Untangle Taps CFO Jonathan Spira to Facilitate Aggressive Growth
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (May 28, 2014) – Untangle, Inc., a security software and appliance company, today announced the appointment of Jonathan Spira as Chief Financial Officer. An experienced leader of high growth technology and Internet companies, Spira will help drive Untangle’s aggressive acquisition strategy.
“Untangle’s operations are significantly more complex following the recent acquisitions of Cymphonix, eSoft and the merger with Total Defense,” said Bob Walters, CEO of Untangle. “Jonathan’s very relevant M&A expertise lends itself well to implementing best practices and the robust and efficient shared operations infrastructure necessary for successful growth.”
A finance and operations executive, Mr. Spira specializes in building high growth, dynamic technology firms. “I’m excited for the opportunity to join Untangle and help drive its explosive growth trajectory,” Spira said. “Untangle’s unique approach to delivering products, together with the strong value it provides customers, gives the company extraordinary disruptive potential in the security and networking arena.”
For over 10 years, Untangle has been successfully selling IT to SMB, a notoriously challenging space. The company’s disciplined approach in sales, marketing and operations, combined with a Web-based infrastructure, has been a catalyst for its recent growth via acquisitions of companies that benefit from leveraging its infrastructure and expertise.
Jonathan has served as chief financial officer at publicly-traded online video advertising firm blnkx plc (LON:BLNX), Web 2.0 software company Kapow Technologies, wireless networking pioneer Packethop, EDA software developer Atrenta, Web-based CRM solution provider ePeople, and publicly-traded enterprise software developer Autonomy Corp. (LON:AU), where he spearheaded a successful $50 million IPO in 1998.
Before serving as a CFO, Mr. Spira held senior finance and planning positions at The Walt Disney Co., PepsiCo Inc. and Nestlé Food Company and worked as a consultant in Peat Marwick’s Merger & Acquisition practice.
As a consultant, Jonathan provided executive coaching and part-time CFO / COO services, worked with management teams to guide their companies to profitability and helped clients successfully manage early-stage growth before they were ready to bring a full-time Chief Financial Officer onto the team.
An avid historic car and vintage motor sports enthusiast, Mr. Spira is a three-time Chair of the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance, the longest continuously running classic car show in the United States.
Jonathan earned a Masters in Business Administration from Cornell University, where he was also awarded the University’s Robinson-Appel Humanitarian Award. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Kenyon College.
About Untangle
Untangle makes an integrated suite of security software and appliances with enterprise-grade capabilities and consumer-oriented simplicity. Untangle’s award-winning software is trusted by over 400,000 customers, protecting nearly 5 million people, their computers and networks. Untangle is committed to putting its transparently priced software directly in the hands of its users for evaluation via free download. With this try-before-you-buy approach, Untangle enables organizations to take control of their systems within minutes and at no risk. Untangle is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit untangle.com or call (866) 233-2296.
