Zendesk has announced the appointment of Lila Tretikov to its Board of Directors. Tretikov, who currently serves as Partner and Head of AI Strategy at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), was previously the Deputy Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft. Her expansive leadership experience includes serving on over fifteen international public and private boards across six countries.
Tretikov is noted for her strategic abilities, particularly in navigating mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and initial public offerings (IPO) to enhance shareholder value. Her leadership roles have spanned various sectors, including prominent positions at Wikipedia, Engie, Microsoft, Bank of America, Verizon, and DFJ, demonstrating her capacity for scaling high-tech ventures on a global scale.
"I can’t think of a more exciting time to join Zendesk. The company’s focus on helping its customers leverage the best of AI and stay ahead of its developments is inspiring," said Tretikov regarding her new role.
Zendesk’s CEO, Tom Eggemeier, commented on the significance of Tretikov’s appointment, stating, "Lila is a strategic, customer-centric operator. Her career working on some of the world's most challenging problems makes her a critical advisor as we tackle the rapid growth of AI in customer experience (CX) and deliver on our mission to power exceptional service for every person on the planet." Eggemeier further highlighted that Zendesk AI is designed to enhance human connections, ensuring trust, quality, and security.
In her capacity as an industry expert, Tretikov’s role at New Enterprise Associates involves bringing together interdisciplinary and diverse teams to address complex global challenges through technology. Her career is distinguished by an ability to identify and manage transformative technological shifts and market disruptions. She has also been involved in founding and scaling companies across various sectors, including a top-5 web and media property, a top-10 U.S. retail bank, the largest global energy private-public partnership, and a first-tier venture capital firm.
"Zendesk’s products are backed by the world’s latest CX dataset with 18 billion anonymised interactions, making it uniquely capable of delivering exceptional experiences for its customers. Its responsible approach to AI provides a solution customers can trust. This unique combination of data, focus and deep CX expertise sets businesses up to be successful with AI," added Tretikov.
Tretikov’s career spans over two decades, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and customer relationship management (CRM). She also serves as an advisor on innovation to the United Nations and holds director positions on the boards of Volvo Cars, Xylem, and Sophia Genetics. In addition, she is recognised as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and has been listed among Forbes World's 100 Most Powerful Women.
Tretikov joins the existing board members at Zendesk: Stephen Ensley, David Erlong, Hisham Hasan, Hilarie Koplow-McAdams, Ryan Lanpher, Kelly Grier, and Tarim Wasim. Her expertise is expected to significantly contribute to Zendesk's strategic direction, particularly in the realm of AI and customer experience enhancement.
