Bristol touchless technology firm Ultraleap has announced a change to its senior leadership team with retiring chief executive Steve Cliffe to hand over to the company’s founder Tom Carter.
Ultraleap, which is based in Glass Wharf, develops camera technology and hand-tracking software that means public touchscreens can work with touchless gesture control.
Under Mr Cliffe’s leadership the company has grown to a global team of over 150 people across Europe, the US and Asia and gone through multiple successful funding rounds.
In 2019 he also oversaw the merger of Ultrahaptics, the Bristol University spinout’s original name, with San Francisco-based computer hardware device manufacturer Leap Motion.
The business, previously named by Tech Nation as one of the 50 most innovative in the West of England, has secured major deals that have seen its technology installed in museums, aquariums and cinemas across the US.
Mr Cliffe has now decided to step down in order to spend more time with his family. He will be succeeded at the start of September by Mr Carter, who since founding the company 2013 has served as its chief technology officer.
Mr Cliffe will continue to support the company and its board as a special advisor. He said it had been “an honour and a privilege” to lead Ultraleap through a successful eight years.
Mr Cliffe said: "I have worked closely with Tom since he brought me onboard as chief executive in 2013. This is the right time for him to step into the CEO role and I am confident that under his leadership, Ultraleap will continue to grow and prosper.
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“The decision to step aside was one of the most difficult of my career, but it is the right time for me to spend more time with my wife and family. I look forward to continue supporting Tom and the Ultraleap team in an advisory capacity.”
Mr Carter thanked his predecessor for his “outstanding leadership and mentorship” and said he was excited by the company’s opportunities in the growing global touchless technology market.
Mr Carter said: “Having had the privilege of working closely with Steve over the past eight years, I have learned a tremendous amount from him and am pleased that I will continue to benefit from his guidance moving forward.
“Above all I am excited to be leading an incredible team. The opportunity ahead for Ultraleap is vast, and over the coming years we will accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers around the world.”
Michael Tobin, chairman of the Ultraleap board, said the business had been preparing for the handover for some time, with an extensive succession planning exercise at the beginning of the year.
Mr Tobin praised Mr Cliffe, saying he had been “absolutely instrumental” in Ultraleap’s growth.
Mr Tobin said: “The timing is right because the company is well financed, the leadership team is ready, and the technology is now proven and ready to scale rapidly.
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“I am very pleased to see Tom now take on the chief executive role. As a founder with both deep technical expertise and extensive entrepreneurial experience, he is the ideal leader to build on Steve’s great work and take the company to the next level.
“I’d like to thank Steve personally, and on behalf of the Board, for his contribution to Ultraleap. We wish him all the best and look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role.”
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