Publisher Technology Platform Appoints Katie Derr as Chief Financial Officer and Trish Gerlitz as Chief People Officer

Sovrn, a publisher technology platform that helps content creators earn and keep more of their revenue, announced that it has named Katie Derr as Chief Financial Officer and Trish Gerlitz as Chief People Officer. Both executives join the company’s leadership team and will be based out of Sovrn’s Boulder office. They will report directly to Walter Knapp, CEO.

In her position of CFO, Derr will be responsible for driving organizational effectiveness through the leadership and management of Sovrn’s corporate finance, accounting, financial planning and analysis (FP&A) and legal needs. Her role is critical in supporting Sovrn’s mission to empower publishers to thrive on the open web.

As Chief People Officer, Gerlitz will drive Sovrn’s organizational performance by expanding on the capabilities of the people within the company and helping to grow and scale the business. She will be tasked with developing a People Team that ensures an exceptional experience for Sovrn’s employees and, in turn, its customers. Additionally, Gerlitz will serve as a trusted strategic partner, advisor, and coach to the leaders within the company.

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“We are excited to expand our leadership team with two women of exceptional talent who will undoubtedly help us grow and thrive,” said Knapp. “Katie and Trish bring unmatched abilities and knowledge to our company and will help us keep the engine running behind the scenes. I am very much looking forward to working with them both and seeing Sovrn succeed with their respected leadership skills and incredible talent.”

Derr comes to Sovrn from GEM Health Inc. where she served as CFO and COO, overseeing the company’s business strategy and financial plans. Prior to that, she was CFO of Techstars for six years, where she aligned with the company’s goal of increasing access to entrepreneurship world wide by growing the number of accelerator programs, locations, founders supported, and assets under management rapidly.

“I have always had a keen interest in software and technology, especially given my background in the space,” said Derr. “Sovrn’s strength is backed by its incredible executive team and board of directors and I’m thrilled to join them to set the company up for even more success in the future. My extensive experience in finance and accounting within technology and startups will help Sovrn continue to make an impact and reach its potential of supporting publishers in the best, most efficient ways.”

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Gerlitz joins Sovrn from CrossFit, where she served as Vice President of People, overseeing the company’s human resources department. Prior to that position, she worked as the Head of HR for the City of Boulder, where she was part of the organization’s Racial Equity Guiding Coalition. Gerlitz also has experience leading the people teams at Datalogix and Requisite.

“Sovrn’s values of learning and customer empathy drive a culture of continuous improvement with our customers at the heart of our work,” said Gerlitz. “I’m thrilled to bring my passion for the HR function to continue building Sovrn’s high performing team and thriving culture.  I’m looking forward to partnering with this collaborative team to learn and make a difference together.”