SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TASER
International, Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR), today announced the
addition of two key leadership roles: Kathy
Trontell joins from Tesla as Chief Information Officer and
Jason Hartford joins from GoPro as
Senior Director of Product Management.
"I am thrilled to have Kathy and Jason joining our team," says
Rick Smith, TASER CEO &
co-founder. "Both of these leaders are bringing key domain
expertise from great companies to help our vision of building out
the Axon network."
Trontell joined TASER from Silicon Valley in December 2016 to lead the company's Information
Technology & Services organization, which works to enable
TASER's growth, agility and success with technology. She has held
senior leadership roles in diverse disciplines including IT,
finance, sales strategy & operations, manufacturing, and more,
at companies including Tesla Motors, Salesforce, Symantec, and
NetApp. Trontell holds a combined degree in Architecture and
Mechanical Engineering from Princeton
University.
"TASER's mission to protect life depends on the impressive
collection of talented people they've amassed over the years," said
Trontell. "The Axon network is in a position to grow with robust
technological bedrock underpinning it. This work truly matters, and
I'm delighted to be experiencing the best attributes of Silicon
Valley here in the Valley of the Sun."
Hartford comes most recently from GoPro where he was Sr.
Director of Product Management of Cameras. There he led the product
teams to successful launches of the flagship HERO4, HERO5 and
Session cameras, as well as GoPro's 360/spherical capture rigs. In
addition, Hartford led the development of features to enable a
smart and connected camera experience with apps and the cloud. He
has also had leadership roles in product management, business
planning, operations and sales support at Hewlett-Packard and other
technology companies. Hartford holds a B.S. from Montana State University and an MBA from
Arizona State University.
"I've always been passionate about delivering product solutions
that make a meaningful difference in people's lives," says
Hartford. "At TASER, I get to join a talented team where I can
continue to push the limits of technology to create devices and
applications that truly impact public safety. I couldn't be more
excited to get to work with this amazing team."
These new hires follow the pivotal 2016 Q4 hire of Todd Basche, who now leads the hardware
engineering (CEWs and cameras), hardware product management, and
test and validation teams. At Apple, Basche was hired to pitch new
ideas to Steve Jobs and led all
software development for iLife, the integrated suite of software
including iTunes, iMovie, and iPhoto.
With the addition of Trontell and Hartford, TASER & Axon's
leadership team is well positioned to take Axon to its next phase
of growth. These key additions mark a significant milestone in the
company's plan to build out the Axon network. TASER's transition
from a weapons manufacturer to global leader in software and
connected devices started when the company announced Axon and
Evidence.com in 2008. In 2010 the company added Hadi Partovi, CEO of Code.org and an early
investor in Facebook and Dropbox, to their board to advise their
software strategy. In 2014 the company added Bret Taylor, CEO of Quip and former CTO of
Facebook to their board to further advise their strategy on
connected devices, software, and artificial intelligence.
In addition to adding board members and key leaders, TASER &
Axon have also made a number of strategic acquisitions, starting
with Familiar, a photo sharing app, in 2013. The CEO of Familiar,
Inc., Marcus Womack, now serves as
the EVP of Software and Services and is the GM for Axon's
Seattle office. Earlier this year
the company announced the acquisition of two artificial
intelligence companies to form a new group in the company called
"Axon AI."
Recruiting the right talent has been a major strategic focus for
the company over the last five years. In that time, the company has
employed a number of recruiting tactics, including placing
billboards on the highways in between San
Francisco and San Jose and
offering Tesla Model 3's to critical hires as signing bonuses.
"I've been very pleased with our Write Code. Save Lives.
recruiting campaign," says CEO Rick
Smith. "We've been able to attract great talent from the
best companies in tech. These latest leadership additions are part
of a much larger strategic initiative. We've got some exciting
announcements in the days and weeks to come. Stay tuned..."
About the Axon network:
The Axon network includes more than 100,000 licensed users from
around the world and is changing the future of public safety.
Axon protects life by connecting devices, apps and people onto
one centralized network. Our technologies impact every aspect of an
officer's day-to-day experience:
- In the field - Our Smart Weapons offer a less-lethal
intermediate force option and have helped saved more than 180,000
lives from death or serious injury; our body-worn and in-car
cameras collect video evidence to capture the truth of an incident;
and our mobile applications enable simple evidence collection
- At the station - Our secure, cloud-based digital
evidence management solution allows officers and command staff to
manage, review, share and process digital evidence using forensic,
redaction, transcription and other tools
- In the courtroom - Our solutions for prosecutors make
collaborating across jurisdictions and agencies easy so that cases
can be resolved quickly
Follow the TASER and Axon brand here:
- Axon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AxonTechnology
- TASER on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OfficialTASER
- Axon on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Axon/117780381886687
- TASER on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TASER.International
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/71228
- TASER Blog: http://blog.taser.com/
About TASER International, Inc.
TASER International makes communities safer with innovative
public safety technologies. Founded in 1993, TASER first
transformed law enforcement with its electrical weapons. TASER
continues to define smarter policing with its Axon brand which
includes a growing suite of connected products and services from
body cameras and digital evidence management tools to mobile apps.
More than 180,000 lives have been saved from death or serious
injury with TASER's products and services. Learn more at
www.taser.com and www.axon.io or by calling (800) 978-2737.
TASER® is a registered trademark of TASER International, Inc.,
registered in the U.S. TASER logo, Axon, Axon Flex, Body 2 and
Evidence.com are trademarks of TASER International, Inc., some of
which are registered in the US and in other countries. GoPro and
HERO are trademarks of GoPro, Inc.; iTunes, iMovie, and iPhoto are
trademarks of Apple Inc.; and Tesla is a trademark of Tesla Motors,
Inc.
Note to Investors
Please visit http://investor.taser.com, http://blog.taser.com,
www.twitter.com/officialtaser, and
https://www.facebook.com/TASER.International where TASER discloses
information from time to time about the company, its financial
information, and its business.
Visit our Investor Relations Safe Harbor Statement at:
http://investor.taser.com/safeHarbor.cfm
For investor relations information please contact Arvind Bobra via email at IR@taser.com.
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SOURCE TASER International, Inc.