“Search and social media relevance has underpinned the growth of the Appen,” says CEO, Mark Brayan. The global language service provider’s growth trajectory has kept pace with a flourishing tech industry.
Mark Brayan joined Appen just after it listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2015. He brought a background of technology, sales and running publicly traded companies. He also had experience with private equity and venture capital, and knew how to position Appen for the next level of growth. Under his leadership, the company has capitalized on the booming technology market, growing from less than $20 million AUS in revenue to more than $100 million AUS in the last financial year.
Appen was founded in 1996 by Dr. Julie Vonwiller, a linguist who used to work at Sydney University, and her husband, Chris Vonwiller. As the company grew, overseas expansion became increasingly important to Appen’s future. With the help of a private equity firm, Appen was able to identify potential international partners. In 2011, Appen acquired a U.S.-based tech company how to get better answers from search engines. Now serving 8 out of the top 10 global technology companies, Appen has 280 full time staff based in Australia, the US and the Philippines, and a crowd of more than 400,000 people worldwide.
