Meet the All-Star Advisors Behind the Scenes at Norwest

At Norwest, we know that building a successful company requires more than capital. Entrepreneurs and management teams need the right guidance at the right time which is why our Portfolio Success team exists. We bring operational resources, trusted networks, and functional expertise that help our companies drive scalable growth.

A key part of this support system is our Senior Advisor network. For more than a decade, this program has been connecting portfolio leaders with some of the most respected minds in the industry, including category creators, functional experts, GTM strategists, AI trailblazers, pricing experts, healthcare and biotech veterans, and more.

These advisors act as an extension of our Portfolio Success team: a braintrust and sounding board for portfolio leaders who are scaling organizations, solving tough challenges, and preparing for what’s next. They’ve been in the operator seat, built and grown companies, and now share that experience to help Norwest companies go further, faster.

A Deep Bench, Built to Scale

We continually expand our Senior Advisor roster to align with both market demands and the evolving needs of our portfolio. Our advisor network spans critical domains, working closely with our investors and our in-house Portfolio Success team, comprising more than 23 full-time professionals whose functional expertise covers marketing and sales, people and talent, finance, M&A and corporate development, business development, and operations.

A sampling of Norwest’s Senior Advisors.

A Strategic Extension of Norwest’s Portfolio Success Team

The collective experience of our Senior Advisors ensures that Norwest portfolio companies have access to strategic support tailored to their journey. Each advisor offers specialized guidance in key, high-value areas where companies most often need a trusted outside perspective.

These advisors don’t parachute in with one-size-fits-all answers. They show up collaborative, curious, and committed to helping teams make the right decisions at the right time.

In short, they embody our invited guest approach.

At Norwest, our goal is to help founders and leadership teams build enduring, category-defining companies. With our Senior Advisor network and broader Portfolio Success platform, we’ve built an all-star roster of seasoned leaders who bring the right expertise, insights, and relationships to every stage of growth. When these advisors step onto the field alongside our portfolio teams, experience meets execution, and that’s when winning companies are built.

Below is a sampling of our Senior Advisors, their specialties, and how they drive strategic impact at our portfolio companies:

CEO Advisory

• • Rita Brogley
    Rita advises technology and SaaS companies on scaling product, marketing, and operations to achieve sustainable growth. With more than 20 years of experience as a software executive and CEO, she has led teams at Facebook, MyBuys, Amadesa, and Moxi Digital, and previously held leadership roles at Microsoft, Bain & Company, and Hewlett-Packard.

• • Ron Kasner
    Ron draws on deep experience in leadership, strategy, and operational excellence to help companies scale effectively. Ron has served as Executive Chair at multiple high-growth organizations, including Norwest portfolio companies AbsenceSoft and Elite Business Ventures. He was a Board Member at Envisage Technologies, which was acquired by Vector Solutions at industry-leading multiples.

• • Ryan Magee
    Ryan partners with portfolio companies and CEOs on scaling, performance, and organizational excellence. An accomplished executive with deep experience in PE-backed software, he is the President and CEO of Cority, a leading provider of EHS software solutions. Since joining in 2012, Ryan has led Cority through major growth and transformation, overseeing key functions, driving multiple integrations, and guiding its expansion.

• • Liz Reifsnyder
    Liz works with portfolio companies to drive growth through everything from channel and product strategy to organizational capabilities. Her track record of disruption includes Ritual and Dollar Shave Club. Liz shares her insights on customer loyalty in this video.

• • Mark Schiff
    Mark brings more than 25 years of experience driving growth and transformation in software and data-driven businesses. Most recently CEO of AbsenceSoft, he has also led organizations including Gordian and Sightlines through successful private-equity-backed exits. Mark helps leaders build innovative, high-performing companies that deliver lasting customer and shareholder value.

• • Christy Taylor
    Christy leverages extensive leadership experience across consumer packaged goods, healthcare, and specialty foods to help businesses accelerate growth and profitability. A former founder and Fortune 500 executive, she has led companies through startup, expansion, and acquisition. Christy also serves on several boards including Norwest portfolio companies Face Reality, JOLYN, and Sukhi’s.

