Tech Executive Moves: Major Leadership Shifts Shake Up Seattle’s Innovation Scene

In a whirlwind of strategic hires and promotions, Seattle’s tech ecosystem is witnessing a significant reshuffling of leadership roles across major companies and startups. From AI-driven marketing platforms to government technology initiatives, these executive moves signal a dynamic period of growth and transformation in the Pacific Northwest’s innovation landscape.

Amperity Bolsters Marketing Leadership with Industry Veteran

Amperity, the Seattle-based customer data platform startup, has appointed Bridget Perry as its new Chief Marketing Officer, bringing on board a seasoned marketing executive with deep experience in enterprise technology. Perry’s appointment comes at a crucial time as Amperity continues to expand its market presence and capitalize on the growing demand for sophisticated customer data management solutions.

Perry’s impressive career trajectory includes nearly a decade at Microsoft in various marketing leadership roles, followed by over eight years at Adobe where she served as CMO for Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Most recently, she held the interim CMO position at Later, an influencer marketing platform, and has worked as a strategic advisor to several technology companies.

“Bridget has led marketing teams through real platform shifts, not incremental change,” said Tony Owens, CEO of Amperity, in a statement. “She knows what it takes to build credibility in a market and scale it globally.”

Perry’s appointment is particularly significant as Amperity, ranked No. 39 on GeekWire 200, continues to position itself at the intersection of customer data management and artificial intelligence. Her experience navigating major platform transitions at Microsoft and Adobe suggests she’ll be well-equipped to guide Amperity through its next phase of growth.

Gong Promotes Simon Frey to Chief Customer Officer

In another significant leadership move, Seattle-based Simon Frey has been promoted to Chief Customer Officer at Gong, the San Francisco-based revenue intelligence platform that has been making waves with its agentic AI technology.

Frey’s promotion recognizes his substantial contributions to Gong’s customer success initiatives. Having previously served as Senior Vice President of Customer Outcomes, Frey has been instrumental in helping Gong’s clients unlock meaningful growth across their revenue organizations.

“Simon has spent years partnering closely with our customers, helping them unlock meaningful growth across their revenue organizations,” said Shane Evans, Gong’s Chief Revenue Architect, in a statement.

Frey joined Gong in 2024 after a stint as VP of Revenue at TaxBit, bringing with him experience from Qualtrics and McKinsey. His background also includes advisory work with Jargon, which was acquired by Remitly, demonstrating his deep understanding of the Pacific Northwest tech ecosystem.

Elizabeth Scallon Joins Nvidia to Lead Healthcare AI Initiative

Elizabeth Scallon, a prominent figure in Seattle’s startup community, has taken on a new role as Director of Healthcare AI Startups at Nvidia, where she will oversee the company’s global Healthcare and Life Sciences Inception program.

Scallon’s move to Nvidia represents a return to her roots in biotechnology and genetics, combining her extensive startup ecosystem experience with her passion for healthcare innovation. She joins Nvidia from HP, where she served as Director of Technical and Business Incubation and Strategy for nearly four years.

With this role, I’m returning to my roots in biotech and genetics and bringing the skills, experience, and connections I’ve built along the way to do my life’s work,” Scallon shared on LinkedIn.

Her career includes leadership positions at Amazon and WeWork, as well as a five-year tenure as Director of the University of Washington’s CoMotion Labs. Scallon also co-founded Find Ventures, further cementing her status as a key player in Seattle’s innovation ecosystem.

Jenny Brinkley Exits Amazon Web Services After Nearly a Decade

After nearly ten years at Amazon Web Services, Jenny Brinkley has announced her departure from her role as Director of Security Readiness. Brinkley, based in Portland, Oregon, shared her excitement about joining a new venture in a rapidly growing space.

“I start a new role next week in a rapidly growing space, and I am excited to be part of something transformative once again,” Brinkley posted on LinkedIn. “To my AWS colleagues, thank you for the kind words and support.”

Brinkley’s career includes co-founding an AI startup and running a consultancy, demonstrating her entrepreneurial spirit and technical expertise. Her departure from AWS marks the end of a significant chapter in her career and the beginning of what promises to be another exciting venture.

