People & Positions:

SANgate CEO Resigns Over EMC Suit

As reported by Colin C. Haley, the chairman and CEO of SANgate has resigned after a Suffolk County Superior Court ruled he violated a non-compete agreement with his former employer EMC.

Doron Kempel, who took the top job at the privately held data storage firm in mid-September, stepped down last Tuesday afternoon. SANgate will be led by the executive team until a replacement is found.

"We do not plan an appeal," said Beth Winkowski, a spokeswoman for Southborough, Mass., company said. "We will honor the decision of the judge."

The court granted EMC a temporary injunction that prevents Kempel from working at SANgate. Winkowski said it was too soon to say what the 38-year-old's next career move is.

Previously, Kempel was as vice president and general manager of the Media Solutions Group at EMC, the Hopkinton, Mass., data storage giant. There, he planned and launched the organization as an autonomous division with its own engineering, sales, marketing, business development and professional services functions.

Before EMC, Kempel was vice president of sales and marketing for Imedia, a privately held company that produced routing and re-multiplexing systems for digital video. In addition, he held positions with Robertson, Stephens, The Israel Corporation LTD, and was as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces.

Founded in 1999, SANgate is developing a enterprise storage appliance that supports both open systems and mainframe storage environments. The firm is privately held and backed by Battery Ventures and Jerusalem Venture Partners.

In addition to its Southborough headquarters, SANgate has an office in Even Yehuda, Israel.