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Greg Brown
Chief Executive Officer at Udemy
Greg Brown, CEO of Udemy
Greg Brown is the Chief Executive Officer of Udemy, a leading online learning platform. He joined Udemy in December 2020 as President of Udemy Business and was appointed CEO in March 2023, succeeding Gregg Coccari who retired after four years leading the company.13
Prior to Udemy, Greg served as the CEO of Reflektive, a performance management software company, from 2019 to 2020.2 He has over 20 years of experience in the enterprise software industry, holding senior leadership roles at companies like Blackhawk Network, Achievers, and Extole.2
Greg earned a B.S. in business administration from California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo.1 He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.2
In August 2024, Udemy's founder Eren Bali returned to the company as Chief Technology Officer, reporting to Greg Brown.4 Under Greg's leadership, Udemy continues to grow and innovate in the online learning space.
Highlights
Udemy’s research shows that 83% of senior leaders know effective leadership is critical to skills-based organization transitions – but only 28% of employees report their leadership team is communicating their company’s skills-based organizational strategy and initiatives well. As organizations transition to skills-based practices, leaders need the right training to effectively communicate these changes, close skills gaps, and build employee trust.
To equip leaders with the tools needed to confidently execute skills-based transitions while navigating the challenges of the modern workforce, we’re thrilled to announce a first-of-its-kind course from senior executives at McLaren Racing, available on both our marketplace and the Udemy Business platform. "Accelerating Excellence: Unleashing High-Performance Culture with McLaren Racing” offers an inside look at how McLaren Racing develops the skills required to build high-performance teams, covering topics ranging from decision-making under pressure to prioritizing health and well-being.
McLaren Racing knows what it takes to deliver results in high-intensity environments while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and inclusivity. We can all benefit from taking a page out of McLaren’s leadership playbook and learning how we can apply tactics from the world of motorsports to our everyday strategies.
The global talent gap is real. According to a recent World Economic Forum report, 60% of surveyed companies struggle with skills gaps that hinder their growth. With the rapid rise of generative AI, skills gaps are becoming more pressing and costly than ever. IDC research predicts that by 2026, IT talent shortages will cost organizations $5.5 trillion caused by product delays, impaired competitiveness, and loss of business.
In a recent article in Management Today, I explore how skills-based organizations are tackling these challenges in the workplace. By prioritizing skills-based hiring over traditional benchmarks for success like college degrees, companies like McLaren Racing are tapping into a broader talent pool and staying agile and competitive in a fast-changing world. Here are three key takeaways we’ve learned through our partnership with McLaren Racing on developing high-performance teams in the skills-based economy:
- Rethink the Star Player: Upskill teams and share expertise organization-wide to mitigate risks and leverage top talent.
- Reframe Business Performance as a Team Sport: Encourage collaboration and a growth mindset, learning from failures together.
- Take an Inclusive Approach to Learning: Support diverse teams with foundational learning opportunities to set everyone up for success.
Transitioning to a skills-based organization isn't just beneficial for business performance—it's essential for driving inclusive hiring and improving talent retention. Skills are the new organizational currency to prepare for today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities.
