Five9 appointed Niranjan Vijayaragavan as Chief Technology Officer, Rob Hornish as Chief Sales Officer, and Sven Linsmaier as Executive Vice President, Transformation and Strategy, effective June 29, 2026. The new roles consolidate AI, sales, and strategy leadership as the company scales its Intelligent CX Platform.
The appointments come as Five9 pushes deeper into AI-driven customer experience, serving more than 3,500 enterprises across 140 countries. CEO Amit Mathradas said the three executives bring the operational discipline needed for the company's next chapter.
"Niranjan, Rob, and Sven bring the kind of proven leadership and operational discipline that are critical as Five9 enters this next chapter," said Amit Mathradas, CEO of Five9. "Niranjan's deep expertise across product, technology and AI, Rob's track record leading high-performing sales organizations, and Sven's proven ability to drive strategic transformation and scale operations will help us build on our momentum, deepen customer and partner impact, and execute with clarity across the business."
Unified product and AI leadership
Niranjan Vijayaragavan previously served as Chief Product and Technology Officer at Nintex, where he led the company's shift toward AI-driven enterprise automation. At Five9, he will oversee Product Engineering, Product Management, AI Automation, and Architecture under a single structure, a move aimed at accelerating the full product lifecycle.
"Five9 is at the center of one of the most important shifts in customer experience as AI reshapes how companies engage with their customers," said Niranjan Vijayaragavan. "I'm excited to work with the team to accelerate innovation across the platform and deliver technology that helps customers move faster and operate with greater intelligence."
Customer-first sales execution
Rob Hornish, a 30-year sales veteran, joins from Redaptive, where he led go-to-market transformation in the energy-as-a-service market. Earlier, he held senior roles at McAfee Enterprise, Polycom, and Cisco. He will lead the global sales organization with a focus on disciplined, customer-first execution.
"Five9 has an incredible market opportunity and a strong foundation of customers, partners and innovation," said Rob Hornish. "I'm excited to work with the team to build on that trust and bring disciplined, customer-first execution to the next stage of growth."
Strategy and transformation at the executive level
Sven Linsmaier will drive enterprise strategy, corporate development, and high-priority initiatives. He most recently served as VP of Business Finance and Operations at Workday, where he partnered with the C-suite on build-buy-partner strategy. Before that, he was COO at Convex and spent nine years at Boston Consulting Group.
"Five9 is at an inflection point, with real momentum in AI and a clear opportunity to accelerate how we operate and grow," said Sven Linsmaier. "I'm excited to help build the strategic infrastructure that lets this team move faster and execute with greater discipline across the business."
Outgoing executives Panos Kozanian, Executive Vice President of Product Engineering, Jonathan Rosenberg, Chief Technology Officer, and Matthew Tuckness, Chief Revenue Officer, will remain in advisory roles for a period to ensure a smooth transition. Further details on the leadership team and the company's AI-driven CX strategy are available at five9.com.
Why this matters for executives and strategy
The leadership changes signal that AI is no longer a siloed function but a horizontal priority embedded across product, sales, and corporate strategy. For executives in any industry, the appointments illustrate how companies are restructuring to align AI expertise with go-to-market and operational discipline. AI for Executives & Strategy explores the frameworks and decisions that underpin such moves.
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