Management Team
Kanth Gopalpur CEO
Kanth is responsible for the broad strategic direction of the company, and in his dual capacity as CEO and Chief Customer Advocate at Monsoon, he works closely with Monsoon's users and markets. An ecommerce veteran, Kanth founded and led the online operations of Powells.com, the nation’s largest independent bookstore, from 1994 to 2000. Following that success, Kanth joined Django's, a nationwide network of music and movie stores as VP of e-commerce and marketing, and he oversaw all aspects of the company's online business. Both Powell's and Django's were among the earliest and most successful online marketplace sellers, and Kanth was instrumental in developing the tools that helped them integrate into major marketplaces such as Amazon and Half.com. This early experience and deep insight has proved invaluable in helping other retailers be successful in growing their businesses on online marketplaces.
In addition to his role at Monsoon, Kanth is also actively involved in the entrepreneurial community in Portland. He has held Board positions in several ecommerce companies in the past, and he currently sits on the Board of the state-sponsored Oregon Growth Account and the Oregon Chapter of TiE. Kanth is also proud of two other past accomplishments: he was the Treasurer of the Ainsworth School Foundation and the coach for his son’s U7, U8, and U9 teams' winning seasons.
Clark Hale VP of Product Management
Clark Hale is responsible for designing Monsoon's new software features. Clark works closely with customers to determine software needs and priorities. Clark Hale has been working in e-commerce since early 1997, beginning as a sales and customer service rep and eventually as head of operations and fulfillment for Powells.com. During his tenure at Powell's, he developed many of the company's fulfillment, customer service and operations systems. At Djangos.com, Clark was responsible for sales growth by raising price points, increasing margins, improving conversion rates, increasing overall traffic, and improving time per visit. Clark currently manages Monsoon's Product Management, helping ensure that Monsoon users have cutting edge products that create concrete results.
Ben Kaufman VP of Operations
Ben Kaufman is responsible for Finance and Human Resources at Monsoon, and he oversees internal technology and operational initiatives. Ben brings 20 years of operational experience to Monsoon. Prior to Monsoon, he was Vice President of Operations for Auctionpay, Inc., a software and services provider to the non-profit fundraising industry, where he led the growth of the business from inception to $6 million in annual revenue in less than four years. Since 1999, he has held a variety of operations and technology leadership positions in technology growth companies. Earlier in his career, Ben was a management consultant with Andersen Consulting and AT Kearney.
Ruth White VP of Client Services
Ruth brings over 15 years of experience in client services to Monsoon and is passionate about building strong client relationships. She is responsible for the client support, account management, training, and implementation teams at Monsoon. Previously, Ruth led a client services team for Children’s Creative Learning Centers (CCLC), a national provider of employer-sponsored child care. At CCLC, Ruth ensured that team members were engaged in client advocacy and the delivery of consistently high client satisfaction. Previous to CCLC, Ruth was a Vice President at Via Training, an e-learning company. During Ruth’s tenure at Via Training, she led the program development and client services teams, guiding the company through many stages of rapid growth. Ruth continually seeks client input and helps to further Monsoon’s mission to continually build a client-centric culture.