Thought Industries has announced the strategic appointments of Chief Product Officer Sarah Phoenix and Chief Strategy Officer Julien Denaes as the company embarks on a new phase under CEO Irana Wasti. The changes come as part of a broader initiative to transition from a traditional learning platform to an AI-powered Customer Intelligence & Growth Platform, aimed at connecting learning with measurable business outcomes. The announcement was made on December 16, 2025, from the company’s headquarters in Boston.
“Businesses need to grow through the success of their customers,” stated Wasti. She emphasized that the company’s vision is to create an AI-first Customer Intelligence & Growth Platform that integrates learning data, customer behavior, and intelligent actions to enhance customer loyalty and drive revenue. The leadership appointments are essential to realizing this vision.
The appointment of Phoenix and Denaes follows a comprehensive strategic review initiated by Wasti upon her arrival at Thought Industries in October. This review, informed by extensive customer conversations and market analysis, has concentrated the company’s focus on three main areas: aligning customer goals with product value, empowering business growth through customer success, and transforming customer interactions into actionable intelligence.
Phoenix will spearhead the product vision and execution as the new Chief Product Officer, leveraging her extensive experience in developing customer-centric products. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President of Product at BILL, where she led teams that catered to nearly 500,000 customers. Her previous roles at Twitter and GoDaddy further bolster her credentials in data-driven product development.
“Customer education is no longer just about courses and content,” Phoenix remarked. “Our opportunity is to connect learning signals, product usage, and customer behavior so our clients can see, measure, and shape the value their customers get from their products in real time.” She expressed her enthusiasm for building upon Thought Industries’ established foundation to help define the next category of Customer Intelligence & Growth.
Denaes has been appointed as Chief Strategy Officer, where he will manage corporate strategy and long-term planning, ensuring that product investments align with market needs. Prior to joining Thought Industries, he was Senior Director of Product Management at BILL, following the acquisition of Finmark, where he focused on financial planning and analytics solutions.
“Our customers are living in a fragmented world of tools and data, while their end users expect simple, powerful, intelligent experiences,” Denaes noted. He believes that Thought Industries is well-positioned to bridge these gaps, starting with learning experiences and extending into customer intelligence and growth.
Founded in 2013, Thought Industries has established itself as a leading Customer Learning & Intelligence Platform, serving a wide array of customer-centric businesses across sectors such as software, manufacturing, life sciences, and financial services. The platform aims to unify learning experiences with customer data to foster loyalty and drive revenue, ultimately allowing businesses to guide each customer to the right content, maximizing value.
Looking ahead, Thought Industries plans to introduce new AI-driven capabilities, beginning with enhancements to its core learning experiences, analytics, and automation functionalities. By leveraging advanced technology, the company aims to further demonstrate the business impact of customer education at scale, reinforcing its commitment to transforming customer interactions into valuable growth opportunities.
For more information, visit Thought Industries or follow them on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
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