Planet Innovation has strengthened its position as a global player in the commercialization of technology ventures with the strategic appointment of Teresa Engelhard to the Board of Planet Group Holdings, the parent entity of Planet Innovation, Zen Thermostat and Nplex.
Teresa, a native Californian now living in Canberra, joins the Board with impressive entrepreneurial credentials including a $US5 billion IPO at ONI Systems.
A graduate of Caltech with an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Teresa completed a stint at McKinsey before accruing 10 years of experience in Silicon Valley as both a venture investor and operating executive. She was a Principal at Mohr Davidow Ventures in Menlo Park, California and subsequently went on to a number of executive roles including Vice President Software Solutions at ONI Systems. Since moving to Australia 10 years ago, she has worked as a venture capitalist and non-executive director with ten growth-stage technology companies.
Teresa explained some of her motivations for joining the PGH Board: “I have a keen appreciation for the alignment of market trends with technical core competencies: this high-value combination exists in spades at PGH/PI. The company’s expertise in medical devices, ICT and IoT technologies is a perfect combination for capitalizing on compounding trends that include increasingly connected and distributed health services, smarter homes and aging populations. I haven’t seen a better strategic opportunity – it’s exceptional. But even more compelling is the proven ability to deliver great products and financial results thanks to an experienced founding team and a stable talent pool. This is a very rare and attractive organisation.”
Teresa is currently on the boards of RedBubble, Daintree Networks and StartupAUS while also serving on the Entrepreneurs’ Programme Committee for the Australian Government.
