Reid French is the Managing Director of Essex Gate Ventures.
Operating Experience
He was chief executive officer for Applied Systems, the leading global provider of cloud-based insurance software, from 2011 until 2019, and served on its board of directors from 2011 until 2020. Prior to Applied, he was chief operating officer at Intergraph Corporation (Nasdaq: INGR), a global geospatial and computer-aided design software company. Early in his career, he was a strategic planner for the Walt Disney Company, and he managed investment banking transactions in the technology sector for Robinson-Humphrey. He was also privileged to serve as a Watson Fellow, studying the financing of theatre in Europe.
Board Experience
Software Firms
Today, French sits on the board of directors for two public software companies, design software leader Autodesk (Nasdaq: ADSK) and customer engagement software leader Verint (Nasdaq: VRNT). He also serves on the board of directors for two private equity backed software firms, higher education software leader Anthology, owned by private equity firms Veritas Capital, Providence Equity Partners, and Leeds Equity Partners, as well as legal software provider NetDocuments, owned by private equity firms Cove Hill Partners and Warburg Pincus. He also serves on the executive advisory boards of Cove Hill Partners and Noro-Moseley Partners, a growth equity firm.
Educational Institutions
French serves on the Board of Trustees of Davidson College, one of the nation's most highly ranked and selective liberal arts colleges. French previously served for five years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Lovett School, a highly respected K-12 independent school based in Atlanta.
Educational Background
French holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Davidson College and a master's in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.
