Epignosis appoints Nikhil Arora, formerly executive of GoDaddy and Intuit, as CEO

With offices in Cyprus among locations around the world, Epignosis, a leading global learning software company, has announced the appointment of Nikhil Arora as CEO.

Effective 31 December, 2023, Thanos Papangelis will evolve from the role of CEO to a board member and product & innovation adviser, a press release from the company says.

Prior to joining Epignosis, Arora had a highly successful multi-decade career working for high-growth companies where he spearheaded their launch into new markets, product development, and the development of critical global initiatives. A former executive of GoDaddy, Intuit, WeWork and ADP, Arora has helped small and medium-sized companies in the EU, US and Asian markets to move upmarket and prepare for their next phase of growth. Arora's educational and professional experience allowed him to live in nearly 20 cities, which has been invaluable in giving him the skills and knowledge to grow businesses in the EU, United States, and Asian market.

"The importance of upskilling and reskilling within businesses is here to stay. The work that Epignosis has been doing to make learning simple and scalable for companies is incredible. Thanos and Dimitiris (Tsingos, co-founder and President) have been able to bring their vision to life with Epignosis, and I see so much opportunity to grow the company further and expand our global footprint. I look forward to working hand-in-hand with Thanos next month to further dive into the business so we are set up to revolutionise the world of skilling in 2024 and beyond," commented Arora. "I have spent the last few months shadowing Thanos and listening to customers and employees to learn the company and product suite inside and out. As the world of work continues to evolve and companies double-down on learning and development initiatives internally, the potential is tremendous for Epignosis, its software suite, and future product offerings."

Through this shift in leadership, the mission of Epignosis remains the same, the announcement underlines, “Guided by a goal of democratising learning, Epignosis has experienced massive growth. The company's headcount increased nearly 150% from 2020 to 2023. It grew its customer base 40% in that time frame, with its technology used by 22 million people in more than 160 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Its focus on product innovation and impactful learning content has made it a go-to for companies like Google, the United Nations, Schneider Electric, eBay, LVMH, ISUZU, Epson, Zalora, and HarperCollins Publishers, and others.”

"Epignosis has exceeded what Dimitris and I had thought possible, and I have the utmost confidence in Nikhil, as I know he will be able to bring the business to new heights," comments co-founder Thanos Papangelis. "Nikhil has a strong background in growing global businesses and - specifically - pushing companies to the next level in the HR technology sector. He is the embodiment of a great leader; he is passionate, smart, experienced in the space, and dedicated to the culture of our company and the happiness of our people. I am excited to watch him fully step into the role, and look forward to continuing to work with the product team as a product & innovation advisor on enhancing our software suite, which directly feeds my passion for creativity and product innovation."

"There could not be a better time for a company to be in the LMS market," said Dimitris Tsingos, co-founder and President at Epignosis. "Under the inspired leadership of my co-founder Thanos we've created an incredible company serving thousands of customers all over the Globe; Now, both Thanos and I are thrilled to welcome Nikhil Arora as the organisation's new leader, confident that he will scale Epignosis into the champion of the international LMS market", Tsingos concluded.

Several candidates were considered for the position of CEO, and Epignosis's leadership team ultimately selected Arora due to his thoughtful and down-to-earth personality, attention to detail, superb communication skills, and impressive resume of global experience, the announcement notes.

"Epignosis brings a truly unique and powerful product offering to the evolving HR tech market. I am incredibly fortunate and excited to have the chance to work with such a passionate and talented group of individuals," added Arora.

"We have been consistently impressed by how Epignosis has utilised product-led sales and marketing to consistently deliver rule-of-80 growth and profitability. The future of work is all about upskilling, and Epignosis has always been at the forefront of this trend. We have been impressed by what Thanos has achieved during his tenure and see a bright future with Nikhil at the helm," added Nikitas Koutoupes, Managing Director at Insight Partners, a long time investor in Epignosis.

"Having partnered with Epignosis as they've grown their revenue base more than 10x and solidified a leadership position as the easiest to use and most impactful LMS in the market, we couldn't be more pleased to welcome Nikhil as CEO. We are confident he will capitalise on the extraordinary progress Epignosis posted under Thanos' leadership and help the company continue to define best in class learning solutions that help employees thrive," noted Phil Dur, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of PeakSpan Capital, Epignosis' first institutional investor.