CleanSpark, then a microgrid technology company, named Zach Bradford chief executive officer, a change S&P Capital IQ reported from a company filing on October 9, 20192. CleanSpark's own press release followed on October 10, 20191. Bradford moved up from president and chief financial officer, a post he had held since 2017 after serving as CFO alone since 2014. He described the promotion as a continuation of work already underway. “I am looking forward to engaging in my new role as CEO,” Bradford said. “I have served as the CFO since 2014 and CFO and President since 2017”.
Four leadership moves at CleanSpark on the record since 2019
Every move CryptoLately has verified there, by the day it became public
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Oct. 9, 2019 | Bradford became CEO. Zach Bradford was named Chief Executive Officer of CleanSpark |
| Oct. 9, 2019 | Schultz left as CEO. Matthew Schultz left as Chief Executive Officer of CleanSpark |
| Aug. 11, 2025 | Bradford left as CEO. Zachary Bradford left as Chief Executive Officer of CleanSpark |
| Aug. 11, 2025 | Schultz became CEO. Matt Schultz was named Chief Executive Officer of CleanSpark |
Eight CEO appointments on the record in 2019
CEO appointments CryptoLately has verified, by year
- 2019: 8
- 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 18 |
| 2023 | 17 |
The move
Founder Matthew Schultz moved the other direction, from chief executive to chairman of the board, the same release said1. Schultz framed the swap as a step the company needed to reach profitability. “I will be moving from my CEO position into the role of Chairman of the Board so that I can better serve the shareholders of the company,” he said. S&P Capital IQ's summary of the filing, published a day before the release, gives a sharper account of the sequence: it reported that Schultz resigned as CEO on October 4, 2019, and that Bradford, then still CFO, was appointed in his place that same day2.
Why move a sitting CFO into the chief executive chair rather than hire from outside? Schultz's own statement names Bradford's finance background as the reason. “I have worked with Mr. Bradford for over five years and his background and experience position him extremely well to move the company ahead and achieve our next milestone of profitability,” Schultz said1.
CleanSpark before and after
The handoff came inside a wider board shuffle. CleanSpark expanded its board to a majority of independent directors, adding Roger P. Beynon and Dr. Thomas Wood, while co-founder Bryan Huber stepped off the board to become chief innovation officer, the release said1. Anthony Vastola moved up to chief operating officer, and Lori Love took over as chief financial officer in Bradford's place. CleanSpark described itself at the time as a company building “advanced engineering, software and controls for innovative distributed energy resource management systems”.
Bradford set out his own priorities for the role. “My priority as CEO will be to achieve profitability and continue the commercialization of our energy intelligence solutions,” he said, pointing to the company's technology as the basis for growing market share1.
What came next
CleanSpark's business changed more than its leadership did. CleanSpark later became a Nasdaq-listed bitcoin miner that calls itself "America's Bitcoin Miner"3. Bradford ran the company as CEO for nearly six years before resigning on August 11, 2025, when Schultz, by then executive chairman, returned to the chief executive seat, a CleanSpark securities filing said. The filing credited Schultz's earlier leadership with raising “billions in capital to fuel the growth of the Company's bitcoin mining business”.
Sources
- CleanSpark, Inc., "CleanSpark Announces Management Shift and Board Additions to Drive Profitability and Commercialization of its Microgrid Technology," GlobeNewswire, Oct. 10, 2019, https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/10/10/1928091/0/en/CleanSpark-Announces-Management-Shift-and-Board-Additions-to-Drive-Profitability-and-Commercialization-of-its-Microgrid-Technology.html
- S&P Capital IQ, "CleanSpark, Inc. Announces Management Changes," MarketScreener, Oct. 9, 2019, https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/CLEANSPARK-INC-46303597/news/CleanSpark-Inc-Announces-Management-Changes-34126537/
- CleanSpark, Inc., "CleanSpark Appoints Matt Schultz CEO," SEC filing exhibit, Aug. 11, 2025, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/827876/000095017025106224/clsk-ex99_1.htm