Rita Waite has left her investment manager position at Juniper Ventures, US-based networking technology producer Juniper Networks’ corporate venture capital arm, and will join Portugal-based commercial bank Millennium.
The news came in the wake of Waite being selected as one of Global Corporate Venturing’s 2019 Rising Stars last week, prior to her departure from Juniper Ventures.
Juniper Networks initially hired Waite as a corporate strategy analyst in 2011, and she moved to a senior analyst role in 2014 before being appointed to the three-member Juniper Ventures unit the following year.
Waite told GCV: “This experience taught me the important role of corporate venture capital. We have a unique value-add to companies at all stages and internally to the company itself as an innovation engine.
“I was privileged to have worked with passionate entrepreneurs, investors and colleagues every day that continuously reinforced these facts. During my tenure, we made over 10 new investments and I served as Juniper’s board observer to five of our strategic portfolio companies.”
Waite will join Millennium’s payments product team and explained: “I will be working hand-in-hand with key stakeholders in a difficult regulatory environment to integrate high-technology concepts and strategies. It is something I have always been passionate about and am excited to learn how to lead those efforts.”
Photo courtesy of Rita Waite.
