Meet Our Leadership Team
Our team of experienced leaders have led technology companies that changed the way we work, learn and play. We have diverse skills, a united vision, and a singular focus to deliver HR software solutions that help organizations answer key questions about their most important resource: their people. From seamless recruiting, onboarding, training, to robust people analytics, our products and people deliver an exceptionally valuable experience.
John Federman
Chief Executive Officer
John Federman
John currently serves as the CEO of HireRoad, driving strategic initiatives and fostering growth with his extensive executive leadership experience. Prior to HireRoad, he held notable positions including Chief Corporate Development Officer at Salsify and CEO of JRNI, where he played a pivotal role in advancing the company’s scheduling platform, which integrates customer engagement and omnichannel conversion strategies driven by deep analytics. Before his ventures in technology and e-commerce, John made impactful strides in the advertising industry. As the CEO of AdSmart from August 1998 to August 2001, he pioneered the advertising network marketplace, achieving remarkable growth and ultimately facilitating the company’s acquisition by Engage for $437M. John’s visionary leadership and proven track record of leading SaaS companies across a multitude of industries position him to drive strategic growth and innovation at HireRoad.
Liam Ackland
Liam Ackland
With over two decades of expertise in talent management, Liam has been at the forefront of HireRoad’s expansion efforts across APAC and North America. His strategic leadership has not only introduced innovative solutions but also fostered enduring relationships with clients worldwide across government and commercial sectors. Liam’s commitment extends beyond client satisfaction; he places a premium on staff development, cultivating high-performing teams dedicated to delivering exceptional service. His strategic approach in APAC ensures that HireRoad not only meets but exceeds the expectations of both customers and employees alike.
Kristen Boyle
Vice President of Marketing
Kristen Boyle
Kristen is a seasoned marketing leader with a strong track record of building and scaling integrated marketing strategies for B2B companies. She has spent over half of her career in HR tech, leading marketing teams at Indeed.com and PandoLogic. She also grew her marketing expertise working at industry giants such as Nielsen and Amazon Ads, where she spearheaded cross-functional marketing initiatives such as product launches, rebrands, and the launch of Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime. Kristen is a proven marketing strategist with a passion for insights-driven storytelling, and possesses vast industry knowledge and AI expertise to help elevate company positioning and drive growth.
Joseph Carpenski
Vice President of Engineering & Product Development
Joseph Carpenski
With over 20 years of experience in application architecture and engineering, Joseph leads the engineering team at HireRoad as the Vice President of Engineering and Product Development. Specializing in SaaS applications within the HRTech and EdTech sectors, Joseph brings the expertise needed to drive innovation and excellence in our solutions. Known for collaborative leadership and a passion for technology, Joseph plays a vital role in shaping HireRoad’s future and delivering impactful results.
Hari Challapalli
Chief Product Officer
Hari Challapalli
Hari leads the product function at HireRoad. Hari is a SaaS product leader who has held product leadership roles in diverse domains such as HR Tech, Ed Tech, Digital Marketing & Supply Chain Management. Hari’s expertise lies in building, launching, and scaling B2B and B2C SaaS solutions, as well as AI-enabled products using customer-centric, outcome driven product management practices and strong cross-functional collaboration. Some of the companies that Hari has worked with in the past include Workhuman, Oracle & SAP. Hari has an MBA from Cornell University as well as a Masters in Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
Dawna Harding
Vice President of Finance
Dawna Harding
Dawna is an enthusiastic business leader with dynamic experience planning, leading, and improving activities to support successful business operations. Having worked for large institutions such as LivTech, Siemens, and Deloitte, Dawna has served as a key player on Executive Teams, dedicated to identifying and leveraging opportunities to drive improvements across all facets of accounting & financial controls. Dawna’s career spans industries across public and private sectors, leading vital initiatives to convert and upgrade systems, automate processes/reporting, extrapolating and analyzing data.
Ben King
Vice President of Customer Success
Ben King
Ben is an accomplished professional with a tertiary education in Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management. With 16 years of experience in the HR Tech space, Ben has worked across all aspects of human resources, including recruitment, talent management, organizational development, and general HR and has successfully delivered large-scale projects in both public and private sectors. With experience spearheading in-house HR and recruitment initiatives, Ben understands the critical importance of ensuring that customers derive maximum benefit from their HR technology, and is driven by a commitment to exceptional customer experiences. As the leader for all customer touchpoints across the HireRoad business, Ben brings a wealth of expertise and dedication to every interaction.
Elizabeth Kushner
Vice President of People
Elizabeth Kushner
Elizabeth is a strategic and tactical HR Executive with a proven track record leading and implementing the human capital function in high-growth startups in the software industry. Some of her strengths include supporting the management team and the organization as a true business partner, providing leadership guidance, influencing organizational change, coaching, counseling, driving employee engagement initiatives and creating a positive and inclusive work culture where employees are engaged, supported, challenged and successful.
Matt O’Connor
Chief Revenue Officer
Matt O’Connor
Matt joins HireRoad as a well-respected HR tech industry veteran, with a strong track record of accomplishments at the executive leadership level. He most recently served as Chief Revenue Officer for PandoLogic, and before that, he was Senior Vice President/General Manager of Revenue for Care.com. Matt spent seven years at Monster Worldwide, leading U.S. sales teams in driving revenue growth. Named one of TA Tech’s Most Influential Talent Acquisition Thought Leaders in 2023, Matt brings a wealth of industry experience and strategic acumen to HireRoad.