ZRG Partners Recruits Chief Technology Officer for Kantata

January 20, 2023 – ZRG Partners, a leading search firm backed by private equity firm RFE Investment Partners, recently assisted in placing Ken Ringdahl as the new chief technology officer for Kantata, a global supplier of purpose-built technology for professional services. Lisa Hooker, ZRG’s managing director and technology practice leader, led the assignment along with Kevin Anderson, managing director.

“Ken’s customer-centric mindset, deep engineering experience, and proven record of building and leading world-class, global software organizations made him a perfect fit for Kantata,” said Michael Speranza, CEO of Kantata. “Ken will be instrumental in ensuring Kantata’s continued leadership position in the market. We are thrilled to welcome him into our organization and can’t wait to see what we can accomplish in 2023.”

Mr. Ringdahl has more than 25 years of engineering experience with a specialization in enterprise infrastructure software. Prior to joining Kantata, he was SVP of software and infrastructure engineering at Datto, a provider of cloud software and services purpose-built to solve the IT needs of SMBs delivered through the MSP channel. He led all Datto engineering functions and was responsible for the integration of the organization into Kaseya following its acquisition of Datto.

Mr. Ringdahl also previously held engineering leadership positions at several other market leading software companies including Veeam Software, where he was vice president of partner engineering, and VMware, where he was chief architect of the End User Computing business unit and was named a VMware principal engineer.

In his new position, Mr. Ringdahl is responsible for Kantata’s end-to-end software development, product operations, and technical strategy. “It’s clear that organizations need purpose-built, vertical technology to address their specific needs,” said Mr. Ringdahl. “Kantata provides professional services organizations with the clarity, control, and confidence needed to make better business decisions. As someone with a passion for building high-quality cloud-based software products, I’m excited to join Kantata at an important time for the company and the entire professional services industry.”

Proven Search Consultants

ZRG, founded in 1999, is a mid-sized global executive search firm and one of the fastest growing in the search industry. It provides a full suite of executive, middle management, and customized search solutions through its offices in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. The firm finds leaders across a broad spectrum of business markets, including aerospace, consumer, education, healthcare services and solutions, industrial, life sciences, non-profit, private equity and venture capital, and technology.

Ms. Hooker is located in the Austin, TX office of ZRG Partners and is a member of the technology and board practices. She is also an active member of the firm’s private equity practice and the diversity, equity, and inclusion practice. She brings a career spanning more than 20 years of executive search consulting and has delivered board and leadership projects for Fortune 500, mid-cap, and SMEs as well as private equity, pre-IPO and venture-backed clients in the technology sector. Ms. Hooker serves as an advisor to the C-suite and boards of directors on topics including CEO succession, board efficiency, director onboarding, and leadership assessment and development.

Mr. Anderson, a managing director in ZRG’s Dallas office, is a member of the global technology practice. His focus is in the communications, software and hardware industries within private equity portfolio companies. Mr. Anderson specializes in board-driven executive searches, including board directors, CEOs, CFOs, and other C-suite executives, as well as private equity investment professionals and operating partners. While his search experience spans a range of technology sectors, Mr. Anderson’s core expertise is in communications, hardware, and software. He has over 25 years of experience in senior-level executive search.

CTOs in High Demand

Demand for top technology executives continues to gain momentum and executive search firms have been there to meet this demand. Here is an overview of some top firms working with organizations to fill their needs for technology executives from the Hunt Scanlon archives.

San Francisco-based Riviera Partners, a recruitment provider specializing in C-level engineering, product and design leader placements, has assisted in placing Urvashi Tyagi as chief technology officer of ResMed, a medical device company in San Diego, CA. Partner Dante Carpinito led the assignment. Ms. Tyagi will lead ResMed’s digital health technology team, driving the innovation and adoption of its cloud-based digital health platforms, as well as investments in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning.

ChampionScott Partners, which specializes in senior-level appointments for technology and technology-enabled companies, recently helped to place James Smith as chief technology officer at Libertas Funding, a financial technology firm specializing in providing small to medium-sized businesses with fast access to capital. Mr. Smith brings 20-plus years of product, development and operational leadership with him to Libertas Funding. He joins the firm from Hakkiri, a delivery tracking and reporting navigation system, which he co-founded and led as CEO.

San Diego, CA-headquartered executive search firm Bespoke Partners has assisted in the recruitment of Alan Matuszak as the new chief technology officer of Greenphire, a global provider of financial lifecycle management for clinical trials. Vice presidents Katelyn Quaresma and Ned Lanphier led the assignment. “We’re delighted to have Alan join our team,” said Jim Murphy, CEO of Greenphire. “Over the years, Greenphire has established itself as an innovator, market leader and trusted partner. The organization’s success is the result of our team’s deep commitment to continuous improvement and evolution.”

Related: ZRG Partners Recruits CEO for Oasis Marinas

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media