Doug Coull & Mike Estrada transition to support new investment cycle
SmartSearch is excited to announce that LJ Morris, who has served as Chief Technology Officer and has been with the business for 22 years, was promoted to President on September 1st, 2020.
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This change has been in discussion for the past several months as former CEO Doug Coull and former CFO Mike Estrada have been planning for retirement. Both Coull and Estrada are now operating as Executive Advisors, to support the transition and new investment cycle, where they will remain with the board for 5 years and 12 months, respectively.
Coull stated: “This marks an exciting new period for SmartSearch. It has been a wonderful journey building a win-win relationship with a great team and fantastic customers. I will miss being a part of the daily activity, yet I am pleased to have LJ leading the way forwards and continuing our legacy.”
Morris stated: “I am truly appreciative for the opportunity that Doug and Mike have provided me to lead this business into the next chapter. With a focus on remaining close to the core product, I have a great deal of enthusiasm for spending more time with customers and learning where they would like us to take the product to support their future business objectives.”
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In support of this transition, HUDDL3 group, advised by De Bellas & Co, led the acquisition of the equity interests of Coull and Estrada. Dane Groeneveld, CEO of HUDDL3 group, acknowledges De Bellas’ role in navigating the transaction that provides additional growth capital and shared services to the SmartSearch organization, which will continue to operate as an independent business.
In one of his first decisions, Morris has hired Farshad Farhand as the new VP of Software Development. Farhand has a great deal of experience supporting the development of new software applications. He also brings a network of tried and tested engineering and programming resources and possesses strong training and mentoring skills to support SmartSearch’s future growth.
Focusing on the future, Groeneveld stated: “SmartSearch has a fantastic product and team that we are excited to invest behind. LJ has a clear vision for the development of new applications, including AI, to support customers increasingly digital and real time talent acquisition and management. This fits with our view on contributing to a human centered design for the Future of Work.”
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