AUSTIN, TX—National Instruments announced Thursday that Eric Starkloff has been appointed company president and chief operating officer. As President and COO, Starkloff will lead the global sales, marketing, and R&D teams to support delivery of greater customer value and company growth. This allows Alex Davern, who has served as CEO since January 2017, to focus on the long-term strategic direction of the company to drive accelerated growth both organically and inorganically.
Starkloff joined National Instruments in 1997 and has been serving as Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing since 2014. Recently, Starkloff and his team have led NI’s global sales evolution and a more targeted market strategy focused on growth opportunities in the semiconductor, transportation, and aerospace, defense, and government industries.
“We have delivered dramatic improvement in our operating performance over the last two years; allowing us to increase our focus on revenue growth. Driving accelerated growth – both organically and inorganically—will require increased strategic focus,” Davern said. “As a result, we have promoted Eric to president and COO. His leadership capabilities, deep knowledge of our customer needs, and more than two decades of NI experience will help ensure alignment and accelerate decision making.”
“I’m honored by this opportunity and responsibility. By better aligning sales, marketing, and R&D around the needs of our customers, we create more focus on growth opportunities,” Starkloff said. “I am committed to driving growth by building on our industry-leading platform and delivering more value to our customers.”