Changes in executive leadership can be an exciting time for a company. Change often signals a continuation of momentum or the start of a new direction. These announcements are also interesting to media, who get to know executives in their given industries over time through numerous briefings and product announcements.
Recently, Opscode, the leader in a burgeoning IT industry segment called cloud infrastructure automation, appointed Mitch Hill, formerly of cloud computing giant Avanade, as CEO, and asked us to help with his introduction. To ensure this announcement was a success, we reached out to key journalists and analysts to alert them to the transition and provide them the opportunity to interview Hill, as well as former CEO and now Chief Community Officer Jesse Robbins.
We also ensured that we were leveraging social media properly for this announcement. Specifically, we suggested Jesse Robbins develop a blog post for Opscode’s website explaining the transition and his new role with the company. This also served to continue generating excitement around the transition.
The news was well-received, with most reporters recognizing that leadership transitions such as this are often a natural part of a start-up’s growth. We saw coverage in print editions of local newspapers and on online news sites, as well as several national industry publications. Below is a summary of coverage:
- Brier Dudley’s Seattle Times’ Blog, Aug. 9, 2011, “Opscode names Mitch Hill CEO”
- Data Center Knowledge, Aug. 9, 2011, “Mitch Hill Takes Helm as CEO of Opscode”
- Dow Jones’ VentureWire e-newsletter, Aug. 9, 2011, “Mitch Hill Takes Top Spot At Opscode”
- Geekwire, Aug. 9, 2011, “Ex-Avanade boss Mitch Hill jumps back into the startup world, joins Opscode as CEO”
- GovConExecutive, Aug. 9, 2011, “Opscode, Inc. Names Mitch Hill to Succeed Jesse Robbins as Company CEO”
- Northwest Innovation, Aug. 9, 2011, “Opscode Names New CEO”
- Puget Sound Business Journal, August 9, 2011, “DocuSign, Opscode name new CEOs”
- TechFlash, Aug. 9, 2011, “Opscode taps tech executive Mitch Hill as new CEO”
- Xconomy, Aug. 9, 2011, “Former Avanade Chief Takes the Helm at Cloud-Services Startup Opscode”
If your company is getting ready to announce a leadership transition, be sure to plan properly and allow the media enough time to digest the news. This will ensure that you have enough time to work out any of their questions or concerns, and that the proper messages will shine through.