Andela co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Johnson has stepped down and the global talent marketplace has appointed Carrol Chang to take over.
Chang, who was Uber’s Global Head of Driver and Courier Operations will join the company’s Board of Directors, effective September 17, 2024. Johnson will remain on the Andela Board.
“After ten years, I’m deeply proud of the change we’ve helped to catalyze. That said, it’s clear that global hiring is at the beginning of a complete digital transformation, and Carrol is the perfect leader both for Andela’s next stage of growth and to help usher in the era of talent marketplaces,” said Johnson.
Founded in 2014, Andela has trained more than 110,000 technologists in Africa and has created thousands of jobs and helped talented individuals from over 135 countries build world class careers, regardless of where they are from. Andela has grown from an innovative African start-up to the first talent marketplace to become a unicorn in Africa and Uber’s Chang becomes the firms best choice to help it grow to the next level.
At Uber, Chang grew its driver base post-Covid to nearly 7 million people in over 70 countries, powering the company’s $130B ridesharing and delivery businesses. In addition to her expertise scaling tech-enabled marketplaces, she brings leadership experience from McKinsey & Company, the Department of Homeland Security, and global organizations working in education and economic development.
“I am deeply grateful for the privilege to lead Andela. It’s rare to find a mission-driven company that also has the potential to create a category-defining business. I’m inspired by the way Jeremy has led Andela to this point, and I appreciate the trust he and the Board now put in me to carry forward its mission,” said Chang. “The global talent market is an $8.5 trillion-dollar opportunity, and Andela has a decade of experience connecting brilliant talent with opportunity on a global scale. I look forward to writing the next great chapter with the Andela team.”
In March, he firm appointed Kishore Rachapudi as chief revenue officer to help spearhead Andela’s growth initiatives. Prior to joining Andela, Kishore served as the Chief Commercial Officer for Thoughtworks North America, where he played a pivotal role in driving growth strategy and execution. Kishore has held key leadership positions, including Global Head of HiTech and Consumer Electronics business at Wipro Technologies, President & COO of Take Solutions, and Senior VP and Global Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences business at Tech Mahindra.
The addition of Rachapudi to the Andela team follows other new executive hires, including Chief Marketing Officer Kelly Wenzel and Chief Business Officer Tony Capasso. Wenzel joined Andela from Amazon and Capasso joined from Auctane.
These hires have been brought on board as Andela looks into the future which, according to people familiar with matter, an initial public offering and an exit for its investors. Andela has died many deaths and had many pivots but thanks to its investors, it has stood the test of time.
Chang gets on board to complete the A-team that aims to take the firm public and make Andela one of the leading talent marketplace unicorns.
“Andela exists because of the vision and determination of Jeremy Johnson. Jeremy has grown Andela from a revolutionary idea to one of the most impactful and highly regarded start-ups in the world. The board and all Andelans are deeply grateful to him and respect his decision to bring in a leader with deep marketplace experience to drive the next phase of growth,” said Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia and Chair of the Andela Board of Directors. “Andela is a deeply purpose-driven organization and Carrol is a unique leader poised to take the company into the future.”