Diane Honda is a Board member and CXO who accelerates growth for mid to large technology companies
by creating the people, operational, and governance frameworks needed to scale. Diane has over 25 years of experience as a C-suite leader and is currently serving as the Chief Administrative Officer for Barracuda Networks, a cybersecurity and data protection company with over $600M in annual revenue. She can serve on the Cybersecurity, Compensation, and Nominating and Governance Committees, with specific expertise in culture/talent, M&A, IPOs, ESG, and risk management.
As CAO for Barracuda, Diane is responsible for leading the company’s Human Resources, Legal, Compliance and Real Estate departments, and is a trusted advisor to the CEO, executive team, and Board. She provides thought leadership and guidance on operational and business risk, mergers and acquisitions, cybersecurity and data privacy, corporate culture, benefits and compensation, succession planning, and ethics and corporate governance. Diane’s technical and operational expertise contributed to Barracuda Networks’ successful IPO and growth as a public company. Most recently, her expertise was instrumental in completing the acquisition of Barracuda by a private equity firm.
In her role as Corporate Secretary, Diane provides guidance on board restructuring, activist shareholders, and corporate governance and has expertise in the areas of employee and public relations, crisis management, and public company compliance.
Prior to joining Barracuda, Diane gained broad business acumen from her roles in leading technical and business operations organizations in Fortune 50, private, and mid-size public companies, in the areas of software engineering, quality assurance, information systems, human resources, channel marketing, financial services, and real estate. Diane has also owned and managed the financial and legal aspects of a retail business located in California, with growing revenue in excess of $5M annually.
Diane is a member of the Board of Directors and a member of the Audit Committee of Lucidworks, Inc., a provider of next- generation AI-powered search applications. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Java Joy, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing meaningful employment for adults with disabilities. Ms. Honda previously served as an elected Trustee on the Governing Board of the Las Lomitas School District in Menlo Park, CA, serving as its President and Clerk.
Ms. Honda collaborated with District leadership on financial, labor, and safety matters. Under her guidance, the Governing Board successfully raised $130M in public bonds to finance significant improvements and modernization to the school’s technology, infrastructure, and facilities. Diane previously served on the Board, Executive Committee, and Audit Committee of the Las Lomitas Educational Foundation, a non-profit organization which raises over $2M annually to support high quality public education. She established the necessary financial and business controls to successfully complete the Foundation’s first external financial audit.
In 2019, Ms. Honda was recognized as one of the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 100 Women of Influence. She also received the General Counsel Impact Award from The Recorder, an ALM publication, in 2013 for her leadership and guidance on Barracuda Networks’ IPO. Ms. Honda is an Alumnae of the DirectWomen Board Institute Program (2019).
Diane holds a JD from Santa Clara University School of Law and Bachelor of Science degrees in Applied Math/Computer Science and Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon.