As it enters its fifth year in operation, family benefits company Cleo has announced it is strengthening its diverse leadership team with the addition of three key executives – marking the beginning of another record year for the company.
Cleo welcomes Amy Kux as Chief Financial Officer, Andrea Lessard as VP of People, and Martin Payne as Chief Commercial Officer to its leadership team, of which 86% are working parents. These additions follow consistent growth for the company, which grew its headcount by over 43% in 2020, welcoming talent from One Medical, Bright Health, Castlight Health, Wonderschool, Guild Education and more.
- Amy Kux is a seasoned CFO bringing years of experience in senior financial roles at Cloudflare, Udemy, and Unbabel to Cleo. She will play an important role in Cleo’s scale and strategy as it enters another year of rapid growth.
- Andrea Lessard joins Cleo as VP of People leading the internal programs and processes to support Cleo employees and managing internal communications. Most recently, Andrea was Red Bull’s Head of Rewards and Talent Operations and previously held senior positions at Asurion.
- Martin Payne is a demonstrated sales leader previously serving in leadership roles at Bright Horizons (most recently as VP of Enterprise Sales), and TriNet. In his role as Chief Commercial Officer, Martin will lead Cleo’s integral sales, marketing and partnership functions.
“As a working parent that spent most of my career juggling my work and family responsibilities, Cleo’s mission to support working parents both inside and outside of the workplace is one that deeply resonates with me,” said Amy Kux, Chief Financial Officer, Cleo. “I love building amazing companies with phenomenal teams that solve real and pressing problems, and have joined Cleo because they are doing exactly that – and with great impact.”
“Over the course of my career, I’ve pursued roles that fuel my passion for supporting working families and this role is directly aligned with that passion,” said Andrea Lessard, VP of People, Cleo. “I’m excited to work with Cleo’s dynamic team of diverse leaders and contribute to the company’s bright future.”
“Without better support, the challenges facing working families will continue to hold us back as a culture, and I’m passionate about being part of the solution Cleo is providing,” said Martin Payne, Chief Commercial Officer, Cleo. “Leading companies are now investing in family benefits, and it’s these companies that will win the new workplace era by helping their people and their families thrive.”
Cleo also appointed Natasha Prasad to Chief Customer Officer from her role as Senior Vice President of Operations and Customer Success. In this new role, she’ll continue her critical work with members and clients, driving company strategy and operations to deliver satisfaction, impact and overall experience. “Cleo’s mission is deeply personal to me as a working parent who aspires to be present with my family while accelerating my career.” said Natasha Prasad, Chief Customer Officer, Cleo. “In my role representing the voice of the customer at Cleo, I’m thrilled to continue partnering with benefits leaders as we collectively envision a new kind of support for working families.”
The expansion of Cleo’s leadership team follows a year of massive growth and transformation as the company celebrates its fifth anniversary and first year with CEO, Sarahjane Sacchetti, at the helm. Early in the pandemic, Cleo jumped into action launching two products aimed at deepening support for parents: Cleo Care. launched in partnership with Urban Sitter to provide access to trusted childcare services and caregiver matching, and Cleo Marketplace, a holistic ecosystem of meaningful support services that employers can offer their parent employees including virtual tutoring and fertility support.
“It’s invigorating to look back on my first year as Cleo’s CEO and see the immensely positive impact we’ve made for working families in one of the most challenging years,” said Sarahjane Sacchetti, CEO of Cleo. “The trajectory of our growth and the incredible team we’ve built, notably with Amy, Andrea, and Martin joining our diverse leadership team, is only getting started as we set off on what is sure to be another record year for Cleo.”
