Sidekicker appoints Dee Kulkarni as Head of Product
Sidekicker, Australia & New Zealand has announced a new female-dominant leadership team amid a spate of new recruits and internal promotions. Dee Kulkarni, Rachel Fang and Petra Sprekos have joined fellow female colleagues, Co-Founder Jacqui Bull and Head of Product, Tom Goren, on the leadership team of five women and four men.
Sidekicker Co-Founder Jacqui Bull will assume the Chief Operating Officer position, while Petra Sprekos has been promoted from Commercial Director to Head of Acquisition. Dee Kulkarni has recently joined the company as Sidekicker's new Head of Engineering, having previously held the role of Director of Technology at Square.
The company's restructure has also seen more women promoted to leadership roles, including Ellie Amos, promoted from Senior Implementation Manager to Head of Customer Implementation; and Erin Johnston, promoted from Head of Industrial to Head of Industrial and Horticulture.
New senior hires this year include Christie Bull, who joined the company as Head of Safety & Compliance, and Diana Peel who has joined as Financial Controller.
Sidekicker Co-Founder and COO, Jacqui Bull, says that Sidekicker values equality and diversity, and wants to encourage more women into careers in tech.
"I'm so proud to see such strong female representation in our leadership team. Women have been underrepresented in the tech and startup space for too long, and I'm thrilled that we're helping to change that narrative," says Bull.
"Sidekicker is currently experiencing a hyper growth phase and we need the smartest, brightest people who can help drive us forward – it just so happens that some of the best and brightest people in this industry are female. Diversity breeds more diversity, and we hope that by having such strong female representation across the entire company, this will encourage more women to explore the incredible opportunities available in the tech and startup space."
Thomas Amos, Co-Founder and CEO, Sidekicker said the company's restructure will help to accelerate further expansion, following the recent $20 million dollar investment from SEEK Investments.
"Following our most recent funding round, Sidekicker is undergoing significant growth. We're expanding our current categories across ANZ whilst delivering new capabilities to our platform – and we rely on top talent to help us achieve this. Jacqui taking the reins as COO will help ensure the company continues to innovate and remain ahead of the pack during this phase of rapid growth," says Bull.
"We're thrilled to welcome Dee Kulkarni as Head of Engineering. Dee is an extremely talented technology leader who will help us continue to scale and develop innovative solutions to further disrupt the staffing industry. We're also thrilled to have Rachel Fang and Petra Sprekos joining the leadership team. We are always happy to promote from within our company and since joining Sidekicker last year, Rachel and Petra have proven themselves to be invaluable members of our team, and they will each play a crucial role in driving our company forward."
Prior to joining Sidekicker, Fang was MYOB's Head of Partner Retention and Growth Marketing Manager, following four years at Carsales as the Head of Trade Marketing. Sprekos' previous roles included General Manager at Carsales and General Manager at RealestateView.com.au.
