ZeroTurnaround welcomes Alex Laats as new President & COO
The first thing you notice about Alex Laats is how he looks like he could take on Chuck Norris. But go past the tough facade, fashioned over the last 8 years building up and selling IT firms that have specialities in military technology, and you will find a calm, down-to-earth guy.
From April 15th, ZeroTurnaround’s Boston offices (our HQ is *still* in Tartu, Estonia) is where you will find Alex much of the time during the day, taking the position of ZeroTurnaround’s President and Chief Operating Officer.
With Estonian roots and a history of turning small, niche IT startups into powerhouse suppliers later bought out by major firms like Raytheon (Laats was Division President at BBN Technologies since 2004, which Raytheon bought for $350 million USD in 2009), Alex is looking to hit the ground running at ZeroTurnaround.
“[ZeroTurnaround's] products are delivering real value for customers and the product vision is fantastic,” said Alex in an interview with the Boston Business Journal.
As COO and President, Alex will be challenging himself with the responsibilities of ZeroTurnaround’s day-to-day operations, finances, HR, analytics and go-to-market strategies.
“Alex has a great deal of experience taking products to market, forging strategic alliances and building an analytics machine across sales, marketing, finance and operations. I believe that his skills and experience will complement mine greatly, allowing me to focus more on our roadmap, products, customers and outreach. It is our hope to forge a partnership that will help this company grow while preserving our mission,” commented ZeroTurnaround’s CEO, Jevgeni Kabanov.
Welcome to the team, Alex – and may the force be with you…
