DI People: Sabre, OYO Hotels, Catapult Health, StackPath, and More Make 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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Kasra Moshkani to lead OYO Hotels

Kasra Moshkani

Dallas-headquartered OYO Hotels has named Kasra Moshkani, who previously led the company’s operations in the Eastern U.S., as its head of business.

The move comes at a time when OYO is continuing to deliver quality living spaces across 37 states despite the COVID-19 pandemic. OYO said in a statement that Moshkani’s appointment coincides with it reiterating a “commitment to the U.S. hospitality industry” and heading on a path to recovery.

Moshkani has more than 15 years of experience building companies, and has expertise in general management, operations, strategic planning, corporate finance, and investing. He previously had stints at Uber Technologies, Grail Partners & Advisors, and MyClean.

Catapult Health promotes Julie Dimoulakis

Julie Dimoulakis

Dallas-based Catapult Health, a provider of onsite and virtual preventive healthcare, has promoted Julie Dimoulakis to president and chief operating officer.

Dimoulakis has two decades of experience in creating and executing outcomes-driven employee health improvement initiatives. Prior to joining Catapult in 2011, she held leadership roles at Viverae, Park Nicollet, and Health Fitness Corporation.

She is known as one of Catapult’s first employees, joining the company during its first month of operation. Now, her responsibilities include sales, marketing, client success, clinical services, technology, and operations.

Sabre names a president of Hospitality Solutions

Southlake-based Sabre, the software and tech giant that powers the travel industry, has made Scott Wilson is new president of Sabre Hospitality Solutions.

He joins the company from a position as chief commercial officer at Great Wolf Resorts. He brings more than 25 years of relevant experience to Sabre having led strategic planning and key commercial activities for large global organizations in the hospitality and airline industries.

According to Sabre, its Hospitality Solutions business plays an “integral role in its transformational journey to create a new market for personalized travel.” In collaboration with Accor, Sabre plans to develop a full-service property management platform to better meet the needs of enterprise hoteliers.

StackPath gets a new CPO

StackPath, the Dallas-based leading edge-computing platform provider, has named Ashok Ganesan its chief product officer.

In his new role, Ganesan will be the “strategic leader and visionary” over StackPath’s products. The appointment comes at a time when the company is further expanding its globally distributed edge platform.

Ganesan brings more than three decades of experience to StackPath. He has built strong product and engineering teams, managed billion-dollar product lines, and led strategy and technical direction for large companies.

CRITICALSTART appoints a new CMO

Carrie Kelly

Plano-based cybersecurity firm CRITICALSTART has promoted Carrie Kelly from VP of Product Marketing to chief marketing officer.

In her new role, Kelly will oversee the product and corporate marketing teams. Her work will play a key role in helping CRITICALSTART achieve its aggressive goals for growth and expansion, according to the company.

Rapid growth in 2020 led to the need for an all-encompassing marketing capability. Over the past 12 months, CRITICALSTART said it has nearly doubled its revenue, had its largest sales quarter-to-date for its Managed Detection & Response business, and has added 60 partners to its channel program.

Care Continuity makes key executive appointments

Dallas-based Care Continuity, a provider of patient navigation and care logistics management, has made a series of executive appointments: Jim Bogdan to chief growth officer, Brad Prugh to chief operations officer, and Kyle Callahan to chief strategy officer.

Bogdan, who has more than 25 years of experience at startups and global companies in the industry, will lead sales and marketing functions.

Prugh will oversee all business operations. He will be tasked with ensuring Care Continuity delivers the high standards set for its clients, partners, and patients.

Callahan will be responsible for Care Continuity’s product roadmap, solution design, and execution of a market-leading portfolio. Previously, he led program management efforts.

Reflect Systems expands its sales team

Andrea Varrone

Reflect Systems, which creates place-based digital experiences for retail, entertainment, and healthcare providers, has appointed two members to its growing sales team.

Tom Walsh and Andrea Varrone will both serve as directors of strategic accounts.

That involves supporting the company’s growth into the digital signage space.

Reflect Systems said that both hires represent its position as “a leading player in the industry with an aggressive growth strategy for the second half of 2020 and beyond.”

Tom Walsh

Walsh comes to the company with more than two decades of experience in the digital signage space.

Many in the industry also know Varrone, who joins after serving as the show director for Digital Signage Expo.

“Given Reflect’s rapid growth in recent years, our future plans demanded that we recruit new top talent with extensive expertise in digital signage and a results-driven approach,” CEO Lee Summers said in a statement. “Walsh and Varrone’s leadership will help guide Reflect’s expansion, as we work to deploy the digital signage solutions retailers will need on the path to economic recovery.”

SmithGroup gets a Dallas workplace studio leader

Juan Fernandez

Juan Fernandez has joined integrated design firm SmithGroup as a principal and workplace studio leader in its Dallas office.

Fernandez has more than 15 years of experience in designing and developing corporate headquarters and commercial office space for high-profile clients in the region. He joins SmithGroup from CBRE.

In his new role at SmithGroup, Fernandez will collaborate with experts across the firm’s Workplace Practice. According to SmithGroup, he will be tasked with strategically designing commercial office buildings, corporate headquarters, and corporate interiors that drive productivity and employee well-being.

