CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 16, 2016 – Quickbase Inc., a leading low-code application development platform provider, today announced that Rick Willett, currently chairman of the board at Quickbase, has been appointed to take on the additional responsibilities of CEO. Former CEO Allison Mnookin will stay on with the company as a member of the board of directors. These changes will be effective immediately.
As a multi-time CEO, Willett brings a depth of enterprise sales experience and private equity success. As chairman of the board since the purchase of Quickbase in April 2016 by Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, he enters this new role as CEO with experience and an understanding of the unique nuances of Quickbase’s market. Mnookin will remain involved with the company on the board of directors, continuing to partner with Willett on company and product strategy.
“As chairman of the board Rick has been an integral part of the team. He shares in our vision for helping businesses drive productivity and digitally transform with no-code ease,” said Allison Mnookin, member, the board of directors, Quickbase. “I look forward to continuing to work together in our new roles.”
“Allison has done a phenomenal job, successfully leading Quickbase through its separation from Intuit, while driving rapid growth to further capitalize on the market opportunity,” said Rick Willett, CEO, Quickbase. “I’m excited about the incredible opportunity ahead and I look forward to leading the company through its next phase of growth, innovation and market leadership.”
This change is a natural evolution for the company, capitalizing on existing Quickbase leadership and positioning the company for further success. Willett and Mnookin bring complementary skill sets and a successful track record as a leadership team having successfully exited Intuit to become an independent company with no customer disruption.
Willett is a seasoned industry veteran who brings a strong track record for leading high-growth organizations and scaling businesses in competitive markets. He has more than 15 years of experience leading private-equity sponsored companies and currently serves as a senior operating executive for Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe. Willett was previously the CEO of Ascend Learning, the leading provider of software and on-line content solutions for healthcare professionals. Prior to Ascend Learning, he was the CEO of NewPage, a $4B manufacturing company and the COO of Teleglobe, a $1.2B software-enabled telecom services business. Before Teleglobe, he had a 12-year career at General Electric that included positions as a division CFO as well as in general management and engineering.
Prior to her appointment as CEO of Quickbase, Mnookin served as general manager of the Quickbase Business Unit for five years while it was a division of Intuit. Previously, she held leadership positions in Intuit’s Small Business Division, including general manager of a $500M portfolio of small business products that included QuickBooks. Mnookin was also instrumental in the early formation and growth of Quicken Loans. She also served on the board of Fleetmatics, (NYSE: FLTX), a leading global provider of fleet management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses.