CFO Moves – week ending April 20, 2018

CFO Moves this week include:

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CFO Moves is published by Samuel Dergel (Executive Search Consultant and CFO & Financial Executive Search Specialist with Dergel Executive Search). Samuel can be reached by email at samuel@dergelcfo.com or by phone at +1 (415) 738-2070.

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Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. [NEW YORK] (NASDAQ: AXSM) announced the appointment of Nick Pizzie as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Mr. Pizzie will replace John Golubieski, who submitted his resignation in order to pursue other opportunities. Prior to joining Axsome, Mr. Pizzie was the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Pierre Fabre USA. Previously, he was Senior Finance Director at Immucor. Prior to Immucor, he held positions of increasing responsibility in finance and accounting at Merck and Pfizer. Mr. Pizzie began his career at Arthur Andersen, where he served as staff auditor.

Amanda Calpin

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises [MIAMI] announced that Amanda Calpin has been named Chief Financial Officer for Telemundo Networks. Previously, Calpin was Chief Financial Officer for the Telemundo Station Group where she led all financial operations for all local Telemundo stations in the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as TeleXitos. Prior to that, she was Vice President of Finance for the Telemundo Station Group.

Ambarella, Inc. [SANTA CLARA, Calif.] (NASDAQ: AMBA) announced that George Laplante, the company’s CFO, will retire later this year. Mr. Laplante joined the company in 2011.

VisionGate [SEATTLE, WA] announced the appointment of Randal Buness as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Buness is a senior financial executive with over 25 years of results-oriented leadership. Prior to joining VisionGate, he served as Chief Financial Officer of multiple medical and high technology companies. Most recently he served as CFO of Cayenne Medical, Inc. Early in his career, Mr. Buness spent ten years in public accounting at Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Ytel [FOOTHILL RANCH, CALIF.] announced that Kevin O’Connor has been named Chief Financial Officer. Kevin joins Ytel from Synaptics Inc. where he was the IoT Divisional Controller. Previously, he served as the Corporate Controller for Conexant. He joined Conexant following the acquisition of Telogis, where he spent five years as assistant controller. Prior to Telogis, Kevin worked at Deloitte as an audit manager for technology industry clients.

Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC [NEW YORK] (NYSE: OZM) announced that it has appointed Thomas M. Sipp as Chief Financial Officer. He replaces Alesia J. Haas, who has resigned to pursue another career opportunity in a different industry. Mr. Sipp joins Oz from Magis Partners, where he served as Managing Partner. During the prior eight years, Mr. Sipp held several senior executive positions at Credit Suisse, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Credit Suisse’s Asset Management division and Global Chief Operating Officer for Credit Suisse’s Wealth & Asset Management division.

Orchids Paper Products Company [BRENTWOOD, Tenn.] (NYSE: TIS) announced the appointment of Mindy Bartel as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Orchids, Ms. Bartel served as Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Carlex Glass America. Ms. Bartel has over 25 years of experience in manufacturing and technology service industries.

EVIO Inc. [BEND, Ore.] (OTCQB: EVIO) announced the appointment of David Kane as its new chief financial officer. Kane replaces Christian Carnell, EVIO’s interim CFO, who will remain with EVIO as a consultant and help facilitate a smooth transition. Prior to joining EVIO, Kane served as the chief financial officer of several private, micro-cap and small-cap companies, including one of the largest cannabis cultivator and retailers with operations in Nevada and Arizona. Kane is also a certified public accountant.

Metacrine, Inc. [SAN DIEGO] announced that Trisha M. Millican has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to Metacrine, she was Senior Vice President of Finance at Seragon Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Seragon, she served as Vice President of Finance at Aragon Pharmaceuticals until its sale in August 2013 to Johnson & Johnson. She has over 17 years of finance experience in healthcare, having also served in various senior financial management roles at Zogenix, Inc., from 2009 to 2012, and Metabasis Therapeutics, Inc. from 2006 to 2009. Trisha spent five years with the public accounting firm Deloitte, is a certified public accountant.

Paul Sykes

Nordis Technologies [CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.] recruited Paul Sykes to be chief operating officer and chief financial officer. Sykes previously served as CFO of DMG Information. He also served on the board of each company in DMG’s portfolio. Prior to joining DMG, Sykes held several positions at EMAP plc, moving up to group treasurer. He started his career as an auditor at KPMG.

Titan International, Inc. [QUINCY, Ill.] (NYSE: TWI) announced that it notified James M. Froisland, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Information Officer, that the Company will not renew his employment.

Samson Resources II, LLC [TULSA, Okla.] announced that Josh C. Anders has joined the Company as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Anders most recently served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Adams Resources & Energy, Inc.  Previously, he served as Vice President and Controller at Southwestern Energy Company; Vice President and Treasurer for Beryl Oil and Gas, LP and Corporate Finance Manager at Pogo Producing Company.

