SugarSync, Inc.
Company: SugarSync, Inc. San Mateo, CA, U.S.A
Entry Submitted By: Lyman PR
Company Description: SugarSync is a leading provider of Personal Cloud services that enable users to access ALL of their data, anytime, anywhere, and from any device. SugarSync enables mobile consumers and professionals to backup, sync, access and share all their files on-the-go, instantly and securely from any Mac, PC, or mobile device (including iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Mobile devices).
Nomination Category: Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Executive – Service Businesses – up to 100 Employees
Nomination Title: Laura Yecies, Chief Executive Officer
Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated executive during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):
Throughout her career, Laura has developed her reputation by being hard-working, determined, and unafraid to take risks and face challenges head on. When she first joined SugarSync (which was Sharpcast at the time), the company was going through a major financial crisis where the founders were being replaced and the company was drastically shifting its business model. Employees throughout the company were scared and uncertain, and many began to jump ship. A situation like this would scare many a CEO candidate away, but Laura embraced the challenge, and one by one she sat down with each employee of the company and convinced them to stay on board. She took the time to explain the risks and rewards of staying, and helped turn a potentially devastating situation into an event that galvanized the new company culture and solidified the trust and loyalty of her employees.
Under Laura's leadership, SugarSync saw a 500% growth in 2010 and is expected to grow 600% in 2011. Laura has also personally signed major deals with the companies below, which have provided the significant revenue and customer traction needed to keep the company afloat and transition from a period of risk to the current prosperity.
• Lenovo – SugarSync will ship as pre-loaded software on all ThinkPad laptops beginning in September 2011
• Best Buy – SugarSync is the official Cloud solution of Best Buy’s Geek Squad, and our service is sold by the Geek Squad in all stores
• Korea Telecom – Korea Telecom offers our service to its 7 million smartphone users
• France Telecom/Orange – FT’s Orange division offers its 3 million small business customers SugarSync’s Cloud solution.
• Webroot – SugarSync provides the secure online backup that is bundled in Webroot’s security suite
• Softbank – Softbank Japan distributes SugarSync’s Cloud service to the Japanese market
• AOL – AOL distributes SugarSync’s service worldwide
• IObit – IObit makes SugarSync’s Cloud service available to its 100 million users
SugarSync has also won a number of awards in the past year, including the TiE50 award and the SAMCEDA award and Laura has participated in various speaking engagements including the Stanford Women in Business conference, the TiECon and as a member of The Wall Street Journal's Women in Economy Taskforce. Laura was also recently named by Huffington Post Readers Pick for top 27 Women in Tech to follow on Twitter.
Laura has long been involved in her community, including the following activities:
• Served on the Board of Directors for the Las Lomitas Education Foundation
• Served on the Board of Director for the Congregation Beth Am
• Served on the Board of Directors for the Jewish Community Center
• Served on the Philanthropy Committee for the Jewish Family & Children Services
• Volunteered as a translator for the Hospital de la Familia in Guatemala (she is fluent in Spanish)
• Serves as a frequent mentor to students throughout her community
• Active volunteer at Menlo High School in her community
List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:
https://www.sugarsync.com/blog/20110406_sugarsync_press_release/
https://www.sugarsync.com/company/press_releases/20101214_sugarsync_press_release.html
https://www.sugarsync.com/company/press_releases/20100810_sugarsync_press_release.html
https://www.sugarsync.com/company/press_releases/20100805_sugarsync_press_release.html
Provide a brief biography of the nominated executive (up to 100 words):
Laura is a consumer software and Internet services industry veteran with two decades of experience leading top consumer brands. She joined SugarSync in Q4 2008 to expand the company and initiate an aggressive business and product growth phase. Prior to SugarSync, Laura had been the Global General Manager of the Yahoo! Mail division, as well as General Manager of the ZoneAlarm consumer and small business division at Check Point Software. Before that, Laura was the Vice President of the Netscape browser division at AOL.