Latest news with #StephanieBerner
Geek Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- Geek Wire
Tech Moves: Smartsheet adds to C-suite; Gradial and Zeno Power name senior leadership
Tech Moves covers notable hires, promotions and personnel changes in the Pacific NW tech community. Submissions: tips@ Stephanie Berner. (LinkedIn Photo) — Smartsheet's leadership shakeup continues with the appointment of Stephanie Berner as its new chief customer officer. Berner comes to the Bellevue, Wash.-based enterprise software giant from Atlassian, where she served as senior vice president. Berner has also held leadership roles in customer success at LinkedIn, Box and elsewhere. Last week Smartsheet disclosed that long-time CEO Mark Mader is leaving his post while Sunny Gupta steps in as acting CEO. The company also recently named named Tony Giannino as director of security and compliance. '[Berner's] experience in the work management market, proven track record and deep understanding of the B2B SaaS customer journey will be key as we enter a new era of AI-driven innovation,' Gupta said in a statement. — Gradial, a Seattle startup using AI agents to help marketing operations teams increase productivity, has added three new members to its senior leadership: Vikas Kamran joins as president. Kamran was founder and CEO of Revel for nearly 14 years. Infogain acquired Revel in 2020 and Kamran transitioned to chief digital officer for the company. joins as president. Kamran was founder and CEO of Revel for nearly 14 years. Infogain acquired Revel in 2020 and Kamran transitioned to chief digital officer for the company. Richard Rocca is vice president of sales and comes to the role from Adobe, where he worked for more than a decade. is vice president of sales and comes to the role from Adobe, where he worked for more than a decade. Chelsea Halliday is now head of marketing. Halliday has held marketing leadership roles for companies including Zillow Group, Vercel and MongoDB. A.C. Charania. (LinkedIn Photo) — Zeno Power, a Seattle startup developing nuclear-powered batteries, hired A.C. Charania as senior vice president of space business development. The company, which is co-located in Washington, D.C., announced $50 million of new funding in May. Charania was most recently chief technologist at NASA and has 25 years of experience in aerospace innovation in the public and private sectors. At Zeno Power, Charania will lead the company's pursuit of deals with NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense and commercial companies. Charania was also with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, leaving the role of lunar campaign director. — Longtime Seattle-area investor Brianna McDonald has joined the board of directors at the Angel Capital Association. This spring, McDonald became CEO of a new organization called Ecosystem Venture Group, which blends startup investment funds with services for entrepreneurs and investors. Phil Levin. (UW Photo) — Phil Levin is stepping in as interim director of the University of Washington's EarthLab, an institute that spans multiple colleges and departments. Levin is a conservation scientist, professor in the UW's College of the Environment, and lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy of Washington. '[T]he challenges we face are enormous. Climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental injustice — none of these have quick fixes. But I've never believed our job is to be optimistic. Our job is to be honest, brave, and imaginative,' Levin said in announcing his new role. Levin succeeds Ben Packard, who served as the inaugural Harriet Bullitt Endowed executive director of EarthLab beginning in 2017. Packard had previous leadership roles at The Nature Conservancy and Starbucks. — Lauren Olson, former director of fund management at the Seattle-based investment firm Breakwater Ventures, is now the fund operations manager at betaworks in New York. Betaworks this summer announced the close of a $66 million fund to invest in pre-seed and seed state startups. Olson previously worked for the SeaChange Fund and Madrona Venture Group. — Will Daughterty, president and CEO of Seattle's Pacific Science Center, joined the board of trustees for PCC Community Markets (PCC). The long-time retail grocery cooperative has also hired Amy Chow as the co-op's new chief financial officer. Chow was previously with the high-end kitchen and cookware store Sur La Table.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Smartsheet Appoints Stephanie Berner as Chief Customer Officer to Champion Customer Success in New Era of Growth and AI Innovation
Experienced B2B SaaS leader to implement customer-centric initiatives to drive market leadership BELLEVUE, Wash., August 13, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Smartsheet, the AI-enhanced enterprise-grade work management platform, today announced the appointment of Stephanie Berner as Chief Customer Officer (CCO). As the company embarks on a new chapter of accelerated growth and innovation, Berner's appointment reinforces the company's commitment to customer satisfaction and underscores the company's vision to deliver exceptional customer experiences at every touchpoint. In this role, Berner will champion a new era of customer success, pioneering innovative strategies that embrace AI to deepen customer relationships and drive sustained value across the entire customer lifecycle. "We're thrilled to welcome Stephanie to the Smartsheet team," said Sunny Gupta, Acting CEO and Executive Chairman of the Board. "Her experience in the work management market, proven track record and deep understanding of the B2B SaaS customer journey will be key as we enter a new era of AI-driven innovation. Stephanie will be an integral leader in our next phase of growth, ensuring we are doing everything possible to make our customers successful." Berner brings over 15 years of distinguished leadership experience from industry B2B innovators, including Atlassian and LinkedIn, where she was crucial in building and scaling high-performing teams. Her proven expertise in navigating global growth, from pre-IPO to international enterprise, positions Smartsheet to enter new markets and redefine customer success as it integrates transformative AI capabilities into its platform. "I am thrilled to join Smartsheet at such an instrumental moment," said Berner. "The company's reputation and success are founded on a passionate and loyal customer base, a cornerstone I'm excited to build upon, and we have an incredible opportunity to leverage Smartsheet's AI-driven innovation to further delight our users and forge new pathways for customer success." As CCO, Berner will be vital in defining and executing a comprehensive customer strategy, ensuring every Smartsheet customer receives unparalleled value and support. Her leadership will be critical in fostering deep customer relationships, maximizing lifetime value, and transforming users into passionate advocates. About Smartsheet Smartsheet is the modern enterprise work management platform trusted by millions of people at companies across the globe, including over 85% of the 2025 Fortune 500 companies. The category pioneer and market leader, Smartsheet delivers powerful solutions fueling performance and driving the next wave of innovation. Visit to learn more. View source version on Contacts Media Contact Lisa Henthornpr@
