INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Startup founders typically face a management challenge
They often began their careers in technical engineering jobs, and are thrust into the CEO role when starting a company
doing today, shifting founder/CEO Guy Podjarny to president and chairman of the board, while bringing in board member and investor Peter
McKay as CEO.Over the past 18 months the company has grown significantly, moving from just 18 employees to 150 as its open-source software
development approach to security has taken hold in the marketplace
McKay is someone who makes sense for the job, given he has been involved with the company as an investor since its early days, and has known
Podjarny in various roles for 15 years
going through many sleepless nights if I was bringing just somebody we interviewed into the company for a role like this at a time like
He added that having known and worked with McKay for so long has helped ease the role changes.As important as the working relationship
between the two is going to be, McKay brings an executive pedigree that includes stints as co-CEO at Veeam and general manager of Americas
at VMware, where he managed an operation with $4 billion in annual revenue.McKay says that he and Podjarny have had many conversations about
how they will handle their new roles moving forward
startup grows, picking the right leader to guide the company into the future is a tricky decision, and one that Podjarny and McKay did not
In spite of their long relationship, they recognize there will be challenges ahead as company founder and board member/investor take on new
roles, but they believe that this is the best decision for the company to develop and grow moving forward
Time will tell if they are right.
