PRESS RELEASE, NEWS
Former Groupon president will accelerate growth of AI-powered marketplace as it redefines how companies approach finance and accounting services
January 25, 2021
Paro, a Chicago-based startup disrupting the way companies access on-demand financial expertise, today announced the promotion of Anita Samojednik from Chief Operating Officer (COO) to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Since joining the company, Anita has leveraged artificial intelligence to redirect Paro’s focus to investments that drive predictable growth while leading integrated operations as the company scales.“I’m thrilled to take on this new role as we continue to shape the future of finance work through our commitment to evolving our professional services marketplace,” said Anita. “Over the course of my career, I’ve seen how investments in people, technology and operational excellence can drive marketplaces to new heights.”. Paro works with middle-market and enterprise companies to solve short- and long-term finance and accounting needs ranging from bookkeeping to M&A to ERP deployments. With Anita at the helm, the company will accelerate the evolution of its proprietary AI-powered platform to more quickly and effectively analyze complex client needs, define the solution and precisely match clients with a team of highly vetted experts who have the right set of skills and experience to address their unique challenges. The organization will also continue to scale its ability to empower entrepreneurial finance professionals with the key resources they need to build their own businesses on the Paro platform.
“I started this company to offer a better way for business professionals to pursue their talents outside of traditional employment models. Attracting a world-class leader and operator like Anita is testament to the positive response we’ve received from the market and the progress we’ve made,” said founder Michael Burdick. “Anita’s experience scaling international marketplaces provides the foundation for us to bring our solution to even more people and markets.”Michael will continue in an executive role at Paro as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), where he will lead the strategic vision and focus on supporting the future of Paro. He will also remain an active member of the Board of Directors. Prior to joining Paro, Anita had more than 15 years of executive leadership experience at Groupon, Ladders and Vonage, where she ran multinational two-sided marketplaces and e-commerce enterprises while leveraging cutting-edge machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques. Anita serves as a member of the advisory board at the Columbia Business School, Deming Center.
