Thryv has named former Symantec executive Rees Johnson as its new Chief Product Officer, replacing the recently departed Ryan Cantor.
Johnson was most recently the chief product officer at Forcepoint, a Texas-based security software firm. Before Forcepoint, Johnson spent six years at anti-virus software maker Symantec, where he was SVP of Product Management. Before Symantec, Johnson spent four years at Intel. Johnson is a University of Utah graduate and a Wharton MBA.
Johnson replaces former CPO Cantor, who recently left Thryv to become Chief Product and Technology Officer at the risk management firm Origami Risk. Cantor spent seven years at Thryv in various product and marketing roles, including CPO from October 2021 until he left Thryv in March.
Thryv is a former and current directory publisher that has pivoted into an all-in-one business management software firm, with CRM at its core. Making the pivot makes sense for Thryv on many levels. Perhaps the most important of which is that investors value software at much higher multiples than traditional print media companies. Thryv went public in 2020 as a direct listing on NASDAQ.
Critical Role at Thryv
The product leader is critical to any software company. However, rolling out great software products that serve the needs of SMBs takes on extra importance at Thryv, which has set ambitious goals for itself to transform into a company that generates more than $1 billion in SaaS revenue by 2027. It is a goal that Tryv is making progress towards, but the company still has a way to go.
Last year, Thryv grew its SaaS revenue by 21.9 percent to $263.7 million.
Thryv Turning a Corner on SMB SaaS Adoption
Thryv President Grant Freeman said Johnson joins Thryv at a critical time for a product leader, particularly as the company looks to weave AI tools into its product mix.
“Rees is joining Thryv at a pivotal time,” Freeman said “We’ll rely on his product strategy expertise as we expand the number of Centers offered on our customizable platform and accelerate the integration of AI into our offerings. He has an impressive track record of delivering products that drive high adoption and customer value creation. His experience will be invaluable as we deliver on our promise of modernizing how small businesses operate.”
Thryv Chairman and CEO Joe Walsh will be a featured speaker at next week’s L24 Conference in Arlington, TX. His talk will focus on key pivot points in his career, which spans directory publishing, software, and more. Thryv’s pivot to SaaS is a likely key element of his remarks.
