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May 13 2021

Ivan Kutanin appointed as Skylum’s next CEO, Alex Tsepko named Chief Expansion Officer

Leadership shift helps the Luminar platform capture new opportunities and expand AI-powered solutions to emerging markets.

NEW YORK, NY - May 13, 2021 — Today, Skylum announces Ivan Kutanin will become CEO. Current CEO Alex Tsepko moves focus to market growth and partnerships as Chief Expansion Officer (CXO). Alex turns his focus to developing new markets and building strategic partnerships to drive Skylum’s continued growth.

“When asked to be CEO, the company faced many challenges. We needed to rethink who we were and how we could bring unique value to the market. That led us to rebrand as Skylum and reimagine the photo editing experience to help everyone create stunning imagery more efficiently,” said CXO Alex Tsepko. “The market responded enthusiastically and Skylum doubled growth annually for the past three fiscal years.”

With the launch of LuminarAI last year, these goals were fully realized and helped build key technology partnerships. The new Luminar technology is built from the ground up utilizing Artificial Intelligence and has forever changed the way photos are enhanced. As a result, many major market leaders took notice and now follow Skylum’s lead.

“As the company looks forward, we believe Ivan is the perfect choice to lead the next phase of Skylum’s growth. His expertise in both engineering and business allow for expanded adoption of our exciting technology in new business segments,” said Tsepko. “I look forward to finding and developing new partners and markets for the tools and solutions developed under his leadership.”

Ivan Kutanin has been an integral part of Skylum’s growth. Initially focused on developing award-winning products such as Intensify, Tonality, Aurora HDR, and Luminar, Ivan then joined Skylum’s board of directors and helped unify operations. He’s been the driving force behind building an ecosystem of services which empower Luminar users.

“Thanks to Alex’s hard work, we have a company filled with amazing people and technology. I am honored to have this opportunity to help fuel Skylum’s continued growth,” said CEO Ivan Kutanin. “Our customers rely on images to tell stories, drive business, and communicate efficiently. My focus is to make Luminar an indispensable tool for our users by taking full advantage of the powerful tools in our expanding AI ecosystem.”

Skylum intends to bring the Luminar Imaging Platform to new markets — becoming a complete ecosystem. Near term plans include expansion to mobile platforms such as iOS and Android. The company plans to enter 30 new markets and secure key partnerships with various industries including photography, technology, entertainment, e-commerce, and others.

Asked about his vision for the company’s future, Kutanin said: 

“At Skylum, we believe creativity is a fundamental human need. With this in mind, our products should inspire our customers and unleash their creativity. To accomplish this goal, we create AI tools which help people look at their creativity from a new vantage point and find unique opportunities for self expression through visual storytelling.

To that end, we continue to invest in our proprietary Artificial Intelligence tools to address new challenges and develop creative solutions which serve both current and future customers. As we expand research and development, our role as an innovation leader in the imaging space will create new opportunities in the broader AI market. The path before us is truly exciting.”

Skylum is fortunate to retain two passionate and committed leaders. As CEO, Kutanin will drive product expansion. As CXO, Tsepko will focus on geographic & partnership growth. Together, they position Skylum for rapid growth and continued success.

About Skylum Software
Skylum is a global imaging technology company focused on creating tools that make it easier for creatives to get things done. LuminarAI unleashes creativity through the innovative use of automated and intelligent image processing which still allows the artist complete control over the final product. Skylum has won the Red Dot Award, Apple’s Best of Year, “Best Imaging Software” by TIPA and EISA as well as several other top industry awards. To learn more about Skylum, visit https://skylum.com.

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Ivan Kutanin appointed as Skylum’s next CEO,  Alex Tsepko named Chief Expansion Officer

Anastasia Sliusarenko

Head of PR&Communications

Ivan Kutanin appointed as Skylum’s next CEO,  Alex Tsepko named Chief Expansion Officer(11)