Southwest Airlines Announces Major C-Suite Moves

Major leadership moves have been announced by Dallas-based discount air carrier Southwest Airlines, all precipitated by the departure of a leading executive.

Mike Van de Ven

Southwest CEO Bob Jordan will assume the additional role of president effective Jan. 1 after Mike Van de Ven leaves that role at the end of December. Van de Ven also is leaving his role as chief operating officer at the end of September, the company announced.

Van de Ven had been at Southwest for nearly three decades.

Southwest also announced that Van de Ven’s departure has resulted in three executive promotions that will be effective Oct. 1.

• Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Watterson will assume the post of chief operating officer. Watterson joined Southwest in 2013.
• Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Ryan Green will assume Watterson’s current role. He has been with the airline for roughly 20 years.
• Linda Rutherford. a 30-year veteran of the airline, has been promoted to chief administration and communications officer from executive vice president of people and communications.

Hyosung America Announces New CEO

Irving-based Hyosung America Inc. announced that Sang Hwan Kweon has been appointed chief executive officer of the North American leader in cash management solutions.

Sang Hwan Kweon

Kweon, an experienced business leader, succeeds Hee-Eun Ahn, who recently announced his retirement, effective Oct. 1. Most recently, Kweown was chief operating officer.

“We have seen tremendous growth over the past four years. I am leaving the company in good hands and look forward to seeing where it goes in the years to come,” Ahn said in a statement.

Keown has more than 32 years of experience in the ATM business and has extensive knowledge of the industry. He has served as senior vice president of global business and product planning for Hyosung TNS in Korea before coming to Hyosung America. The company said he has a proven track record of product development, sales strategy, and planning that have led Hyosung’s executive team forward with continued success and innovation.

Read more about the Hyosung announcement here.

Form Bio Spins Out From Colossal, Names Co-CEOs

Kent Wakefield

After developing the tools that could one day bring back the woolly mammoth to the Siberian tundra and see the Tasmanian tiger return to Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, a Dallas-based startup is spinning out that technology to usher in a new era of scientific discovery.

With $30 million in fresh Series A funding, Form Bio is launching out of local de-extinction startup Colossal Biosciences as an independent company focused on “empowering scientists to reach discoveries and breakthroughs in less time and with less effort.”

Andrew Busey

“There’s a revolution that is happening in this bio-economy,” Kent Wakeford, Form Bio’s co-CEO, told Dallas Innovates.

Wakeford said Form Bio’s Series A funding will help build out its team, especially in core areas such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. It will also aid in further developing the company’s software as it evolves and enters the market.

Adam Milne

Currently, Form Bio has a team of 35 employees, about 18 of which are spread between the company’s “key hubs” of Dallas and Austin.

Bringing together experts in fields from bioinformatics to machine learning, the company is led by Wakeford, who previously served as Colossal’s COO, and co-CEO Andrew Busey, Colossal’s former chief product officer. 

Claire Aldridge

Biotech industry veteran Claire Aldridge has joined the startup as chief strategy officer. Aldridge is a member of the board of 4E Therapeutics and a scientific advisory board member of Colossal.

Former Biolabs COO Adam Milne will step into Wakeford’s former role at Colossal. 

There’s more to the story here.

GlassView Adds 3 to C-Suite Positions

Dallas-based GlassView, the world’s largest independent video advertising distribution platform, announced three executive appointments including John Poor as chief commercial officer, Daniel Dryburgh as chief operating officer, and Robert Reeder as chief financial officer.

The company said in a statement that the appointments will fuel its rapid growth, including scaling its team and driving further expansion into global markets.

“As GlassView continues to position itself on the forefront of the digital media revolution, John, Daniel and Robert will play integral roles in the company’s journey,” Glassview Founder and CEO James Brooks said in a statement.

