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Nikki Santoro, CEO of IMDb. (IMDb Photo)
— IMDb, the juggernaut of entertainment information, has a new CEO. Nikki Santoro has taken the helm from founder Col Needham, becoming only the second chief executive of the 35-year-old company.
Santoro, based in Seattle, joined IMDb in 2016 and became its chief operating officer in 2021. Prior to joining IMDb, she held leadership roles at Microsoft and The Weather Channel.
Needham has transitioned to the role of executive chair and will “provide strategic guidance, consult on key initiatives, and serve as a global ambassador for IMDb,” according to the company.
Seattle-based Amazon acquired IMDb for $55 million in 1998.
Kristin Toth, CEO and founder of Ulu Partners. (LinkedIn Photo)
— Kristin Toth, a Seattle tech veteran and the former COO of Fernish and Dolly, revealed a new advisory firm: Ulu Partners. The company provides coaching, consulting and facilitation to leaders and organizations that are seeking support in growing as leaders and building teams and technology.
“At Ulu Partners, we help founder/CEOs navigate this crucial growth phase by addressing the overwhelm and laying the foundation for scalable success,” Toth said in a LinkedIn post.
Toth previously served on boards for Armoire, Radiant Logistics, Ada Developers Academy and others. She was CEO of Code Fellows and held senior roles at Amazon and Zulily, and has been active with the University of Michigan’s Center for Entrepreneurship for more than 13 years.
Bert Van Hoof, Willow Technology. (Willow Photo)
— Long-time Microsoft product and program manager Bert Van Hoof is now CEO of Willow Technology. The company launched in Australia in 2017 and uses AI-generated digital twins to provide insights into building management to cut energy costs and carbon impacts.
Van Hoof, who is based in Seattle, was at Microsoft for nearly 20 years where he created the company’s Created Azure’s Smart Places and Energy team, which focused on infrastructure such as smart buildings and smart cities. Van Hoof joined Willow in 2022 as president and chief operating officer.
Willow’s co-founder and former CEO Joshua Ridley is now the chief growth officer.
Marty Roberts, COO of Tagboard. (LinkedIn Photo)
— Marty Roberts is now COO of Tagboard, a Redmond, Wash., company that helps sports, news, entertainment, and other brands produce live broadcasts.
Roberts previously was co-founder and CEO of Wicket Labs, a Seattle-area startup that provided audience data to online video providers. Wicket was acquired by publicly traded video platform Brightcove in 2022.
Roberts’ other roles include co-CEO of thePlatform, an online video platform that was acquired by Comcast and operated as an independent subsidiary, and a leadership role at RealNetworks.
Teresa Kotwis, CFO of SingleFile. (LinkedIn Photo)
— Teresa Kotwis is chief financial officer for SingleFile, a legal tech startup based in Seattle that helps companies file compliance reports with government agencies.
The company originally incubated out of Pioneer Square Labs and last year landed $6.5 million from investors.
Kotwis has been CFO at multiple Seattle-area companies including FluentStream, The Riveter, Mighty AI (which was sold to Uber), Gravity Payments, Rover and Logic 20/20. She was also vice president of finance and treasurer for AdReady.
Arry Yu, president of the North American Blockchain Association (NABA). (LinkedIn Photo)
— Arry Yu is president of the newly launched North American Blockchain Association (NABA). The trade group unites eight state-based blockchain organizations whose members include more than 250 companies and 1,000 elected officials. NABA will represent U.S. and Canadian interests in advocacy and policy campaigns.
Yu is also chair of the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) Cascadia Blockchain Council, which is a founding member of NABA. Yu was a co-founder of the council and has held multiple leadership roles in the sector.
“We are building a stronger, more coordinated voice to champion blockchain innovation and establish North America as a global leader in this transformative technology,” Yu said.
Doulaye Kone, Gates Foundation. (LinkedIn Photo)
— Doulaye Kone is the director of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Program at the Gates Foundation — a newly created position at the global health organization. The initiative is focused on developing hygienic, water-efficient toilets and related technologies.
The new role “represents the foundation’s strong commitment to build a global community that will transform the sanitation industry,” Kone said on LinkedIn.
Kone has been at the Seattle-based foundation for more than 14 years.
Stephiney Foley, CEO of Yuzi Care. (Yuzi Care Photo)
— Stephiney Foley, CEO of Seattle maternal wellness startup Yuzi Care, was selected as a Presidential Leadership Scholar. Foley, a U.S. Army veteran and former Amazon head of product, is one of 57 participants.
Scholars travel to presidential centers for presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Lyndon Johnson and receive support from former administration officials, academics and business leaders.
Yuzi Care provides post-partum support for mothers and families through an online marketplace. As part of the six-month program, Foley is working on a pilot project with local military leaders to offer Yuzi Care services on military bases.
— Morgan Hellar, chief financial officer of the Washington Research Foundation, joined the Technology Alliance’s board of directors. Hellar has been with WRF for more than 20 years. The organization helps universities and other nonprofits commercialize their technologies.
— Aeone, a Seattle startup helping online creators and talent agencies in Africa generate their content, announced three additions to its advisory board:
Ajith Kumar, who is head of Stripe’s Money Movement Network, and a former engineer at Amazon, Lyft and Microsoft.
Leila Kirske, the chief financial officer of RadarFirst, and former CFO at companies including Bsquare, TUNE and Marchex.
Meghan Reynolds, a senior director at Oura who previously worked at Amazon across Alexa, Fire TV, Prime Video International and Amazon Music.
