Freshworks Inc. has appointed Dennis Woodside as the new Chief Executive Officer and President, effective immediately. Woodside, currently serving as President at Freshworks, will succeed Girish Mathrubootham, who will assume the role of Executive Chairman.
Girish Mathrubootham guided the company from its inception in Chennai to its current status as a prominent SaaS company based in San Mateo. Under his leadership, Freshworks achieved a significant milestone by going public on Nasdaq in September 2021. With over 67,000 customers globally and a team of approximately 4,900 employees across 13 locations, Mathrubootham’s leadership has been pivotal in driving the company’s growth.
“When I initially proposed this transition to the Freshworks Board, we were laying out the next phase of our company’s journey. Dennis joined us to collaborate on developing an ambitious growth strategy, with my vision that he would eventually lead our talented global team in executing it, allowing me to focus more on long-term product vision, innovation, and AI strategy,” explained Girish Mathrubootham. “Dennis possesses a profound understanding of Freshworks’ business, customers, and employees, along with a strong track record of building and scaling large global teams – making him the ideal leader to take on the role of our next CEO. I am delighted to announce this transition.”
Woodside, who joined Freshworks as President in September 2022, has been instrumental in advancing the company’s enterprise-grade product focus and expanding its market reach to mid-market and enterprise customers. With extensive leadership experience at Dropbox and Google, where he played key roles in revenue growth and strategic development, Woodside brings valuable expertise to his new position.
“I am deeply honored to step into the CEO role and build upon Girish’s outstanding legacy,” stated Dennis Woodside. “What he has established is truly exceptional. Our mission and strategy remain unchanged. We are presented with exceptional opportunities and have the ideal foundation to seize them – a winning combination of customer-centric focus, a strong product portfolio, and innovation. I am committed and excited to continue our growth journey.”
In his new capacity as Executive Chairman, Mathrubootham will continue to actively shape Freshworks’ long-term vision, product innovation, and customer relationships. This transition allows him to allocate more time to engaging with product teams in India and customers globally.
With this leadership transition, Freshworks is poised to embark on a new chapter of success, leveraging the strengths of its leadership team and the visionary foundation laid by its founder.
