Udemy added three seasoned executives to its management team which further underlines that the startup days for the course marketplace are over.
The new hires will take over roles as vice president and general manager Udemy for Organizations, vice president of business development and vice president of finance and operations.
Paul Sebastien who will lead all marketing, sales, strategy and operations for Udemy for Organizations has worked for T-Mobile, Disney Mobile, Microsoft, Sony and SugarSync, and was most recently chief marketing officer at T-Mobile/Deutsche Telekom HBS.
Richard Qiu who will handle content, distribution and strategic partnerships between Udemy and organizations previously led business development, sales and partnerships for TRUSTe, 4INFO and BeVocal.
Dave Arnold who will help the Udemy bolster operations in the U.S. and further expand into international markets has worked for Visa, J.P. Morgan and Deloitte and for the past five years he was vice president of finance at Boku, Inc.
All roles will be crucial for scaling Udemy’s business in the US and key markets overseas, a goal that the company’s CEO Dennis Yang set after raising a $32 million Series C in May. As Yang states in the press release, this is a pivotal time for Udemy as the company still has to prove that its business model works better or at least as good as those of more established players like lynda.com.
In May TechCrunch reported that about 15% of the users are converted into paying customers with the majority taking free courses on the platform. On the other hand, Udemy is clearly pushing more towards B2B through its Udemy for Organizations offering. In July Udemy also announced a program for nonprofits and social entrepreneurs called Udemy Social Innovation, offering monetary grants for course creation and reduced prices for the company’s products.
Further Reading
- Udemy Expands Leadership Team with Three New Executive Hires | Press Release
- Udemy Announces Social Innovation Program to Support Nonprofits Pursuing Positive Social Change | Press Release
Related Links
- HEDLINE: Udemy raises $32 million Series C to Expand Internationally
- HEDLINE: Dennis Yang new Udemy CEO - Eren Bali becomes Product Lead