Skillable names Brian Barnum chief financial officer

Skillable has appointed Brian Barnum as chief financial officer and promoted Mark Mangelson to president and chief revenue officer.

The moves are part of a broader reshuffle of the software group's senior leadership team.

Barnum joins the executive team from Shamrock Capital Advisors, where he was an operating partner and worked closely with Skillable. He has also served on Skillable's board since Shamrock invested in the business in 2021, giving him an established relationship with the company before taking on the finance role.

He brings experience across finance and operations roles at a range of technology and digital businesses. Earlier in his career, Barnum held senior positions at Brighter, The Rubicon Project, Business.com, Dex Media, Rent.com and Transaction Network Services, where he was involved in an initial public offering.

The leadership changes follow a period in which Skillable launched Skillable Marketplace, added artificial intelligence-related features and updated its administrative tools. The company sells virtual IT labs and hands-on training products used by technology companies and other organisations to assess or train users in software environments.

Mangelson's promotion expands a remit that already included revenue. In his new role, he is expected to lead the next stage of the company's commercial growth while retaining responsibility for sales.

Before joining Skillable, Mangelson spent seven years at learning technology company Degreed as vice president of North America. During his tenure, he helped the business expand to more than 300 enterprise clients worldwide.

The reshuffle extends beyond the top two appointments. Dave Reed has been promoted to chief growth officer, with responsibility for strategic partnerships and expansion into new markets. Lori Cummings has been named chief people officer, taking charge of workforce growth, employee experience and talent development at the remote-first company.

Several other management changes were announced alongside those moves. Louis Soisson has been appointed vice president of global channel sales, Jessica Zeba-Snow has been named head of product and technology programs and operations, Paul Adkins becomes vice president of security operations, and Jenny Davis has been promoted to senior vice president of marketing.

Growth focus

The appointments point to a push to sharpen Skillable's commercial and organisational structure as it looks to broaden its reach across training, certification, higher education and channel partnerships. Reed's role will focus in part on increasing the company's presence with global systems integrators and in adjacent markets.

Skillable operates in the practical skills training and validation market, where businesses use simulated or live environments to test whether staff, customers or partners can perform tasks rather than simply complete course content. More than 400 global customers have used its platform, and 60 million labs have been created and launched since its founding, according to the company.

Barnum's previous connection to Skillable may ease his transition into the finance role as the company enters a new phase of expansion. His background spans both financial oversight and operational management, a combination often sought by software companies balancing growth with tighter execution.

Commenting on his appointment, Barnum said: "Having been involved with Skillable as a Board Member for the past 5 years, I know Skillable's unique position and opportunity in the market and have built strong working relationships across the organization. I am excited to be taking on the CFO role to help drive the next level of growth and scale at this time of great opportunity for our technology. Skillable offers an attractive solution for technology companies looking to prove user competency, readiness and skill. In an era when AI can do most basic tasks, being able to prove that someone can 'do the work' and collaborate with complex software, AI and other technologies is critical. Skillable is a pioneering solution for this new paradigm."

Mangelson linked his promotion to growing demand for hands-on learning and assessment. He said: "Customers, partners and industry experts are increasingly recognizing the impact of hands-on solutions on training and enablement. We are often seeing customers expand their uses of Skillable beyond their initial investment due to the efficiencies, business value and revenue opportunities that virtual IT labs can offer. Simultaneously, new market opportunities across training, certification and assessments, higher education, user events and in AI adoption and readiness, means Skillable is at a pivotal point in its growth and expansion. It will be a significant year for the company and I am delighted to be stepping into the role of President and Chief Revenue Officer to support this."

Chief executive officer Chris McCarthy said the management changes are intended to support expansion and execution across the business. He said: "I am proud of the impact and influence that Skillable has had on the market and its customers. A dedicated team and effective, focused leadership are largely responsible. The appointment of Brian Barnum as CFO and the promotions within the rest of our C-Suite and extended leadership team are designed to build on this momentum by driving Skillable's growth, innovation in hands-on training and efficient scaling to new markets."