Tech Moves: Smartsheet Appoints CISO; Amazon Attorney Retires; Former Carbon CEO Joins Stacklok

New Leadership in the Tech Sector

Ravi Soin has joined Smartsheet as chief information security officer. Soin previously served on the leadership team at Edifecs, a company based in Bellevue, Washington, for over 14 years. His background also includes nearly a decade at Microsoft, where he held the role of group program manager for Bing social initiatives.

"As we continue to scale and expand our AI capabilities, Ravi’s leadership will be instrumental in reinforcing our commitment to security excellence and delivering a trusted enterprise experience for our global customers," said Cynthia Tee, Smartsheet’s chief technology officer.

Smartsheet, an enterprise software company based in Bellevue, recently went private again in a significant $8.4 billion deal.

A New Chapter for Mark Hoffman

After nearly 16 years with Amazon, attorney Mark Hoffman has left the company. Hoffman most recently held the title of vice president and associate general counsel of corporate and securities, as well as head of legal operations. He began his career at Riddell Williams and was a partner at both Gray Cary and DLA Piper before joining Amazon.

Hoffman shared that he was "fortunate to have found such a wonderful group of smart, dedicated, creative, fun, and honorable people with whom to work." He added, "Onward to travel, family time, board service, obscure hobbies, and all that the next chapter brings."

Derek Tu Joins Stacklok

Former Carbon CEO Derek Tu has joined Stacklok as director of product management. The Seattle-based startup is focused on developing AI assistants, agents, and models.

"We’re building a centralized control plane that gives security and IT leaders full visibility and governance over how agents access data and invoke tools — unlocking safe, scalable AI adoption in the enterprise," Tu stated on LinkedIn.

Tu co-founded Carbon in 2022, and the startup was acquired by OpenAI rival Perplexity in December. Prior to that, he worked as a tech leader and early employee at Los Angeles e-commerce company Italic and held product roles at Wayfair, Flywire, and 6sense.

Himanshu Tayal at AI House

Himanshu Tayal has become a resident expert at AI House, a hub supporting artificial intelligence startups and the AI sector. Tayal previously worked at Amazon Web Services in generative AI and held positions at Microsoft and Amazon.

Joseph Sunga Promoted at Waabi

Joseph Sunga has been promoted to director of product management at Waabi, a Toronto-based autonomous vehicle startup with a team of Seattle engineers. Sunga's past roles include management positions at multiple Seattle companies, including Aura, Mighty AI, Amazon, and TeachStreet.

Sarah Bell Joins E8 Angels

Sarah Bell is now pipeline and portfolio lead for E8 Angels, a Seattle-based investment organization focused on climate issues. Before this role, Bell was an operating partner and chief of staff at LeapSheep for nine years, helping startup founders navigate business development challenges.

"[Bell] is passionate about accelerating the clean energy transition while expanding opportunities for both investors and entrepreneurs," E8 posted on LinkedIn, highlighting her expertise in climate tech, agtech, and space tech.

Christin Camacho Leaves LevelTen Energy

Christin Camacho has left her role as vice president of marketing for Seattle’s LevelTen Energy after nearly seven years with the company. The startup runs an online marketplace facilitating clean energy projects.

"We built awareness that there was a better, faster way to do deals with clean energy projects, helping LevelTen facilitate over $25 billion in clean energy transactions and over 150 [power purchase agreements] since 2018," she said on LinkedIn.

The startup disclosed in August that it was laying off 60 employees. Camacho is currently looking for a role in clean energy, corporate sustainability, regenerative agriculture, or social impact.

Ross Kenyon at Washington Maritime Blue

Nori co-founder Ross Kenyon is now executive in residence at Washington Maritime Blue, an organization supporting the maritime sector and sustainability. Kenyon helped launch Seattle’s Nori in 2017, creating a marketplace for farmers to sell carbon removal credits for engaging in climate-friendly agricultural practices.

Nori closed last year after raising $17.25 million from investors. Kenyon has since worked with multiple organizations supporting climate tech startups and their founders.