Hootsuite CEO Tom Keiser joins Deidre for a CEO to CEO chat on cohesion in chaos, the changing nature of connection and community, and leading the way forward in transformative times. Tom and Deidre first met when he was COO at Zendesk launching their OKR program on WorkBoard several years ago and he brought it with him as he took the helm as CEO at Hootsuite.
Tom Keiser steered Hootsuite as CEO from 2020-2023, scaling the social media management platform through turbulent times with a focus on customer success, e-commerce expansion, and operational rigor.
Fresh from quadrupling Zendesk's revenue to $1B as COO—growing headcount from 1,000 to 4,000—he brought retail experience in ops from Gap Inc. and L Brands, plus early tech leadership at Ernst & Young. His playbook: Align culture, product, and teams for relentless momentum amid chaos.
Deidre Paknad has founded and led three tech startups, acquired companies and been acquired, and led a high-growth business as an executive at IBM for several years; this affords her a unique perspective on using both speed and scale to drive growth. In her role as CEO at WorkBoard, she works with senior leadership teams at some of the world’s largest companies to clarify, align, and drive strategic priorities with greater speed and agility. She is a frequent speaker on Outcome Mindset™ and tapping into ambition.
Deidre has over a dozen patents and has twice been inducted into the Smithsonian Institution for innovation. Goldman Sachs named her one of the 100 most intriguing entrepreneurs of 2019. Deidre hosts The OKR Podcast, which focuses on accelerating outcomes and fostering an outcomes culture.