SurveyMonkey Names Temporary Leader

Palo Alto, CA-based online DIY research specialist SurveyMonkey has appointed Board Director Zander Lurie as temporary Executive Chairman, following the sudden death of CEO Dave Goldberg earlier this month.

Goldberg was found dead on May 1st at the age of just 47, following an accident while he exercised on a treadmill. He had been CEO since 2009, when the firm had a dozen employees, and had grown it to a team of 450, valued at around $2 billion.

SurveyMonkey said in a statement that Lurie (pictured) would take over as temporary Executive Chairman of the Board for a period of three months, while the Board conducts a search for a new CEO. During this time, Lurie will continue in his full time job as SVP at camcorder manufacturer GoPro, where he has worked since last November. Prior to this, he was EVP at Guggenheim Digital Media; SVP, Strategic Development at CBS; SVP, Strategy & Development at CNET Networks; and VP at JPMorgan. He also co-founded non-profit children's charity CoachArts, and he has served on the SurveyMonkey Board since 2009.

Lurie describes himself as a 'resource' for SurveyMonkey during the transition, and adds: 'Dave was a strong leader who assembled an extraordinary team that is committed to fully realizing the company's mission to help people around the world make better decisions with data.'

Web site: www.surveymonkey.com .