In his new role as CCO, Poor will manage GlassView’s commercial efforts and market expansions, the company said. He was formerly the company’s VP of commercial. He has built a 15-person sales team and has played a critical role in nurturing and developing domestic and international markets, with a focus on B2B, SaaS and business services solutions, GlassView said.

Before GlassView, Poor was an account executive at YuMe and a digital media supervisor at Horizon Media.

As COO, Dryburgh will be responsible for building out GlassView’s global Account Management and AdOps teams across three countries and scaling its New York team from five to 30 employees. He’ll also lead development of operational models for campaign performance, profitability, and workforce modeling. Previously, he was the company’s SVP of accounts and operations.

In the role of CFO, Reeder will continue to be a strategic partner to the organization, keeping his finger on the pulse of the financial state of the industry while continuing to grow GlassView’s revenue, the company said. His day-to-day responsibilities will include driving the organization’s financial planning and working to enhance GlassView’s ability to predict, measure, and monitor financial and non-financial performance across the organization.

ECI Software Solutions Names Veteran Exec as Chief Marketing Officer

ECI Software Solutions, a Fort Worth-based provider of cloud-based business management solutions, announced that it has named former Blue Prism and Infor executive Chip Coyle as chief marketing officer.

Chip Coyle

Coyle will be responsible for building on ECI’s global marketing and demand generation strategy, overseeing its execution across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, and bringing ECI’s brand vision to life, the company said in a statement. ECI said that Coyle is a growth-oriented modern marketing executive recognized for building brands and leading high-performing teams within global software businesses.

“Chip brings years of strategic experience in driving global expansion and positioning companies for growth, with a broad understanding of what it takes to build successful, market-leading SaaS organizations at scale,” ECI CEO Trevor Gruenewald said in a statement.

Before joining ECI, Coyle spent two years as CMO for Blue Prism, leading global marketing for the enterprise intelligent automation and RPA software business. Blue Prism revenue grew 40% in his first year thanks to a marketing focus on modernizing the company’s brand, launching new innovations, and creating market demand.

He was SVP and chief marketing officer for Infor, a privately held global enterprise software provider. Over seven years, he helped transform the brand and competitively position the company in the market. Prior to Infor, he spent 18 years with Oracle in progressively expanding marketing leadership roles.

As vice president of Americas marketing, he was responsible for leading demand generation programs and field marketing teams that delivered half of Oracle’s worldwide license sales, across all products and industries.

CIEN+ Adds Chief Growth and Planning Officer

Dallas-based CIEN+, an award-winning marketing firm specializing in Cultural Intelligence solutions, announced that it has expanded its executive leadership team with the addition of Ivan Sanchez as chief growth and planning officer.

Ivan Sanchez

Sanchez will oversee the firm’s global growth roadmap, to continue to leverage CIEN+’s unique proprietary capabilities in A.I. powered-insights, strategic planning, and inclusive creative services.

“Ivan joins us at a time in which responding to rapid change and cultural shifts with agility and empathy is critical for organizations and brands to achieve their full business and creative potential,” Lili Gil Valletta, co-founder and CEO of CIEN+, said in a statement. 

The Cultural Intelligence marketing firm offers proprietary AI-powered market research with Cultural Intel, business strategy, and creative marketing solutions designed to reach today’s diverse and fast-changing market.

Discover more here.

Daseke Names New EVP, Chief Financial Officer

Daseke Inc. announced that it has named Aaron Coley as its new executive vice president and CFO effective Oct. 28.

Aaron Coley

Daseke—an Addison-based North American transportation solutions specialist dedicated to servicing challenging industrial end-markets—said that Coley will be responsible for managing all treasury, accounting, tax, investor relations, financial planning and analysis, and capital market activities. He will also be responsible for managing the company’s balance sheet and improving its corporate finance capabilities.

Coley’s significant experience will meaningfully contribute to Daseke’s ongoing transformation, operational, and cost improvement plans, the company added.

“I’m extremely pleased to have Aaron join the Daseke team as we look to leverage our differentiated assets and execute our business strategy to unlock our next phase of growth and shareholder value creation,” Daseke CEO Jonathan Shepko said in a statement.

