AlphaBlox Corp., maker of a Web-based platform for building analytical applications, has announced management changes and additions designed to accelerate the company’s growth in the analytic application marketplace.
Polly Sumner, who joined AlphaBlox as president and chief operating officer 18 months ago, will assume the role of chief executive officer, focusing her efforts on strategic business expansion and day-to-day operations. Additionally, Susan Foley Kane has joined the company as chief marketing officer.
“Polly’s evolution to CEO marks a well planned, natural step in AlphaBlox’s lifecycle,” said Michael Skok, founder and former CEO of AlphaBlox, who will remain actively involved as chairman of the board. “I am particularly excited about getting tighter business integration and focus around our customers and partners with all our operations reporting to Polly as CEO. This, coupled with the addition of Susan, will enable AlphaBlox to move more quickly into additional international markets while continuing to create and provide leading analytical applications to the e-business community.”
Prior to joining AlphaBlox in September of 1999, Sumner spent 11 years at Oracle Corp. Most recently, Sumner served as the senior vice president of Oracle’s Telecommunications Industry Group, where she was responsible for the company’s telecom strategy, sales, consulting and delivery worldwide. The telecom unit represented over ten percent of Oracle’s revenues and had more than 800 people worldwide.
Previously at Oracle, Sumner held the position of vice president of worldwide alliances, a unit that generated over a billion dollars annually, where she managed the global development of Oracle’s leading software, hardware and systems integration alliances. Sumner’s career is also highlighted by experience with other leading technology companies including IBM and McDonnell Douglas.
“AlphaBlox has grown exponentially under Polly’s excellent customer-centric leadership,” added Skok. “Since she joined AlphaBlox, the company has more than tripled its number of employees, doubled its strategic partners and grown its customer base by almost 600 percent. In addition, repeat business revenues have grown at an exceptional rate.”
Kane comes to AlphaBlox with more than fifteen years of technology marketing, management and business development experience. Most recently, Kane held the position of senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Bidcom Inc. (now Citadon). Prior to Bidcom, Kane held various marketing management positions at Baan Company, Aurum Software, Oracle Corporation and Metaphor Computer Systems.
“Susan’s appointment helps to complete AlphaBlox’s senior executive team and prepares us for worldwide product and market growth,” said Sumner of her new CMO. “Her strategic marketing insight and expertise will help AlphaBlox elevate its product and market positions to the next level and further penetrate the e-Business analytic software market with a worldwide focus, as companies increasingly need to leverage their information assets to remain competitive in the connected economy.”
AlphaBlox provides analytical infrastructure to deliver Web-based applications, both inside and outside the firewall. AlphaBlox’s openness and extensibility also gives businesses the ability to embed analytics into business processes, packaged applications, corporate portals and B2B services.
Based in Mountain View, Calif., AlphaBlox serves Global 2000 organizations in financial, telecommunications and manufacturing. Its customers include Deutsche Bank Securities, AT&T, SBC, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Hewlett-Packard, Toyota Motor Company, FedEx, Morgan Stanley, and OppenheimerFunds.
