The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Mitch Hill built his career across two very different technology companies: he was the founding CEO who launched Avanade, the Accenture–Microsoft joint venture, and later led Seattle startup Opscode, the company behind Chef. Colleagues remembered him as intensely competitive yet calm under pressure—a combination that shaped how he built teams and earned trust.
Who was Mitch Hill?
Mitchell C. Hill was born in San Pedro, California, on October 2, 1958. He grew up in Southern California in a large family; GeekWire reported that he had seven siblings and was raised by a single mother. He graduated from Westminster High School in 1976, where he met his future wife, Cherie.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
We Will Be Jaguars (Reese's Book Club Pick): A Memoir of My People | $13.29 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
The Trials of Apollo, Book 1: The Hidden Oracle | $11.08 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Starving For Truth: Stories To Rewire Your Reality | $24.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
For One More Day | $9.11 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Think and Grow Rich: Original Classic Edition | $0.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Hill earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, in 1980, and also studied computer information systems. While in college, he worked jobs that included overnight shifts at a Pep Boys auto shop and grocery-bagging. The mix of business study and early interest in computing foreshadowed a career focused on how technology could change the way organizations operate. Cal Poly Pomona’s biography of Hill and GeekWire’s obituary document his education and early background.
From Arthur Andersen to Avanade’s founding CEO
After college, Hill joined Arthur Andersen & Co. He advanced into management and became a senior partner and managing partner for Accenture’s electronics and high-technology business in the western United States. A former colleague, Paul Edelhertz, recalled Hill as someone who attracted talented people and earned their loyalty. That recollection is a personal assessment, rather than a formal measure of Hill’s performance, but it helps explain the relationships that followed him through his career.
#1 Best Overall
In 2000, Accenture and Microsoft established Avanade as a joint venture offering technology services built around Microsoft products. Hill became its founding CEO and led the launch. His role was to build and run the company, not to found it independently: Avanade was created by the two corporate partners. The company’s corporate background confirms its 2000 founding by Accenture and Microsoft.
Avanade brought together Accenture’s consulting and implementation capabilities with Microsoft’s technology platform. Under Hill’s leadership, it grew into a large services business. Cal Poly Pomona’s memorial biography describes Avanade as reaching about $1 billion in revenue and nearly 10,000 employees during his leadership; GeekWire reported a figure of about 9,000 employees. The figures are retrospective descriptions of scale, not evidence that Hill personally owned the company. He remained CEO until 2008. Cal Poly Pomona’s memorial profile and GeekWire’s account provide the respective figures and timeline.
Rank #2
Why colleagues described him as quietly confident
The accounts of people who worked with Hill return to a similar set of traits: steadiness, personal loyalty, and a competitive drive that did not require an imposing public manner. Opscode marketing executive Jay Wampold described Hill as having “an easy hand at the wheel,” a phrase that conveyed confidence without drama. Edelhertz recalled him staying calm through organizational and personal crises.
Colleagues also described Hill as a magnet for strong people. His relationships often outlasted the immediate workplace, making his leadership more personal than a network of professional contacts alone. Barry Crist, who succeeded him at Opscode, later said the company had benefited greatly from Hill’s leadership. These are named colleagues’ recollections, not a universal assessment of every employee’s experience.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Why Hill moved from Avanade to Opscode
In 2011, Hill left the established, corporate-backed services company he had led for a younger Seattle startup. Opscode had grown around Chef, an open-source platform for automating infrastructure—the systems and configuration work organizations need to run software. The move took Hill from a large consulting and technology-services operation into a company addressing cloud infrastructure and the emerging DevOps market.
Hill succeeded founder Jesse Robbins as CEO; Robbins moved into a community-focused role. In announcing the appointment, Opscode’s founders described seeking an executive who could help scale the business while respecting the developer community at its center. Hill told GeekWire that he welcomed the early-stage work, including customer conversations and stand-up meetings with developers. Opscode’s CEO appointment announcement and Robbins’s account of the recruitment describe the transition.
Rank #4
What Hill contributed at Opscode
Hill led Opscode for roughly two years, concentrating on company-building, customer engagement, and making the case for infrastructure automation to larger organizations. His contribution was executive and organizational: Chef’s technical foundations and open-source community predated his arrival and were developed by the founders, engineers, and contributors. The company’s later growth should not be attributed to Hill alone.
In August 2013, Hill stepped down as CEO for health reasons. Barry Crist took over, while Hill remained connected to Opscode as a board member and adviser. The company announced its name change from Opscode to Chef in December 2013, after Hill’s death; the timing does not establish that he directed the rebrand. Crist’s succession announcement records the leadership change and Hill’s continuing role.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe competitive side of Hill’s life
“Fierce competitor” had a literal basis in Hill’s interests outside work. He held a black belt in karate, raced motorcycles when he was younger, and took part in cycling and water sports. Colleagues recalled him riding between his Bellevue home and Seattle-area offices. Edelhertz said Hill could outpace cyclists 10 to 15 years younger than himself. That athletic drive sat alongside the calm demeanor coworkers described, rather than replacing it.
Illness, resignation, and death
GeekWire reported that Hill was diagnosed with cancer in March 2013. He continued working and staying connected to Opscode as his health allowed, then stepped aside as CEO in August. He died in early December 2013, aged 55, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
The exact day is not consistent across the available contemporary accounts: GeekWire’s obituary and Opscode’s December 6 announcement describe the timing differently. “Early December 2013” is therefore the clearest unambiguous chronology. Opscode announced that a public memorial would be held at Seattle’s Museum of Flight on December 19 and said the family requested donations to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in lieu of flowers. Opscode’s memorial announcement contains the company’s tribute and service details.
Family and legacy at Cal Poly Pomona
Hill and Cherie were married for 34 years, and he was survived by their sons, Mitchell and Matthew. Education remained important to him and his family. In 2014, Cal Poly Pomona recognized Hill posthumously as a Distinguished Alumni and established the Mitchell C. Hill Memorial Endowment. The university’s legacy work supported scholarships and technology education, including the Mitchell C. Hill Center for Digital Innovation. The endowment page and the Center for Digital Innovation page describe those efforts.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Hill’s career joined two kinds of company-building: scaling a corporate joint venture and helping a startup bring open-source infrastructure tools to enterprise customers. His colleagues’ portrait of quiet confidence adds a human dimension to that record: a leader remembered for composure, durable relationships, and competitive energy.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
