Mark Ashida. (OfficeSpace Photo)

OfficeSpace, a leading commercial real estate listing service based in Seattle, is under new leadership. The company appointed longtime tech executive and former Microsoft general manager Mark Ashida as its new CEO Tuesday.

Ashida replaces OfficeSpace Founder and CEO Susie Algard, who will now serve as the chair of the company’s board.

Ashida’s experience as a tech leader is hard to overstate. His resume includes four years as the general manager of Microsoft’s Windows Enterprise Networking Group. He founded and led security startup PassEdge until it was acquired by InterTrust, then served as InterTrust’s COO until it was acquired by Microsoft. His most recent role was as the CEO of cloud backup service Symform, which Quantum acquired and later shut down. He also serves as the chairman of the board of directors for Seattle’s Center for Infectious Disease Research.

“Under Susie Algard’s leadership, the OfficeSpace.com team has built a revolutionary platform that better facilitates the necessary relationship between brokers and tenants,” Ashida said in a press release. “I believe that there are many future prospects for the commercial real estate market that remain untapped, especially as brokers and tenants continue to move towards internet platforms as their operating dashboard to list and find office space. I am very excited about the opportunity to lead OfficeSpace.com into its next phase of growth.”

Matt Bartow. (Insitu Photo)

— Insitu, the Boeing-owned drone maker, announced Tuesday that it has promoted longtime employee Matt Bartow as its new chief technology officer. He replaces Pete Kunz, who left the CTO role to serve as the chief technologist at Boeing’s innovation group, HorizonX.

Bartow joined Insitu in 2009 and has held various roles during his time there, including director of products and director of engineering. He formerly spent six years at Boeing and began his career as a materials scientist in NASA’s Glenn Research Center.

The announcement comes a week after the company’s CEO and president Ryan Hartman left Insitu to become CEO of Hood Technology Corp. An Insitu spokesperson told GeekWire the company is searching for a new CEO and isn’t planning to appoint an interim CEO.

Boeing acquired Insitu in 2008. The company makes unmanned aerial systems including ScanEagle, Integrator and RQ-21A Blackjack for military and commercial use.

Bill McClain. (Phytelligence Photo)

Phytelligence, a biotech startup that uses high-tech gel to grow crops, has tapped former Clarisonic and Phillips marketing leader Bill McClain to serve as the company’s executive vice president of marketing.

McClain most recently served as an instructor at the University of Washington and has held marketing leadership roles at skincare company Clarisonic, owned by L’Oreal, and electric toothbrush maker Sonicare. After Sonicare was acquired by Phillips, he joined Phillips and eventually led marketing for the company’s oral care products in Europe.

Phytelligence, a 70-person company that spun out of Washington State University, raised $7 million last year. Its momentum earned it a place on the 2017 Seattle 10, GeekWire’s annual selection of the 10 hottest startups in the Pacific Northwest.

“I’m excited to be part of such an innovative company that’s making a real difference,” McClain said in a press release. “In partnership with growers, Phytelligence brings more high-nutrition food to market faster and more sustainably. I look forward to building on the brand’s success with new international marketing initiatives.”

Jim Thomson. (HNTB Photo)

HNTB Corporation, the national civil engineering company, promoted longtime executive and former Northwest District leader Jim Thomson to serve as a senior vice president. Thompson is based in the company’s Bellevue, Wash., office and will work on projects throughout the Western U.S.

Thomson first joined HNTB in 1987 and served as the Northwest District leader and a vice president beginning in 2011. HNTB’s projects in the Seattle area include many high-profile infrastructure projects like the SR 99 tunnel, improvements to the Mercer Street corridor and several extensions of Seattle’s Link light rail network. The company employs 180 in the Seattle region.

Kevin Williams. (Act-On Photo)

— Portland, Ore., tech executive Kevin Williams joined marketing automation company Act-On Software as its new senior vice president of customer success. He joins the company from Aurea Software, where he was the VP of customer success. Williams previously spent eleven years at Jive Software, eventually serving as the company’s VP of customer support.

“Our success is integrally tied to our customers’ success and I am looking forward to positively impacting both as I actively help marketers realize the true potential of adaptive marketing to grow their business by better anticipating, automating, and accelerating their engagement efforts,” Williams said in a press release.

Dan Lyons. (Fitcode Photo)

— Fitcode, a Kirkland, Wash.,-based startup that uses tech to help customers navigate online clothes shopping, added Dan Lyons as director of sales. Lyons was most recently an account executive at PayScale and formerly held roles at real-time analytics company NeuStar, public relations company Cision and cybersecurity analytics company DomainTools.

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.