Experienced Financial Executive and Military Veteran Dean Gels Is the New CFO for Lrn Corporation
LRN Corporation, the leader in ethics and compliance solutions for global business, announces the newest addition to its executive management team.
Dean Gels, an executive with over twenty years of corporate finance and leadership experience, joins LRN as Chief Financial Officer. The news comes months after LRN brought on Chief Revenue Officer Amy Fanara and Chief Technology Officer Parijat Jauhari to round out the C-suite. LRN CEO Kevin Michielsen said Gels was hired for his robust experience as a financial executive for tech and service-based companies.
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“Dean is a fantastic addition to the leadership team—he perfectly complements our visionary professionals who are paving the way forward for LRN as we enter a bold new era for the business,” said Michielsen.
Early in his financial career, Gels worked as a tech investment banker at RBC Capital Markets, completing more than 40 deals amounting to $17 billion in aggregate transaction value. He then served as the VP of Corporate Development at Borderfree managing the sale of the business to Pitney Bowes for $489 million. He was later CFO at OVH US, managing the company’s US expansion via its acquisition of VMWare’s vCloudAir Division. Most recently, Gels was CFO at MSA Security where he spearheaded the company’s growth into new markets.
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A military veteran, Gels proudly served as an infantry officer in the United States Army in the Pacific theater during his 5-year commitment and holds a BS from the United States Military Academy at West Point as well as an MBA from Boston University.
“I’m excited to bring my experience to LRN and lead the financial team during an exciting, growth-focused time for this organization,” said Gels. “LRN is a vibrant company and pioneer in the ethics and compliance industry. My experience as a CFO for growth-minded tech companies and background as a technology investment banker offers a diverse perspective that I feel will provide valuable insights for LRN in this moment for the company.”
He joins LRN following several years of rapid growth. In 2018, LRN received a significant investment from Leeds Equity Partners. Since then, other executives who have joined the company include Chief Advisory Officer Ty Francis MBE, Global Head of Segments Matt Plass, Chief Marketing Officer Amy Hanan, Chief Legal Officer Aitken Thompson, Chief Human Resources Officer Margaret Sweeney and Chief of Strategy and Business Development Eduardo Gomez.
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