Girish Mathrubootham has resigned as the chief executive officer of Freshworks and transitioned to the role of executive chairman. In a blog post, Mathrubootham stated that Dennis Woodside has now taken over as the chief executive officer and president of the company. “After spending almost 14 years since founding Freshworks as a tiny startup in Chennai, to scaling it to be a global Saas player and the first Indian Saas company to list on Nasdaq, I’m excited to announce that I’m stepping into a new role as Executive Chairman of Freshworks. Dennis Woodside, our President, will be the new CEO of Freshworks. Congratulations to Dennis on his new role as CEO and President of Freshworks,” he said.
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After being associated with companies like HCL, AdventNET and Zoho, Mathrubootham envisioned and co-founded Freshworks, which was earlier known as Freshdesk, in 2010 to develop a better way to service and offer a superior customer experience. The company branched out from being a single product focused on customer service to operating at 13 global locations to deliver a comprehensive suite of products to more than 67,000 customers worldwide. At present, the company has over 4900 employees.
“Freshworks is my baby, and over the years I have seen her grow—as a toddler trying to walk, a child growing really fast, and a teenager growing stronger. The emotions running through my mind are similar to a father experiencing his beloved daughter’s marriage, happy and sad at the same time, knowing fully well that she has found the right one and is going to accomplish greater things in life,” said Mathrubootham on Dennis Woodside succeeding him.
Why Did Girish Mathrubootham Resign?
While he will continue to serve the company, Mathrubootham stated that he wanted to send more time on the company’s product vision and artificial intelligence strategy. He also said that he wanted to spend additional time with Freshworks’ product teams in India and customers globally. “As I pass the baton to Dennis and move into my new seat as Executive Chairman, I look forward to continuing to serve Freshworks, focusing on our long-term product vision and AI, spending more time with our teams in India, and being a trusted advisor to Dennis. Our mission remains unchanged, and our future is bright. The road ahead is filled with limitless possibilities, and I am excited to see where Dennis’ leadership takes us,” he said.