Singapore – Cloud-based SaaS company Freshworks Inc. has announced key position changes, with Dennis Woodside appointed as the new CEO and president to succeed Girish Mathrubootham, the company’s founder and current CEO.
Woodside brings great leadership experience to his new role. He joined Freshworks as president in September 2022 and since then has accelerated the company’s investments in enterprise-grade products and driven increased focus on the growth of mid-market and enterprise customers.
Prior to joining Freshworks, Woodside also served as the chief operating officer of Dropbox, helping grow revenue from $250m to $1.3b and ultimately raising over $1b in a successful IPO in 2018. He also held various sales and strategy leadership roles at Google from 2003 to 2014, including serving as CEO of Motorola Mobility after Google acquired the company in 2012.
Additionally, before his long tenure at Google, Woodside was a consultant at McKinsey & Co. He currently serves on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula in California and previously served on the board of the American Red Cross from 2016 to 2022 and on the board of ServiceNow from 2018 to 2022.
Effective immediately, Woodside’s appointment comes as current CEO and founder Mathrubootham moves to the new role of executive chairman.
Since founding Freshworks in 2010, Mathrubootham has transformed Freshworks from a fledgling startup in Chennai into a leading SaaS company headquartered in San Mateo, with products that make it easy for every business to delight their employees and customers. He steered Freshworks through an IPO on Nasdaq in September 2021, making Freshworks the first India-born SaaS firm to trade on a US exchange.
Under Mathrubootham’s leadership, the business has grown to serve more than 67,000 customers globally, powered by approximately 4,900 talented employees operating globally in 13 locations.
Now, in his new role as executive chairman, Mathrubootham will remain highly engaged with Freshworks’ product vision, customers, and employees. He will work across the company to bring long-term vision to life and consult with Woodside on strategic decisions.
The transition frees him up to spend more time with Freshworks’ product teams in India and with customers globally and to stay engaged with other external stakeholders.
Mathrubootham will remain the chairman of Freshworks’ board of directors, and Woodside will also remain a member of the same board.
Speaking on the transition, Mathrubootham said, “When I first proposed this next step to the Freshworks Board, we were starting to chart the next phase of our company’s journey. We brought Dennis on board to partner with me on crafting an ambitious growth plan, and my hope was that he could eventually lead the team of talented employees around the world to execute it, which would allow me to spend more time on the long-term product vision, innovation, and AI strategy.”
He added, “Dennis has a deep understanding of Freshworks’ business, customers, and our employees, and a strong track record of building and scaling large global teams—he is the right leader to become our next CEO. I’m thrilled to announce this transition.”
Meanwhile, on his appointment, Woodside shared, “As I step into the role of CEO, I am deeply honoured to build upon Girish’s remarkable legacy. What he has created is truly special. Our mission and strategy remain the same. We stand before extraordinary opportunities and have the right foundation to make them possible—a winning combination of our strong focus on delighting customers and our product portfolio and innovation. I’m committed and excited to continue our journey of growth.”
