Machine Learning Company Infinia ML Turns to Goodwin Executive Search for CEO
December 8, 2017 – Raleigh, NC-headquartered Goodwin Executive Search has placed Robbie Allen as CEO at Infinia ML, an advanced machine learning company that delivers transformative automation solutions and predictive analytics to Fortune 500 businesses. Managing partner Bill Goodwin led the assignment.
Mr. Allen, who will be based out of the company’s Durham, NC office, rounds out a founding team of AI experts with experience across a range of industries including healthcare, security, and business process automation. In his new role, he will focus on accelerating “the business with aggressive hiring plans.”
Infinia ML has already landed $10 million in venture capital from Silicon Valley. The company was founded earlier this year by Lawrence Carin, Duke University’s provost for research and professor of electrical and computer engineering.
“Robbie combines a proven operations background with a deep technical understanding of AI, machine learning, and neural networks,” said Mr. Carin, Infinia ML chief scientist. “His experiences, which include growing a company in the AI space from the ground up, are exactly what our team needs to meet market demand and serve our rapidly growing client base including enterprise and Fortune 500 companies.”
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Proven Leader
Prior to joining Infinia ML, Mr. Allen founded and led Automated Insights, a natural language generation company, which Vista Equity Partners acquired in 2015. A former distinguished engineer at Cisco, he has authored or coauthored eight books and holds six patents.
“Due to the global shortage of people that understand complex machine learning techniques such as deep learning, nearly every large enterprise has a backlog of opportunity for our automation and predictive solutions,” said Mr. Allen. “Most top machine learning teams are part of West Coast companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon. Infinia ML provides a new option for technical talent looking to work with leading ML experts in an affordable area with a high quality of living.”
Infinia ML empowers companies to make smarter decisions and automate complex business processes by leveraging the latest breakthroughs in machine learning. Its team of AI researchers and deep-learning experts have published hundreds of peer-reviewed papers through top machine learning conferences and journals.
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Building Leadership Teams
Goodwin Executive Search was founded in 2011 to provide personalized executive search and assessment services to clients across the U.S. and globally. The firm specializes in building leadership teams for high-growth, disruptive companies in the technology and services sectors and focuses on the following areas: technology; board member searches; business/information services; financial services / private equity; customer services/retail, industrial / manufacturing/consumer products; and professional services. Its clients include Axiom, Digital Reasoning Systems, HSM Solutions, TOA Technologies, Accenture. Dell, IBM, Sterling Commerce, Pep Boys, MSX International, and Hexaware Technologies.
Mr. Goodwin, the firm’s founder, is responsible for end-to-end search execution and client development. With extensive experience working for clients within the technology and services sectors, he has completed hundreds of senior-level recruiting assignments over the last 15 years across all functions and continents, including C-suite, VP, and director levels in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
