Freshworks Inc. has announced the appointment of Johanna Jackman as its new Chief People Officer (CPO). In this role, Johanna will join our esteemed executive team and report directly to Freshworks’ CEO, Girish Mathrubootham, as well as President Dennis Woodside. As CPO, she will assume responsibility for overseeing the company’s global human resources strategy and operations, encompassing HR business partnerships, talent acquisition, employee development, facility management, compensation and benefits, corporate social responsibility initiatives, and diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies.
Johanna Jackman is a seasoned global executive known for her ability to drive business impact. She has previously led HR teams at renowned tech firms such as Pure Storage, LinkedIn, Microsoft, and, most recently, served as the Chief People Officer at Airtable during a period of hyper-growth. In this capacity, she played a pivotal role in scaling talent and nurturing culture to align with ambitious business objectives.
CEO Girish Mathrubootham expressed his excitement, stating, “JJ is a valuable addition to the Freshworks team. Her impressive track record at high-growth tech companies, coupled with her international expertise in working with global teams, makes her the ideal choice to support our diverse employee base, who are instrumental in driving the long-term success of our business.”
Prior to her tenure at Airtable, Johanna Jackman held the position of Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG) for several years. Additionally, she served as a board member for the Pure Good Foundation, where she contributed to environmental impact and workforce development solutions for underserved communities. Before her time at Pure Storage, she held the role of Vice President of HR at LinkedIn, where she played a pivotal role in creating a talent platform that expanded the employee base from 1,000 to 10,000. Johanna’s extensive experience extends further back to her time at Microsoft, where she specialized in talent management and business partnerships, holding key positions in the US, Europe, and Australia.
Johanna Jackman expressed her enthusiasm for joining Freshworks, stating, “Freshworks holds incredible potential to become a multi-billion-dollar software company, and I am thrilled to join the leadership team to further elevate its already robust company culture. This journey will involve our current and future employees as we scale, and I believe this organization’s global diversity is a tremendous asset, benefiting both our employees and customers alike.”
Johanna Jackman holds a Bachelor of Business degree from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Additionally, she serves as a member of the board of directors at Grafana Labs, an open-source interactive data-visualization platform company.
