Safe Software appoints new finance & people chiefs
Safe Software has appointed Judd Lee as Chief Financial Officer and Vanessa Ribreau as Chief People Officer, expanding its leadership team as it pursues a revenue target of USD $250 million by 2028.
Lee joins the Surrey, British Columbia-based data integration software company with more than two decades of financial leadership experience, including over 15 years as a chief financial officer. He has worked closely with chief executives and led finance teams through expansion at both private and public companies.
Ribreau brings more than a decade of senior people and organisational experience at technology companies. She has held leadership roles at BenchSci, AlayaCare and Shopify, focusing on employee engagement, international scaling and post-acquisition integration.
The appointments follow Safe's recent milestone of more than USD $100 million in revenue. The company is targeting USD $250 million by 2028 as it expands around FME, its core software product for integrating and automating data workflows.
Based in Seattle, Lee will oversee financial strategy as the company enters what management describes as its next phase of growth. His remit includes supporting operational and financial performance as the business scales.
Ribreau, a Canadian executive, will relocate from Montreal to Vancouver for the role. She will lead the people function as Safe works to preserve its culture while increasing headcount and expanding internationally.
Growth plan
Founded in 1993, Safe develops software that connects data across different systems and formats. FME is used by more than 20,000 organisations in over 120 countries, giving the company a broad customer base in data integration and spatial data management.
Recent messaging from the company has focused on growth, with management highlighting leadership, operational discipline and culture as central to its medium-term revenue ambitions. Adding finance and people chiefs indicates Safe is strengthening internal functions as it expands commercially.
Chief Executive Don Murray tied the hires directly to that plan.
"We're thrilled to welcome Judd and Vanessa at a pivotal time in Safe Software's growth," said Don Murray, Chief Executive Officer, Safe Software. "Their leadership will be instrumental as we scale the business and continue to deliver on our mission of helping the world do more with its data. I look forward to the impact they will make as we continue to execute against our long-term strategy to achieve $250M in revenue by 2028."
Lee said he was joining at a time when the company already had an established position in its market.
"Joining Safe Software at this stage is an exciting opportunity," said Lee. "The company has built a strong global presence, and I look forward to working with this talented team to build on that momentum and drive the next phase of growth."
Ribreau's experience includes building remote-first and international teams. At BenchSci, she led the people function during a period of expansion while maintaining employee engagement. At AlayaCare, she worked through rapid growth and merger integration, while at Shopify she supported global scaling across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Her appointment reflects the emphasis technology companies are placing on organisational design and retention as they grow, particularly when trying to expand without disrupting product development or workplace culture. At Safe, management has said its people and culture remain central to the company's direction.
Ribreau said balancing growth and culture would be a priority in the role.
"I've spent my career helping technology companies scale without losing what makes them great," said Ribreau. "Safe has something rare: a 30-year legacy of product excellence, a team that genuinely cares about the work, and a growth trajectory that's accelerating. My focus is making sure we build the People systems and culture that allow us to scale to $250M while staying true to what's made Safe successful."