“Aaron’s extensive industry experience and track record of executive success as a CFO will drive great value for both the company and our leadership team,” Shepko added. “Aaron comes to Daseke with more than a decade of direct CFO experience, having most recently served as a leader within the petroleum distribution and logistics industry with Pilot Thomas Logistics. His impressive financial leadership, capital allocation acumen, success driving strategic growth for portfolio companies, and direct industry experience make Aaron an excellent addition to the Daseke team.”

Richardson Chamber Names President/CEO and the New Head of Tech Titans

Kimberly Quirk will stay on as president and CEO of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce and Paul Bendel will remain with the organization as executive director of Tech Titans, a nonprofit technology trade organization that promotes the North Texas tech ecosystem.

Kimberly Quirk

Quirk was appointed as interim president of the chamber after former CEO and President Bill Sproull resigned Feb. 4. Quirk serves as the executive director of Leadership Richardson for the chamber and previously spent nine years on the Richardson ISD board of trustees, including five years as board president.

Bendel has been with the organization since 2003 and leads its event and program planning.

Quirk said the appointments are important for the organization as it shifts toward a new ideology, following the removal of the chamber’s economic development department.

The role of economic development had been among the Richardson Chamber of Commerce’s responsibilities before the creation of the city’s department of economic development was approved in August, a move that city officials believe is designed to better leverage essential economic development partnerships and opportunities.

The city hired Jenny Mizutowicz to serve as its inaugural director of economic development.

Schneider Electric Taps New SVP, CFO for North America

France-based Schneider Electric, which has operations in Carrollton, announced that Dallas-based Joshua (Josh) Dickinson is the new senior vice president and chief financial officer for its North America operations.

Joshua Dickinson

In his new role, Dickinson will be responsible for all financial operations of the North America region, including driving profitable growth, navigating the current business landscape, supporting global peers on multiple global initiatives, while simultaneously leading the finance transformation of the region with responsibilities that include budgeting and forecasting, talent development, internal controls and operations management.

Schneider Electric is a multinational, billion-dollar company and the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation across homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industries.

Read more here.

INFOLAB Names New Managing Director, EMEA

INFOLAB Solutions has added Senthil Prabu as managing director, EMEA, signifying the Irving-based company’s goal to emerge as a trusted infrastructure and apps partner for small, medium, and large enterprises from any industry in the world.

Senthil Prabu

INFOLOB said in a statement that it is dedicated to delivering value-based cloud migration, cloud apps, database administration, disaster recovery, and hybrid- and multicloud managed services to its global client base. The company said it’s actively pursuing opportunities in India along with the rest of APAC, the Middle East, and Europe, besides doubling down on its North American aspirations.

“Senthil’s nearly two decades of association with Oracle makes him a hot property in our industry. I’m keen to work with him to create a synergy between Oracle’s tech stack, our unparalleled enablement expertise, and clients’ requirements,” INFOLAB Founder and CEO Vijay Cherukuri said in a statement.

“Having tremendously contributed to Oracle’s transition as the dominator of on-premises IT infrastructure and business applications to a game-changing cloud service provider, Senthil’s sales and business development leadership is par excellence,” Cherukuri added.

“I am aware of INFOLOB’s unflinching dedication and envious expertise over the complete Oracle tech stack since their incorporation back in 2009 when I was their Oracle Alliances Manager,” Prabu said. “Their track record is simply phenomenal, and I’m keen to deliver the same dedication and expertise to the European and Middle East enterprises who seek dependable Oracle solutionists.”

INFOLAB said that in the past six months, it also added Srininivasa Kumar as group vice president of Oracle Cloud Apps and Yzelle Conrad as vice president of Cloud, Data, and DevOps. It also opened a Dubai office as part of its ongoing aggressive global expansion.

