Skillsoft and Churchill Capital Corp II Announce Skillsoft’s Post-Closing Executive Leadership Team

Software Luxembourg Holding S.A. , a global leader in digital learning and talent management solutions, and Churchill Capital Corp II, a special purpose acquisition company, announced Skillsoft’s future executive leadership team, effective upon completion of the merger between Skillsoft and Churchill II. Following the closing, the combined company is expecting to promptly complete its planned acquisition of Global Knowledge Training LLC (“Global Knowledge”), a worldwide leader in IT and professional skills development, to create a global leader in corporate digital learning. The new company will operate as Skillsoft and is expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “SKIL.”

Jeffrey Tarr, Skillsoft’s incoming Chief Executive Officer, said, “Skillsoft’s new executive leadership team brings together outside executives with the Company’s current talented leaders who have been instrumental in guiding Skillsoft’s success to date. I look forward to working closely with this world-class team as we advance Skillsoft’s ambition to help companies build a future-fit workforce, skilled and ready for the jobs of tomorrow. We see significant opportunities ahead to capitalize on the rapidly growing demand for corporate digital learning to drive profitable growth in the business and create value for all Skillsoft stakeholders.”

Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek, Chief Marketing Officer, has more than 25 years of marketing, branding and strategy experience. She has led Skillsoft’s global marketing organization since joining the Company in 2019, focused on driving growth and demand and raising the brand’s profile. Ms. Boockoff-Bajdek previously held several executive marketing roles in the technology sector, including as CMO of IBM Watson and as the Global Head of Marketing for The Weather Company, an IBM Business.

HR Technology News: Alabama State Workforce Agency Receives Top Honor For National Workforce Program Of The Year  

Sarah Hilty, Chief Legal Officer, has more than 25 years of legal and commercial experience. She is currently Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at National CineMedia, where she has worked since 2018. Ms. Hilty was previously Deputy General Counsel at CH2M HILL and a Partner at Hogan and Hartson.

Ryan Murray, Chief Accounting Officer and interim Chief Financial Officer, is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 20 years of professional experience, including more than 10 years leading the global accounting and finance organizations in publicly traded companies. He previously served as Skillsoft’s Senior Vice President and was VP of Finance, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer of Avid Technology, Inc. He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Mark Onisk, Chief Content Officer, has been responsible for leading the strategic direction, roadmap and development of Skillsoft’s content catalogue since 2018. He joined the Company in 2011 and previously served as VP, Learning Products at Element K.

HR Technology News: The Hartford Enhances Group Life And Disability Coverage For Medical Professionals

Apratim Purakayastha, Chief Technology Officer, has been responsible for Skillsoft’s engineering, product management, cloud operations, and IT since 2016. He previously served as General Manager and SVP of SaaS at SevOne; as Group President in ACI Worldwide; and as Director of Software at IBM.

Eric Stine, Chief Revenue Officer, is a global technology executive with extensive strategy and growth experience. He most recently served as Chief of Staff for the President of Global Sales, Services and Customer Engagement at SAP, where he supported global go-to-market strategy and operations. He previously served as Chief Revenue Officer at Qualtrics and, prior to that, Chief Innovation Officer for SAP America. Earlier in his career, Mr. Stine held positions of increasing seniority at SAP, Ciber, Virtustream and Blackboard.

Richard Walker, Chief Corporate Strategy and Development Officer and President, SumTotal, brings extensive strategic, financial, operational and merger & acquisition experience to Skillsoft. He is an advisor to Churchill Capital and a member of the Board of Directors at ServiceSource, where he previously served as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Walker also founded The Bison Group, a private partnership that collaborates with private equity firms investing in the information services industry. Prior to that, he held executive leadership positions of increasing responsibility at IHS (now IHS Markit), including Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, among others. In those roles, he built the corporate strategy and development function and led the completion of more than 60 strategic acquisitions.

HR Technology News: ADP National Employment Report: Private Sector Employment Increased By 978,000 Jobs In May