Chris Opat SVP Cloud Operations, Backblaze

Backblaze, Inc. announced that Christoper (Chris) Opat has joined the company as SVP of cloud operations overseeing the strategy and operations of the company’se global cloud storage platform.

With over 500,000 customers and 3 billion gigabytes of storage under management, the firm has built significant experience in more than 15 years in business. Opat expands the company’s leadership by bringing his cloud and infrastructure knowledge developed during his time leading cloud operations at companies like StackPath and Cloudreach.

In his role, he oversees cloud strategy, platform engineering, and technology infrastructure, enabling the company to further scale capacity and improve performance for all customers as well as providing for the growing pool of larger-sized customers’ needs as the company continues to see as the company continues to see success in moving up-market.

“Chris is a forward-thinking cloud leader with a proven track record of leading teams that are clever and bold in solving problems. I was impressed by his focus on how his teams can contribute to creating best-in-class experiences for customers,” said Gleb Budman, CEO and chairperson of the board. “His expertise and approach will be pivotal as more customers move to an open cloud ecosystem, and he will help advance Backblaze’s cloud strategy as we continue to grow.”

Opat brings more than 25 years of industry experience. Previously, he served as SVP leading platform engineering and operations at StackPath, a specialized provider in edge technology and content delivery. He also held leadership roles at CyrusOne, CompuCom, Cloudreach, and Bear Stearns/JPMorgan.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Television and Digital Media Production from Ithaca College.

“Backblaze’s vision and mission resonate with me. I’m proud to be joining a company that is supporting customers and advocating for an open cloud ecosystem,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working with the amazing team at Backblaze as we continue to scale with our customers and accelerate growth.”