Steve Weinberger

Ranir [GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.] has appointed Steve Weinberger as chief financial officer. Most recently, he served as CFO of Inventure Foods, Inc.

AIT Therapeutics, Inc. [NEW YORK] (OTC: AITB) announced that Stephen J. DiPalma of Danforth Advisors, will be assuming responsibilities as Chief Financial Officer. Previous CFO Hai Aviv will remain as AIT’s CFO through April in order to ensure a smooth transition to Mr. DiPalma. Prior to Danforth, Mr. DiPalma was the CFO at Forum Pharmaceuticals and was CFO and Executive Vice President of Business Operations at RXi Pharmaceuticals.

Jessica Dennis

C&A Industries, Inc. [OMAHA, NEB.] announced the hiring of Jessica Dennis as chief financial officer. Dennis began her career in auditing with the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche. Prior to joining C&A, she held various senior leadership positions in the business process outsourcing industry with West Corporation and most recently with Alorica, where she served as Senior Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis.

SPEAR Physical Therapy, LLC [NEW YORK] announced that Jon Brilliant has joined the company as its first Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining SPEAR, Jon was part of the founding team of WellDoc in 2005. Following his eight years at WellDoc, Jon co-founded Bigfoot Biomedical, and served as Bigfoot’s CFO and then Chief Strategy Officer. During his professional career, Jon has been a senior advisor to Merck’s Global Health Innovation Fund, and a venture capitalist with his own fund (Atelier), and the family office of the former owner of Harrods.

Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc. [NEW YORK] (NYSE: ANW) announced that Pavlos Papageorgiou has been appointed Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Papageorgiou succeeds Spyros Gianniotis, who will continue to act as an independent consultant to the Company to help ensure a seamless transition of financial and operational responsibilities. Mr. Papageorgiou has more than twenty years of experience in the financial services sector and most recently served as Senior Advisor at Seacor Holdings. Prior to his positions at Seacor, Mr. Papageorgiou held various roles of increasing seniority at Morgan Stanley having served as Head of Principal M&A Execution. More recently, Pavlos served as Assistant Treasurer and Global Head of Liquidity Planning and Coverage at Morgan Stanley where he led the firm’s Global Liquidity Risk Management Framework. Pavlos began his career in the Investment Banking department at Merrill Lynch where he specialized in Telecommunications M&A.

LiveXLive Media, Inc. [BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.] (NASDAQ: LIVX) announced that it has appointed Michael Zemetra as its chief financial officer. Zemetra will succeed Jerry Gold, who has been appointed chief strategy officer and has joined LiveXLive’s Board of Directors. Most recently Zemetra served as the divisional chief financial officer for the business cloud division of j2 Global. Prior to that, he served as chief financial officer and chief accounting officer for Global Eagle Entertainment, and previously as senior vice president and chief accounting officer for Demand Media, Inc. (now Leaf Group).

CAN Capital [WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.] announced the hire of Tom Davidson as Chief Financial Officer. He replaces Ray De Palma, who has served as CFO since May 2017, and will be taking on the role of Chief Accounting Officer. Davidson joins CAN Capital from Sierra Auto Finance, where he was Chief Financial Officer & Chief Capital Officer. He previously worked at GE Capital for 16 years, serving in a variety of senior roles, eventually rising to Senior Managing Director and Chairman & CEO of GE Capital Markets, Inc.

Sun BioPharma, Inc. [MINNEAPOLIS] (OTCQB: SNBP) announced the appointment of Susan Horvath as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Horvath is replacing Scott Kellen who was Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer from October 2015 until April 2018. Ms. Horvath has held both finance and operating positions within pharmaceutical, healthcare and consumer organizations, most recently as Chief Financial Officer of eyebobs, LLC. She is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive), and a Certified Management Accountant.

Craig Peus

Getka Energy LLC [TULSA, Okla.] announced the appointment of Craig Peus as chief financial officer. Prior to joining Getka, Mr. Peus served as President & CEO of Gravity Midstream. Prior to Gravity, Peus spent 15 years as an investment banker providing corporate finance and advisory services with firms including Blossom Street Capital, MTS Health Partners L.P., and Salomon Brothers Inc. He also has served as founder and CEO of three companies in a variety of industries.

Ra Medical Systems [CARLSBAD, Calif.] announced that the Company has appointed Andrew Jackson as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Jackson joins Ra Medical from AltheaDx, where he served as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to AltheaDx, he was Chief Financial Officer at Celladon Corporation. Prior to Celladon, Mr. Jackson also held senior finance positions at various life science and technology companies.