Purple WiFi Expands U.S. Sales with New VP

Cloud-based social wi-fi provider Purple WiFi is looking to make a big splash in the U.S. market. The company has hired Anne Lakstigala as its vice president of Americas as part of its investment in its U.S. presence.

Part of the reason for the new vice president appointment is to "fully implement its U.S. sales plans" through a combination of reseller and distributor agreements, as well as to forge manufacturer partnerships. And that's where Lakstigala is meant to fit in, leaning on her more than 15 years of experience in global sales, business development and strategic partnerships.

According to Purple WiFi, Lakstigala has a background in scaling new products and services into new markets. And he has an impressive resume of clients and past employers, including AT&T, Adobe, Disney and Lucasfilm (where she was director of Worldwide Distribution, leading Lucasfilm's licensing and distribution of its film and television content library).

"We have some key distribution agreements in place in the U.S. but we wanted someone on the ground there who truly understands channel relationships, the market and how our product fits," said Gavin Wheeldon, Purple WiFi CEO, in a prepared statement. "Anne has such a breadth of experience of partnerships and licensing within the key sectors we are most keen to target that she is perfect for the role and we are excited about the way she will be able to build the brand in the U.S. and further afield."

Lakstigala will be responsible for developing existing relationships with partners such as Ingram Micro, but she also will be working to forge new relationships. Through existing and future partnerships, Lakstigala's goal is to further enable growth through both direct and indirect sales.

Although the United States was specifically mentioned, Lakstigala's role will include markets throughout North and South America.