Anuj Gosalia. (Magic Leap photo)
– Magic Leap continues to hire in the Seattle area. Anuj Gosalia, a veteran of Microsoft, Facebook, and Google, joined the company as Chief Software and Cloud Officer.
This is the third recent hiring of executives from the Seattle area by the augmented reality company based in Plantation, Florida.
Gosalia has served as the Senior Director of Engineer at Google for the past four years. Previously, he was Director of Engineering at Oculus at Facebook and spent nearly two decades as a development manager at Microsoft.
“I am honored to be joining the Magic Leap leadership team to redefine how organizations use augmented reality technology,” said Gosalia.
Gosalia, based in Sammamish, Wash., Will partner with recently appointed CTO Paul Greco and Microsoft veteran Tracey Trewin, who joined Magic Leap last month as chief product officer. Former Microsoft executive Peggy Johnson became CEO of Magic Leap in August.
Last year, heavily funded Magic Leap closed its Seattle office over layoffs and was sued by the landlord for unpaid rent.
– GameStop added three Amazon and Zulily veterans as leaders:
- Elliott Wilke, Chief Growth Officer, most recently director of Amazon Fresh Stores and former brand manager at Procter & Gamble.
- COO Jenna Owners, most recently Director and General Manager for Sales and Multi-Channel Fulfillment at Amazon.
- Ken Suzuki, Vice President Supply Chain Systems, previously led Zulily’s Supply Chain Technology team.
Former technical director for Zulily and Amazon Web Services, Matt Francis, joined the electronics retailer as CTO in February.
Nathan Peterson. (Tagboard photo)
– The Redmond, Washington-based Tagboard, shortly after signing a 4-year contract with the MLB, announced Nathan Peterson as new president and a series of promotions that add to the startup’s executive team.
Peterson originally joined Tagboard in 2017 as the SVP for Revenue and Partnerships. He is a startup consultant and former marketing director for marijuana investment firm Privateer Holdings.
In addition to Peterson, recently promoted team members include:
The 10-year-old company originally provided a platform for brands to aggregate social media posts. The products were expanded into a cloud-based digital production platform, which saw increased demand during the pandemic.
– Vancouver, Washington-based Perfect Company has appointed four new members to its advisory board. The restaurant tech startup also raised more money as part of a previously announced Series A funding round.
The new advisory board members include:
- Anand Gala, founder and managing partner of Gala Capital Partners.
- Jim Balis, CEO of Sizzling Platter and managing director of the investment firm CapitalSpring.
- Jim Collins, a restaurateur and former technology manager.
- Steve Heeley, former CEO of the plant-based restaurant chain Veggie Grill.
Suzi LeVine. (Photo by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
– Suzi LeVine is now the Deputy Chief Secretary of the Department of Labor’s Labor Administration (ETA).
The role of Deputy Secretary for ETA is currently vacant. LeVine is currently the assistant secretary of the sub-agency. If she is selected to lead the ETA on a permanent basis, the Senate must approve the appointment.
She left the Washington State Labor Office earlier this year to take on an unannounced role in the Biden administration. LeVine, a Seattle tech veteran with experience in the government, was named Head of the State Employment Agency by Governor Jay Inslee in July 2018.
Bloomberg noted that some Republican Congressmen are raising concerns about LeVine, who oversaw the Washington Unemployment Service, when there were delays and disruptions in the payment of claims to unemployed workers over the past year. It was also plagued by a $ 600 million scam program that targeted the state’s unemployment benefits.
– Launchtrip, a travel startup in Vancouver, BC, has established an advisory board with experience in the technology and travel industries. The 3-year-old startup also announced that it has completed a $ 3.8 million startup round led by Axis Capital. The new advisory board includes:
- Taleeb Noormohamed, CEO of Jane.com, a day-to-day business marketplace for small businesses.
- Michael Drever, former CEO of Expedia Cruises.
- Kathleen Reaume, investor at Vistara Capital Partners.
- Terry McBride, CEO of YYoga and Nettwerk Music Group.
- Mark Spencer, SVP of Commercial Operations at Jane.com and former Director of Business Development at Tripping and HomeAway.
Founded by Canadian entrepreneur Julian Ing, the company will use the funds to launch its new app, which will provide a platform for groups to plan and book trips. Ing is optimistic about the future of travel after the pandemic.
“Consumers want travel to come back just as badly as the hospitality sector,” he said.
Executive search firm Parker Remick announced that Hartleigh Caine, a current board member, has joined its executive team as an interim managing partner. She was previously the Vice President of TOTE Maritime Alaska.
The Seattle-based company also announced former Convoy senior manager Amy Lewis as a new partner. Lewis led executive recruitment at the trucking startup and was previously a recruiter at Amazon. Another new addition, Alex Porte, is based in Chicago and joins the business development team.