Drew Garner Steps into Leadership Role at Smartsheet as Tech Industry Sees Leadership Shifts
Drew Garner has joined Smartsheet as the senior vice president of engineering, bringing his extensive experience to the Bellevue-based work productivity software company at a pivotal time. Garner’s appointment comes as Rajeev “Raj” Singh steps into the role of CEO, marking a reunion of sorts for the two tech leaders who previously worked together at both Accolade and Concur. In a LinkedIn post expressing his enthusiasm for the new position, Garner highlighted what drew him to Smartsheet: “From my first conversation, I could feel the drive — the hunger to innovate, the pride in craft, and the focus on building things that genuinely make a difference.” His vision aligns with Smartsheet’s mission to transform how AI and automation empower teams to work more efficiently and collaboratively in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
The leadership changes continue across the Seattle tech ecosystem with Baskar Sridharan, former Amazon Web Services vice president of AI/machine learning services and infrastructure, stepping into the role of president at Trase. This agentic AI startup recently launched with $10.5 million in pre-seed funding and aims to tackle a significant challenge Sridharan identified: “AI adoption is faltering within sectors that need it most: complex, highly regulated enterprises overburdened with administrative tasks that are ripe for automation.” With his impressive background that includes nearly 16 years at Microsoft and time as a vice president of engineering for Google Cloud, Sridharan brings valuable expertise to Trase’s mission of enabling enterprises in healthcare, national security, and energy sectors to deploy autonomous agents within their existing infrastructure. Though Trase is based in Virginia, Sridharan will continue to operate from Seattle, maintaining the region’s influence in the AI innovation space.
Qualtrics, the customer and employee experience management company co-located in Seattle and Provo, Utah, has also announced significant leadership changes with two key appointments. Mark Hammond, based in Provo, joins as SVP of core AI, bringing his expertise from Microsoft in autonomous systems and bridging physical and virtual technologies. Meanwhile, Seattle-based Jeff Gelfuso has been promoted to SVP and chief product experience officer after joining the company in January with a background that includes roles at Workday, Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft. These leadership appointments come on the heels of Qualtrics’ significant business move last month when it announced a $6.75 billion deal to acquire Press Ganey Forsta, a company specializing in experience management for healthcare organizations, signaling Qualtrics’ commitment to expanding its capabilities and market reach in specific industry verticals.
The cybersecurity sector also sees leadership changes with Seattle-based WatchGuard Technologies naming Joe Smolarski as CEO. Coming from security management company Kaseya where he served as president and chief operating officer, Smolarski brings a track record of impressive business growth, having helped lead a tenfold revenue increase and multi-billion-dollar valuation growth at the Florida company. He replaces interim CEO Vats Srivatsan, who had been serving since May 2025 following Prakash Panjwani’s departure, with Srivatsan remaining on the board of directors. Meanwhile, Hubble Network, a Seattle space-tech startup that recently secured $70 million in funding for its satellite-powered Bluetooth network, has strengthened its leadership team with two key hires: Damien Michau, an experienced engineer from Endor Labs, as VP of engineering, and John Marbach, a former marketing manager at Grafana Labs, as head of growth.
The Seattle tech ecosystem continues to evolve with several other notable leadership transitions. Mike McGee has stepped into the role of CEO at For Effect, a new venture providing tech support for nonprofits and small businesses with a focus on technology optimization, automation implementation, and AI agent utilization. His background includes positions at Vacasa, Accolade, and Concur. Pioneer Square Labs, a Seattle venture firm and startup studio, has welcomed Caleb John as a principal engineer, bringing his entrepreneurial experience as co-founder and CEO of Pongo, a search startup acquired last year by Moondream, and founder of Cedar Robotics. The coaching sector sees former Zillow VP Nancy Poznoff joining Seattle-based Close Cohen Career Consulting as an executive coach while maintaining her role as CEO and co-founder of Mother Bear Agency, an independent marketing and communications firm.
The innovation and investment landscape in the Pacific Northwest is further enriched by several additional leadership developments. Angelina DiPreta has joined Maveron, a venture capital firm started by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and Seattle tech investor Dan Levitan, as a principal based in San Francisco after serving as consumer practice lead at Premji Invest. Aaron Ward has emerged as co-founder and CEO of Huckleberry, a startup developing a voice-enabled platform for workplace performance feedback, with operations split between Portland, Oregon, and New Zealand. Ward brings serial entrepreneurship experience, having previously launched customer experience tech company AskNicely. Finally, Brianna McDonald, a longtime Seattle-area investor who recently became CEO of Ecosystem Venture Group, has joined the board of the Angel Capital Association, further strengthening the region’s influence in the investment community. This organization blends startup investment funds with services for entrepreneurs and investors, reflecting the evolving nature of venture capital and startup support structures in the area.
