DI People: Match Group, Six Flags, CBRE, and More Make Executive Moves

Across North Texas, companies are promoting and hiring people to take on leadership positions within their organizations.

Dallas Innovates covers prominent personnel moves in Dallas-Fort Worth businesses and nonprofits—from the newest startups to well-established companies. Here are the people moves tied to innovation and technology in the region.

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Stephen Bailey, Melissa Brenner, Wendi Murdoch, and Ryan Reynolds join Match Group’s Board

Following the news that Match Group has officially separated from IAC, the Dallas-headquartered dating pioneer announced that Stephen Bailey, Melissa Brenner, Wendi Murdoch, and Ryan Reynolds are joining its Board of Directors.

“With today’s news, we’re welcoming four incredibly bright, energetic and discerning Directors to a world-class Board,” Joey Levin, executive chairman of Match Group, said in a statement. “Stephen, Melissa, Wendi and Ryan bring unique expertise and perspectives that will add to Match Group’s global expansion, strategic initiatives and continued success.”

Bailey is currently the founder and CEO of ExecOnline, a provider of B2B leadership development solutions in partnership with business schools around the world. Prior to that, he was the CEO and chief product officer of Frontier Strategy Group.

Brenner is the executive vice president of digital media for the National Basketball Association. There, she leads development, oversight, and implementation for the NBA’s global digital strategy and social media platforms.

Murdoch is the co-founder and a board member at Artsy, an online platform for collecting, discovering, and selling art. Along with being an entrepreneur and global investor, she produced the Netflix documentary “Sky Ladder.”

In addition to being the actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer that he’s well-known for, Reynolds is also the owner of Aviation American Gin and Mint Mobile. He is a seasoned marketing executive who co-founded Maximum Effort Production, which had him named to AdWeek’s Creative 100 List.

“Most millennials and Gen Z can’t remember what dating was like before the advent of Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge,” Reynolds said in a statement. “These brands have enormous responsibility and opportunities to affect societies, all while embracing new technologies and remaining at the forefront of pop culture. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and work with the team on their future growth and success.”

Six Flags appoints a CFO

Sandeep Reddy

Arlington-headquartered Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, known as the largest regional theme park company and waterpark operator in North America, has made Sandeep Reddy its new executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective July 1.

Reddy brings more than two decades of finance and strategy experience in consumer-facing businesses to his new role. He was most recently the CFO at lifestyle brand Guess Inc, and prior to that held finance leadership roles at Mattel Inc.

At Six Flags, Reddy will be responsible for leading the company’s financial strategy and operations, which includes budgeting and planning, treasury, accounting, tax, financial reporting, and investor relations. He replaces interim CFO Leonard Russ.

“Sandeep is a seasoned CFO with a strategic outlook and exceptional analytical, process improvement and change management skills,” Mike Spanos, Six Flags’ president and CEO, said in a statement. “I am thrilled to welcome Sandeep to Six Flags, where he will undoubtedly make an immediate impact as we work to emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis and continue our ongoing transformation program.”

CBRE promotes Dhandapani to chief administrative officer

Chandra Dhandapani

CBRE Group has announced that Chandra Dhandapani, who is currently the chief digital & technology officer, has been promoted to chief administrative officer.

Dallas-based Dhandapani will now be responsible for the company’s Human Resources (called People), Marketing, and Research organizations, along with Digital & Technology, which she been leading since 2016. She is also a member of CBRE’s Executive Committee.

Prior to joining CBRE, Dhandapani was at Capital One for 17 years, where she was a senior executive.

“Chandra has significantly elevated our technology offering, while building a high-performing team,” Bob Sulentic, president and chief executive officer of CBRE, said in a statement. “We look forward to Chandra driving similar strategic gains with our People, Marketing and Research functions.”

evolv Consulting adds to its Advisory Board

Matt Bieri

Addison-based evolv Consulting has added two seasoned executives as Advisory Board Directors: Matt Bieri, the EVP and CIO at Tyler Technologies, and Paul Shultz, a retired Slalom executive.

