Udemy has named Hugo Sarrazin as its new president and chief executive officer, with immediate effect. Sarrazin, who joins from UKG, will also take a seat on Udemy’s Board of Directors.
He replaces Greg Brown, who is stepping down after four years in the role. Brown will remain a non-executive advisor until the end of the year to support the transition.
AI and SaaS expertise
Sarrazin brings decades of experience in technology, strategy, and business transformation. Before joining Udemy, he was president and chief product and technology officer at UKG, where he led global product and technology teams. His tenure included cloud migrations, AI-driven solutions, and multiple acquisitions in the human capital management (HCM) space.
Prior to UKG, Sarrazin spent 26 years at McKinsey & Company, where he advised major organizations on digital transformation, SaaS strategy, and M&A. He also co-founded McKinsey Digital Labs and McKinsey Design, focusing on AI and cloud technology integration.
Sohaib Abbasi, independent chairman of Udemy’s Board of Directors, said Sarrazin’s expertise in scaling SaaS businesses and driving AI adoption makes him well-suited to lead Udemy into its next phase of growth:
“We are excited to welcome Hugo to Udemy. With his expertise in strategy, innovation and business transformation, Hugo is uniquely qualified to lead Udemy as we enter a new phase of growth. Hugo has broad leadership experience in scaling and transforming SaaS businesses, driving product-led and inorganic growth. The Udemy team, under Hugo’s leadership, is well-positioned to drive growth, improve efficiency and deliver exciting AI-enabled innovations to instructors, learners and businesses.”
Udemy’s future under Sarrazin
Sarrazin takes over at a time when AI is reshaping online learning. Udemy has been expanding its AI-powered learning tools while continuing to scale its global marketplace.
Sarrazin said Udemy’s reach positions it to lead in AI-driven skills development.
“I am thrilled to join Udemy at such a pivotal moment. Udemy, with its massive global scale, is poised to lead innovation in the way people learn and develop professional skills. Built on Founder Eren Bali’s vision to make learning accessible to everyone, anywhere, Udemy is leading the way in redefining the future of learning and work.
“By leveraging the power of generative AI and the scale of our global network of instructors, we now have the potential to elevate Udemy’s mission to unprecedented levels and to lead the next generation of learning and skills development. I look forward to collaborating with Eren, the rest of the team, and all of Udemy’s valued stakeholders, including customers, instructors and partners, to unlock future opportunities and usher Udemy into a period of significant expansion and impact.”
Brown’s departure follows a significant expansion of Udemy Business, the company’s enterprise learning division, which grew from $100 million to over $500 million in annual recurring revenue under his leadership.
Abbasi acknowledged Brown’s contributions to Udemy’s enterprise growth and customer base:
“I would like to thank Greg for his dedication and commitment to Udemy. Greg has been instrumental in scaling Udemy Business from $100 million to more than $500 million in Annual Recurring Revenue. Thanks to his leadership, we have a strong enterprise business with more than 17,000 customers. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Brown, reflecting on his time at Udemy, said he is confident in the company’s future under Sarrazin.
“It has been an incredible privilege to lead Udemy and work alongside such a talented and dedicated team. I want to sincerely thank all of Udemy’s employees, customers, partners and instructors for their passion and commitment to our mission. I am proud of what we have accomplished together, and I am confident that under Hugo’s leadership Udemy will continue to thrive and achieve even greater success in the future.”