Conifer Health adds a president of Value-Based Care

Mary Bacaj

Frisco-based Conifer Health Solutions, which is a subsidiary of Tenet Healthcare Corporation, has promoted Mary Bacaj to president of its Conifer Value-Based Care unit.

Previously, Bacaj served as a company vice president since 2015. In her new role, Bacaj will be tasked with leading operations of Value-Based Care, which provides population health and financial risk services for more than 250 organizations, according to Conifer.

Those organizations include: independent practice associations, commercial and Medicare accountable care organizations, full-risk bearing providers, hospitals, health systems, self-funded employers, and more.

State Bank of Texas gets an SVP of Lending

Melissa Butler

Dallas-based State Bank of Texas announced that Melissa Butler joined the full-service commercial bank as senior vice president of Lending.

Butler has more than two decades of experience as a senior lender and business development professional. She joins State Bank of Texas from PMC Commercial Trust where she gained expertise with SBA 7(a) and SBA 504 loans in the hospitality sector.

According to State Bank of Texas, the appointment will allow it to expand its SBA loan offerings to reach a broader customer base.

RMG Networks names a new CEO to accelerate growth

Dallas-based cloud digital signage leader RMG Networks has appointed Ankur Ahlowalia, a technology industry veteran, as its chief executive officer.

According to RMG, Ahlowalia is a successful exec who has a proven track record in leading and accelerating revenue growth and profitability for enterprise software companies.

Previously, he was the CRO at SecureAuth, a provider of security identity software, and before that held leadership positions at Apttus and Saba.

Stream Realty Partners expands its National Strategy Team

Dallas-headquartered Stream Realty Partners has added Mike Armstrong and Michael Wong to its national investment strategy team, both as managing directors.

The duo brings a combined 35 years of experience in real estate investment across asset classes. They will be based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Most recently, Armstrong and Wong were co-managing partners at Percheron Real Estate Partners, a privately held real estate investment and advisory company.

Risk Point adds EVP of Auto Dealer Programs

Dallas-based Risk Point Underwriters has named Scott A. Hoy, CIC an executive vice president for its specialty auto dealer underwriting unit.

In his role, Hoy will be tasked with driving profitable growth and delivering customer satisfaction through independent agents across the company’s programs for Dealer Open Lot and Garage Package for franchised Auto, Motorcycle, RV, and Heavy Truck dealerships.

He brings more than two decades of experience in the industry.

Sealy Investment Securities expands its distribution team

Dallas-based Sealy Investment Securities, a broker-dealer affiliate of Sealy & Company, has added three senior professionals to help facilitate the strategic expansion of its sales and distribution efforts.

Brian Rivera has been made the executive vice president of business development responsible for maintaining all existing selling agreements with the company’s current distribution partners.

Dawn Impellizzeri and Brian Duffy have been named senior vice presidents. Both will join the existing wholesale team.

Accolite Digital adds to its Board

Keith Pinter

In an effort to grow its Healthcare Division, Dallas-based Accolite has appointed Keith Pinter, a season executive, to its Board of Directors.

Pinter brings more than 25 years of experience in healthcare operations, healthcare IT, and technology to the Board. He’s been called a powerful partner and change agent for the future of Accolite.

Accolite has a goal to grow its Healthcare vertical to $100 million in revenue by 2023.

Munck Wilson Mandala welcomes two veteran real estate attorneys

Shelley Hickey

Mabel Simpson and Shelley Hickey have joined Munck Wilson Mandala from SimpsonLaw Group as a partner and principal attorney, respectively.

Both Simpson and Hickey have practiced law for 33 years.

According to Munck Wilson, their combined experience will add legal power to its real estate, commercial litigation, oil and gas, and construction law practices.

Mabel Simpson

Hickey previously worked as an associate in private practice before taking a position as assistant city attorney, and Simpson served on the Richardson City Council from 2015-2019.

“We are excited to be a part of Munck Wilson and look forward to many future successes with our new firm,” Simpson said in a statement. “MWM has an outstanding reputation with established offices in Dallas, Austin, and LA. Adding our real estate and oil and gas legal services strengthens MWM’s client services in key industries that are growing regionally and nationally.”

BPS Agriculture appoints its Strategic Advisory Board

BPS Agriculture, an agriculture holding company, has seated its Strategic Advisory Board: Dr. Alan Gould, Alex Prohodski, and Dr. Robert Geiger.

The Board will be responsible for counseling the BPS Agriculture management team, which has a portfolio of companies that use OpusMAX to enhance products in agricultural segments.

Gould is an accomplished veteran in agricultural biotechnology, Prohodski is an independent consultant, and Dr. Robert Geiger is the VP of Product Development for BPS JET.

Esteemed trial lawyer joins Fears Nachawati

Patrick Luff

Dallas-based Fears Nachawati Law Firm has added trial lawyer Patrick Luff to its team, which will bolster its catastrophic personal injury, mass tort, and product liability litigation expertise.

According to Fears Nachawati, Luff has a proven track record in trying national cases and leading high-profile litigation, which includes leadership roles in state and federal litigation.

He previously served as a professor of law at Washington and Lee University, the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, and the University of Oklahoma.