After rumors began to fly surrounding Bre Pettis stepping down from his position as CEO of MakerBot, we checked in with the company to find out their context. Though the founder of the desktop 3D printer manufacturer, purchased by Stratasys last summer, will be moving on from his role as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, the move is part of an overall shift in management for the company.
As it turns out, Pettis will me moving from the subsidiary to Stratasys itself, where he, according to Stratasys CEO, David Reis, will have more control over guiding MakerBot’s vision. Pettis will also be a member of MakerBot’s Board of Directors. To replace him, the company’s president, Jenny Lawton, has stepped up as CEO. The entire management team has then shifted upwards, as you’ll note in the Stratasys CEO’s comment below:
Stratasys and MakerBot are excited to announce some management changes at MakerBot that will take effect in the 3rd and 4th quarter of 2014 and into January 2015. Most notably, Bre Pettis will be transitioning from the day-to-day activities of management to a position with Stratasys where he will be able to influence and direct the vision of MakerBot and Stratasys; he will also be a member of the MakerBot Board of Directors. Jenny Lawton, president of MakerBot, will be promoted to the role of CEO of MakerBot; Frank Alfano is being moved from chief revenue officer to president. Aric Jennings, chief operations officer for MakerBot, will also transition into the international role of vice president of global manufacturing for Stratasys. We are excited about these promotions and pleased to continue the positive momentum that Stratasys and MakerBot have experienced and achieved.
Though the rumors seem justified to some extent, the Stratasys head makes it sound as though Bre’s new role will give him greater control over the direction of the company. What sort of control this means exactly is still unclear. And, whether or not Bre will still be the company’s mascot hasn’t been made evident either. Hopefully, the public will know more soon!
