following DataRobot‘s $320 million Series F funding in December, Damon Fletcher has joined the company as CFO and is preparing the company for its next stage of hypergrowth.
Damon was previously CFO at Tableau, which was acquired in 2019 by Salesforce for$15.7B in stock.
We spoke recently about his priorities, his role as a business partner and his leadership style. Read the interview here.
Job va der Voort
CEO
Remote.com
Remote.com, a leading HR technology platform, announced $150 million in Series B funding, led by Accel. Existing investors who participated in the round include Sequoia, Index Ventures, Two Sigma, General Catalyst and Day One Ventures.
In addition to their HR platform, Remote also provides employer of record services and international contractor management. I spoke with co-founder and CEO Job van der Voort about the company’s growth and his leadership.
Stacy Simpson
CMO
Genpact
CMO Stacy Simpson recently took on the additional leadership role of defining and guiding the purpose for Genpact (NYSE: G), a global professional services firm focused on digital transformation.
We spoke recently about her role and its impact internally and externally. Read the full interview with Stacy here.
Nick Warner
COO
SentinelOne
Growing from a $12M Series A funding in 2014 to the largest cybersecurity IPO in history, AI-powered cybersecurity firm SentinelOne fits the definition of a hyper-growth organization.
I interviewed SentinelOne COO Nicholas Warner on the occasion of their public offering. Read the full interview here.
Carol Juel
CTO, COO and EVP
Synchrony
As CIO, Carol Juel helped “birth” Synchrony, a GE Capital spinoff, seven years ago. We spoke about that journey and her vision for her new role as CTO, COO and EVP for the consumer financial services company. Read Karen’s full interview with Carol here.
Tami Erwin
EVP and CEO
Verizon Business Group
On the first anniversary of Verizon Business’ acquisition of cloud video conferencing platform BlueJeans by Verizon, CEO Tami Erwin reflects on Verizon’s strategic orientation, the pandemic and her leadership. Read Karen’s full interview with Tami here.
Yahya Mokhtarzada
Chief Revenue Officer
Pathrise
Recurring but unwanted subscription charges are a challenge of modern life. Truebill, a personal finance startup, has saved its customers more than $100 million, and has just raised a $45 million Series D round – with a valuation over $500 million – led by Accel.
I recently spoke with CRO Yahya Mokhtarzada, who co-founded the company in 2015 with his two brothers Haroon and Idris. Read the full interview here.
Kevin Wu
CEO
Pathrise
Pathrise, the leading online mentorship and job placement platform for tech professionals, just secured $9 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Learn Capital, and included Western Technology Investment and Day One Ventures.
I spoke with CEO and founder Kevin Wu about how he led his organization to this milestone. Read the full interview here.
Kathya Irias and Paul Gromek
President (Irias) and CEO (Gromek)
Spirit Animal
Launched in the fall of 2020, Spirit Animal is the passion of two inspiring leaders. Kathya Irias, President, and Paul Gromek, CEO, discovered a mutual love in supporting small farmers in Honduras while providing the world with superior coffee. We spoke recently about their vision and their collaborative leadership of the new, thriving venture.
Read Karen’s full interview with Kathya and Paul about leading with purpose and passion.
Cameron Lindsay
Co-Founder and CEO
Haystack
What’s the least loved part of an organization’s tech stack? The intranet.
After raising two rounds of funding while in stealth mode, Cameron Lindsay, co-founder and CEO of Haystack, has set his sights on changing that, with a mantra of “How can we use software to make big companies feel smaller?”
Read Karen’s full interview with Cameron here.
Sowmyanarayan Sampath
Chief Revenue and Growth Officer
Verizon Business Group
When is 4% growth harder than it appears to be? Could it be when you are CRO for a $30 billion business, and 4% growth means generating $1.2B in new revenue each year – in addition to retaining a $30B base? I interviewed Sowmyanarayan Sampath, the new Chief Revenue and Growth Officer for Verizon’s $30 billion Business Group.
Dan Wright
DataRobot
President and COO
Dan is the current President and COO of DataRobot where he has overseen explosive growth, from x to over $1Billion (unicorn!) in valuation. Read Karen’s interview on leading digital transformation.
Lauren Goldstein
CRO
Annuitas
Lauren is the current Chief Revenue Officer for Annuitas, an organization that leads strategic demand marketing transformations, to discover more about this trend. Read Karen’s interview on the importance of a “we” mindset in partnerships are crucial, as well as other emerging C-Suite positions in large corporations.
Rahul (Raj) Bhandari
Slingshot: How Adversity Propels Leaders to Find Purpose, Be Impactful, and Create Change.
Author
In my interview with Bhandari, he says “People told me that I helped them develop resiliency and that they were better able to navigate challenges.” Their feedback led me to develop workshops and subsequently, the book. It’s important to note that this method – and the path within it – can help anyone who wants to create a life of Significance and become an inspiring leader.
Jamie Learner
Quantum
CEO, President and Chairman of the Board
From his time of joining Quantum in 2018, he has led a transformation that brought the company back from the brink of collapse. Read more in my interview with Jamie to learn what kind of strategic plan he implemented to turn everything around.
Paul Judge, Ph.D
Panoramic Ventures
Managing Partner
Paul is currently a Managing Partner at Panoramic Ventures, the largest tech venture fund headquartered in the Southeast. Read my interview with Paul about finding and supporting today’s underserved founders, the leaders of tomorrow’s organizations.