Armughan Ahmad Appointed CEO and President

Rhea-AI Summary

Appen Limited (ASX: APX) has appointed Armughan Ahmad as its new CEO and President, effective 30 January 2023. Ahmad, who is based out of North America, brings over 25 years of experience from notable companies including KPMG, Dell Technologies, and Hewlett Packard. The transition follows the tenure of Mark Brayan, who will remain until 28 February 2023 to ensure continuity. The board is optimistic about Ahmad's leadership in scaling Appen's growth in the AI sector.

Positive

• Appointment of Armughan Ahmad as CEO expected to drive growth.
• Ahmad has extensive experience in technology and business transformation, which could enhance company strategy.
• Smooth transition plan in place with outgoing CEO Mark Brayan.

Negative

• None.

KIRKLAND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Appen Limited (Appen) (ASX: APX) today announced the appointment of Armughan Ahmad as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of the company, effective from no later than 30 January 2023. Armughan Ahmad will also serve as Managing Director. Appen’s current CEO and Managing Director, Mark Brayan, will remain with the business until 28 February 2023 to ensure a smooth transition.

Armughan Ahmad (Photo: Business Wire)

Armughan brings over 25 years of global experience in the technology industry having led product, sales, and services organisations at KPMG, Dell Technologies, and Hewlett Packard in the past. In his most recent role as President and Managing Partner of Digital at KPMG in Canada, Armughan oversaw the firm’s innovative services to product shift by delivering exponential technology-based market offerings to accelerate industry sector focused digital transformation for customers.

Prior to KPMG, Armughan served as the Senior Vice President of Dell Technologies where he led Dell EMC’s Cloud, High Performance Computing, Workload Solutions and Alliances businesses. Armughan previously held executive positions at Hewlett Packard, 3Com and other technology companies across US, Europe, and Asian markets.

Armughan will be based out of Appen’s offices in North America.

Appen Chair, Richard Freudenstein, said that the Board of Appen was excited by Ahmad’s appointment and was looking forward to working with him and the Appen executive team to drive the Appen strategy in 2023 and beyond.

“As we scale Appen to its next phase of growth, the board felt it was important to appoint a successor with deep technology expertise in international markets.

“Armughan is an outstanding candidate and is ideally suited to be the next CEO of Appen. He is one of the technology industry’s most successful and respected executives having worked in both technology product companies in Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard and also in the services industry transformation at KPMG. Armughan has an incredible track record of driving growth and operational excellence, he is passionate about customers and partners, strongly believes in company culture, and is focused on delivering best-in-class innovation.

“The board and I are excited to work with Armughan as we continue to grow our focus on large scale tech, enterprise customers and accelerating our products and services in the dynamic and fast-paced AI market,” said Richard Freudenstein.”

Armughan Ahmad commented on his appointment:

“Appen sits at the intersection of how the world is driving human progress forward by leveraging AI to gain further insights into their data and deliver new customer and employee experiences. The impact of AI on every part of our daily lives is changing at an exponential rate. The world needs an AI that is trusted and benefits people and society.

“In my due diligence with industry partners and customers, I’ve found that Appen has the best technology in its category and delivers AI products and services to many of the world’s largest tech companies and Fortune 500 customers globally. Above all, Appen has built an incredible team that is committed to driving innovation while putting customers first. I am looking forward to leading this talented organisation to deliver continued innovation for our customers, value for our shareholders, and enhanced experience for our crowd contributors and employees.”

Mr Freudenstein thanked Mark Brayan for his leadership of Appen over the past 7 years.

“On behalf of the Appen Board, I want to thank Mark for his considerable contributions to Appen over his more than 7 years as CEO. During Mark’s leadership, he has driven the business from around $60 million revenue in 2015 to more than $440 million revenue in 2021.

“I want to acknowledge Mark’s leadership of the company over that time. In particular, his commitment to the company during the Covid period was immense. Mark has built a strong executive team and we’re grateful for everything the team and the company has achieved under his leadership.”

Mr Brayan said he was very proud of his time at Appen. Mr Brayan said, “I’d like to thank Richard and Chris Vonwiller before him, the board and everyone at Appen for the opportunity to lead a great Australian company. It’s been a privilege and a pleasure, and I wish the company every success.”

Authorised by the Board of Appen Limited.

About Appen

Appen is a global market leader in data for the AI Lifecycle. With over 25 years of experience in data sourcing, data annotation, and model evaluation by humans, we enable organisations to launch the world’s most innovative artificial intelligence systems.

Our expertise includes a global crowd of more than 1 million skilled contractors who speak over 235 languages, in over 70,000 locations and 170 countries, and the industry’s most advanced AI-assisted data annotation platform. Our products and services give leaders in technology, automotive, financial services, retail, healthcare, and governments the confidence to launch world-class AI products.

Founded in 1996, Appen has customers and offices globally.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221214006068/en/

Rosalie Duff

Head of Investor Relations

+61 421 611 932

rduff@appen.com

Source: Appen

FAQ

Who is the new CEO of Appen Limited?

Armughan Ahmad has been appointed as the new CEO of Appen Limited, effective 30 January 2023.

What is Armughan Ahmad's experience before joining Appen?

Armughan Ahmad has over 25 years of experience in technology, having worked at KPMG, Dell Technologies, and Hewlett Packard.

When will Mark Brayan step down from his role at Appen?

Mark Brayan will remain as CEO until 28 February 2023 to ensure a smooth transition.

What are Appen Limited's plans for growth under the new CEO?

Under Armughan Ahmad, Appen plans to focus on scaling its business and enhancing its offerings in the AI market.