Evolv Consulting, which was co-founded by Eric Neef (CEO) and Mike Bogda (COO), is a full-service management consulting and strategic resourcing firm that aims to bring transparency to the industry.

“Our business model is simple: the right people with the right experience at the right price,” Neef said in a statement.

Paul Shultz

“We’ve seen explosive growth over the past two years and have plans to expand into other major markets. This Advisory Board, with deep roots and experience, solidifies our position in the Management and Technology Consulting ecosystem.”

Bieri has been at Plano-based Tyler since 2010, and before that was CIO at A.H. Belo Corporation.

Shultz is a former executive committee member and South Regional GM of Slalom, a business and tech consulting firm.

Tricolor names a chief compliance officer

Stacie Trier

Dallas-based Tricolor announced that Stacie Trier, a veteran compliance executive, has been named its new chief compliance officer.

Tricolor is the country’s largest used vehicle retailer that specifically focuses on selling and financing to the Hispanic consumer. Tricolor aims to empower customers by providing access to affordable financing on high quality, certified vehicles, ultimately helping them build a better future.

Prior to joining Tricolor, Trier was the chief risk officer at Exeter Finance, where she managed enterprise risk and compliance. Before that, she spent 12 years at Capital One in a similar role.

At Tricolor, she will be tasked with helping to rapidly scale the company’s platform and retail network.

“More than ever, lenders have both a responsibility and an opportunity to align their business models with appropriate outcomes by providing borrowers with access to credit on fair and affordable terms,” Tricolor CEO Daniel Chu said in a statement. “I am thrilled to welcome Stacie as a highly qualified and respected leader who can help us maintain our mission-driven focus and disciplined risk outlook as we enter this next phase of expansion in response to rapidly growing market need and customer demand.”

Mohr Partners makes moves

Randy Shipman

Dallas-based Mohr Partners, one of the largest wholly owned commercial real estate advisory firms in the world that exclusively focuses on representing occupiers and corporations, has made two major hires.

Randy Shipman is joining the company to focus on advising major corporations throughout Dallas and North America. He will also manage global real estate transactions and portfolios.

A 30-year veteran of the Dallas commercial real estate industry, Shipman joins Mohr Partners after previously working at TenantBase, JLL, Trammell Crow, and CBRE.

Robert Gilmore

Another CBRE veteran is joining Mohr Partners as well: Robert Gilmore.

Gilmore joins Mohr Partners as managing partner after completing a 20-year career with CBRE. There, he led global corporate services business development and client management for major U.S. and global clients.

“Robert’s two decades off hands-on experience managing commercial real estate portfolio’s in Mexico & Latin America for some of the world’s largest corporations will enable Mohr Partners to significantly expand our market share with occupiers throughout the Americas,” Mohr Partners Chairman and CEO Robert Shibuya said in a statement.

CyrusOne names a new CEO

Bruce Duncan

Bruce Duncan has been elected president and chief executive officer at the Dallas-based preimer global data center REIT, CyrusOne Inc, by the company’s Board of Directors.

Duncan succeeds Tesh Durvasula, who had been in the position on an interim basis since February.

“Bruce is a proven real estate executive with decades of experience as a REIT CEO and public company director,” Alex Shumate, chairman of the CyrusOne Board, said in a statement. “We are confident that Bruce is the right person to lead the company in our strategic execution, continued growth, and international expansion.”

Duncan has more than 40 years of experience in real estate management, development, and global investment, according to CyprusOne. Currently, he is the Chair of the Board at First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc, and sits on the Boards at Marriott International Inc. and Boston Properties, Inc.

“CyrusOne is an industry leader because of an extraordinary team of professionals who are passionate about developing innovative solutions to support the significant demand for data center infrastructure,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to joining the Company and being a part of its continued success.”

Alpine Advanced Materials appoints Raley to president

Roger Raley

Dallas-headquartered Alpine Advanced Materials has made Roger Raley, a seasoned international executive with experience in defense and commercial aerospace, its new president. Raley will office out of the company’s new HQ in downtown Dallas.

