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Web software seller Acquia gives Staples CFO a seat on its board

Acquia staffers participated in a coding session with users of the open-source content management software it supports. Acquia

Acquia, a Burlington company that sells software and services for Web publishers and e-commerce businesses, looks like it’s taking another step on the road to an initial public offering.

The company said Tuesday that it has appointed Christine Komola, the chief financial officer of Staples Inc., to its board of directors. Komola will also chair Acquia’s audit committee.

“Our board has always been very keen on ensuring that we manage ourselves and govern ourselves in a way that any company with an opportunity to go public would,” chief executive Tom Erickson said. “This is a key step in that process.”

It is no secret Acquia is on a path to going public. The company has billed itself as “pre-IPO” in the past, and earlier this year said it had $100 million in revenue for 2014, a key milestone for companies seeking to go public.

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Acquia helps clients set up and run websites on the Drupal publishing system. The New England Patriots site is among those that run on Drupal, which can be thought of as a business-focused competitor to the popular Web publishing software WordPress.

Lately, Acquia has focused on adding clients in the e-commerce sector. Puma, the German shoe brand that has its North American headquarters in Westford, used Acquia to overhaul its online shopping service last year, Erickson said.

Komola’s experience at Staples, one of the larger online sellers in the United States, will help the company as it continues to seek more e-commerce business, Erickson said. “She hasn’t just been the CFO there. She’s been in product merchandising as well.”


Curt Woodward can be reached at curt.woodward@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @curtwoodward.