Sacramento COO To Revolutionize Software Defined Wide Area Networks
Hamish Butler is the chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Glue Networks, Inc., a Sacramento-based leader in the field of software-defined wide area networks. This makes Butler a busy guy, responsible for all finance and operations functions, including, but not limited to, fund-raising, investor relations, strategic planning, finance, human resources, contracts, legal, IT and third-party relationships.
Butler says his education gave him a strong, broad background in electronics and communications technologies that helped him progress through a variety of roles, including R&D lab manager, before transitioning to a business roles with full P&L responsibility and strategic planning for new products and market growth.
He earned his bachelors degree (B.Sc.) in electronic and electrical engineering from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, UK, and his masters degree (M.Sc.) in digital systems engineering from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, UK.
Butler says his passion for science and engineering began at an early age, and he remembers being fascinated with how the old 60's and 70's phone systems worked (POTS). This passion later developed into the intersection of modern-day telecommunications and computer networking.
"As COO/CFO of Glue Networks, I worked with our founders to distill the key elements of their technical vision to communicate to investors how the Glue Technology could transform the enterprise wide area networks and ROI for our customers. We've used our funding to operationalize our vision and grow a team of talented engineers developing, selling and supporting our product. We are about to release our second-generation product, which will revolutionize software-defined wide area networks."
What advice can you offer others entering the field of managing a business?
"Learn your craft, look for opportunities to contribute and new ways to do things; be creative. Do not stay locked in a box of old age thinking. Identify a mentor and learn from them. Become exceptional at what you do. Don't be afraid to take a chance, if you fail, learn from your mistakes. Be a good listener, listen to customer feedback, listen to your advisors, listen to your staff, and then distill what you have learned and make good decisions."
Karen Hansen M.S. Earth Sciences, has been writing about earth and the environmental sciences for Examiner.com since May of 2010 in addition to having been an educator and consultant who has facilitated over 200 courses for a private university. Karen loves to learn and write about clean disruptive technology and policies and the people on the planet too. She lives and works in Sacramento, CA. You can find her work at SF Solar Energy Examiner, SF Environmental News Examiner and Environmental News Examiner
