Local economic development entity Cintrifuse has announced that its CEO, Wendy Lea, will step down in September, Cincy Inno has learned.
Her departure has sparked a nation-wide search for a new CEO.
"Wendy's creative and inspirational leadership ushered the StartupCincy ecosystem into new territory and the organization is now poised for the next phase of growth," said Valarie Sheppard, Cintrifuse board chair and Procter & Gamble's senior vice president and comptroller, in a statement. "Our community has benefitted tremendously from her ability to bring people together, create momentum behind a common vision and build a world-class team that can now scale the vision for even greater impact. Wendy was exactly what we needed and has more than delivered on her commitments as CEO."
Under her four-year tenure, Lea increased Cintrifuse's portfolio of startups to include more than 300 member startups, a 200 percent growth over three years.
“I’m an early-stage builder with a passion for projects that have a grand vision; where my role can be part visionary, part execution and a whole lot of giddyup,” said Lea in a statement. “This tour of duty has been professionally fulfilling and I’m grateful for all my colleagues and the friends I’ve made here, too. And this was my first exposure to the Midwest and how things roll. I’m confident I’ll stay connected to the Queen City and her special community.”
Cintrifuse "drive[s] the Cincinnati startup community" by fostering connections between entrepreneurs, innovators, large companies (or "big cos") through a variety of resources, events, programs, funds and more.
This is a breaking story. More information will be added as it becomes available.
