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Alvina Antar, F5’s chief digital officer. (LinkedIn Photo)
— Alvina Antar is the first chief digital officer for Seattle-based networking and security giant F5.
Antar comes to the role from Okta, an identity security company, where she was chief information officer for nearly four years. Previously she was the first CIO at Zuora, where she helped with the subscription tech company’s IPO. Antar began her career at Dell, where over her 17-year run she moved up the ranks from software engineer to director of mergers and acquisitions.
“Leading F5’s transformation from hardware to software and subscription, while enabling a data and AI-first enterprise, is a reflection of my career,” Antar said on LinkedIn.
F5 has made multiple leadership changes in recent months, including its chief product marketing and technology alliances officer, CFO, and chief innovation officer.
Brian Grunkemeyer, founder and chief technologist for FlexEnergi. (LinkedIn Photo)
— Brian Grunkemeyer, a longtime Microsoft engineer and founder of EV startup FlexCharging, is now founder and chief technologist for FlexEnergi.
Grunkemeyer left Microsoft after more than 21 years to launch and lead FlexCharging in 2019. The Redmond, Wash., startup helped drivers juice up their vehicles when energy is cleaner and more readily available.
Earlier this month, FlexEnergi, a subsidiary of Accurant International, acquired FlexCharging. FlexEnergi is incorporating the startup’s tech into its platform, which is focused on electrical grid operations. Accurant was the lead investor of FlexCharging’s Series A round. The startup raised a total of nearly $6.5 million before the acquisition. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Together, we will continue to set the standard for smart EV charging, ensuring that utilities and EV owners are ready for the grid of tomorrow,” Grunkemeyer said of the acquisition.
Babu Jain, entrepreneur-in-residence at Washington Clean Energy Testbeds at the University of Washington. (Photo courtesy of UW)
— The Washington Clean Energy Testbeds at the University of Washington announced Babu Jain as its newest entrepreneur-in-residence. The testbeds provide access to high-tech equipment and expert support for innovators in clean energy and climate technology.
“Babu’s experience as both a founder and a corporate executive will be invaluable for entrepreneurs and startups scaling ideas into products and pursuing funding to grow their businesses,” said Michael Pomfret, managing director of the testbeds.
Jain is the founder and CEO of Navia Energy, a renewable tech company. He has also served since 2017 as an entrepreneur-in-residence at UW CoMotion. Jain has held leadership roles at companies in the United States, India, Singapore and Germany.
— Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed Brian Rybarik to lead the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. The UTC oversees investor-owned utility and transportation services in Washington to ensure safety, reliability and affordability.
Rybarik comes to the role from Microsoft, where he was most recently the senior director of supply chain integrity. In his five years at the company, he was also chief of staff for Microsoft’s environmental sustainability team. Other past roles include policy leadership and general counsel at energy and telecom organizations.
— Anthony Shannon is the new chief people officer at Seattle-based law firm Perkins Coie. Shannon will oversee human resources operations and be based in the global firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He was previously at the Kobre & Kim firm for more than six years.
— Eli Taylor Goss is the new executive director of the Washington State Budget and Policy Center. The nonprofit conducts researches and advocacy work on economic issues including the capital gains tax, immigration, education and jobs.