Siteimprove Strengthens Leadership with New CMO

Siteimprove, the Denmark-based company that helps businesses improve their website functionality and has a significant presence in Bellevue, Washington, has appointed Jen Jones as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Jones joins Siteimprove from commercetools, bringing valuable experience in digital commerce and marketing technology.

Yoodli Undergoes Executive Transition

Yoodli, the Seattle startup using generative AI to analyze speech and provide communication improvement tips, has seen Padmashree Koneti depart from her role as Chief Product Officer after approximately five months. The company has not yet announced a replacement for Koneti.

However, Yoodli continues to strengthen its team with the hiring of Alexandra Breymeier as Customer Success Lead. Breymeier joins Yoodli from ERIN, an employee referral company, bringing valuable experience in customer relationship management and success strategies.

Scowtt Appoints Vandana Shah as VP of Product

Scowtt, a Kirkland-based startup aiming to revolutionize how advertisers optimize paid campaigns, has appointed Vandana Shah as its new Vice President of Product. Shah joins Scowtt from Ladder and brings extensive experience from her 16-year tenure at Google, where she served as Director of Product Management for the advertising platform.

“Having spent years leading complex platform initiatives at Google Ads, I have seen the power of building resilient, customer-first foundations at scale,” Shah shared on LinkedIn. “I am thrilled to bring that experience to Scowtt.”

Scowtt recently announced a $12 million Series A funding round in December, positioning the company for significant growth under Shah’s product leadership.

Meta Promotes Dinesh Govindasamy to Director of Engineering

Dinesh Govindasamy has been promoted to Director of Engineering at Meta, where he supports teams across Tupperware, Public Cloud, and Meta Kubernetes Service. Govindasamy joined Meta in October 2023, bringing with him over 15 years of experience from Microsoft.

“This milestone is thanks to the mentors, collaborators, and teams who believed in me and pushed me to grow,” Govindasamy shared on LinkedIn. “You know who you are — thank you.”

At Microsoft, Govindasamy served as Group Engineering Manager, leading teams working on Azure Kubernetes Service Hybrid and other initiatives, demonstrating his deep expertise in cloud computing and container orchestration technologies.

City of Seattle Welcomes New Office of Economic Development Director

Beto Yarce has begun his tenure as Director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development, joining the city from the U.S. Small Business Administration where he served as Regional Administrator for the Pacific Northwest.

“I am incredibly honored by Mayor Wilson’s trust in me to lead OED and to help shape the economic ecosystems that make Seattle not only a great place to live, work, and play, but also the best place in the country to open, run, and grow a business,” Yarce stated.

Yarce brings valuable experience from his eight-year tenure as Executive Director of the Seattle nonprofit Ventures, which supports underserved entrepreneurs including women, people of color, immigrants, and low-income individuals.

Rob Lloyd Transitions to National Government Technology Leadership

Rob Lloyd, Seattle’s Chief Technology Officer, will become Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government at the end of this month. The organization describes itself as “a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government.”

“Looking forward to working with peers and leaders across the nation on solving the biggest challenges facing our communities, in smarter ways,” Lloyd shared on LinkedIn.

Lloyd’s departure marks the end of his tenure as CTO, a position he held for less than two years. His move to the Center for Digital Government represents a significant transition from local to national technology leadership.

CTL Strengthens Financial Leadership

CTL, a Beaverton, Oregon-based company that manufactures Chromebooks, desktop PCs, servers, and Google Meet video conferencing tools, has appointed Dan Rodgers as its new Chief Financial Officer. Rodgers brings extensive experience from leadership roles at PwC, McCormick and Schmick’s, Nike, and New Seasons Market.

“CTL’s commitment to innovation and its dedication to sustainability present a unique opportunity to pair financial discipline with a mission-driven strategy,” Rodgers stated.

LinkedIn Executive Joins Voices Board of Directors

Scott Roberts, a longtime executive at LinkedIn where he currently serves as an AI Product Initiative Advisor, has joined the board of directors for Voices, a San Francisco-based company. Roberts’ addition to the board brings valuable experience in professional networking and AI product development to Voices’ governance structure.

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