Who We Are at Pinnacle Genie
Lori Read
Lori has a proven track record in developing high-functioning teams and efficiently growing profits for organizations. She excels in identifying opportunities and risks, developing strategic concepts, and crafting actionable plans that drive business success and sustainable growth.
Her career spans diverse experiences in the financial, healthcare, technology, and nonprofit sectors. She is also a seasoned consultant, keynote speaker, and certified health coach.
Lori was an executive commercial banker for 29 years, managing relationships with enterprise and Fortune 500 companies. She built and managed national sales teams, designed go-to-market strategies, and gained experience in bank market expansion and M&A.
This experience led her to launch a consulting firm focused on performance coaching, revenue and deposit growth strategies, sales team development, and a niche in medical banking and HIPAA/HITECH risk management for financial institutions and fintech organizations.
While working with clients, she noticed increasing work-life balance issues and general burnout. This realization led her to become a certified health coach so she could help her clients perform at their best by practicing healthier lifestyles and managing stress.
In 2016, Lori began her career in the nonprofit sector as a CEO and later held other executive positions. She gained diverse experience in direct marketing fundraising, donor management, consumer audiences, and lockbox processing while working with some of the largest nonprofit brands in the country.
She has come full circle as co-founder of Pinnacle Genie, where she pursues her passion for helping people and organizations succeed. Lori is also excited to add business brokerage to her skill set, acting as an intermediary in the mid-market sector.
Vidya Chadaga
Vidya Chadaga is a seasoned business executive with over two decades of experience in product and technology management. She excels in solving complex problems and loves connecting the dots to find the right solutions. Her experience spans Fortune 100 companies and high-growth firms backed by PE and VC. Vidya’s background covers enterprise and SMB markets across B2B and B2B2C solutions. An expert in SaaS and iPaaS business models, Vidya is a motivated self-starter and fast learner. She has delivered world-class vertical solutions in industries where she initially had no prior experience, including manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, higher education, and non-profits. Vidya excels at identifying similarities across industries to solve unique challenges.
Vidya has played significant roles in M&A, partnering with CEOs to evaluate strategic fit, assess synergies, conduct due diligence, identify growth opportunities, and ensure successful product integration, including key acquisitions by IBM, GE, Adobe, and leading private equity firms.
Beyond her professional achievements, Vidya is dedicated to mentoring talent within teams and supporting high school and college students. She also volunteers for hospice care and serves as a care provider at a local senior center.
With an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and a Bachelor's in Computer Science & Engineering from Marathwada Institute of Technology, Vidya’s education allows her to connect with both technical and business audiences effectively.
Her motto in life is the golden rule of treating others the way she wants to be treated. Hence, being approachable, reliable, and trustworthy is important to her. She brings high energy and genuine enthusiasm to her interactions, creating a productive, fun, and high-performing environment. Speed matters in business—plus, a high-velocity decision-making environment is more fun too. Vidya’s strengths lie in her growth mindset and divine discontent, knowing she can do better. She believes she is far from perfect and is a lifelong learner.