Aaron Kechley appointed CEO; founder and longtime CEO Steve Phillips to step into Executive Chair and Chief Innovation Officer roles
Zappi, a leading consumer insights software provider, announced a strategic leadership transition to accelerate its growth and solidify its position at the forefront of consumer insights innovation. Effective October 1st, 2024, Aaron Kechley, a proven leader in driving innovation and scaling high-growth SaaS businesses, will assume the role of Zappi’s Chief Executive Officer.
In conjunction with this appointment, Zappi’s founder and longtime Chief Executive Officer, Steve Phillips, will transition to the roles of Executive Chair and Chief Innovation Officer. Zappi’s President, Ryan Barry, will remain in his current position, focusing on building the company’s connected insights ecosystem, forging enterprise partnerships, and driving customer success. In his new role, Kechley will focus on advancing the company’s growth strategy, expanding its global reach, and enhancing its platform to deliver transformative insights for its customers.
“As an experienced operator of high-growth SaaS companies—and someone that lives and breathes data—I have the utmost confidence that Aaron Kechley is the best person to lead us into the future,” said Steve Phillips, Executive Chair and Chief Innovation Officer of Zappi.
“It is with immense pride that we announce the next chapter in Zappi’s story – one characterized by enhancing our ability to help our customers build winning brands,” said Steve Phillips, Executive Chair and Chief Innovation Officer of Zappi. “As an experienced operator of high-growth SaaS companies–and someone that lives and breathes data–I have the utmost confidence that Aaron Kechley is the best person to lead us into the future. I am excited to partner with Aaron in my new role to continue developing cutting-edge technology that helps our customers bring the voice of consumers into every strategic decision.”
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With over 350 enterprise customers worldwide, including PepsiCo, McDonald’s, Mars and Heineken, this leadership transition will enable Zappi to execute its ambitious growth strategy and strengthen its position in the consumer insights technology market. Phillips’s transition will allow Zappi to continue driving AI advancements across its products and deliver innovative solutions that empower customers to stay ahead in the ever-evolving insights industry.
“Steve is a long-time innovator in agile insights software and has been a terrific partner to Zappi’s customers and employees,” said Sanjeet Mitra and George Kadifa, Board Directors and Sumeru co-founders. “We congratulate Steve on his new role and are excited to welcome Aaron to lead the company into its next chapter of growth and innovation. Aaron has a long history in scaling software companies, and we believe with him joining Zappi that the business is positioned for even greater success at the forefront of innovation in martech.”
Introducing Aaron Kechley: A proven SaaS- and product-focused leader for the next stage of Zappi’s growth journey
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Aaron Kechley brings over 25 years of operating experience leading high-growth technology companies and 15 years building SaaS companies that use data to help companies make better decisions. As President at Inmar Intelligence, he launched and grew Inmar’s data-driven Retail Media platform into a market leader. Previously, Aaron led the transition from managed-service to self-service at dataxu, a leading AI-driven media optimization platform, ultimately acquired by Roku.
“I am honored to join Zappi as CEO to empower our customers and their brands to succeed,” said Aaron Kechley. “Zappi is disrupting the market research industry, using technology to replace outmoded ways of understanding consumers, enabling brands to learn faster and ultimately outperform their peers. I look forward to leading the company to achieve its vision of helping our customers leverage consumer insights and data to build winning brands.”
Fresh off the heels of its latest product launches, including AI Quick Reports, and the release of its Amazon #1 bestselling book, The Consumer Insights Revolution, in partnership with PepsiCo, this transition positions Zappi to lead the future of consumer insights technology, empowering brands to make faster, smarter decisions.
