Perkbox has appointed Shahid Naveed as Chief Product and Technology Officer, bringing in a technology executive with experience at Freetrade, Amazon and Auction Technology Group.
Naveed joins the employee benefits company from Freetrade, where he held the same position. At Perkbox, he will lead a team of around 70 people responsible for product development, engineering, IT, cybersecurity, data and analytics.
His appointment comes as Perkbox looks to improve the way employees use workplace benefits and help employers understand whether their investment in these programmes is delivering results.
A major part of his role will be developing the company’s technology and exploring how AI can make its platform more useful to HR teams.
A Track Record in Technology and Business Growth
Naveed brings more than 20 years of experience across financial technology, online marketplaces and software businesses.
At Freetrade, he led the teams responsible for product, engineering, data, information security and workplace technology. He was also involved in the company’s acquisition by IG Group, leading technology due diligence during the deal before working on growth initiatives afterwards.
Before joining Freetrade, Naveed helped Auction Technology Group prepare for its initial public offering. He also held a technology leadership role at Amazon, where he managed engineering teams working across different locations.
One of his projects at Amazon involved moving billions of customer records from older systems to newer services. The migration was completed without disrupting the experience of customers using the platform.
This background gives Naveed experience in both building technology products and managing the teams and systems needed to support large businesses.
Perkbox Plans to Put AI to Work
At Perkbox, one of Naveed’s priorities will be finding practical ways to use AI across the platform, particularly in the tools used by HR and reward teams.
The company wants to help employers see which benefits employees are using and identify those that are being overlooked.
For example, if a particular benefit has low participation, the platform could help HR teams identify the employees who may be missing out and recommend ways to reach them.
This is intended to make the platform more useful than a reporting tool. Instead of simply showing employers figures and dashboards, Perkbox wants to help them understand what needs attention and what they can do next.
Perkbox CEO Doug Butler said Naveed would help guide the company’s product and technology strategy as it continues to develop and secure its platform.
Naveed said he was attracted to Perkbox by its established business and the opportunity to make technology more useful for employers and employees. He also highlighted how AI could help HR teams take action rather than simply review information on dashboards.
Building on Perkbox’s Existing Reach
Perkbox currently serves more than 7,500 organisations and nearly four million employees worldwide. According to the company, its customer base also includes more than 80% of the UK’s National Health Service.
With this appointment, Perkbox is putting an experienced technology leader in charge of improving the platform used by those organisations and employees.
Naveed’s focus will be on developing the products, technology and AI capabilities behind the service, while helping employers get more value from the benefits they offer their workforce.
For Perkbox, the appointment is an important step in connecting its technology strategy with the everyday needs of the businesses and employees using its platform.