AI, Technology & Product

• • Anmol Bhasin
    Anmol brings two decades of experience leading innovation across SaaS, AI, and consumer internet platforms. Currently CTO at Diligent and former CTO at ServiceTitan, he previously held senior leadership roles at Salesforce and LinkedIn, where he helped shape some of the industry’s most impactful AI and personalization systems. Anmol is passionate about mentoring leaders and building transformative technologies that drive lasting impact.

• • Eric Johnson
    Eric draws on deep experience leading global technology organizations and shaping enterprise GTM strategy through the lens of a Chief Information Officer. As CIO at PagerDuty, he oversees global IT, data management, AI and enterprise systems. He previously held CIO roles at SurveyMonkey, DocuSign, and Talend, and spent more than a decade at Informatica guiding its shift to a modern SaaS environment.

• • Sudhir “Suds” Menon
    Sudhir draws on more than 25 years of experience building enterprise products powered by data and AI. A serial entrepreneur and product leader, he co-founded Sema4, an AI agent platform for enterprise adoption, and previously served as Chief Product Officer at Cloudera. Earlier in his career, he led product organizations at VMware, Pivotal, and SnappyData, which he cofounded and guided through acquisition by TIBCO.

• • Weiping Peng
    Weiping guides portfolio companies in AI, technology, and engineering for both enterprise and consumer solutions. She’s helped industry leaders — including Airbnb, Salesforce, and Yahoo — harness innovation for growth. Additionally, she has dedicated significant effort to modernizing technology stacks to make them AI-ready. Weiping has built and led teams to implement trusted AI products and platforms for major enterprise software companies.

• • Nathan Pieri
    Nathan helps enterprise software companies accelerate growth through stronger product strategy, leadership development, and operational excellence. Founder of RampUp LLC and an independent board member at Overhaul, he has held senior product and marketing leadership roles at Rockwell Automation, Plex Systems, and Amber Road. Nathan brings deep expertise in guiding technology organizations through transformation, integration, and scale.

• • Tarun Thummala
    Tarun counsels portfolio companies on AI strategy and innovation. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of PressW, a pioneer in agentic AI applications, and previously served as CTO and Co-Founder of Gathr, leading it through a successful acquisition. Recognized as one of Austin’s top tech founders, Tarun brings hands-on experience spanning AI platforms, enterprise systems, and startup leadership.

Go-to-Market

• • Stephanie Bailey
    Stephanie guides high-growth and mission-driven technology companies in building scalable marketing engines that accelerate revenue and strengthen brand impact. A former CMO at Ethos and Praxis Labs, and marketing leader at Atlassian, Pendo, and BetterUp, she brings two decades of experience leading global GTM teams and aligning people, programs, and processes to drive growth.

• • Laura Brodie
    Laura draws on deep expertise in digital strategy, data-driven growth, and customer experience to help brands accelerate profitable growth. She is currently Chief Growth Marketing Officer at ByHeart and previously led D2C at Ritual, driving over $100M in digital sales.

• • Ian Clark
    Ian has helped hundreds of companies from Evernote to Y Combinator accelerate their revenue growth. He most recently ran the Monetization Strategy practice at Alpine Investors. He literally wrote the book on monetization. And his work has been featured in Harvard Business Review.

• • Tyler Elliston
    Tyler counsels portfolio companies on scaling through product innovation, performance marketing, and team building. As founder and CEO of Right Side Up, he has advised hundreds of CEOs and CMOs—from startups to public companies like DoorDash, Coinbase, and Google—on achieving sustainable growth. Tyler’s experience spans every stage of growth, from finding product-market fit to reaching enterprise scale.

• • Jamie Fontana
    Jamie draws on deep expertise in both data analytics and digital marketing to help companies — including Stance Socks and Pepsi — get the most from their marketing spend. You can learn about Jamie’s work in this case study on data-driven insights at Vuori.

• • David Garcia
    David helps organizations unlock the power of data to drive revenue growth from both new and existing customers. After a senior leadership role at First Advantage, he founded HR analytics pioneer ScoutLogic. You can find David’s playbook for hiring revenue leaders here.

• • Michael Heilmann
    Michael counsels portfolio companies on developing strategic models, executing GTM plans, and optimizing performance to drive growth. A 25-year veteran of B2B SaaS, Michael helped build Demandbase, StrongView, and Virage into sales powerhouses. Explore his insights on sales compensation here.

