Kazoo, the leading employee experience platform, announced the appointment of Patrick Manzo as CEO and the retirement of Kazoo’s former CEO, Paul Pellman.
Patrick is a seasoned leader who cares deeply about the power of engaged, inclusive, high-performing teams, and joins Kazoo from leading EdTech provider Skillsoft, where he most recently served as Chief Revenue Officer. Over his career, Manzo has led global teams operating across sales, customer success and service, pricing, data privacy, and security. A former US Naval Officer and a licensed attorney, Manzo is a purpose-driven leader focused on team development and growth, a disciplined management operating system, and a culture of ownership. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from Boston College Law School. With more than 16 years of experience in the HR tech space, Manzo’s background will be pivotal as Kazoo continues to extend its platform and scale its customer base.
“During his time at Kazoo, Paul led the team to create a standout employee experience platform and year-over-year business growth,” said Manzo. “I used Kazoo at my previous company and witnessed first-hand its positive impact on overall employee engagement. As I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about Kazoo, I’m excited to get to work, growing the business while helping our customers create a world-class employee experience.”
Pellman was named CEO of Kazoo in 2018 and led the business through the development of the mid-market’s most robust employee experience platform. Over the past three-plus years, Paul and the Kazoo team have partnered with customers like Arrowhead Credit Union to reduce employee turnover by 49% and have received positive sentiment from HR leaders such as LogicMonitor’s Ashley Reed, who notes: “Kazoo really helped our employee experience and has made a significant difference with our culture and our teams.”
“This is our moment and we have exciting developments on the horizon to enhance Kazoo’s platform capabilities to make work better,” said Manzo. “This role aligns perfectly with a mission I’ve been focused on for the last decade-plus, which is to improve employee development, opportunity, and experience. This mission will only grow in importance given the pace of change in the workplace driven by increased digitization, decentralization, and demographic shifts.”
Additionally, the company announced it has appointed industry veteran Bret Starr to the board of directors. Starr is the founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, a B2B marketing agency focused on HR technology companies creating the future of workplace solutions. His extensive knowledge of the HR technology industry will be a considerable asset for Kazoo as the company continues its strategic growth.
“I’ve known the team at Kazoo for some time and have been watching from the sidelines as they have helped teams retain and engage employees. I’m excited to join the board to help guide the company’s growth,” said Starr. “This segment of the market is very hot right now, as companies realize this is their time to actually invest in talent versus paying lip service. Kazoo is poised to lead the way with its unique combination of capabilities focused on putting the employee first.”
