The sale of Portland software maker Puppet was completed last week, and just days later CEO Yvonne Wassenaar announced it was her last week at the company as well.
In a LinkedIn post she said the next chapter of her career will be focused on board and advisory work with companies both private and public and with nonprofits and education organizations.
“My mission is to be a catalyst who inspires a shift in action and challenges leaders to lead in new ways, embracing empathy and inclusions as strengths,” she wrote. “With so many people concerned with how modern technology will be used, my focus is on championing its use to drive safer, more equitable and innovative planet. What has gotten us to where we are is insufficient to get us to where we need to be.”
She is on the board of trustees for Harvey Mudd College and a board member for the companies Forrester (Nasdaq: FORR), Anaplan (NYSE: PLAN) and Rubrik.
Wassenaar, who is based in San Francisco, joined Puppet in January 2019. The company had long been on the short list of potential local IPO candidates and she continued that push. She built out the company’s board with added capabilities and navigated the company through the early uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In April, the company announced it would be acquired by Minnesota-based Perforce Software. The deal closed May 18. Puppet, which makes IT automation tools for system administrators, will be a business unit within Perforce and deliver Puppet-branded tools. It will work alongside other infrastructure businesses within the Perforce portfolio.
At the time of the announcement, Wassenaar said Perforce is taking Puppet “en masse” meaning the staff and leadership will continue to run the business.
Perforce is owned by investors Francisco Partners and Clearlake Capital Group. The deal helps the company adds capabilities that allow its enterprise customers to completely manage and secure their infrastructure.
