As regular readers know, we write a weekly tech roundup to keep you posted on what the movers and shakers in Chicago’s tech ecosystem are up to. But some weeks you get so many shakers moving that their shifts become a story all of its own. This is one of those weeks.
To help you keep tabs on who went where, here is a list of the biggest new hires in the past week or so:
Kimberly Miller, CEO
Office management startup OfficeLuv announced on Thursday that it has brought on former Kapow Sales VP Kimberly Miller as its new CEO. In an interview with Built In Chicago, Miller, who had been working as an advisor to the startup, expressed enthusiasm about joining the team full time: "I loved working with young entrepreneurs," she said. "I was so impressed with what they built."
Lauren Polkow, Head of Product
OfficeLuv also brought on Lauren Polkow as its new Head of Product. Polkow is Grubhub's former Head of Product Development for Restaurants.
Tony Zolla, Chief Product Officer
Tony Zolla took the wheel as Cars.com's new chief product officer. Prior to joining Cars.com, Zolla held product VP positions at Redbox and Ticketmaster. "Cars.com is an innovator in digital automotive marketing that continues to lead the industry as a valuable resource and influencer in the car shopping journey," said Zolla in a statement. "I'm thrilled to be joining the team and look forward to delivering best-in-class experiences to Cars.com consumers and customers that are both fun and engaging."
Anthony Broad-Crawford, Chief Product Officer
Parking reservation provider SpotHero saved a spot for Fooda and GiveForward veteran Anthony Broad-Crawford as chief product officer. “There is no better place to be innovating right now than SpotHero, which is positioned at the center of mobile, connected car, and hardware design,” said Broad-Crawford in a statement. SpotHero has hired 10 people on the product side this year, and is looking to hire another 19 in upcoming months.
Mahi Inampudi, VP of Product and Technology
VISANOW announced the arrival of Mahi Inampudi as its new VP of product and technology. Inampudi previously held the same position at DRIVIN — a Chicago startup that helps auto dealers optimize their inventories. “Having experienced the immigration process firsthand as an employee, employer and a family member for over a decade, the decision to join VISANOW was a very personal one,” he said in a statement. Inampudi is VISANOW’s second VP hire of late: in April, Careerbuilder veteran Gretchen Keefner joined the company on the sales side.
Jim Wicks, Segal Design Institute Faculty Member
On Friday, Northwestern University announced that it has brought on Motorola Consumer Experience Design SVP Jim Wicks as a full-time faculty member. Wicks, who headed up projects like the DROID franchise, Moto 360 and a Chinese handwriting UX for touchscreens, will be teaching design and technology to students at the university’s Segal Design Institute. Prior to joining Motorola, Wicks was director of design at Sony.
Ruben Castano, Consumer Experience Design
Replacing Wicks at Motorola will be Ruben Castano, who is currently serving as senior design director at Motorola’s Sao Paulo office. Castano has been with Motorola since 2005, and has worked out of the company’s offices in Chicago, China and Brazil. Castano will be moving to Chicago to assume the new role.
Images via listed companies and LinkedIn.
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