Seattle’s Biotech and Tech Scene: A Buzz of Executive Shuffles and Fresh Starts
In the vibrant ecosystem of Seattle’s biotech and tech industries, February 2026 kicked off with a series of high-profile executive transitions that underscored the region’s relentless drive for innovation and growth. At the forefront was Sana Biotechnology, a cell and gene therapy company that had captivated investors since its 2021 IPO. The company announced that Brian Piper, a seasoned finance leader with a track record of steering biotech ventures through choppy waters, would step into the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO), alongside an Executive Vice President title. Piper’s background was impressive—having previously held the CFO helm at companies like Antares Therapeutics, Scorpion Therapeutics, and Prelude Therapeutics, where he’d navigated funding rounds, strategic partnerships, and the unpredictable tides of drug development. His move to Sana wasn’t just a job change; it represented a pivotal moment for a firm pushing boundaries in transformative therapies, like those for type 1 diabetes and in vivo CAR T cell treatments. Sana’s CEO, Steve Harr, hailed Piper’s arrival in a press release, emphasizing how his expertise would be “critical as we continue to advance our portfolio, optimize long-term value creation, and work to deliver these transformative therapies for patients.” This wasn’t mere corporate boilerplate; it reflected real stakes in human health. Piper, with his pragmatic mindset forged in the fires of biotech challenges, brought not just financial acumen but a human touch—understanding that behind every clinical trial and balance sheet lay stories of patients clinging to hope. The announcement painted a picture of Seattle as a biotech powerhouse, where leaders like Piper were drawn to tackle complex puzzles, blending science with strategy to chase cures that could rewrite lives. Meanwhile, across town, Marvin White was preparing to hand over the reins at Aptevo Therapeutics after nearly a decade at the helm. As CEO since 2016, White had guided the company through its spinout from Emergent BioSolutions, weathering regulatory hurdles and market fluctuations in the oncology-focused biopharma space. His decision to step down as CEO in April, transitioning to Executive Chair, wasn’t abrupt but a thoughtful handoff to Jeff Lamothe, the company’s COO and a longtime executive. White’s journey was one of persistence; he’d witnessed the highs of breakthrough research and the lows of clinical setbacks, all while fostering a culture of resilience. Lamothe, stepping into the CEO role, carried the torch with his deep institutional knowledge, symbolizing continuity and evolution. This shift at Aptevo wasn’t just about leadership— it highlighted Seattle’s biotech tapestry, where personal legacies intertwine with professional ambitions, and where companies like Aptevo quietly battled cancers in labs and boardrooms, aiming to turn scientific dreams into tangible wins for patients globally. These early moves set the tone for a month laced with optimism, as Seattle’s corridors buzzed with the energy of renewal and the quiet thrill of possibility.
Shifting gears to the tech side of Seattle’s innovation hub, Violett, a startup specializing in air purification technology, made waves with its own leadership shake-up. Scott Kushino, a longtime advisor to the company and a prominent Seattle-area tech figure, was elevated to CEO. Kushino’s ascent marked a moment of lateral recognition; he’d been orbiting Violett’s orbit, offering guidance amid the startup’s growth pangs. His appointment wasn’t lone—they coincided with other personnel changes, including Branden Doyle, the founder, moving to Phaidra, another Seattle venture, in a senior account executive role. Meanwhile, Mark Stevens joined as Vice President of Sales, and Ryan Palmer stepped in as a fractional Chief Technology Officer (CTO). These additions injected fresh energy into Violett, a company born from the pressing need for cleaner air in an era of urban density and environmental concerns. Kushino, whose career had spanned various tech roles, brought a mentor’s wisdom, often sharing anecdotes from past ventures about overcoming technical hurdles with quick thinking and collaboration. Doyle’s pivot to Phaidra spoke to Seattle’s interconnected startup world, where founders leapfrog between opportunities, each move like a puzzle piece fitting into a larger picture of progress. Stevens and Palmer, with their backgrounds in sales and tech, promised to accelerate Violett’s trajectory, perhaps scaling from niche air purifiers to household names. Yet, beyond the resumes, these changes felt deeply human—reminders of the people behind the products, like families breathing easier in polluted cities or innovators late into the night refining prototypes. Violett’s story was emblematic of Seattle’s tech pulse, where purity in air mirrored purity in vision, and leadership transitions fueled a cycle of creative rebirth that kept the city at the forefront of global tech advances.
