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Jana Eggers is already talking about her four-year stint as CEO of Spreadshirt in the past tense. She announced her departure pending a new CEO hire in a post to the company’s blog Tuesday.
She declined to say the reason for her departure, citing a mix of personal and business needs. An Arkansas native who came to Boston in the early 1990s, Eggers said she’s put down roots here, and so has Spreadshirt. She was adamant that the German company’s five-person U.S. headquarters – out of 55 U.S. employees, and about 300 globally – will remain in Boston after her departure. Today, she spoke with Mass High Tech reporter Galen Moore.
Mass High Tech: Why are you leaving Spreadshirt?
Jana Eggers: Part of the reasons here are personal. You can pick every reason and it’s there. There’s every reason for it.
MHT: Is there a change in direction or a new phase of growth that necessitates the change at CEO level?
JE: There’s nothing that’s like that, that’s pointing all in one direction or even mostly in one direction. It’s the right thing for me and it’s the right thing for the company.
The company is on a good direction. We’ve doubled the size of business in four years in a very tough economy. We were already well over the 10 million euro mark. We’re a good-sized company, and to be able to double that during this economy was something big, and we’ve done that because of our direction. We’ve stayed with that. Our direction hasn’t changed much since the founders founded the company. It’s always been focused on our shop partner business.
MHT: What’s your role with Spreadshirt after the new CEO comes on?
JE: What we’re focused on now is making sure whatever happens, it’s smooth – whether we decide I can be let off to my own devices before the new CEO joins. If they come, certainly I would be here to support them and help out. But I wouldn’t say there’s a role other than transition.
MHT: Does Boston continue as the U.S. headquarters after your departure?
JE: There’s no question there. That office doesn’t depend on me being there. I have been in Boston a couple of days a month. I spend three weeks a month in Europe, and one week a month in the U.S. Most of that time I wasn’t actually even in the Boston office. Our global head of sales is based out of Boston – Mark Venezia. We really act as a global company. People think about locations, but one of the marketing people in our office in Boston is actually here in Germany for three months teaching teams here about all the work he’s done on [search engine marketing], and he’s now going to be the global leader on SEM. We look for the best practies in whatever area that we are and make sure we bring that out to the entire company. You don’t have to be here in the headquarters to be effective.
MHT: What are you going to do next?
JE: I’m going to enjoy the holidays. Remember, Spreadshirt is e-tail and e-tail means your holidays are consumed by doing business. It’s the biggest time of the year. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I’m so excited I’m going to be able to be in the U.S. this year on Thanksgiving and cook and be with my family and friends.
When you do what I’ve done – double-size the company in four years of a tough economy, transatlantic travel two times a month and work in a very culturally different company – it’s time to take a break and a breather.
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