WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner Named DivInc Executive of the Year

WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner has been named Executive of the Year by DivInc, the first tech pre-accelerator in Texas focused on championing diversity within the startup ecosystem. Their mission is to empower people of color and women entrepreneurs and help them overcome barriers to building successful high growth businesses by providing them with access to education, mentorship, and networks.

At its inaugural Champions of Change Awards, which was held at Austin City Hall last Friday night, DivInc recognized finalists in five categories, including Executive of the Year, Diversity and Inclusion Leader of the Year, Program of the Year, Investor of the Year, and Champion of the Year, which was awarded to City of Austin Mayor Steve Adler.

Winners for each category were selected by a committee made up of distinguished community leaders and influencers who submitted their suggestions for nominees in each category. Once those submissions are recorded, the committee voted on finalists for each.

Finalists who joined Heather in the Executive of the Year category included:

• Raul Alvarez, Executive Director at Community Advancement Network
• Marcus Carey, Founder & CEO at Threatcare
• Brian Reaves, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Dell, Inc.
• Leslie Wingo, President & CEO at Sanders\Wingo
  

Finalists in every category were chosen for their efforts to make Austin a more diverse and inclusive community. The selection committee included: Lisa Graham, Mindy Gulati, Muna Hussaini, Cameron LaHaise, Christine McCarey, Ikechi Nwabuisi, Brion Oaks, Colette Pierce-Burnette, James Russell, Zoe Schlag, Eugene Sepulveda, Madge Vasquez, and Johnathan Wojtewicz

DivInc’s Executive of the Year award comes on the heels of Heather’s recognition last week as a 2019 Great Place to Work For All Leadership Award honoree. That award also focused on Heather’s efforts to build a more inclusive workplace and work culture, and her success leading WP Engine to more fully maximize the human potential within its workforce.

Heather’s leadership at WP Engine has been instrumental in helping the company build an enduring, predictable business, particularly after a key investment from Silver Lake last January, as well as the recent acquisition of StudioPress. Heather also heads a diverse leadership team and has overseen WP Engine’s growth as the company surpassed $132 million in revenue and 90,000 customers in over 150 countries at the beginning of 2019.