Upwork Announces Board Refreshment, Strengthening Financial and Operational Expertise for Its Next Chapter

Claire Bramley and David Lissy join Board of Directors, bringing deep experience in financial leadership, scaling public companies, and building high-performing global organizations

Upwork Inc.  the world’s work marketplace, announced changes to its Board of Directors to support its continued evolution and long-term strategy to power the AI-enabled labor market of the future.

Following Upwork’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on June 4, 2026, two new directors, Claire Bramley and David Lissy, have officially joined the company’s Board. Both will serve as members of the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee.

As part of a planned transition, Anilu Vazquez-Ubarri and Leela Srinivasan concluded their service on the Board after five and six years of service, respectively.

Claire Bramley brings more than 20 years of senior finance leadership across global public technology companies. She currently serves as chief financial officer of Xero, a global small business platform and trusted financial operating system for the Al era, and previously served as chief financial officer of Teradata. Earlier in her career, she held senior finance roles at HP. An Associate of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Bramley offers deep expertise in financial strategy, risk management, compliance, and large-scale transformation.

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David Lissy brings extensive experience leading and scaling global organizations through significant growth and change. He has spent nearly two decades as chief executive officer and later executive chairman of Bright Horizons which he led through its initial public offering, multiple transformational transactions, and periods of business disruption and evolving customer needs.

“Claire and David join Upwork at a moment of real opportunity, as we build the company for the AI-enabled future of work,” said Thomas Layton, chair of the Board. “Claire knows what it takes to steward a public company through transformation; David has built and scaled one through it. Their judgment will be a tremendous asset as we pursue our next chapter of growth. On behalf of the Board, I also want to thank Anilu and Leela for the contributions that helped shape the company Upwork is today.”

“I’m thrilled to welcome Claire and David to our Board as we reinvent work for the age of AI,” said Hayden Brown, president and CEO of Upwork Inc. “Claire is a sitting public-company CFO who has helped lead some of the most respected names in technology through real change. This will be valuable experience as we scale. David pairs the instincts of a high-scale public company operator with the judgment of a seasoned board chair. I look forward to partnering with him as we write Upwork’s next chapter. I also want to thank Anilu and Leela. Each of them has offered immeasurable counsel, for which I am deeply grateful.”

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