San Jose, CA – The Silicon Valley Leadership Group today announced that Keith Krach, current Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment and former Chairman and CEO of Ariba and DocuSign, is this year’s recipient of the Spirit of Silicon Valley Lifetime Achievement Award.
Throughout his career, Krach has brought powerful transformational leadership to many sectors—factory automation, engineering, commerce, education, philanthropy and even the way people sign. He took the oath of office as Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment in June of this year, after being confirmed by unanimous written consent of the U.S. Senate. He now serves as the United States’ top economic diplomat and leads the nation’s international economic statecraft portfolio.
“We are deeply honored to recognize Keith Krach’s remarkable lifetime of achievement here in Silicon Valley,” said Carl Guardino, President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. “As Keith makes his transition from the Bay Area to our nation’s capital and beyond, we will miss his incredible leadership and vision. But we are proud to see one of our own take on an even greater mission of transformational diplomacy by spearheading the development of the nation’s Global Economic Security Strategy for the sake of advancing prosperity and peace for the world.”
Krach served as Chairman, CEO & President of DocuSign for 10 years and led the company’s transformation from a startup to the global powerhouse it is today. In 1996, Krach co-founded Ariba, serving as Chairman & CEO. Krach took Ariba public, ultimately achieving a market capitalization of more than $40 billion. Today, $3 trillion in commerce is transacted annually through the Ariba network, which is more than Amazon, eBay and Alibaba combined.
“Krach has become a category kingmaker, building four game-changing companies from robotics to engineering software to e-commerce to e-signature and digital transaction management,” observes Harvard Business School’s former faculty chair of Building New Businesses, Bruce Harreld. “All four companies are considered disruptors, became clear market leaders through category creation, generated significant shareholder value, and chose paper or manual processes as their main competitors.”
Krach led General Motors’ GMF robotics division, as the company’s youngest-ever vice president. GMF gave rise to what is now the largest robotics company in the world. After GM, Krach helped found Rasna, the engineering design software company that created the category of “Mechanical Design Synthesis” and before it was sold to Parametric Technologies. Krach has also served as chairman of the board of trustees for Purdue University, chairman of the board of Angie’s List, and International President of Sigma Chi fraternity.
“His focus on innovation and productivity combined with his approach of perpetually challenging the status quo and empowering people to accomplish more than they had ever imagined possible has resulted in a profound impact on GDP per capita, international trade and the sustainability of our planet,” said Salman Khan, Founder and CEO of Khan Academy.
The award will be made at Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Annual Policy Luncheon on October 25th at the Santa Clara Convention Center, where Krach will share his inspiring journey with more than 1,300 attendees. Media interested in attending should RSVP to Kimberly Ellis at kellis@svlg.org or Pam Kelly at pkelly@svlg.org.
About The Silicon Valley Leadership Group-The Silicon Valley Leadership Group, founded in 1978 by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, represents more than 345 of Silicon Valley’s most respected employers on issues, programs and campaigns that affect the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley including energy, transportation, education, housing, health care, tax policies, economic vitality and the environment.
Contact:
Kimberly Ellis, SVP MarComm
Kellis@svlg.org | (408) 501-7853
Pam Kelly, Sr. MarComm Mgr.
Pkelly@svlg.org | (408) 501-7879