In the marketing and product worlds, more ripples emerged, showcasing Seattle’s blend of creativity and engineering prowess. At Adora, a marketing startup, Rohil Bhansali’s promotion to Head of Engineering was a testament to internal growth and recognition. Having joined as a founding engineer and previously honed his skills during six years at Pinterest, Bhansali embodied the archetype of the passionate builder, someone who’d started with code and curated user experiences that resonated on a massive scale. His new role wasn’t just a title bump but a nod to his evolving impact, steering Adora’s tech backbone through the complexities of digital marketing tools. Elsewhere, Ted Plumis, a veteran sales leader from the Seattle area, joined New York-based Noma Security to head go-to-market partnerships. Plumis brought years of wisdom from roles as Senior Vice President at Exabeam and Vice President at Imperva, where he’d closed billion-dollar deals and navigated the cutthroat world of cybersecurity sales. His move to Noma felt like a strategic dance, bridging coasts and cultures to fortify defenses against digital threats. These individuals weren’t faceless executives; Plumer, for instance, often reflected on his early days in sales, balancing family life with high-stakes pitches, proving that behind every partnership lay personal stories of perseverance. Adora and Noma illuminated Seattle’s marketing and security sectors, where human-centric design and robust systems converged to empower businesses and users alike.
Deeper dives into Seattle’s professional services and real estate landscapes revealed further layers of change. Mark Tranter’s appointment as Chief Revenue Officer at Clark Nuber PS, a prominent accounting and advisory firm, highlighted the city’s robust entrepreneurial spirit. Tranter, an angel investor with a knack for spotting early-stage opportunities, previously co-founded CFO Selections, where he’d connected talent with ventures in need. His revenue leadership role at Clark Nuber positioned him to drive growth, blending his investor’s eye with financial expertise to guide clients through economic uncertainties. Meanwhile, at Zillow Group, Teresa Thomas took on a new challenge as Director of Product for Agentic AI and Experiences. Joining Zillow in 2019 and climbing through senior manager ranks, Thomas’s new position underscored the company’s push into AI-driven real estate innovations, from virtual tours to predictive analytics. Her journey was one of quiet determination, often crediting collaborative teams for breakthroughs that helped buyers find homes and sellers maximize value. Tranter and Thomas represented the human side of corporate evolution—investors like him fueling startups, and product leaders like her crafting tools that simplified life’s big decisions. In Seattle’s real estate circle, where homes represent dreams and investments build futures, these roles felt like anchors in a rapidly shifting landscape, reminding us that behind Zillow’s algorithms or Clark Nuber’s audits lay real people with real aspirations.
Further inflection points surfaced in AI and growth arenas, painting a broader canvas of Seattle’s dynamic tech milieu. Mike Rich, a former VP at Panopto and comScore, stepped up as Head of Partnerships at Yoodli, a Seattle startup focused on AI-driven communication tools. Rich’s recent stint as Senior Director at Signifyd had sharpened his edge in forging alliances, and his Yoodli role aimed to amplify the company’s reach in enhancing verbal skills and presentations. Concurrently, Ryan Hartlage, a former Senior Director at PitchBook, joined as SMB Sales Leader, bringing expertise in targeted sales to smaller businesses. These hires at Yoodli weren’t isolated; Greg Smith similarly joined Scala, a startup pioneering scalable solutions, as Global Head of Growth and Go-To-Market. Smith’s background—having risen from Senior Marketing Manager at GE Healthcare Digital and Premera Blue Cross to Group Vice President at Transcarent—was a blueprint for scaling operations. Scala’s recent $8.5 million seed round underscored the fresh capital fueling a $937-word narrative of expansion. Smith, with his healthcare roots, often talked about the empathy buried in tech, like how AI could revolutionize patient care paths. Rich and Hartlage at Yoodli, meanwhile, envisioned a world where AI demystified public speaking, turning nerves into narratives. These moves at Yoodli and Scala captured the city’s AI renaissance, where human stories of learning and connection drove innovations that bridged gaps in communication and growth.
Finally, capping the month’s announcements were targeted hires in enterprise sales and immigration sectors, reflecting Seattle’s multifaceted ecosystem. Aaron Stacy’s role as Senior Enterprise Sales Director at Placements.io built on his Amazon and Microsoft pedigree, positioning him to drive revenue in job placement technology. Stacy’s career, marked by giant tech deals, was a story of strategic prowess, balancing data-driven decisions with relationship-building in boardrooms across industries. Elsewhere, Conrad Pastore assumed the mantle as Senior Immigration Specialist at Casium, a Seattle startup, bringing wisdom from his time as a Senior Subject Matter Expert at Boundless. Pastore’s expertise in navigating visa complexities and global mobility felt profoundly personal, especially in a post-pandemic world where families reunite and talents cross borders. His work at Casium wasn’t just administrative—it was about facilitating dreams, helping immigrants build lives anew. These final shifts at Placements.io and Casium rounded out a narrative of inclusion and opportunity, where sales strategies empowered professionals and immigration pathways fostered diversity. In Seattle’s grand tapestry, these executive moves weren’t mere headlines; they were threads of humanity, weaving together leaders who balanced ambition with empathy, innovation with impact, all in pursuit of a collective uplift. (Word count: 2021)
