Qualtrics recently appointed Microsoft veteran Rachita Sundar as its chief financial officer. Sundar brings with her 13 years of experience at Microsoft, eventually rising to the position of senior finance director of Microsoft U.S. Prior to Qualtrics, she was senior vice president of finance at HubSpot. Sundar will be based in Seattle and expressed excitement about joining an organization driving significant technological shifts. Qualtrics, an “experience management” company with headquarters in Seattle and Provo, Utah, helps companies collect and analyze data to make customer and employee decisions. After going public in 2021, Qualtrics became a private company once again and underwent layoffs in October 2023.
F5’s Kunal Anand is transitioning from chief technology officer to chief innovation officer. This change will see Anand leading the company’s product organization. Anand joined F5 in April and previously led technical and security teams at Imperva for over five years. F5 experienced a stock increase of over 10% after reporting its fourth fiscal quarter earnings, with revenue up 6% year-over-year. The company confirmed layoffs affecting less than 2% of its global workforce. Cooper Werner was named as the new CFO for F5, and the company plans to hire a new CTO. These changes come as F5 continues to execute its portfolio roadmap towards the next phase.
Chris Capossela, Microsoft’s former chief marketing officer, has joined the board of directors for Lumen Technologies. With over 30 years of experience at Microsoft, Capossela now serves on multiple corporate and nonprofit boards. Lumen, formed by the merger of CenturyLink and Level 3 Communications and rebranded in 2020, has attracted Capossela’s attention as companies consider their networking needs and the potential of AI in driving strategies. Lumen’s CEO, Kate Johnson, was previously at Microsoft, adding another connection between the two companies.
Former top executives from sustainable trucking company First Mode have launched Sol Zero Group, a Seattle venture described as a think tank supporting companies using systems thinking and human creativity to solve important problems. Chris Voorhees and Rae Adams, the founders and managing partners of Sol Zero, have a background in companies like First Mode and Planetary Resources. Additional leaders from First Mode have started companies under the Sol Zero umbrella, focusing on design and build solutions and consultancy at the intersection of government, business, technology, and community.
Melanie Roberts has joined the Washington State Academy of Sciences as executive director, bringing experience from her previous role at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. With a background in neurobiology and behavior, Roberts transitioned into policy through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) science and technology policy fellowship. WSAS will benefit from Roberts’ leadership in integrating science and technology for the benefit of Washington State residents, governments, and businesses.
Seattle’s Valant has appointed Rick Katz as chief financial officer, following the acquisition of the company by private equity firm Resurgens Technology Partners in December 2023. With over 25 years of experience in finance and corporate development, Katz will oversee corporate initiatives including mergers and acquisitions. Graham & Walker, an investment firm focusing on women-founded tech companies in North America, welcomed Eric Ries, author of “The Lean Startup,” to its board of advisors. Ries, known for creating the lean startup methodology, will bring his expertise to the firm’s initiatives. Additionally, Michael Olson has taken on the role of chief operating officer at Tala, a fintech startup based in Santa Monica. Olson’s experience at companies like Linktree, Twitch, LinkedIn, and Microsoft will contribute to overseeing global operations for Tala from Portland, Oregon.
