Brown Hayden

About Brown Hayden

Hayden Brown is a technology executive and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Upwork Inc., a role she has held since January 2020. Her career at Upwork has been built over many years of steady advancement: she joined the company in 2014 and held a series of product leadership roles, including Senior Vice President, Product and Design, and later Chief Marketing and Product Officer, before moving into the chief executive role. Prior to Upwork, Brown served at oDesk Corporation, Upwork’s predecessor, where she worked in marketplace and product leadership roles. Her earlier experience also includes Vice President of Corporate Development at LivePerson, Director of Corporate Strategy and M&A at Microsoft, Senior Strategy Manager at Microsoft, and Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company. She earned an A.B. in Politics from Princeton University. As CEO, Brown has been closely associated with Upwork’s emphasis on remote work, flexible talent models, and digital marketplace growth. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Upwork moved to a fully remote operating model and later adopted a permanent remote-first stance, reflecting the company’s broader mission and operating philosophy. Brown’s leadership profile is especially relevant to corporate governance and executive strategy because it combines product management, marketing, strategic planning, M&A exposure, and operational execution. She also serves on Upwork’s board of directors, reinforcing her influence over long-term corporate direction. Overall, her background suggests a leader with deep institutional knowledge of the company and significant experience across technology, strategy, and business transformation. ([sec.gov](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627475/000114036124021188/ny20019391x1_def14a.pdf))