Our Leaders

Ross Wainwright

Chief Executive Officer

Ross Wainwright is Chief Executive Officer of Perceptyx, where he leads company strategy and daily business operations. In this role, Ross is dedicated to helping large enterprises transform their employee experience through AI-powered employee listening and action that accelerates key business outcomes.

Ross brings to Perceptyx a proven 30-year record of fast-tracking ideas that disrupt existing markets and deliver incremental business value to customers. Most recently, he was CEO at Alida, a global leader in community insights. While at Alida, Wainwright led a transformation of the business, including a full company rebrand, expanding its go-to-market strategy and market positioning, and delivering over 20 new products and 190 enhancements to its Total Experience Management Platform.

During Ross’s tenure with Alida, the company was repeatedly recognized for its innovation and people-first culture, including being named as A Great Place to Work, a Best Workplace in Canada, and one of The Best Workplaces™ for Today’s Youth. Alida was also recognized by Comparably for “Best Company Outlook,” “Best Company Culture,” “Best CEO,” “Best CEO for Women,” and “Best Company for Diversity” among small/mid-sized companies in North America.

Prior to Alida, Wainwright was CEO of Americas for Dimension Data/NTT and spent 15 years in progressive executive leadership roles at SAP, including Chief Customer Officer for the S/4Hana Cloud business unit and Global Head of Financial Services. Early career experience includes more than 8 years with PTC in various leadership positions.

Wainwright graduated from Western University with an undergraduate degree in English History and a minor in business.

Lisa Sterling

Chief People Officer

Lisa Sterling is a forward-thinking, engaging leader who has been disrupting the business and HR landscape to create cultural and organizational for the past 20 years. As a Chief Administrative, HR, Culture, and People Officer, as well as an HCM product expert, Lisa led one of the most radical cultural transformations for a fast-growing, technology company. Now with Perceptyx she is leading the growth and transformation of our people and culture, as well as serving as a thought leader to HR and Tech professionals within global organizations.

Steen Andersen

Chief Customer Officer

Steen Andersen is the Chief Customer Officer at Perceptyx, where he oversees all customer-related functions, including implementation and onboarding, professional services, support, customer success, account management, and renewals. Guided by the principle that "everything begins with the customer," Steen brings extensive expertise in driving initiatives that enhance customer experience and satisfaction. He is devoted to building strong, cohesive teams and takes pride in fostering an environment where team members can thrive, grow, and achieve their full potential.

Before joining Perceptyx, Steen accumulated a wealth of experience in global enterprise software organizations. Starting his career in consulting and project management, he progressed to leadership roles in both services and sales. With a passion for delivering complex software and service solutions, he has successfully worked with advanced enterprise customers across the US, EMEA, and APAC regions.

A dual citizen of the United States and Denmark, Steen has lived and worked in the US, the UK, and continental Europe, shaping a global perspective. He now resides in Philadelphia with his wife, while their two adult sons pursue their own paths. In his free time, Steen enjoys walking the streets of Philadelphia with his dog, listening to podcasts, and practicing his skills in amateur photography. He holds a Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration from Aarhus University.

JD Peterson

Chief Marketing Officer

JD Peterson is a seasoned B2B SaaS executive with over two decades of experience driving growth, developing brands, and unlocking innovation in the technology sector. JD brings a wealth of expertise in go-to-market strategies and organizational leadership, and is a veteran of the HR Technology space.

Most recently, JD served as CEO of Mathison, where he led the charge in helping companies build more equitable and inclusive workplaces through innovative technology and data-driven insights. Prior to Mathison, JD served as Chief Growth Officer at Culture Amp, where he helped scale the business into a global leader in employee experience. During his tenure, JD was responsible for all aspects of Go-To-Market including Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, and Revenue Operations.

Throughout his career, JD has held pivotal roles at several high-growth companies. He served as Vice President of Marketing at Zendesk, where he played a crucial role in scaling the company's global presence and transforming from a small startup to a successful public company. At Marketo, he was Vice President of Products, contributing to the development of their award winning marketing automation solutions. His leadership journey also includes executive positions at Trello, and Gatsby, where he consistently focused on building customer-centric teams and driving sustainable growth.

