Progress Software Appoints Bridget Collins as Chief Information Officer
"Progress has established itself as a leader in delivering the context and control organizations need to succeed with AI."
Progress Software announced on August 18 that Bridget Collins has been appointed Chief Information Officer. Collins began her career there as a software engineer before building a three-decade executive profile across Nuance, Cerence, and Rapid7.
Collins reports directly to CEO Yogesh Gupta and takes on a mandate that spans four distinct responsibilities simultaneously: leading the global IT and security organization, accelerating AI adoption across Progress Software's internal operations, overseeing cybersecurity, and managing M&A integration for a company that has grown significantly through acquisition.
Collins will evaluate emerging technologies and strengthen Progress Software's frameworks for data, security, and AI usage, according to the press release.
"Bridget's deep expertise in enterprise technology, business transformation and cybersecurity will help us continue scaling our operations, integrating acquisitions and delivering exceptional experiences for our employees and customers," said Yogesh Gupta, CEO of Progress Software. "It is especially heartening to welcome Bridget back to Progress where she began her career as a software engineer."
She served most recently as Chief Information and Business Transformation Officer at Rapid7, a publicly traded cybersecurity company. Before Rapid7, she held dual roles as Chief Transformation Officer and CIO at Cerence, an AI company building voice and virtual assistant systems for automotive OEMs.
Earlier in her career, she served as Vice President of Information Technology at Nuance Communications, the company widely credited with pioneering conversational AI and speech recognition before its acquisition by Microsoft in 2021.
"Progress has established itself as a leader in delivering the context and control organizations need to succeed with AI," Collins said. "I look forward to partnering across the business to further expand upon Progress' AI vision in support of our customers and employees."
Key Takeaways
- Appoint Bridget Collins as CIO to lead IT, security, and AI initiatives at Progress Software.
- Leverage Collins' extensive experience in enterprise technology and cybersecurity to enhance operations.
- Focus on accelerating AI adoption and strengthening frameworks for data and security.
- Manage M&A integration effectively as Progress Software continues to grow through acquisitions.
- Return to Progress marks a full-circle career journey for Collins, who started as a software engineer.