Don Plumley is an experienced operator and advisor who helps founders, executives, and boards navigate strategic inflection points, including growth transitions, portfolio direction, and transaction readiness. Across more than 30 years as an executive and advisor, he has led, grown, acquired, and divested businesses across technology-enabled services and highly engineered products in globally distributed operating environments.

Most recently as Chairman, CEO, and President of Elanex, a technology-enabled language services provider, Don led a period of growth and operational discipline and ultimately orchestrated the sale of the business to a New Zealand-based strategic acquirer. Earlier, as Vice President and General Manager of Polycold (NASDAQ: IMGC), a manufacturer of cryogenic cooling systems, he had full responsibility for a standalone division, including operations, financial performance, and governance. During his tenure, he built a new leadership team, directed lean manufacturing and ISO-9001 certification initiatives, delivered record revenue and profitability growth, and led the successful divestiture of the division to Helix Technology (NASDAQ: HELX).

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Don has also held senior executive roles in complex, global public companies. At Bowne Global Solutions (NASDAQ: BNE), he served as SVP and Chief Marketing Officer for a rapidly consolidating translation services platform, with responsibility for global marketing, sales leadership, and corporate development across more than 30 offices in 26 countries. As a member of the executive team, he played a central role in acquisition execution and integration, global brand development, investor and analyst communications, and sensitive internal communications for a workforce of nearly 2,000 spanning 20 countries. Earlier in his career, he was part of a turnaround management team at HyCal, a sensor and instrumentation manufacturer, where strategic planning and portfolio decisions led to the licensing of emerging technology and the eventual sale of the division to Honeywell.

​ Across these roles, Don was repeatedly called upon at moments of change to help leadership teams align strategy, incentives, and execution under conditions of uncertainty. Having served as both Chairman and CEO, he brings a practical understanding of the board–management dynamic and is valued for his ability to support CEOs while maintaining disciplined governance and long-term perspective.

Earlier in his career, Don founded and led a startup in the sales force automation sector, raising capital, building teams, and experiencing the full cycle of company building, including failure, repositioning, and reinvention. This experience continues to inform his work with founders and executives, grounding it in empathy and realism. Today, he is an active advisor and director to growth-stage companies and established enterprises, serves on the board of Fresh Victor, participates as a member of the selection committee of Sierra Angels, and is a limited partner in two early-stage venture funds.

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Donald holds an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA and a BS in Physiology from the University of California, Davis. He lives in Incline Village, Nevada, and is a co-founder of Soliste, a boutique winery in Sonoma County. When not advising leadership teams and boards, he remains active in entrepreneurial pursuits and the outdoors.