New Kallidus CEO to Lead Next Phase of Growth

Cirencester (UK), July 2021 - Kallidus, an industry leading provider of HCM software and digital learning, has announced that founder Rob Caul will be stepping down as CEO. Having led the impressive growth of Kallidus over two decades, Rob will continue to support the business and its international expansion as a Non-Executive Director. Stephen Read will take over the role of CEO from August, joining the company from Darwin (formerly Thomsons Online Benefits), a leading global provider of employee benefits technology.

Under Rob's leadership, Kallidus has become a multi-award-winning provider of HCM and digital learning solutions and has grown its offering to help organisations manage their whole talent journeys through its full suite of human capital management software. In March 2019R, Kallidus partnered with Apse Capital, and Rob spearheaded the successful acquisitions of Engage in Learning and Sapling, resulting in a 200+ strong team across offices in the UK, the US, and Canada.

Rob Caul, CEO of Kallidus, said, "I'm incredibly proud of the growth Kallidus has achieved, the reputation we have developed for our customers, and the user experience and value we deliver. I'm pleased to be turning the helm over to Stephen, who is a highly experienced and inspirational leader to take Kallidus forward on the next stage of its journey. Stephen shares our values and people focus, is a strong cultural fit for the business, and is excited about working with our talented team to deliver to our customers."

Stephen has a ten-year track record in HCM SaaS. He joined Darwin in 2014, leading its commercial transformation to an SaaS business before taking over as CEO from the founder in 2017, following Darwin's acquisition by Mercer. With Stephen as CEO, Darwin has grown significantly with a global client base and employees in the US, Asia, the UK, and Europe. Prior to Darwin, Stephen was part of the executive team at SHL, a global provider of talent assessment and measurement.