• • Jon Itkin
    Jon brings more than a decade of experience helping B2B tech companies sharpen their messaging and market positioning. As founder of In The Kitchen, he has led more than forty in-depth positioning projects for companies ranging from Series A startups to publicly traded leaders. Drawing on experience with brands such as Google, Meta, and Salesforce, Jon helps founders and GTM teams clarify what their products are, who they’re for, and why they matter.

• • Peter Kuhn
    Peter partners with healthcare and technology companies to scale efficiently and drive transformation. With more than 25 years of experience in digital health and enterprise software, he has led organizations from early stage to over $1B in revenue and completed multiple successful acquisitions. Peter is currently COO at HighFive Healthcare and has held senior roles at Clinekt Health, Mercury Healthcare, and Influence Health.

• • Jill Melchionda
    Jill brings strategic discipline, creativity, and optimism to her work guiding marketing teams through brand transformation and growth. Currently SVP of Market Development at Marketbridge, she has deep expertise across technology, fintech, retail, and automotive.

• • Catherine Pike
    Catherine has helped major marketers — including Vuori and lululemon athletic, as well as numerous Norwest portfolio companies — build thriving consumer brands and retail infrastructure.

• • Karen Riley-Grant
    Karen guides global and high-growth consumer brands in building strong, purpose-driven marketing engines that drive awareness, loyalty, and growth. With more than 25 years of leadership experience across iconic brands, she currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer at Vuori and previously held senior marketing roles at Levi Strauss & Co., Gap Inc., and Converse.

• • Ira Stahlberger 
    Ira is a partner at WME, where he co-leads the Football Marketing division and manages off-field strategy for some of the biggest names in professional sports. With prior roles at Intersport, Coca-Cola, and Leo Burnett, Ira brings deep expertise in brand partnerships, talent strategy, and sports marketing.

• • Laura Torres
    Laura helps B2B technology companies create clear, buyer-centric narratives that align teams and accelerate growth. With more than 20 years of experience, she has shaped positioning for leading brands such as HPE, Cisco, and Workday, as well as high-growth startups. A consultant with Firebrick, Laura excels at transforming complex offerings into compelling stories that move markets.

• • Ranjeet Vidwans
    Ranjeet draws on three decades of experience leading marketing, business development, and product management at enterprise technology startups in identity and security. Four of those ventures were acquired by firms including Oracle, Cisco, and CyberArk. Ranjeet brings hands-on expertise in GTM strategy, product positioning, and growth leadership to Norwest’s portfolio companies.

HR & Finance

• • Joan Burke
    Joan is a veteran HR executive with 35+ years of experience at companies like DocuSign, Marketo, and Responsys. She draws on broad expertise in talent development, leadership coaching, and building high-engagement cultures, offering strategic guidance to portfolio companies on scaling HR functions and strengthening management in high-growth environments.

• • Hollie Castro
    Hollie is a five-time Chief People Officer with deep experience leading HR and organizational strategy at companies like Miro, YETI, BMC Software, and Cisco. She brings valuable perspective on how to thoughtfully integrate AI into workforce strategy, foster cross-functional alignment, and drive future-ready people practices.

• • Cameron Kinloch
    Cameron works with technology and consumer companies to optimize financial strategy, operational efficiency, and scalability. An accomplished CFO and COO, she has led organizations through IPOs, M&A exits, and rapid growth at Weights & Biases, Bulletproof 360, Ripple Foods, Sunrun, and Box, building high-performing teams that drive data-informed decision-making.

• • Laura Perrone
    Laura is a seasoned CFO with experience leading high-growth tech companies through scale, expansion, and capital strategy. Currently CFO at Celona, she’s held CFO roles at Mist, Omneon, and other venture-backed companies, she has sharp operational insight and a passion for building scalable business models.

• • Rachel Williams
    Rachel is a strategic people leader with 15+ years of experience driving culture and organizational effectiveness at companies like Google X, Yelp, and The Motley Fool. She has a proven track record in scaling R&D and operations teams with intention, aligning talent systems with business goals, and designing transformational people strategies that support growth and performance.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of our advisors and excited for the next chapter of the Senior Advisor network as we continue to grow our roster of all-stars.