Meritize Hires VP of Business Development

Meritize, the Frisco-based developer of merit-based financing solutions and a technology platform that connects career starters and mid-career professionals with high-impact skills training, announced that it has hired Jeff Parks as vice president of business development.

Jeff Parks

The company said that Parks will bring with him more than two decades of executive leadership at JPMorgan Chase leading growth and business development work across a variety of business lines including student and auto lending, credit cards, and digital payments.

“Jeff’s background and expertise are an incredible asset as we continue to grow, helping Meritize to serve more students and put their educational goals within reach,” Meritize Chief Operating Officer Beck Pryor said in a statement.

Parks is an expert in education finance and commercial credit and banking, the company said. He specialized in structuring unique business-to-business offerings during his time at JPMorgan Chase.

In his new role at Meritize, Parks will be responsible for designing and executing the organization’s B2B sales strategy, managing the company’s growing sales team, and executing against team sales targets. Parks joins Meritize at a time when the company is seeing continued growth.

Before JPMorgan Chase, Parks was a student finance professional at several institutions of higher education, including the University of Arizona and Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Polsinelli Announces New Shareholder in Dallas Office

Polsinelli announced that corporate attorney Viking Tao has joined the firm as a new shareholder based in the Dallas office.

Viking Tao

She joins the firm’s corporate and transactional practice group, part of Polsinelli’s highly regarded national business department.

“The addition of Viking is extremely meaningful as we continue to grow our dynamic Dallas office and bolster our private equity-focused team,” Brian Bullard, managing partner of Polsinelli’s Dallas office and chair of the firm’s Capital Solutions and Investment Funds practices, said in a statement. “Her professional acumen, along with her demonstrated leadership abilities at the local, state, national and global level, makes her a tremendous asset to the firm and our clients.”

Tao’s practice focuses on private equity-led commercial real estate investment and development, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, partnership and joint venture negotiations, and commercial disputes.

Polsinelli said that for nearly two decades, Tao has counseled Chinese and other Asian companies on establishing a presence in the United States, forging alliances with U.S. businesses, embarking on strategic expansions or navigating through the evolving U.S. regulatory and compliance requirements.

With a client list that includes leading American and Asian funds, family offices, and developers—as well as small- to medium-sized developers, investors, and lenders—Polsinelli said that Tao counsels clients in connection with the acquisition, financing, development, leasing, management, and disposition of commercial real estate.

She has experience with a wide range of real estate projects, including multifamily, student housing, office, retail, residential subdivision, hotel, assisted living, industrial and mixed-use facilities, the firm added.

Before joining Polsinelli, Tao served on the board of directors for a Texas-based law firm, where she also chaired its China Practice Group, representing Chinese and other international clients in their investments in the United States. She is fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese.

AECOM Appoints Industry Veteran as Global Offshore Wind Market Lead

AECOM has appointed Dawn MacDonald as its global offshore wind market sector lead, a role in which she will work around the world to advance an integrated offshore wind offering that leverages the Dallas-based infrasture consulting firm’s environmental and port infrastructure expertise to new and existing clients.

Dawn MacDonald

“We have a deep commitment to positively impacting the environment and helping our clients realize their low-carbon energy ambitions, and Dawn’s industry-leading offshore wind experience will further enhance AECOM’s multi-decade track record of delivering best-in-class environmental services and leadership in the ports and marine design sector,’’ AECOM President Lara Poloni said in a statement.

AECOM said that global offshore wind generation is expected to rapidly grow over the next decade, driven by government net-zero commitments and incentives, the need for reliability through the energy transition, implementation of new technologies, and major leases coming online.

The firm said that its unique combination of services in permitting, port design, energy, construction, and program management allows it to serve its clients across the complexities associated with their wind development projects.

MacDonald is an energy industry veteran with more than 20 years in the sector and a professional engineer by trade. The company said she brings an impressive portfolio of offshore wind experience, having overseen development, construction, and operations projects as part of the Maple Power joint venture in Europe.

