Several companies announced new leadership appointments this week, with former executives from major tech firms taking on CEO roles at growing startups.
Typeform, the San Francisco-based company specializing in digital form creation, has appointed Jay Choi as its new chief executive officer. Choi, who previously served on Typeform’s board of directors since February, takes over from former CEO Joaquim Lechà. Before joining Typeform, Choi held the position of chief product officer at Glia and spent nearly seven years as CPO and general manager at Qualtrics, where he played a crucial role in the company’s growth leading up to its $1.55 billion IPO in 2021. His professional background also includes positions at Danaher, 3M, and Deloitte.
In another significant move, Charley Daitch has been elevated to CEO of Rowan Digital Infrastructure, a Denver-based company that develops sustainable hyperscale data centers for major technology companies. Daitch, who is based in Seattle, initially joined Rowan as chief commercial officer in October 2023. His appointment follows an extensive tenure at Amazon Web Services, where he spent nearly eight years as director of energy and water, managing renewable energy initiatives, power infrastructure, utility contracts, and water systems.
VertueLab, a Portland-based nonprofit supporting climate technology innovation, welcomed Allison Arnold to its board of directors. Arnold currently serves as director of pipeline and portfolio for E8, a Seattle-area angel investor group focused on climate tech startups. Her appointment was praised by VertueLab’s president and executive director Aina Abiodun, who recognized Arnold’s dedication to climate initiatives.
Vancouver-based biotech firm NanoVation has strengthened its board with the addition of David Main and Zachariah Jonasson. Main serves as president and CEO of Notch Therapeutics, while Jonasson holds the position of chief financial and business officer at Absci and is a co-founder of Convergent Ventures. The announcement coincided with NanoVation’s disclosure of a new funding round led by Convergent Ventures, though the amount remains undisclosed. The company, which develops medical therapies using lipid nanoparticles for nucleic acid delivery, recently announced a partnership with Novo Nordisk to create treatments for cardiometabolic and rare diseases.
In the technology sector, Manoj Shende has taken on the role of chief technologist at BusPatrol, a Virginia-based company providing school bus stop-arm safety technology. Shende brings extensive experience from his previous position as vice president of advance technology, cloud engineering and product management at autonomous vehicle company Aptiv. His career history includes nearly ten years at ServiceNow and more than twelve years at Microsoft, where he concluded his tenure as principal PM manager for Office products. Shende expressed enthusiasm about contributing to BusPatrol’s mission of enhancing child safety through technology.
These leadership changes reflect ongoing dynamics in the technology and startup ecosystem, with experienced executives from established companies taking on new challenges at growing enterprises. The appointments span various sectors, from digital services and sustainable infrastructure to biotechnology and transportation safety, highlighting the diverse nature of technological innovation and business development across North America.