General Assembly, the global education company that pioneered the field of accelerated training for in-demand tech careers, announced the appointment of five senior leaders to its expanded leadership team. General Assembly is a fully-owned subsidiary of the Adecco Group, a global company that aspires to enable sustainable and lifelong employability for individuals and empower organizations to optimize their workforce.
The announcement follows the appointment of CEO Lisa Lewin, as demand for the firm’s digital offerings accelerated among major employers and local governments around the world. In April, General Assembly announced the launch of a public sector reskilling group which will build on the success of partnerships with the cities of Atlanta, Buffalo, Louisville, and Sacramento, in collaboration with major employers including Microsoft, Humana, and M&T Bank.
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“General Assembly grew in response both to employer demand and the aspirations of professionals on a mission to transform their lives and careers. We are now evolving in the face of emerging challenges in an increasingly complex international labor market,” said Lewin. “These hires reflect a commitment to innovating in response to accelerated demand for upskilling and reskilling at scale, and to leveraging best practices for remote learning that we honed during the pandemic to reach new audiences and geographies worldwide.”
The five leadership appointments announced today include:
- Ella Balagula, Senior Vice President and Global Head, Enterprise who brings 25 years of general management, digital transformation, and EdTech growth experience to GA. Most recently, she was EVP and GM of Knowledge and Learning at Wiley, managing a portfolio of education businesses.
- Danielle Chircop, Senior Vice President and Global Head, Product who joins GA with 16 years of experience in adult education, with over a decade of leadership in instructional design, product, and technology. Most recently, she was VP of Digital Product at Kaplan North America.
- Jason Fournier, Vice President, Product Management, who comes to GA after a 15-year career at Pearson, most recently as Vice President, Product Management, AI Products and Solutions.
- Roger Lee, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Admissions, who brings 25 years of marketing experience, most recently in his role as Vice President, Performance Marketing at University of Phoenix.
- David Porcaro, PhD, Vice President, Learning and Innovation, who most recently served as Director of Learning Engineering at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
Together, Balagula, Chircop, Fournier, Lee, and Porcaro will be tasked with leading GA’s product innovation strategy, developing and deploying new educational content aligned to shifting workforce demands, and expanding to reach new audiences and geographies globally.
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“General Assembly’s global reach and focus on social and economic mobility is central to the Adecco Group’s strategy to make the world of work, work for everyone,” says Alain Dehaze, the CEO of The Adecco Group, General Assembly’s parent company. “As individuals pursue new career paths, companies look to close skills gaps, and governments create opportunities for displaced workers, General Assembly’s commitment to innovative programs and partnerships positions them to lead the way in helping countries around the world build back better.”
In addition to the five new leadership team members announced today, General Assembly also shared the appointment of two accomplished executives to drive its people and strategy initiatives.
- Shweta Bhasin joins GA as Senior Vice President, Human Resources, and brings on board 20 years of experience in HR Consulting and Corporate HR roles across the telecom, professional services, and education industries. She joins GA from Pearson, where she was part of the Global HR leadership team.
- Alberto Cavero will be GA’s inaugural Senior Vice President, Strategy and Transformation, joining the company from Laureate Education, where he served as Chief Transformation Officer and formerly as Strategy Director. Previously, he worked on strategic consulting at Boston Consulting Group.
General Assembly’s new leadership join a team of seasoned executives including Vice President, Human Resources Catie Brand, Senior Vice President of Finance Philipp Lustenberger, General Counsel Jayshree Mahtani, Vice President of Social Impact & External Affairs Tom Ogletree, and Senior Vice President, Campus Operations Scott Zaloom. The new executive team reflects the company’s commitment to continued global expansion, with leadership team members located in Boston, Mexico City, Miami, New York City, Paris, San Diego, San Francisco, and Zurich.
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