CFO Michael Pickrum Named Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Dani Cushion Named Company’s First Chief Marketing Officer
New York, March 22, 2021 – ExecOnline, the pioneer of online leadership development for enterprises, today announced that current chief financial officer Michael Pickrum will assume additional responsibilities as the organization’s chief operating officer, and technology industry veteran Dani Cushion has been named as the company’s first chief marketing officer.
In his role as COO and CFO, Michael will oversee the organization’s operational performance, with a focus on ushering the company through rapid, scalable growth.
“Michael has been an exceptional leader at ExecOnline these last two years and we are fortunate to have his knowledge and passion to drive further growth for the company,” said ExecOnline Founder and CEO Stephen Bailey. “Having Michael at the helm of our financial and operational practices sets ExecOnline up for even greater success as we continue to provide life-changing learning opportunities.”
Prior to joining ExecOnline as CFO in 2019, Michael served as Executive Vice President and CFO at Cengage (formerly Thomson Learning), a private-equity backed multibillion-dollar educational content, technology, and services company. Michael previously spent time serving as chief strategy officer at the DC-based tech firm Everfi, and 17 years with Black Entertainment Television Networks (BETN), the preeminent media and entertainment brand serving African Americans and consumers of Black culture globally. Michael spent over nine years as Executive Vice-President and CFO of Black Entertainment Television Networks (BETN). He also held several other senior roles, including COO of BET.com.
ExecOnline will further increase its bench of expertise within the senior leadership team with the addition of a new CMO role led by Dani Cushion. Dani brings more than 20 years of experience leading global marketing and communications teams for high-growth, publicly-traded technology companies.
In this role, Dani will oversee the company’s global marketing and communications, which includes developing strategic initiatives to grow global awareness and demand for the company and its unique online applied learning approach for Fortune 500 companies.
“We are extremely fortunate to welcome Dani to our organization and leadership team, as she brings a high level of expertise and creativity to this newly-created role,” said Bailey. “Dani will be instrumental in our continued efforts to position ExecOnline as a critical partner for enterprises as they look to invest in the development of their leaders equitably.”
Dani sits on the board of directors for Women in Technology (WIT), a non-profit committed to empowering girls and women to excel in STEAM, and previously served as CMO at Cardlytics (NASDAQ: CDLX), where she developed and led the company’s global marketing vision, delivered inspiring integrated marketing and communications campaigns, and ushered the company through a highly successful IPO.
Before Cardlytics, Dani was senior vice president, global marketing at Millennial Media (NYSE: MM), where she was instrumental in building a world-class team, bringing the company public, expanding internationally, and repositioning the company after multiple acquisitions. She previously oversaw partnership marketing at SiriusXM, promoting the company’s partnerships with MLB, NHL, Oprah, and dozens of others. She began her career in sports marketing at Major League Soccer, Swiss-based ISL, and Omnicom agency Millsport/The Marketing Arm.
“Now more than ever, business leaders are motivated to develop their talent equitably and in a way that provides them with the agility to conquer future challenges. I am honored to join the incredible team at ExecOnline, who have not only made elite business school programs accessible to all levels of leaders, but to a more diverse set of future leaders as well,” said Cushion. “I look forward to establishing ExecOnline as a world-class brand, whose programs make a meaningful difference in the businesses, and lives, of those we serve.”
About ExecOnline
As the pioneer of online leadership development for enterprises, ExecOnline has delivered transformational learning experiences to corporate leaders at over 500 global organizations since 2012. Through partnerships with elite business schools such as Berkeley-Haas, Chicago Booth, Columbia, Duke CE, IMD, MIT-Sloan, Stanford GSB, Wharton and Yale, ExecOnline consistently provides top-tier leadership courses. As a Forbes “Technology Company to Watch,” our proprietary online ecosystem combines the engagement of on-campus study with the convenience of online education, through dynamic, high-impact experiences tailored to the unique strategic, innovation and operation concerns of corporate executives.
Visit execonline.com to learn more.