Culture Amp is entering a new phase of leadership as it appoints Caroline Rawlinson as chief executive officer, while founder and longtime CEO Didier Elzinga transitions into the role of executive chairman. The move signals a deliberate leadership evolution as the people and culture platform accelerates growth and deepens its focus on AI-driven workplace transformation.
Elzinga, who founded Culture Amp with the mission of creating a better world of work, described the transition as a natural next step for the company. Over the past two years, Culture Amp has focused on redefining how organizations understand culture, performance, and engagement in the age of artificial intelligence. That effort has culminated in the launch of AI Coach, a product that is now seeing strong adoption and rapid growth across its global customer base.
Rawlinson joined Culture Amp just over a year ago as chief financial and operating officer. During that time, she expanded her remit across customer success, sales operations, and strategic planning, while working closely with customers worldwide. With more than 15 years of leadership experience across high-growth businesses, Rawlinson has played a central role in strengthening execution as the company scaled.
Under her leadership, Culture Amp has delivered double-digit revenue growth, reached cash flow positivity, and nearly doubled platform usage year over year. The AI Coach product, launched only months ago, has already recorded triple-digit growth, reinforcing the company’s belief that AI will play a defining role in the future of work.
As CEO, Rawlinson will focus on three core priorities: deepening customer value through an AI-led product roadmap, scaling global operations sustainably with strong operational discipline, and continuing to define Culture Amp’s category as AI reshapes how organizations think about people, performance, and readiness for change. She emphasized that Culture Amp will remain culture-first, ensuring performance and purpose continue to go hand in hand.
Meanwhile, Elzinga will remain closely involved as executive chairman, guiding long-term strategy, major partnerships, and the company’s AI product vision. His shift allows him to focus more deeply on how AI is changing the role of leaders and CHROs, while continuing to champion Culture Amp’s founding mission.
The leadership transition comes amid a period of strong momentum for the company. As organizations race to adopt AI, Culture Amp is positioning itself at the intersection of people science and artificial intelligence—helping leaders understand what’s working, what’s at risk, and which actions will drive sustainable performance without losing the human core of work.
Board leaders echoed confidence in the transition, highlighting the combination of Rawlinson’s operational leadership and Elzinga’s strategic vision as a strong foundation for Culture Amp’s next stage of growth.