US tech unicorn Sigma hires first general counsel from San Francisco boutique

Ali Harmer moves back in house after four-and-a-half-year stint at Coda Law Group

Ali Harmer Photo courtesy of Sigma

US data analytics software-provider Sigma has hired Ali Harmer as its first general counsel from San Francisco tech law boutique Coda Law Group.

Harmer is moving back in-house after a four-and-a-half-year stint at Coda, where she was a partner covering tech transactions, strategic business development and channel partner programmes. At Sigma, she will be the company’s principal legal advisor, leading the GC office and providing strategic guidance on all legal-related matters.

San Francisco-based Sigma provides cloud-based data analytics software to help companies improve their business intelligence capabilities.

Harmer’s appointment coincides with the hire of chief financial officer Christina Liu.

Mike Palmer, Sigma’s CEO, said: “Christina and Ali are highly qualified leaders with impressive track records in their respective fields. They each bring meaningful experience in enabling growth from their previous positions and will each play a crucial role in the long-term advancement of Sigma as the most forward-thinking data analytics solution provider in our industry.”

Harmer initially joined Coda as a counsel before being made partner in 2021. She was previously an associate at Ascenda Law Group for close to six years, having earlier worked in-house as legal counsel at Sega of America.

She said: “As enterprises continue to navigate increasing complexity around vast amounts of data, the adoption of forward-thinking tools like Sigma will help define data-driven business practices. I’m thrilled to join Sigma during a time of especially strong momentum.”

Last month Sigma raised $200m in a Series D funding round from investors including Spark Capital and Avenir Growth Capital, valuing the business at $1.5bn.

US tech companies have been on a legal chief hiring spree in recent months. Earlier in June, data storage business Seagate hired Jim Lee from Maxar Technologies as its new chief legal officer, replacing Kate Schuelke who joined Credo Technology Group in January. Last month, optical networking business Infinera hired former SunPower Corporation CLO Regan MacPherson as its legal head.

Also in May, networking and cloud services provider Lumen Technologies hired former Hulu GC Chad Ho as its next CLO. And in April, tech giant IBM hired Anne Robinson from Vanguard as its next CLO, replacing Michelle Browdy from the start of next month.

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