Thrive Learning Appoints Cassie Gasson as Co-CEO
London (UK), September 2024 - Thrive Learning, a fast-growth all-in-one learning technology company, has announced the promotion of Cassie Gasson to Co-CEO, effective immediately. Gasson will share the role with founder and CEO Sean Reddington to further accelerate Thrive's mission of transforming workplace learning and comms.
This strategic move comes as Thrive continues to experience remarkable growth, solidifying its position as a key player in the industry for workplace learning solutions. Since its launch in 2019, Thrive has grown to approximately 200 employees and over 380 companies as customers across 60+ countries, including industry giants like Volvo, Vodafone, ASOS, Burger King, and Avon. This success has been achieved organically, without external funding, and with an impressive 99% customer satisfaction rate.
Gasson has been instrumental in Thrive's success story from the beginning. Joining in October 2019 as Head of Marketing, she quickly rose through the ranks, becoming CMO, the youngest female Director and Shareholder at just 26 years old, and winning the Women In Marketing's Best Leader Award. Her strategic vision and leadership have been critical in transforming Thrive's brand into an industry heavyweight, helping propel it towards a valuation of £150 million today.
Gasson's strategic vision for the brand has been a driving force behind Thrive's impressive growth. She transformed marketing into the company's leading revenue generator, delivering 65% of its new business revenue last year. Her leadership has been pivotal in expanding Thrive's reach, contributing to a 54% increase in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and a 30% customer base growth year on year.
She has also been instrumental in driving innovation across the business and bringing in an experienced AI team to lead the industry in creating truly personalised, automated, and adaptive solutions, playing a key role alongside other directors to triple Thrive's investment in product and tech over the past year.
Her vision extends to revolutionising the workplace by developing tools and technologies that captivate and empower the next generation of professionals. As a digital native herself, Cassie will be focusing on crafting cutting-edge digital experiences that resonate with future demographics, from captivating TikTok-native content to tools that empower Gen Z and Gen Alpha in the workplace.
"Cassie is the definition of success," says Sean Reddington, founder and CEO of Thrive Learning. "Her impact on both our bottom line and our company culture has been nothing short of remarkable.
Cassie's promotion is a testament to Thrive's commitment to fostering talent and serves as an inspiration to the entire team, particularly women, who make up 50% of Thrive's leadership team. There is no one more Thrive than Cassie, and I have no doubt that she will excel in this new role."
As Co-CEO, Gasson will work closely with Reddington to oversee all aspects of the business, leveraging her deep understanding of the business, market, customers, and product to drive continued growth, innovation and impact. Her immediate priorities include relaunching Thrive's People Strategy, refining business-wide communication strategies, heading up new initiatives for their Senior Leadership Team, and spearheading a comprehensive review of compensation and performance management. Gasson's expertise in marketing and branding will ensure a cohesive, meaningful, and impactful experience as Thrive continues to reach new heights.
"I'm incredibly excited to take on this new challenge as Co-CEO of Thrive," says Gasson. "I've learned so much from Sean's leadership over the last eight years and am honoured to grow the incredible culture he has fostered and ensure what makes us truly Thrive remains as we scale.
“His mentorship, support, and guidance have been instrumental in my career growth. The fact he's trusting me with this role is a testament to his belief that potential, dedication, and talent can trump experience.
“At Thrive, we're committed to revolutionising the way people learn at work and are well on our way to being the go-to all-in-one AI-powered solution for enterprise businesses globally. Our promise to put our customers and people first will always be our priority, as we know the rest comes. I can't wait to continue working alongside Sean to lead this brilliant business into its next chapter of success."