Before that, MacDonald was based out of Calgary, Canada, and oversaw the technical development of North American megaprojects and evaluation of energy sector investment opportunities.

Cooksey Communications Adds Senior Account Executive

Irving-based strategic communications firm Cooksey Communications has added Collin Yoxall to its team as a senior account executive in the public sector practice group.

Collin Yoxall

His work at Cooksey focuses on evaluating communication structures and practices, developing and executing media relations strategies, developing and executing high-impact marketing programs, and facilitating stakeholder engagement on behalf of governmental entities, higher education institutions, and economic development organizations.

“Collin’s strong background in conducting extensive research for local, state and federal campaigns combined with his recent communications and media relations experience in higher education, along with his past work at Cooksey, will be vital to supporting the growth of our Public Sector Practice,” Colby Walton, chairman and CEO of Cooksey Communications, said in a statement.

Before rejoining Cooksey, Yoxall gained experience conducting research and facilitating communications for all three levels of electoral campaigns. The agency said he also developed client service and copywriting skills as a part-time employee for Cooksey in 2019-20 while completing his master’s degree in strategic communications at Texas Christian University.

His experience in public educational institutions includes serving as a communications specialist at The University of Texas at Arlington, and most recently in a marketing and communications role at TCU’s AddRan College of Liberal Arts, where he managed and created content for social media, developed relationships with key local media outlets, and assisted in faculty expert development.

Boards

MCS Adds Independent Director to Its Board

MCS, a leading provider of property services that’s based in Lewisville, announced that Chaz Mueller has joined its board of directors as an independent director.

Chaz Mueller

Mueller brings more than 25 years of senior executive leadership experience within the single-family and multifamily rental industries, which will assist MCS as it continues to expand its property service offerings into these markets by leveraging its capabilities built over 35 years serving the property preservation industry.

“We’re extremely pleased to have Chaz serve as an Independent Director for MCS given his extensive experience, industry knowledge, and leadership capabilities,” MCS CEO Craig Torrance said in a statement. “He helped pioneer the SFR market space and understands the operational challenges and requirements of those owners and operators. Chaz’s insights and guidance will help improve and strengthen our residential rental service offerings, allowing us to better serve our growing client base.”

Before joining the MCS board, Mueller was most recently CEO of Progress Residential, one of the largest providers of high-quality, single-family rental homes in the U.S. with over 85,000 properties across 29 of the nation’s fastest-growing metro areas.

Mueller was previously the president of Irvine Company Apartment Communities, owner and manager of apartment communities across Coastal California; CEO of ConAm Management Co., a full-service real estate management and investment firm specializing in multifamily housing; and president, COO, and CFO of Archstone, one of the largest publicly traded multifamily REITs before going private.

Six Flags Exec Named to Board of Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions

Arlington-based Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world’s largest regional theme park company and the largest operator of waterparks in North America, announced that Jason Freeman, corporate vice president of operations, public safety, engineering & maintenance, has been elected to the board of directors of the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions.

Jason Freeman

“This recognition is a testament to Six Flag’s leadership position in the industry for safety and innovation, which is the cornerstone of everything we do” President and CEO Selim Bassoul said in a statement. “Jason’s work has directly led to Six Flags becoming the first theme park company to be accredited as Certified Autism Centers at all its properties, and to the development of a revolutionary new restraint harness that allows access to all our rides for guests with physical disabilities. While a visit to a theme park is already one of the safest forms of entertainment, we as a company spend our greatest amount of time, talent, and resources to make an incredibly safe industry even safer.”

Freeman has been involved with IAAPA since 1988 and has participated in the IAAPA North America Safety, Global Safety, and Governance Relations Committees. Currently, Freeman is the global chairman of the Security Committee of IAAPA and received the 2021 IAAPA Meritorious Service Award.

The company said that Freeman has been elected to serve as a Facility Member Director of IAAPA from 2023-2025.

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