Aakash Kumar founded Shiftsmart to execute his vision of empowering today’s rapidly expanding labor workforce to maximize their employment opportunities and help usher in a future where they can work exclusively based on their preferences. Kumar’s forward-thinking vision and leadership places him at the forefront of addressing profound changes impacting labor markets worldwide with his goal of revolutionizing the modern labor market and increasing the quality of life for the global workforce. Along with his strategic and thought leadership, Kumar is responsible for developing and ensuring that Shiftsmart’s “People-First” philosophy is pervasive throughout all aspects of the company’s relationships and technology. Prior to founding Shiftsmart, Kumar was Cloud Business Operations and Strategy Lead at Google, working on behalf of the executive leadership team, where he specialized in the labor dynamics of managing staffing companies and large distributed workforces.

Brandt has over 20 years of experience as a founder, CEO, investor, and board member of software and internet companies with a proven track record of rapid growth, expansion, acquisition, and exits. Prior to co-founding Shiftsmart, Brandt founded Skywire Software in 2000, and after 11 acquisitions, sold the company to Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL). Brandt served as Chairman and CEO of Telligent, which became Zimbra following the acquisition of Zimbra from VMWare (NYSE: VMW). Brandt subsequently sold Zimbra to Synacor (NASDAQ: SYNC) and Telligent to Verint Systems (NASDAQ:VRNT).

As Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Pavan Patel leads the research and development and continued enhancement of all platform technology and software as well as all forward looking platform research and development for Shiftsmart. Since joining the Shiftsmart team in 2016, Patel has led all aspects of Shiftsmart’s technology development and is responsible for the smooth functionality and delivery of the platform. Prior to co-founding Shiftsmart, Patel was a software engineer at Simply Hired, a job search engine acquired by Indeed. Patel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from Northwestern University.

Richard Zicchino is a veteran executive with over 20 years experience in the Software and Technology industry. Zicchino joined Shiftsmart in 2018 as Chief Operating Officer. His experience includes key executive positions in strategic finance, operations, and mergers and acquisitions. During his career, he has managed nearly 20 acquisitions and their subsequent integrations. Prior to Shiftsmart, he served as Vice President of Finance at Synacor (NASDAQ: SYNC) after managing the merger from its acquisition of Zimbra. At Zimbra he served as Senior Vice President of Operations, after leading its divestiture from VMware. Notably before that, he led the integration of Skywire Software when it was acquired by Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL).

Sahil Mehta is responsible for Shiftsmart’s global expansion, top-line growth, and customer success. Since joining Shiftsmart in 2017, Mehta has held key leadership positions in the areas of business development, client engagement, and delivery. Prior to joining Shiftsmart, he held roles at both Google and Mercer. Mehta holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern University.

Lauren Blake leads the planning and execution of Shiftsmart’s product lifecycle. Blake’s primary role is overseeing the smooth convergence of the worker, the employer and the Shiftsmart platform so that all participants align with the vision to build the platform to empower the modern workforce. Blake joined Shiftsmart in 2018 following her roles at Facebook, Thumbtack, and Goldman Sachs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Chicago and an MBA and a Masters in Computer Science from Stanford University.

Kyle Smialek, is responsible for global operations and execution of Shiftsmart’s distributed workforce inclusive of remote call centers, audits, inspections, and event staffing. Smialek joined Shiftsmart in 2019 following roles at PwC Strategy and Booz Company. Smialek holds an MBA from Goizueta Business School (Emory) and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Elon University.

Rob Hoy is responsible for the recruitment, onboarding and engagement of workers, known as partners, on the Shiftsmart platform. Hoy joined Shiftsmart in 2020 following roles at SiteMinder, Airbnb, and Google. His wide range of experience will help further Shiftsmart’s mission of empowering the global workforce. Hoy graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Queens University.