Automattic has appointed Jeremy Klaperman as its interim chief financial officer, according to an internal announcement shared on Friday. Klaperman currently serves as CFO of the company's WordPress VIP Enterprise business unit. He steps into the role following the departure of then-CFO Mark Davies.
The leadership change follows last week's attempted ouster of Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg. The effort ultimately led to the exit of the board members who voted him out, along with other executives including Davies. Davies had briefly served as interim CEO before Mullenweg returned to the position.
In a Slack post, Mullenweg said Klaperman had previously handled the CFO duties at Automattic when Davies was on sabbatical. He added that the board, whose new members have not yet been announced, will still need to review internal and external candidates before making a final decision on the role.
Mullenweg also wrote that a candidate for the company's chief legal officer position had verbally accepted the job. That person would replace Chief Legal Officer Andy Missan, who left Automattic alongside Davies. TechCrunch recently reported that Davies and Missan had signed reciprocal severance deals during Mullenweg's 33-hour leave of absence before he returned as CEO.
Mullenweg concluded his post by expressing full confidence in Automattic's cash and financial position. He acknowledged there is still work to do but said the situation remains within the company's control and depends only on its ability to execute. In later updates, he told employees to stay tuned for board announcements.
Mullenweg also noted that special advisor Stephen Wolfram, the creator of Wolfram|Alpha, will continue in his position. Automattic's next board meeting is scheduled for September 23. The company has not yet announced the new board members who will weigh the permanent CFO decision.
More company and startup news from TechManNews.
