Hayden Brown

As CEO of Upwork (UPWK), the leading online talent solution, Hayden is working with her team to transform work. Driven by the company’s mission to create economic opportunities so people have better lives, she became CEO after eight years at the company, four of which she led Upwork’s product, design and marketing teams. She’s passionate about the transformational impact Upwork has by bridging skills gaps caused by traditional time and place-oriented hiring methods that no longer make sense and allowing people to find each other and work together regardless of where they happen to be. Prior to joining Upwork, Hayden was the head of corporate development at LivePerson and previously held strategy roles at Microsoft including Director of Corporate Strategy and M&A. She started her career in the strategy group at McKinsey & Company. Hayden is also a passionate advocate of tech for good, online marketplace and product visionary and a mother of two who helped establish Upwork’s Women’s Group and annual company Women’s Summit. Staffing Industry Analysts' included her in both their 2019 40 under 40 and Global Power 150 – Women in Staffing lists. Hayden holds an A.B. in Politics from Princeton University.