Stathis Papaefstathiou. (Cray Photo)

Cray, the Seattle supercomputer maker, announced a new addition to its leadership team: tech veteran Stathis Papaefstathiou has joined the company as its senior vice president of research and development.

Papaefstathiou comes to Cray from his position as SVP of engineering at the California-based cloud tech company Aerohive Networks. His resume before that includes two years as VP of product development for F5 Networks’ cloud division, and three years as a general manager in charge of robotics at Microsoft.

At Cray, Papaefstathiou will be responsible for leading the software and hardware engineering efforts for all of the company’s research and development projects.

“At our core, we are an engineering company, and we’re excited to have Stathis’ impressive and diverse technical expertise in this key leadership position at Cray,” Peter Ungaro, president and CEO of Cray, said in a press release. “Leveraging the growing convergence of supercomputing and big data, Stathis will help us continue to build unique and innovative products for our broadening customer base.”

“My admiration and respect for Cray goes back to my days as a university research fellow, and throughout my career I have continued to hold the company’s engineering and R&D capabilities in very high regard,” Papaefstathiou said in the release. “Leading the R&D teams at Cray is both an honor and an exciting opportunity, and I look forward to working with this talented group to expand the boundaries of what can be made possible with a Cray supercomputer.”

Founded in 1972, Cray has had financial ups and downs over the past few decades. Last year, its shares sunk after reporting large losses, due to a downturn in the supercomputer market.

Jim Nida. (RealSelf Photo)

RealSelf, an online marketplace for patients seeking cosmetic surgery, also announced changes to its leadership this week: the company’s former VP of finance, Jim Nida, was promoted to CFO, and former Amazon manager Thomas Hickey joined the company as VP of performance marketing.

Previous to joining RealSelf, Nida held senior finance positions at Microsoft, Seattle-based marketing company aQuantive, and Philladelphia-based hospital NovaCare.

Hickey comes to RealSelf from a two-year stint as an independent strategy and marketing consultant. He previously held marketing leadership positions at Amazon, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Zillow and Expedia.

Thomas Hickey. (RealSelf Photo)

“I’m thrilled that Jim Nida is expanding his role as CFO and look forward to continuing to work closely with him to build a valuable, high growth, global business. Jim’s leadership, dedication, and focus has been instrumental in helping us achieve and sustain profitability over the past five years, and he will continue to play an integral role here at RealSelf,” Tom Seery, RealSelf Founder and CEO, said in a press release.

“I’m also very happy to welcome Thomas Hickey to the team,” Seery said. “Thomas brings a fantastic blend of performance marketing and business development expertise to RealSelf that will serve us well as we expand into new channels in 2017.”

Blake Ilstrup. (Orrick Photo)

— Orrick, a law firm serving the tech, energy, and infrastructure sectors, announced that KPI Therapeutics co-founder Blake Ilstrup has joined the firm as a partner and the head of its Seattle Technology Companies Group. Orrick has 25 offices worldwide, including six on the West Coast of the U.S.

Ilstrup co-founded KPI in 2014, and served as general counsel and executive vice president at the biotechnology startup until he left to join Orrick in September of last year. Ilstrup previously served as general council and senior vice president of business development at Seattle-based biotech startup Kineta.

“Blake is an exceptional counselor to tech and life sciences companies. He brings a rare and valuable mix of operational and entrepreneurial expertise as an in-house attorney and executive, and law firm experience practicing with some of the country’s leading tech practices,” said Stephen Venuto, leader of Orrick’s Technology Companies Group. “Many of us at Orrick have worked with Blake over the years, dating to our Venture Law Group days, and we are thrilled to have him back on our team and leading our Seattle practice.”

Mike Kollins. (Splash Photo)

Splash, a Seattle-based international nonprofit focused on preventing waterborne illnesses in children, announced that former PATH COO Mike Kollins has joined the company as its director of programs.

In the position, Kollins will lead existing programs that aim to bring clean water and hygiene best practices to children in underserved communities in Asia and Africa, and will also oversee the development of future programs. The nonprofit’s stated goal is to provide clean drinking water to one million children by 2020.

Kollins has a long history of nonprofit management, including his previous position at PATH and a former position as COO of the Seattle-based World Bicycle Relief.

“What attracted me to Splash is its groundbreaking approach to social justice and complete dedication to kids living in urban poverty,” Kollins said in a press release. “I believe that what Splash has already achieved is amazing and the future is even more exciting. I am honored to serve an organization that uses proven technology combined with innovative behavior change practices to provide access to healthy drinking water and sanitation and hygiene facilities for hundreds of thousands of children around the world.”

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline

Job Listings on GeekWork

Find more jobs on GeekWork. Employers, post a job here.