Small Firms, Big Options
A chief executive who boosted his company’s stock price more than 50 percent in two years might be expected to trade up to a larger company as his next career move. Instead, Mark McLaughlin resigned last week from the top job at publicly traded Internet-infrastructure company VeriSign Inc. to join a Silicon Valley start-up.
Mr. McLaughlin has been tapped as CEO of Palo Alto Networks Inc., a closely held security-technology company widely viewed as a candidate for an initial public offering.
“I’ve had the chance to be the CEO of a great public company,” said the 45-year-old executive, whose new job is set to be announced Monday. “Something I haven’t done is to take a great private company public.”
