CLEARWATER, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vispero, the world’s largest digital accessibility and assistive technology provider for the visually impaired, and Vector Capital portfolio company, today announced that Tom Tiernan is retiring from his position as Chief Executive Officer of the company and that seasoned technology executive Bob Ciminera has been appointed to the role, effective immediately.
“Vispero has been the third Vector portfolio company Tom has led over the years, and his passion and vision for the accessibility industry resulted in Vispero becoming the world’s largest accessibility company with many of the industry’s premier brands,” said Andy Fishman, a Managing Director at Vector Capital. “We have known of Tom’s desire to retire for some time now and thank Tom for all he has done at Vispero and the Vector family over the years.”
“Bob is a proven, customer-focused leader with a 30-year track record of delivering financial and operational results. We are thrilled to welcome him to Vispero,” continued Andy Fishman. “Vispero has seen tremendous growth and we are confident that Bob is the right leader to continue to expand the business by leveraging our market-leading position and Vispero’s comprehensive portfolio of hardware, software, and digital accessibility compliance services.”
Prior to joining Vispero, Mr. Ciminera worked at NCR Corporation for 11 years in a variety of senior operating roles. Most recently, he was General Manager and Executive Vice President for NCR Corporation’s $2.5 billion Global Services business, where he developed strategies for growing recurring revenue and improving customer service. Before that, he served as General Manager and Executive Vice President of NCR Corporation’s $2.2 billion Global Hardware business, which achieved industry-leading market share through product innovation and operational excellence. Earlier in his career, he worked at AT&T Consumer Products and held leadership positions at Lucent, Broadcom (formerly, Agere Systems), Symbol, Motorola, and Avaya.
“It is an honor to join the Vispero team and advance Vispero’s mission of providing innovative digital accessibility and assistive technology solutions for low vision and blind individuals around the world,” added Mr. Ciminera. “As the market leader, Vispero is uniquely positioned to succeed as hardware, software, and digital accessibility compliance services are converging to meet rising demand for accessible digital content and assistive technology for the visually impaired. I look forward to driving value through Vispero’s next phase of growth by maximizing opportunities between Vispero’s complementary brands, which include Freedom Scientific, Enhanced Vision, Optelec and TPGi.”
About Vispero
Vispero is the global leader for digital accessibility and assistive technology products for those with vision impairments. Freedom Scientific, TPGi, Enhanced Vision and Optelec, all Vispero brands, have a long history of innovation for customers with accessibility needs. Today our product portfolio is considered one of the most diverse and reliable on the market. For more information, visit http://www.vispero.com.
About Vector Capital
Vector Capital is a San Francisco-based leading global private equity firm focused on transformative investments in technology and technology-enabled businesses. Founded in 1997, Vector oversees approximately $4 billion of capital across its private equity and credit strategies from a variety of investors including university endowments, foundations, and financial institutions. With our disciplined approach to valuation and deep-rooted operational experience, Vector has generated competitive returns and established a successful track record spanning nearly 25 years. For more information, please visit www.vectorcapital.com.
Vector Capital created Vispero by acquiring and merging Freedom Scientific and Optelec. Since then, Vispero has expanded its product offerings, grown its global distribution network, and scaled its assistive technology and digital accessibility businesses.