Auckland, New Zealand 04 April 2011 — Sonar6, the performance management software innovator, has announced the appointment of Michael Carden (formerly GM Sales & Marketing) to the role of CEO.
The change in management comes as Sonar6 celebrates its fifth year of operations and experiences a continued period of unprecedented growth.
Outgoing CEO John Holt says the difficult decision to step down was important for the continued success of the company. While an external replacement search was considered, it was quickly apparent an internal candidate would be more suitable.
“We needed someone in the top role who understands where Sonar6 has come from; how the company has grown and where we need to take it next. Critically, we needed someone who can ensure the values, culture and positive environment in the company will be maintained as it continues to grow.
“Mike has obviously been with the company since day one, and really embodies the Sonar6 values. His contribution to the business has been phenomenal and there was really no better or more obvious choice for the CEO role.”
Incoming CEO Michael Carden holds Business and Science Degrees from the University of Auckland and has lived and worked in over 20 countries. He has had a long career in IT marketing for Panasonic, Acer and as General Manager Consumer Business for Hewlett-Packard, during which time he was involved in the successful launch of the HP Pavilion Home PC. He has also held a position on the HP Consumer Business Council helping shape HP’s consumer business in Asia-Pacific, as well as working as an independent consultant expanding HP into emerging markets. He co-founded Sonar6 in 2006 and says the experience of building the company from the ground up has been extremely rewarding.
“From an idea three of us had five years ago, we’ve built a successful business with a great team and customers all around the world. But we’ve really only just begun. We’re 5 years old now; as a company we’ve finished kindergarten and we’re just starting school.”
While Holt stepped down from the CEO role on April 01 2011, he will remain on the Board and will continue to be involved in special projects for the company.
For a slightly different perspective on the CEO changeover, check out the video at http://blog.sonar6.com/2011/meet-our-new-ceo/
About Sonar6:
Based in Auckland, NZ and San Francisco, CA, Sonar6 provides online performance reviews and succession planning solutions to companies around the world. Sonar6’s stunning graphics-based approach to performance reviews has won numerous awards and plaudits including naming as a Gartner Cool Vendor and inclusion in HR Executive’s Top Ten HR Products.
Sonar6 is used by hundreds of international customers including Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Informatica, Pandora, CMC, Aggreko and Kiwibank.
For further information, please contact
Michael Carden
CEO, Sonar6
mcarden(at)sonar6.com
This press release was distributed through PR Web by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.