Some Tampa Bay companies are rounding out Q1 by bolstering their C-suites as they continue growth at a breakneck speed.
Three Tampa Bay companies all announced this week additions to their executive team. We've got the roundup below.
BlueCloud
Hired: Akin Uslu as the company’s first chief delivery officer, where he will focus on the company's global delivery and focus on increasing shareholder value.
Previously: He was a former global corporate strategy lead for Amazon Web Services.
How the company's growing: BlueCloud provides technology, testing, managed services, and data and analytics to companies. While established in 2004, in the past few years it has fast-tracked its growth with a rebrand, racking up partnerships with Google Cloud and building its portfolio of Fortune 500 companies, including JLL, FedEx and Silicon Valley darling Snowflake. In March 2022, it hit a $100 billion valuation with an investment from New York-based Hudson Hill Capital.
Deepwatch
Hired: Mel Wesley as chief financial officer
Previously: He has an 18-year history of ushering companies to large acquisitions. He most recently served as CFO of Virginia-based PhishMe, which was acquired for $400 million in 2018 by a private equity consortium. The company became Cofense Inc, where he stayed as CFO until February.
How the company's growing: The Tampa-based technology firm focuses on cybersecurity and compliance. The company has raised over $256 million in the last five years, most recently sealing in a $180 million in equity and strategic financing. According to officials, the funding will help the company meet "record demand."
AeroVanti Club
Hired: Paolo Ferreri as interim COO. However, AeroVanti CEO Patrick Britton-Harr said in a statement that both parties hope that Ferreri will eventually become the full-time COO.
"Our previous senior operations lead was a business developer and pilot by trade who was here for the first phase of our company," Britton-Harr said in an email. "Now that we're in our growth phase, Paolo — particularly due to his experience at Piaggio — is perfectly suited to help us grow and prepare for our next round of funding."
Previously: He led the American sector of Italy-based vehicle manufacturer Piaggio. Before that, he served as VP of customer support for Piaggio's parent company, Piaggio Aerospace. It makes the Piaggio P.180 Avanti, which is the flagship plane of the AeroVanti Club fleet.
How the company's growing: The Sarasota-based company launched in 2021, providing luxury jet rentals to customers. In January, it waded into the yacht rental territory. The company raised $100 million in October and, at the time, had roughly 500 customers and 16 aircraft. It also has a partnership with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Read more: Tampa Bay tech fundings, hires and relocations you missed in February
