Seattle-based data management company Qumulo is welcoming a new CEO.
On July 9, the company named former Arista Networks and Cisco executive Douglas Gourlay as its CEO. Gourlay is replacing Bill Richter, who had led Qumulo as CEO since 2016.
"I look forward to executing our unique vision and strategy for our customers, partners and channels,” Gourlay said in a news release.
A Qumulo spokesperson said Richter is retiring but will be a board and executive adviser with the company.
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Gourlay spent almost 11 years at the computer networking company Arista between two separate tenures there, according to his LinkedIn page. His most recent role with Arista was general manager of software products. Before joining Arista in 2009 for his first tenure with the company, his LinkedIn page notes, he spent about 11 years at Cisco. He also served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army earlier in his career.
Qumulo, founded in 2012, helps clients store and manage large amounts of data. Its clients include the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Public Media. Qumulo reached a valuation of more than $1.2 billion in 2020 when it raised $125 million.
In 2022, however, Qumulo laid off about 80 employees, or more than 18 % of its staff. Later on that year, co-founder Aaron Passey rejoined the company to help lead the engineering team. Passey had left the company in 2016 and spent about four years at the file-sharing company Dropbox.
Richter is also a venture partner at Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group, according to his LinkedIn page. He was an entrepreneur-in-residence at the firm for more than a year before joining Qumulo. Richter spent more than three years at EMC earlier in his career.
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