Tech

Veteran U.S. executive Tom Keiser will replace Ryan Holmes as Hootsuite CEO next month

by Charlie Smith on June 29th, 2020 at 12:22 PM
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      The former chief operating officer of a California software company will move into the top position at one of Vancouver's best-known tech firms.

      On July 6, Tom Keiser will replace company founder Ryan Holmes as CEO. Holmes will remain chairman of the board. 

      During Keiser's four-year tenure at Zendesk, annual revenues climbed from $200 million to nearly $1 billion.

      “Hootsuite is the pioneer in social media management software, and continues to lead the pack—I couldn’t be more excited and proud to join the company at this pivotal point in its journey,” Keiser said in a company news release. “I have tremendous respect for the global brand and enterprise Ryan and the team have built for over a decade while maintaining a strong company culture.

      "Throughout my career I’ve learned how impactful a passionate and aligned culture, product, and team can be. I look forward to building off the momentum created here at Hootsuite to help lead the company into its next stage of growth.” 

      Prior to being employed at Zendesk, Keiser was executive vice president of global product operations for Gap Inc., which owns Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic stores.

      Zendesk and Gap Inc. are both public companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

      “Tom stood out from the start as a rare leader who has been successful in building high-performance teams that lift each other up while improving the customer experience and increasing the speed of value delivery,” Holmes said. “It’s with pride and confidence that I hand over the reins to Tom and watch excitedly from a new seat as Hootsuite drives into its next era of growth and potential.”

      Several years ago, then Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson (right) joined Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes to celebrate after company secured new headquarters from the City of Vancouver in Mount Pleasant.

      Holmes revealed last November that he planned to step down as CEO. In an interview with the Financial Post, he also said that there were no plans to take the company public.

      Hootsuite describes itself as the world's most widely used platform for managing social media, with more than 18 million users.

      It was founded in 2008 and was valued at $750 million in 2019. A few months later, Hootsuite laid off dozens of staff "to drive greater alignment with our growing company's strategic priorities".

      Hootsuite founder Ryan Holmes can look forward to spending more time with his family after he ceases being CEO of the company.

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