Investing in World-Class Training Programs for Its Customers, Appirio Hires New Chief Learning Officer to Help Change the Way Organizations Engage With and Use Technology

New Leader, With Past Experiences Including Google and salesforce.com, Is Responsible for Creating Global Training Programs for Faster, More Successful Ramp-Up and User Adoption of Cloud-Based Applications

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 18, 2014) - Appirio, a global cloud consultancy, today announced that it has hired Catherine Lang as chief learning officer. Lang oversees Appirio's innovative customer training program driving widespread user-adoption and enabling every customer to get the most out of Appirio's deployed solutions. Leading all internal and customer-based training initiatives, Lang bases her training program on the fundamentals of Workplace 2020 -- the mobile, social and global workplace of the future -- a critical component for companies that want to engage employees, partners and customers with emerging technology.

Having led large-scale employee and customer training programs for more than 20 years, Lang comes to Appirio most recently from Google. While at Google, Lang designed and implemented Google Enterprise Partner University, building the sales and technical skills of its global partner ecosystem. Lang's approach to training is customer-centric, focusing on the specific individual's need rather than a "one-size-fits-most" format, honing in on what will make the biggest impact first. Lang's learning program and change enablement solutions bring in the latest training and communication methodologies, with an emphasis on collaboration and community.

"We understand technology and how to help organizations work; hiring a chief learning officer ensures that our company and customers will have the most current skills and expertise to be successful, competitive and ready for the workplace of the future," said Mike Epner, SVP global consulting at Appirio. "With internal and customer-based learning initiatives under Catherine's leadership, it enables us to focus efforts on achieving results that complement both audiences, bringing even more credibility and understanding of our partner products and crowdsourced approach."

"Appirio has made a big investment in continued development for its customers and its employees, and I'm honored to be leading this new program," said Lang. "An ongoing focus on building the skills and capabilities of Appirio's experts ensures that we can continue to provide our customers with the best advice, strategy and solutions. An increased focus on our change enablement and training solutions will ensure that our customers adopt and get the most value from those solutions."

Prior to her time at Google, Lang served as the vice president of training and certification at salesforce.com. To learn more about Catherine Lang, visit:

About Appirio:
Appirio is a global cloud consultancy that helps customers achieve results in weeks, not years by harnessing the power of the world's top talent. Appirio's 600,000 member topcoder community and crowdsourcing platform, combined with the company's business and technical expertise, have helped 700+ enterprises confidently use technology to increase innovation and transform business. Founded in 2006, Appirio is a trusted partner to companies such as Apria, Coca-Cola, eBay, Facebook, Japan Post Network, L'Oreal, NetApp, The Four Seasons and Virgin America.

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