Big Data Career Notes (May 2016)

In our new monthly feature, we’ll be keeping you up-to-date on the latest career developments for individuals in the big data community. Whether it’s a promotion, new company hire, or even an accolade, we’ve got the details. Check in each month for an updated list and you may even come across someone you know, or better yet, yourself!

Victor Lund

Victor Lund has been elected President and CEO of Teradata. He is taking over for Mike Koehler who stepped down earlier this month. Prior to his appointment, Lund was a member of Teradata’s board of directors since 2007. Throughout his career, Lund has served on a number of different boards and has held virtually all positions.

Upon his appointment, Lund stated, “It is an honor to be appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Teradata. During my time on the Teradata Board, I have gained an intimate knowledge of where we are, but, more importantly, of where we need to go. I have a passion for Teradata and our transformation, and I intend to oversee a rigorous implementation of the needed changes. With the support of the talented team at Teradata, we will optimize our go-to-market strategy, develop new cloud-based and flexible solutions our customers need, reinvigorate our organization and leadership and deliver value to our shareholders.”

Sohaib Abbasi and James Tolonen 

New Relic has appointed both Sohaib Abbasi and James Tolonen to its board of directors. Abbasi was formerly the CEO and chairman at Informatica Corporation, positions he held from 2004 to 2015. Before Informatica, Abbasi had a variety of roles at Oracle.

James Tolonen formerly served as the CFO and senior vice president of finance and administration at Business Objects. Prior to his work there, Tolonen was the CFO and COO at IGN Entertainment.

“We are excited to have two industry veterans join our board — each with tremendous experience successfully managing high growth enterprise software companies,” said Lew Cirne, founder and CEO, New Relic. “Their leadership and expertise will be critical to our success as New Relic continues to help businesses of all sizes succeed with their digital strategies. We simply could not have attracted better candidates for these roles.”

Steven Schneider

Steven Schneider has joined Logi Analytics as its new CEO. He is taking over for Brett Jackson who will assume the role of Executive Chairman. Schneider joined Logi Analytics in 2008 and has held many different positions throughout his time with the company. He most recently served as chief operating officer.

“I first joined the Logi Analytics family as a customer. The same that thing attracted me to Logi as a customer, and then as an employee, still holds true today – a devotion to creating engaging analytics that drive user adoption,” said Schneider.

Kevin Rubin

Kevin Rubin is now the CFO of Alteryx. He will be responsible for all financial management activities including accounting, tax, treasury, financial planning and analysis, and business systems. He brings with him a wealth of experience as he has served as CFO for many other companies including, most recently, MSC Software, as well as Pictage, DataDirect Networks, and MRV Communications.

“A successful business starts with the sum of the people, who in turn drive a solid business and strong placement in the market,” said Rubin. “Think about some of the key trends in technology now — big data, analytics and cloud — Alteryx is right at the center of it and is thriving. I’m proud to be joining a business of such caliber, at such an exciting time.”

Dr. Thomas Di Giacomo 

Dr. Thomas Di Giacomo has been named the new CTO at SUSE. Previously, he served as CTO and vice president of innovation at Swisscom Hospitality Services and CTO of the Hoist Group. Di Giacomo received his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Geneva.

“Thomas brings a wealth of industry insight and experience that will help SUSE more rapidly advance as our solution portfolio grows to meet increasing global demand,” said Nils Brauckmann, CEO. “As CTO, he will engage in active, strategic dialog with our customers, our partners and our many important open source communities as we continuously adapt to help our customers succeed.”

Ron Pasek

Ron Pasek has joined NetApp as its new executive vice president and CFO. Prior to his appointment, Pasek was the CFO of Altera Corporation and also held many senior finance roles at Sun Microsystems before joining Altera. He brings with him more than 30 years of experience in financial management.

“It’s an honor and a great pleasure to have this opportunity to join NetApp, especially during a time of transformation, where my responsibilities will play a critical role in the future success of the organization,” said Pasek. “I look forward to working and integrating with teams across NetApp to contribute to the company’s success as a leader in the data-powered digital era as well as furthering the positive impact we are providing for our customers and shareholders around the world.”

Jay Bourland

Jay Bourland has joined Alteryx as its new senior vice president of engineering. He was the senior vice president and general manager of customer communications at Pitney Bowes Software before his appointment. Bourland also worked for several years as an academic at the University of Washington, Stanford, and Colorado State University. Jay holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics.

“There’s an enormous potential for data, but making it actionable, and turning it into business insights is the great challenge,” said Bourland. “Analysts in line-of-business departments are exhausting the capabilities of traditional BI and other point solutions, and have grown tired of depending on specialized staff for data prep, blending, analytics, to get insights. I’m thrilled to be part of a company that is making self-service analytics possible for organizations to truly harness the power of data.”

Roger Brooks 

Guavus announced that Roger Brooks has joined the company as its chief scientist. Brooks spent the last eight years of his career at Hewlett Packard where he held a number of executive positions. Brooks has co-founded and led startups, holds a number of patents, and is a published author. The first half of his career was spent as a theoretical particle physicist at Stanford University and M.I.T.

“Guavus is pioneering the use of analytics to provide extremely precise, contextual insights that translate directly into action. This results in better customer experiences, more personalized care, and more efficient network operations,” said Brooks. “I look forward to working with the Guavus team to help our customers exploit their data by leveraging our unique multidisciplinary science to become more efficient, profitable and competitive.”

Do you know someone that should be included in next month’s list? If so, send us an email at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.