Julie Vonwiller and Lisa Braden-Harder ring the bell.
Appen was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (APX on ASX) on January 7. This is a wonderful milestone in our history. Back in the 1990s most startups launched from garages with small, isolated teams but for Appen the path was two kitchens on far-flung shores. Julie Vonwiller and I both saw at the dawn of the internet, tools that could bridge distances and connect like-minded people towards empowering cultures with language technology. Appen was always powered by strong research roots and roll-up-your-sleeves partnering with technology teams. The company grew steadily benefiting from the injection of strong financial and business know-how, first coming from Chris Vonwiller and later Anacacia Capital, Bill Pulver and Mark Byrne.
As we move into the public space we want to thank two exiting board members for their past service, Julie and Jon Shein. Julie has contributed to the company in leading roles for nearly 20 years from founder to the board always bringing her strong background in linguistics. Jonny provided a strong financial background and a deep belief in the importance of employees which we will miss as well.
We are a unique company powered by awesome teamwork. Many pizza-powered companies of the 1990s have come and gone with waves of new technology but we are still growing and still taking the latest technology to global markets.
Lisa Braden-Harder
CEO
