Workday has announced the appointment of Carl Eschenbach to co-CEO, effective immediately, as part of a succession plan that will see Aneel Bhusri step back from the business in a year’s time. Chano Fernandez is leaving Workday, also with effective immediately.

Eschenbach will serve as co-CEO alongside Aneel Bhusri, Workday’s co-founder and CEO, until January 2024, when it is expected that Eschenbach will assume full control as sole CEO.

Eschenbach’s background and experience

Eschenbach is a venture capitalist with strong technology experience. He has been a partner at Sequoia Capital, a leading venture capital firm, since 2016, having worked closely with high-growth, innovative enterprise software organizations.

Commenting on the announcement, Bhusri, said: “We have an incredible opportunity in front of us and I’m confident that Carl, with his leadership skills and his proven experience in helping technology companies scale, as well as his commitment to culture and values, will help lead Workday through its next phase of growth. Chano has been an integral part of Workday since he joined almost nine years ago and has helped us to achieve great success and growth. We thank him for his many contributions.”

Eschenbach added: “I’ve long admired Workday and how it has redefined the enterprise software industry, with a focus on putting people at the center, a values-based approach to leadership, and a relentless focus on customer service and innovation. This has helped differentiate Workday, driving its growth and success in supporting some of the world’s largest organizations. I’m thrilled to be expanding my role at Workday and working with Aneel, the rest of the leadership team, and our amazing group of employees to help us build on this great momentum and take hold of the massive opportunity in front of us.”

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