New senior role among more than 500 to be added to company’s global business to meet market demand.
Boston – November 03, 2021 – Emeritus, the global leader in making high-quality upskilling education accessible and affordable to individuals, companies, and governments around the world, announced the appointment of Jakii Chu as Chief Marketing Officer, reporting to Emeritus’ Co-Founder and CEO, Ashwin Damera. In this role, Chu will lead the planning, development, and execution of all global marketing and advertising initiatives as the Company continues to experience rapid growth, with 2x topline growth year-over-year.Â
Chu has a proven track record of designing and implementing high-impact marketing strategies. She brings more than 15 years of experience leading prominent e-commerce corporations, both internationally and domestically. Chu joins Emeritus from Instacart, where she was Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to that, she was Senior Vice President of eCommerce at Fanatics, where she drove all aspects of digital marketing and marketplace growth. Chu also owned Marketplaces as well as wholesale eCommerce businesses and played a vital role in transforming and scaling the Company. Previously, Chu served as COO & Director of Shipping at eBay Inc.Â
“Jakii has extensive experience developing transformational and visionary marketing strategies at high-growth companies,” said Ashwin Damera, co-founder and CEO of Emeritus. “As Emeritus enters the next chapter of our growth, Jakii’s leadership will be critical in advancing our mission.”
Chu’s hire comes at a time of significant momentum for Emeritus. In Q4, the Company will add more than 500 roles across its business globally as it scales to meet market demand. It also recently announced a $650 million funding round that advanced its valuation to $3.2 billion, quadrupling its Series D valuation from August 2020. In FY21, alone, the Company reached learners in 80+ countries and offered programs through partnerships with more than 50 of the world’s top universities, and expanded into K12 education with the acquisition of iD Tech.
Chu’s announcement as CMO follows four other recent senior hires, including: Jamie Farrell as Chief Revenue Officer, Ahmed Haque as Chief Product Officer, Ranil Herath as President – Healthcare, and Andrea Mansano as CEO for Latin America. Each work closely with the Company’s senior leadership team to scale key areas of the business and accelerate the Company’s aggressive growth.Â
“Education has the ability to empower individuals and transform lives. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the benefit of my education,” said Chu. “Emeritus has pioneered a unique model in partnership with world-class universities. I’m thrilled to join an innovative and visionary team. Together, we will make high-quality education more accessible and affordable to people around the world.”Â
Chu graduated with a Business degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Technology Sydney. Having spent time in Southeast Asia and Australia, she is fluent in Malay, Mandarin, and other Chinese dialects. Today she resides in San Jose, California, with her family.Â
About Emeritus
Emeritus is committed to teaching the skills of the future by making high-quality education accessible and affordable to individuals, companies, and governments around the world. It does this by collaborating with more than 50 top-tier universities across the United States, Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, India and China. Emeritus’ short courses, degree programs, professional certificates, and senior executive programs help individuals learn new skills and transform their lives, companies and organizations. Its unique model of state-of-the-art technology, curriculum innovation, and hands-on instruction from senior faculty, mentors and coaches has educated more than 250,000 individuals across 80+ countries. Founded in 2015, Emeritus, part of Eruditus Group, has more than 1,400 employees globally and offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Shanghai, Singapore, Palo Alto, Mexico City, New York, Boston, London, and Dubai. Following its $650 million Series E funding round in August 2021, the Company is valued at $3.2 billion, and is backed by Accel, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Leeds Illuminate, Prosus Ventures, Sequoia Capital India, and Bertelsmann.
