ContactMonkey founder Scott Pielsticker is stepping aside from his leadership role as the internal communications and employee engagement company welcomes Jeff Cates as its new CEO.
Pielsticker—who has led the company since 2010—said he would take an active role on ContactMonkey’s board of directors while Cates takes the role of CEO.
“With strong momentum and a clear path ahead, I made the decision that now is the right time to transition leadership.”
Scott Pielsticker, ContactMonkey
ContactMonkey provides internal communication software tools for businesses and organizations through a platform that is able to integrate with email providers like Outlook and Gmail. ContactMonkey allows companies to track internal emails, segment parts of their employee audience, collect feedback, and analyze employee engagement.
Over its tenure the company has earned spots on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 list and The Globe and Mail’s Top Growing Companies rankings.
In 2023, ContactMonkey announced a $55 million Series A funding round led by Updata Partners, a US-based private equity investment firm focused on business-to-business software companies.
“With strong momentum and a clear path ahead, I made the decision that now is the right time to transition leadership,” Pielsticker said in a statement released on Tuesday. “Jeff Cates is the ideal leader for our next phase of growth, and I look forward to supporting him and the team from the board.”
Cates is no stranger to employee engagement or to helming a fast-growing company. The Canadian tech exec was most recently the CEO of Achievers, an employee engagement provider that focuses on improving workplace culture and employee retention. During his years at Achievers, Cates led the company through its spin-out from FinTech firm Blackhawk Network, and oversaw its international expansion.
RELATED: ContactMonkey raises $55-million Series A from Updata Partners
Prior to that, Cates spent years as the CEO and president of Intuit Canada, as well as in leadership positions at Apple Canada and HP.
Since ContactMonkey’s Series A raise, the company has been focused on accelerating product development through integrations with human resource information systems and AI tools that improve employee engagement across different languages and geographic locations, as well as on expanding its international footprint.
All images courtesy ContactMonkey.