Candidate Moves: Spring 2024
The last quarter has seen some really interesting and important moves within the software, internet and games sectors. Here is our summary of some of the key candidates moves;
Software
PE backed cloud enterprise software company IFS has appointed Mark Moffat as its new CEO. Moffat was most recently Chief Customer Officer for IFS and had a long career within PWC Consulting. IFS is backed by EQT, Hg, and TA Associates.
HP spinout DXC Technology has appointed Raul Fernandez as President and CEO. Fernandez had been serving as interim CEO since December 2023 and is the former CEO of ObjectVideo.
Carl Eschenbach will become the sole CEO of Workday, Inc., transitioning from his role as co-CEO with Aneel Bhusri, who shifts to executive chair and strategic advisor.
Khozema Shipchandler is now CEO of Twilio, taking over from co-founder Jeff Lawson. With a background of over 25 years, including a significant tenure at GE and various leadership roles within Twilio such as President of Twilio Communications, COO, and CFO, Shipchandler brings extensive experience in business growth and financial strategy.
SaaS customer services software provider LivePerson has appointed John Sabino as its new CEO. Sabino has previously held leadership roles with VMware, Splunk, and GE Digital.
Omnichannel payment solution provider DNA Payments hires Jan-Pieter Lips as CEO. Lips was a Head of Unified Commerce at Adyen.
Noel Hamill joins ParcelLab as CMO. ParcelLab is a company creating personalized eCommerce post-checkout communication software. Hamill was CMO of PG Forsta.
Ben Jones becomes CIO of Nord Anglia Education, an international school provider in the UK. Jones was previously CTO of the KKR backed market research and data provider GfK.
Richard Mundell becomes Chief Product Officer of NorQuant Technology, a SaaS company offering a fund analysis tool. Mundell was previously Chief Product Officer of TRG Screen.
Matt Cockett joins Dayshape as CEO. Dayshape is a workforce management software provider. Cockett was CRO of Sympa before this.
HotelMap, a SaaS hotel booking solutions provider for trade show and conference organisers, has appointed Richard Segal as Chairman. Segal is a well known board member for VC and PE backed companies and was formerly the CEO of Partygaming.
Retail Insight, a provider of software that optimises retail operations, has appointed former Confused.com CTO, Andy Brockway, as its new CTO.
Internet
Online Dating service provider Bumble has appointed Lidiane Jones as its new CEO. Jones was previously the CEO of popular messaging platform Slack.
Dyson has appointed Hanno Kirner as its new CEO. Kirner was previously Executive Director for Jaguar Land Rover within Tata Group.
Claire Davenport joins Treatwell, a hair and beauty appointment app provider, as CEO. Davenport served as CEO at notonthehighstreet.com previously.
HeliosX, who provide online prescription services and broader digital healthcare solutions to consumers has appointed Tom Valentine as its new CEO. Valentine is a the former COO and co-founder of online travel business Secret Escapes.
Starling Bank announced the appointment of Raman Bhatia as new group CEO. Bhatia was formerly the CEO of OVO Energy.
Insuretech provider wefox has appointed Mark Hartigan as its new CEO. Hartigan is the former CEO of LV.
Raphael Goumain became Decathlon’s new CMO. Decathlon is a French sport goods retailer. Goumain is a former Country Marketing Director of Google France.
Former Meta’s Group Director Sophie Neary joins Google as Managing Director Retail & Consumer Goods.
Francesca Carlesi joins Revolut, as UK CEO. Carlesi is the former CEO of online mortgage provider Molo Finance.
Comparethemarket, a leading operator of price comparison websites,has appointed Andy Hancock as Chief Growth Officer. Hancock is the former CEO of Future Learn.
Secret Sales, a fashion marketplace provider, has appointed Chris Lacey as Chief Digital Officer. Lacey is a former Director of Ecommerce at Matalan.
Cristian van Tienhoven joins Global-e Europe, an international e-commerce solution provider, as CEO. Tienhoven is a former COO at eBay UK.
Spotify has appointed Christian Luiga as CFO. Luiga is the former CFO & Deputy CEO of Saab.
Games and Gambling
Drest, creators of a luxury fashion mobile game, have appointed Daniel Svard as co-CEO. Svard was GM of Candy Crush Soda Saga at King. Drest also hires Chris Wright as Interim CTO. Previously, Wright was CTO of AdInMo.
Supercell have revamped their management team with two key hires. The former CMO of King, Fernanda Romano, joins as their first ever CMO. Sara Bach, former Mojang Head of Games, joins as Head of Live Games.
Supermassive Games, developer of Until Dawn, has appointed Robert Henrysson as its new CEO. Henrysson retains his role as Partner at Nordisk Games and Chairman at Avalanche Studios Group.
King has appointed Eric Bowman as its new CTO. Bowman was previously CTO of TomTom.
Swedish games developer Starbreeze has appointed Juergen Goeldner as Interim CEO. Goeldner was most recently CEO of Focus Home Interactive.
Blizzard has appointed Call of Duty’s GM Johanna Faries as its new President.
Leading strategy game developer Paradox Interactive has promoted Mattias Lilja to become its new Deputy CEO. Lilja has been with Paradox since 2009, and held a variety of roles including EVP Studios.
Mobile games developer Sunday has appointed Timm Geyer as Co-Managing Director. Geyer is the former Co-CEO of CoolGames and CEO of Spil Games.
Shuji Utsumi has been appointed as CEO of Sega America and Europe. Utsumi has previously worked with Disney, Warner Music and Cybird.
Jagex, best known for the RuneScape franchise, has appointed Marc Allera as Chairman. Allera is CEO of Consumer Division at BT.
Sports betting company Entain has appointed Ronald J. Kramer as Independent Non-Executive Director. Kramer is currently the Chairman and CEO of Griffon Corporation. Ricky Sandler also becomes a Non-Executive Director. Sandler is the founder, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Eminence Capital.
Online gambling company Kindred Group has appointed Nils Andén as Permanent CEO. Andén was Interim CEO prior to this.
SuperScale, a creator of a revenue growth engine for the games industry, has appointed Nikola Mitic as COO. Mitic was General Manager of Playstudios Europe.
Manchester-based developer Airship Interactive has appointed Andy Wood as its new Chairman. Wood is the former President of Cubic Motion, which was acquired by Epic Games in 2020.
Turkish mobile game studio SuperGears Games has appointed Frank Sagnier as Chairman. Sagnier was CEO of Codemasters until 2022.