Neat, the pioneering video technology company, announced that Janine Pelosi has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2023.
Neat Co-founder Simen Teigre, who has served as CEO since the company’s formation, has transitioned to the role of Chief of Emerging Innovations, focusing on radical product innovation and incubation. Pelosi and Teigre will both serve on Neat’s Board of Directors.
Janine brings nearly two decades of experience in the technology industry, most recently serving as Chief Marketing Officer of Zoom where she led the company’s brand strategy, demand generation, and online business from startup to IPO, and beyond.
Neat was founded in 2019 to solve the many challenges of the meeting room. Since then, the company has raised over $73 million and sold over 200,000 devices to more than 12,500 enterprises including Atlassian, HubSpot, and Rakuten. With a robust portfolio of innovative video hardware devices and unique software experiences, Neat helps businesses around the globe connect and engage fluidly in today’s hybrid work environment.
“Janine’s visionary leadership in navigating the path to global scale, while remaining focused on the customer experience, will be instrumental to accelerate Neat’s continued growth,” said OJ Winge, Neat’s Co-Founder and Board Chair, and Co-founder of Ubon Partners, the majority shareholder in Neat. “As a key member of the executive leadership team at Zoom, Janine had a strong hand in building it from a small software startup into a globally recognized powerhouse, and her experience will be invaluable as Neat begins the journey towards public company readiness.”
“Neat has an incredible product, team, and market opportunity ahead,” said Pelosi. “As businesses manage both the benefits and complexities of hybrid work, Neat supports this new landscape and empowers teams to connect and accomplish more together. I’m excited to bring these capabilities to a broader customer base; work closely with Microsoft, Zoom, and our expanding ecosystem of partnering apps and services; and join forces with a team of brilliant, entrepreneurial individuals.”
“Janine has been a friend and supporter of Neat since our launch in 2019. I am thrilled to now welcome her as our new CEO,” said Teigre. “Her deep understanding of our technology and products, as well as her genuine passion for helping customers navigate the future of work, make her a perfect culture fit for our team. I’m excited for my new role, where I will focus my time and energy on what I love most – Neat’s products – making sure that we continue delivering game-changing technology experiences while expanding our software offering.”
Additional Leadership Appointments
In the past year, Neat has bolstered its go-to-market leadership team. This includes industry expert Todd Meister, Chief Operating Officer for Neat, former SVP of Global Partners & Alliances at Zscaler, and former VP of Commercial Central Sales for Cisco; Martijn Blokland, VP & GM, International; and Rick Hill, VP & GM, Americas.
Neat has also hired veterans of the communication and collaboration space to lead engineering and marketing teams in this next phase of growth. Kevin McMenamy joined Neat as VP Software Engineering & CTO in September 2023. A 26+ year veteran of the real-time communications industry, he brings deep expertise in audio and video conferencing, as well as years of experience leading engineering teams and working across all aspects of the real-time communications portfolio. Kevin most recently served as Chief Architect of Webex Media Engineering at Cisco. Priscilla Barolo joined Neat in September 2023 as Head of Marketing & Communications. Previously, Priscilla was Head of Communications for Zoom, where she owned the communications strategy through every major milestone and transition of the company for nearly a decade.
About Janine Pelosi
Janine Pelosi brings nearly two decades of experience in the technology industry, most recently serving as Chief Marketing Officer of Zoom from 2015 to 2023. During her tenure at Zoom, she helmed the company’s bold brand strategy, powerful demand engines, and e-commerce business that fueled its transformation into a globally recognized enterprise. She served as part of the early founding team and was a key executive navigating Zoom in its early stages, to its successful IPO, and through the massive growth experienced during the global pandemic. Prior to joining Zoom, Pelosi led global demand generation at Webex, before and after its acquisition by Cisco. Building on her experience overseeing Zoom’s corporate responsibility initiatives, she serves as a board member for technology-focused NGOs. Pelosi also works with early stage founders as an advisor and investor. In 2020, Pelosi was named one of the most innovative CMOs in the world by Business Insider and included in Fortune’s 40 Under 40. Pelosi holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from San Jose State University.
About Neat
Neat is a video technology company providing a complete portfolio of pioneering devices that address any space in today’s modern workplace. Designing engaging experiences that allow you to meet, create, and collaborate whenever, wherever, and however you want, Neat devices natively support Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and a range of compelling business applications. Neat inspires people to unleash their creativity and “flow with the moment,” giving everyone the choice and flexibility to always be at their best.
Learn more at neat.no.
About Ubon Partners
Ubon Partners is a private investment company focused on technology and growth companies. Since its formation in 2013, Ubon has supported entrepreneurs who want to change their industries and the world. Co-founders Fredrik Halvorsen and OJ Winge, and Partner Mark Blake, have long-standing track records of building transformative companies, including Tandberg (acq. Cisco), Acano (acq. Cisco), and Ava Security (acq. Motorola Solutions).
Learn more at ubonpartners.com.