Kaleyra appoints new chief financial officer

Cloud communications firm Kaleyra has announced the appointment of Julia Pulzone as its new chief financial officer, who replaces the company’s former CFO Luca Giardina Papa.

Effective immediately, Pulzone will lead the company’s finance team as it makes its planned transition from a private to public company later this year. Based in the firm’s Vienna office, Pulzone will report directly to Kaleyra founder, CEO and chairman Dario Calogero.

Pulzone arrives with more than 20 years’ experience in financial management across both private and public mid-market tech companies, with a focus on both healthcare technology and software.

Most recently, Pulzone held the role of chief financial officer of Cureatr following a spell as CodeRyte CFO, a company sold to 3M back in 2012. She also served as managing director of the Global Environment Fund private equity firm, as well as several senior financial management positions.

A certified public accountant, Pulzone holds a Master of Business Administration from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and was also named one of the finalists for the Northern Virginia Technology Council’s ‘Chief Financial Officer of the Year’ award in 2013.

"I am very excited to welcome Julia to the Kaleyra team," said Calogero. "Her extensive CFO background uniquely qualifies her to lead our finance team as well as to help drive the company to the next level of performance. Julia will assure a smooth and strong transition as Kaleyra is expected to move from a private to public company later this year."

Last month, Kaleyra announced it was teaming up with Private-to Public Equity (PPE) firm GigCapital as it makes the transition from a privately-held business to a publicly-traded company during the second half of 2019.

Upon completion, the combined company said it will look to further grow its current global list of over 3,000 customers, targeting markets such as FinTech, e-commerce and logistics, travel, healthcare, retail and education.

"I look forward to making a positive impact at Kaleyra, to partnering with Dario and the rest of the leadership and finance team, and to help further grow Kaleyra’s business. Following the recently announced combination with GigCapital I believe this is an excellent time to join Kaleyra," Pulzone added.

“I am excited about the opportunity to capitalise upon the strengths of the newly combined company when the transaction closes in the second half of the year and lead Kaleyra’s finance organisation through the transition to a publicly traded firm."