Alpine said that Raley will take the helm as it begins to experience growth fueled by a demand for its military aviation grade thermoplastic nanocomposite. He joins the company from TTI, Inc, a Berkshire Hathaway Company, where he was leading the Military and Aerospace Business Unit as vice president.

Prior to that, he spent around 14 years at Arrow Electronics, Inc.

“Every day, the commercial space, aerospace, and defense companies we’re working with seem to find new ways they can use HX5 to save fuel and reduce carbon emissions with lightweight and strong components,” Joe D’Cruz, executive chairman of Alpine Advanced Materials, said in a statement. “Roger is the perfect fit to assume the lead, ensuring these superior custom-engineered parts find their way into the right global supply chains.”

AgBiTech names a new CEO

Adriano Vilas Boas has been appointed the new chief executive officer at Dallas-based AgBiTech Pty Ltd, a Paine Schwartz Partners, LLC portfolio company that focuses on biological pest control.

Vilas Boas succeeds Peter Berweger, who plans to remain actively engaged with AgBiTech as Chairman of the Board.

Vilas Boas said he is looking forward to leading a company that is classified as a “unique innovator” in biological pest control. He plans to fulfill the team’s vision to solve some of the most challenging pest control problems farmers are facing.

“AgBiTech has an unraveled portfolio of biological lep control products, highly valuable for large scale and small growers in a large number of crops and pests around the globe,” Vilas Boas said. “With the company’s recent successes with new registrations, the established operations in our core markets, our scientific capabilities and the manufacturing competence center in Dallas, I am excited about leading the next phase of growth and expansion.”

Curtis Mathes Grow Lights, Inc. expands its research with a UTA chemist

Kevin Schug

Curtis Mathes Grow Lights, Inc, the Frisco-based subsidiary of Light Engine Design Corporation, has formed a new collaboration with the University of Texas at Arlington’s Dr. Kevin Schug.

With Dr. Schug and the Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation (CLEAR), Curtis Mathes plans to “characterize the effect of phytochrome manipulation on the expression of various terpenes, flavonoids, and other classes of phytomolecules found in hemp.”

The company believes the first-of-its-kind research will be able to examine possible phytochemical changes in hemp.

“We are excited to be at the forefront of this research with an industrial partner, which produces some unique lighting technologies,” Dr. Schug, a professor of Analytical Chemistry and Director of CLEAR at UTA, said in a statement. “Through comprehensive chemical analysis of plant constituents, we will be able to clearly understand the beneficial and deleterious effects of different lighting schemes on hemp growth.”

Seven professionals join Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton

Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP, a Dallas-based business and entertainment law firm, has expanded its intellectual property and corporate legal expertise in Dallas and Houston with the addition of seven experienced professionals.

Joining the company’s Dallas office are: attorneys Ross Robinson, David Lovell, and David Odom; of Counsel Stan Moore; Robert McCormick, a partner in the corporate group; and Shoaib Mithani, a patent agent. Henry “Bud” Ehrlich is joining the Houston office as a partner.

“We are excited by these additions. Robert is an exceptional attorney with a broad range of corporate experience and while we have a number of attorneys who provide our clients with ongoing IP assistance on many fronts, never before have we had the depth of expertise that this group represents,” the firm’s founder, John Shackelford, said in a statement. “With the breadth of knowledge they bring, their addition is almost like introducing a new practice area to the firm.”

Associate dean is leaving HSC after nearly 38 years

Patricia Gwirtz

Fort Worth’s UNT Health Science Center announced that Patricia Gwirtz was retiring from her role as associate dean of education in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences on June 30.

But, HSC says, she leaves the school with “bragging rights”: she has taught physiology to every medical student since 1982.

During her time at HSC, Dr. Gwirtz has taken on numerous roles, including teaching physiology and conducting physiology research on neural control of coronary circulation and heart function. She is one of the longest-serving female faculty employees at HSC, and plans to ease into her next chapter “with the mixed feelings that characterize good-byes and new beginnings.”

During her career at HSC, Dr. Gwirtz was the first woman to be promoted to full professor, one of the first basic science faculty to be a regular member of an NIH study section, and was the first faculty member to be awarded a research grant over $1 million.