Monetate names new CEO, Lucinda Duncalfe to remain on board of directors

Lucinda Duncalfe, likely the leading figure of female tech CEOs in the region, has stepped down from her leadership position at venture-backed Monetate, which she held since 2014.

A new CEO has been announced in Stephen Collins, the former president and CFO of AI-based adtech company Quantcast. The Asheville, N.C.-based exec and investor will relocate to Conshohocken to be close to the largest of the company’s four offices.

Collins was chosen after what Duncalfe said was a “rigorous search” of over 200 candidates. Duncalfe will remain on the board of directors and remains “highly active” in the company.

“We could not have selected a more qualified CEO than Stephen,” said Duncalfe. “After a rigorous search and considering over 200 candidates, we found the right person with the right vision to lead us. I am confident that he will deliver extraordinary results for our clients, employees, and investors.”

Collins shares a link to Monetate by way of Austin, Texas, SaaS company BazaarVoice. From 2010 to 2014, he served on different positions in the company’s leadership team, including CEO from 2012 to 2014. BazaarVoice, which had a successful IPO and was later acquired and delisted, counted First Round Capital among its backers, as did Monetate.

“Stephen brings a tremendous amount of expertise and insight to Monetate,” said David Brussin, founder and chairman of Monetate. “As an industry veteran of high-growth SaaS companies, he has a proven track record of success and innovation. Stephen is a dynamic leader who cares deeply about customers and we are excited to have him lead us into Monetate’s next growth phase.”

When sussing out the region’s most promising tech-based companies, Monetate — founded in 2008 by Brussin and Amino cofounder David Bookspan — has long been among the top echelon thanks to the popularity of its ad personalization tools among corporations like Office Depot and National Geographic.

In January of last year, the company relocated its official headquarters to New York in a bid to stay closer to its clients and the epicenter of the global adtech scene. Days later, the company laid off 15 percent of its staff.

The company did not immediately say what the staff count is these days, but LinkedIn lists 153 employees.