Beyond his executive roles, JD is an active startup advisor and investor, particularly through his involvement with GTMfund. His passion for fostering inclusive workplaces and mentoring emerging leaders underscores his commitment to creating impactful organizational cultures.

JD holds a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Christopher Chadwick

Chief Strategy Officer

Joseph Freed

Chief Product Officer

Joseph Freed is the Chief Product Officer at Perceptyx, where he leads the company’s product strategy, innovation, and execution across its enterprise-grade Employee Experience (EX) platform. In this role, Joseph oversees a comprehensive portfolio of AI-powered products designed to help large organizations foster a thriving employee culture and drive measurable business outcomes. He is responsible for shaping Perceptyx’s product vision, aligning product development with the company’s strategic goals, and ensuring the successful delivery of innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of Fortune 500 clients. Joseph’s leadership extends to cross-functional collaboration across engineering, marketing, sales, and customer success teams, ensuring that Perceptyx maintains its competitive edge in the HR technology space.

Before joining Perceptyx, Joseph was the Co-founder and CEO of Cultivate, a venture-backed AI coaching and analytics platform, which was acquired by Perceptyx in 2022. During his tenure at Cultivate, he led the company from ideation to successful product launch, securing strategic partnerships and scaling the business to serve global enterprise customers. His entrepreneurial journey also includes serving as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Samsung NEXT and as Co-founder and CEO of an edtech startup incubated at the Education Design Studio at the University of Pennsylvania.

With a deep passion for product management and innovation, Joseph has held multiple leadership roles in product management across various industries. He has also shared his expertise as a lecturer of software product management at UC Berkeley Extension and is an active startup advisor, mentoring the next generation of product leaders.

Joseph holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business. 

Vinod Malhotra

Chief Technology Officer

Vinod Malhotra is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Perceptyx. He leads the company’s technical strategy, end-to-end software development, technology infrastructure, and cloud operations to deliver Perceptyx's multi-channel AI-powered enterprise-grade Employee Experience (EX) platform. He is a global technology executive with over 25 years of experience in scaling, transforming, and growing B2B SaaS through technology innovation, product mindset, building high performance teams, and mergers/acquisitions.

Prior to joining Perceptyx, Vinod served as SVP of Engineering at BlackLine, responsible for the delivery of a cloud based Financial Close and Invoice-to-Cash automation platforms that brought in annual recurring revenue of over half a billion dollars. He previously held leadership roles at ICE Mortgage Technology, Tally Solutions, Finastra, and Microsoft.

Vinod holds M. Tech. degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT, Delhi and a US patent.

David Hollady

General Counsel, Data Privacy Officer

Currently serving as General Counsel for Perceptyx, Hollady brings more than a decade of legal and operations expertise to the organization. His track record encompasses building legal commercial teams, implementing comprehensive privacy programs, managing complex M&A transactions, and overseeing crucial fundraising activities.

Prior to Perceptyx, Hollady's career trajectory was marked by increasingly strategic roles at companies experiencing significant growth and transformation. As Head of Legal and HumanResources at Lever, Hollady successfully managed the company's $60 million Series D financing round and subsequent tender offer. His leadership extended beyond traditional legal functions to include the development of a privacy program that supported more than 6,000 customers across 30 countries, ensuring compliance with complex international regulations including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPEDA.

Following Lever’s successful acquisition by Employ, David joined the new organization as Head of Legal and DPO, overseeing legal, compliance, and contract operations.

Hollady's commitment to legal excellence and professional development is evidenced by his service on the Content Scope Committee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners, where he helped shape the future of the legal profession's qualifying examination. He maintains active involvement in the legal technology community as a charter member of TechGC, an invitation-only peer community for general counsels who work in the technology sector.

Hollady holds IAPP CIPP/E and CIPM certifications, as well as an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business, and a law degree from New England Law | Boston.