WebTrends searches for CEO, finds him at Google
Now, I realize that Portland-based WebTrends isn’t exactly a “startup” around here anymore. (Although some would argues that the company continues to go through fits and starts as it navigates the ever-changing Web analytics landscape.)
But the news from Mike Rogoway at The Oregonian, this morning—that WebTrends has just hired a guy from Google to be their CEO—could have significant impact on the tech scene around here.
Meet Daniel Stickel, a Harvard-educated engineer—Magna Cum Laude, at that—who also boasts a rich 20-year history as an executive, with an impressive record of building businesses.
But I’m especially interested in his experience with preparing for—and living through—acquisitions. According to Stickel’s resume, he was an executive at K2 Technologies before and throughout acquisition, he helped establish the foundations that built Delfin Systems into an acquisition target, and he managed the Alta Vista engineering team that turned that property into a valuable commodity for purchase.
What’s more, it’s not often that you hear of companies in the Portland area hiring folks away from Google.
Let’s see… he worked at Google and he’s got experience in being acquired.
It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
Things people have said about this post
From Jmartens on April 7th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Great move on the part of WebTrends and its investors. They need some experienced leadership around there.
From Trevor Mauch on April 7th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Hey Rick,
That’s awesome news for the PDX reputation and stance in the tech industry. You never know… a move like this could be the pinhole in the water balloon that starts the slow trickle (then hopefully rush) of Silicon Valley imports to PDX.
Although… we love Portland because it’s completely different than the Silicon Valley… right?
Well… either way, this is cool news and I look forward to seeing what happens w/ WebTrends in the next 12-24 months.
Keep up the good work!
From Rick Turoczy on April 7th, 2008 at 11:30 am
@Trevor From a purely personal standpoint, I would be interested in seeing WebTrends regain some of its former luster. It’s always seemed to have almost been there as a player, but not quite.
This could be the change that they need.
From a Portland standpoint, it would be great to have some more new-school players growing to fill the void left as the old-school tech players fade away.
And the two big news items today—Jive Software and WebTrends—could be among the first signs of that shift.
From Steve Gehlen on April 14th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I agree that recruiting Daniel Stickel from Google to be the new WebTrends CEO is great news for the company and the region. Your readers may want to know that we recently confirmed Daniel as a presenter at the Internet Strategy Forum Summit on July 17th. He’ll join an all-star line-up of presenters from eMarketer, Forrester Research, Intel, Nike, Disney, IBM and Fandango.
http://www.internetstrategyforum.org/summit
From Former Googler leaves WebTrends searching for a new CEO, finding Alex Yoder » Silicon Florist on August 18th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
[…] seems like only yesterday—or April—that I was pitching conspiracy theories about Portland-based WebTrends‘ new CEO, Dan Stickel. With Stickel being a former Google […]