SAN CARLOS, Calif., June 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Iron Ox, a farming innovation company with deep expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence, hired its first Chief Financial Officer and its first Head of Marketing this week as the company accelerates growth and expands its commercial footprint.
Starting later this month, finance veteran Tom Constantino will become the company’s Chief Financial Officer after senior leadership roles at A10 Networks, Western Digital, and HP. Additionally, Chris Matthews started as Iron Ox’s Head of Marketing. Matthews previously built and led marketing teams for premium global brands including Specialized Bicycles and Mayfield Robotics.
“We’ve spent the past several months searching for senior leaders who are aligned with Iron Ox’s mission to reimagine and elevate the way the world grows fresh produce, and can also bring innovative thinking and new depth to our team,” said Brandon Alexander, Iron Ox CEO and Co-Founder.
“Tom and Chris stood out from all the other candidates for their mission commitment — as well as their demonstrated ability to scale up companies, energize teams, and help build corporate cultures that are kind and inclusive.”
Building the Bench
Constantino was most recently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at enterprise software and hardware company A10 Networks, where he helped generate record levels of profitability and cash flow from operations. Before that, he was Vice President of Finance at Western Digital, as well as CFO of Western Digital’s HGST business unit. Additionally, Tom spent 16 years in leadership roles at HP, beginning his career at Price Waterhouse in San Jose.
“I’ve spent decades helping to make companies robust and enduring – and in this next phase of my career I was looking for a company utilizing technology to improve the health and sustainability of our planet,” Constantino said. “I look forward to working with Brandon and the Iron Ox team in fulfilling this mission.”
Chris Matthews, Iron Ox’s first Head of Marketing, has built and led marketing teams in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Matthews was most recently a consultant and coach for European startups in the Netherlands-based VentureLab North incubator, and had previously led marketing at Mayfield Robotics & Specialized Bicycles.
“When I first understood the wider vision of what Iron Ox was working on – to meaningfully aid in solving global climate – I immediately understood how exciting the opportunity was,” said Matthews. “This is a world-class team, working on a world-relevant problem, and it’s a story I look forward to sharing.”
Hiring in Hypergrowth
“The single biggest thing that will determine whether Iron Ox is a success or failure is our ability to hire and retain the most inspiring people,” Alexander said.
“We want Iron Ox to be the workplace that’s top-of-mind for people who want a meaningful role in making the global food system sustainable — all while having a lot of fun on the job.”
About Iron Ox:
Iron Ox is a farming innovation company with deep expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence, and a vision to solve global climate through food. Their approach redesigns every step of the farming process, achieving levels of precision that are impossible through traditional farming. Iron Ox produce is both local and sustainable by design, greatly reducing systemic food waste and minimizing the ecological impact of farming. For more information, visit www.ironox.com.
