Chris Selland is a Boston-based Partner in TechCXO’s Executive Operations practice. As an expert in strategy and business development, boards, investors, and senior leadership teams turn to him for his invaluable insight as an interim and fractional Chief Executive Officer (CEO), President, and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO).
Chris is a seasoned leader with a proven track record of success in developing and executing go-to-market (GTM) and growth strategies. He has led multiple teams to hypergrowth, resulting in IPOs and acquisitions, and has broad and deep operating experience in startups, expansion-stage companies, and turnaround situations.
Chris is particularly passionate about developing key strategic alliances, identifying and developing highly productive partnerships that have accelerated progress toward critical strategic goals and led to numerous successful buy- and sell-side M&A transactions.
During his notable career, he has held the following positions:
President, Insignia Group – Chris is driving growth, Go-To-Market strategy and business transformation for Insignia Group, the leading provider of digital accessory selling platforms for the automotive & powersports industries.
CEO, DipJar – DipJar is a FinTech company specializing in innovative payment solutions for the non-profit and hospitality industries. As CEO, Chris was instrumental in executing a successful recapitalization & turnaround of the company, and its subsequent acquisition by DJ Capital Partners.
Vice President of Strategic Alliances & Corporate Development, Unifi Software – Chris spearheaded strategic alliances & growth initiatives for this Data as a Service platform provider, working closely with the CEO, founders & board to accelerate growth via key strategic alliances such as Microsoft, PwC, Adobe and Cloudera.
Vice President, WW Marketing, Alliances & OEM Sales, HPE Software – As VP of Marketing for the HP Vertica business unit, Chris helped lead the business through triple-digit growth, and spearheaded the launch of the HP Haven platform as well as the HP Big Data Conference. As VP of Alliances for HPE Software, he expanded the partner ecosystem and led business development efforts that supported platform expansion and corporate growth, and worked closely with HP Ventures and corporate development on a number of strategic deals.
Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, Hale Global – Chris led deal sourcing and worked with portfolio companies on EBITDA growth strategies for this innovative PE firm focused on buyouts and special situations.
VP of Business Development, Soundbite Communications – Chris forged key strategic alliances and business/corporate development strategies for this rapidly growing SaaS provider, while also negotiating the acquisition of SMS/text messaging provider, Mobile Collect.
Founder, Reservoir Partners – Chris founded Reservoir Partners, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) market research, and advisory firm. He later merged its research and consulting assets with Aberdeen Group, prior to Aberdeen’s acquisition by Harte-Hanks.
VP of CRM & Internet Research, the Yankee Group – Chris led the research department, focusing on customer relationship management (CRM) and internet research.
Director of International Marketing, ON Technology – Chris developed and supported international distribution channels for this rapidly growing groupware/collaboration software company.
Chris is an active voice in the Northeast and Global technology communities. He is an adjunct Faculty member at Northeastern D’Amore-McKim School of Business where he teaches Industry Disruption and Corporate Innovation, and a Contributing Writer for CIO Online.
Chris has also made significant contributions to the non-profit community, including the Northeastern McCarthy(s) Venture Mentor Network, Mass Technology Leadership Council, Cloud Software Association and CRM Association, as well as a Board Member & Director of the Needham Memorial Day Tournament, one of the largest youth soccer tournaments in the US.
Chris received his BS in Operations Research & Industrial Engineering from Cornell University and holds an MBA in International Business & Economics from NYU Stern School of Business.
Chris Selland in the News
Chris is an authoritative voice in the fields of the SaaS/software, AI/data and FinTech
- CIO Online – Recent pieces on Tech M&A, Vendor Consolidation, ROI on AI and other key tech Vendor and Buyer issues.
- ODBMS – An in-depth discussion on Customer Data Modeling.
- theCUBE – Chris engaged in multiple interviews aligned with key industry events. Chris maintains a strong relationship with theCUBE and its affiliate publications, SiliconAngle & Wikibon Research, ensuring an ongoing collaboration.