Carter Page Joins Astronomer as Executive Vice President for R&D

Astronomer Welcomes Carter Page as EVP of R&D

In a significant leadership shift, Astronomer, the innovative company behind Astro, the foremost unified DataOps platform leveraging Apache Airflow®, has appointed Carter Page as the new Executive Vice President of Research and Development. This strategic decision reflects Astronomer's ambition to enhance its data capabilities and extend its market reach.

A New Era for Research and Development

Carter Page arrives at Astronomer equipped with over 25 years of rich experience in enterprise engineering leadership, notably from Two Sigma and Google. As he embarks on this new chapter, Page will be heading Astronomer's global R&D organization, playing a pivotal role in advancing their DataOps offerings. Reporting directly to CEO Andy Byron, Page is expected to accelerate innovation in the dynamic data landscape.

Andy Byron expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "Carter’s extensive technical expertise, combined with his leadership skills, makes him the perfect candidate to spearhead our R&D efforts. His comprehensive background across cloud infrastructure and data platforms at renowned companies will significantly expedite our capacity to deliver top-tier DataOps solutions."

Carter Page's Impressive Track Record

Prior to joining Astronomer, Page was a key figure in Two Sigma as the Managing Director and Head of Data Engineering. His tenure there marked a period of immense progress, where he managed a global engineering team responsible for rapidly expanding the company's data pipelines.

At Google, Page held prominent positions, including overseeing the company’s cloud-native databases and founding Cloud Bigtable. His leadership transformed Cloud Bigtable into one of Google Cloud's most successful products, serving major clients like YouTube and Spotify. His transition from Google to Two Sigma was motivated by a desire to grasp the business challenges modern enterprises face, leading him ultimately to Astronomer, where he aims to refine data orchestration for AI system success.

Insights from the New EVP

Carter Page articulated the appeal of technological innovation: "Top engineering talent is drawn to opportunities that redefine the frameworks within which we operate. I have built exemplary services and business applications while recognizing that the demand for vast and complex data continues to surge across every industry. Given the myriad point solutions in the data landscape, there is a significant requirement to harmonize these capabilities innovatively to address evolving challenges. Our unified DataOps platform at Astronomer is designed to rectify this scenario, enabling businesses to strategize effectively for the future."

Growth Trajectory and Future Aspirations

Carter joins Astronomer at a time of remarkable momentum. The company recently reported 100% year-over-year growth in annual recurring revenue and a net dollar retention rate exceeding 130%. Notably, there were calculated insights from the 2025 State of Airflow Report, showcasing Airflow's increasing use in critical business domains, including AI, MLOps, and revenue-generating data products.

Airflow has observed extraordinary growth, with more downloads in 2024 than in all previous years combined. The community has expanded to over 3,000 contributors, fostering an environment of collaboration and innovation. Over 80,000 organizations currently utilize Airflow, highlighting its growing acceptance among enterprises since 2020.

In anticipation of Airflow 3.0's launch, which promises to be the most significant release in the project's history, Astronomer aims to maximize its presence in the DataOps space.

Conclusion

With the integration of Carter Page into Astronomer, the company is poised to revolutionize the way enterprises engage with their data. Page’s history with premier tech giants and expertise in data engineering serves as a strong foundation for Astronomer to advance its mission of helping businesses innovate through effective data product strategies. As they embark on this exciting journey, businesses can look forward to transformative changes in the data ecosystem through Astronomer’s innovative solutions.