About Us
When your goal is to launch world-class AI, our reliable training data gives you the confidence to deploy
Confidence to Deploy World-Class AI
Appen collects and labels images, text, speech, audio, video, and other data used to build and continuously improve the world’s most innovative artificial intelligence systems. Our expertise includes having a global crowd of over one million skilled contractors who speak over 180 languages and dialects, in over 70,000 locations and 130 countries, and the industry’s most advanced AI-assisted data annotation platform. Our reliable training data gives leaders in technology, automotive, financial services, retail, healthcare, and governments the confidence to deploy world-class AI products. Founded in 1996, Appen has customers and offices globally.
Appen at a Glance
Experience working in
130+ countries
Over 800 employees
located in offices
around the globe
Access to a curated crowd
of over 1 million
flexible contractors worldwide
More than 13 billion
judgments made and 500,000
hours of audio processed
20+ years working
with leading global
technology companies
Our Leaders
Board of Directors
Chris Vonwiller
Non-Executive Chairman
Chris is the Non-Executive Chairman of Appen having formerly served as Appen CEO from 1999-2010. Prior to joining Appen, Chris served for 20 years in senior executive positions with the Australian telecommunications carrier Telstra Corporation Limited, playing a leading role in the development and deployment of innovative internet services, multimedia, and pay television. Chris is a former Chairman of the Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering at The University of Sydney.
Chris holds degrees in science and engineering, with honors, from The University of Sydney and an MBA from Macquarie University. He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2007.
Mark Brayan
Managing Director
Mark joined Appen in July 2015 as CEO and is responsible for the company’s leadership, strategy, and culture. Mark has over 25 years’ experience in technology and services. Prior to joining Appen, Mark was CEO of MST Global, a provider of technology solutions to the resources sector. Before that he was the CEO of Integrated Research Limited (ASX:IRI), an international software company listed on the Australian Stock exchange. Mark was also COO of the HR outsourcing company Talent2 (ASX:TWO) and CEO of Concept Systems (ASX:CSI) before its merger with Talent2.
Mark has an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and Bachelor of Surveying with 1st Class Honours from the University of NSW.
Steve Hasker
Non-Executive Director
Steve Hasker has been a non-executive Director of Appen since April 2015. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Thomson Reuters, a global company providing its customers with critical news, information and technology, effective March 15, 2020.
Previously, Steve served as senior advisor to TPG Capital, a private equity firm, chief executive officer of CAA Global, a TPG Capital portfolio company, and global president and chief operating officer of Nielsen, an information, data and measurement firm. He spent more than a decade with McKinsey as a partner in the global media, information and technology practice.
Before joining McKinsey, Steve worked in several financial roles in the United States, Russia and Australia. He started his career with PwC, where he qualified as a chartered accountant.
Steve is a non-executive director of Appen Limited and a member of the Australia and New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants. He received an MBA and master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.
Robin Low
Non-Executive Director
Robin Low has been a non-executive director of Appen since 30 October 2014. Her other directorships include AUB Group Limited (AUB), CSG Limited (CSV), IPH Limited (IPH), Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation, and she is the deputy chairman of the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. Previously Robin had a 28 year career at PricewaterhouseCoopers where she was a partner specializing in assurance and risk, mainly in financial services. Robin is also involved with not-for-profit organizations and serves on the boards of Public Education Foundation and Primary Ethics.
Robin has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
William Pulver
Non-Executive Director
William (Bill) Pulver has been a non-executive director of Appen since 31 January 2013. Bill was the CEO of the Australian Rugby Union from 2013-2018 having formerly served as Appen CEO from 2010-2012. Previously he was the President and CEO of NetRatings, Inc., a NASDAQ-listed company (NTRT), specializing in Internet media and market research. Prior to this Bill held leadership roles at ACNielsen with eRatings.com, Pacific region and Australia.
Bill holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with a major in marketing, from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Deena Shiff
Non-Executive Director
Deena Shiff has been a Non-Executive Director since May 2015. Deena has enjoyed a distinguished business career covering senior roles in the legal profession and in corporate positions. She was a partner in the leading law firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques before rejoining Telstra Corporation where she rose to Group Managing Director. She holds several other non-executive director roles, including Chairman of BAI Communications and director on the board of Infrastructure Australia. She was previously a director of the Citadel Group Limited (ASX:CGL).
Deena holds a degree in law from Cambridge University and a degree in economics from the London School of Economics, both with honors. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Vanessa Liu
Non-Executive Director
Vanessa is the Vice President of SAP.iO, the early stage venture arm of SAP which invests in and accelerates startups in enterprise technology. She oversees SAP.iO’s North American Foundries.
Before SAP, Vanessa was the Chief Operating Officer at Trigger Media Group, a digital media incubator. In her role, she co-founded, incubated and oversaw business operations and strategic initiatives of Trigger’s portfolio companies: InsideHook and Fevo.
Previously, Vanessa was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company’s Media and Entertainment Practice, based in Amsterdam, London and New York. She was responsible for serving clients in a variety of media and high-tech sectors on issues of digital strategy, emerging market strategy, growth and innovation.
Vanessa graduated magna cum laude with an AB in psychology from Harvard University and cum laude with a JD from Harvard Law School. She was a Fulbright Scholar at Universiteit Utrecht in the Netherlands. She serves as Vice President of the Harvard Alumni Association.
Awards & Recognition
2017 – 2019
Three-time recipient of the Deloitte Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500™.
2012 - 2019
2019
2019
Named Growth Company of the Year in the 2019 Australian Growth Company Awards.
2019
2019
2019
2019
2019
2014 - 2020
2018
2018
2018
2017
2017
2014
2008
Global Coverage
Providing excellent customer services from nine offices and various locations around the world
Giving Back
We believe in giving back to our community by supporting numerous international nonprofits. Read more about our commitment to doing business responsibly.
Mark Brayan | CEO
Mark joined Appen in July 2015 as CEO and is responsible for the company’s leadership, strategy and culture. Mark has over twenty-five years’ experience in technology and services. Prior to joining Appen, Mark was CEO of MST Global, a provider of technology solutions to the resources sector. Before that he was the CEO of Integrated Research Limited (ASX:IRI), an international software company listed on the Australian Stock exchange. Mark was also COO of the HR outsourcing company Talent2 (ASX:TWO) and CEO of Concept Systems (ASX:CSI) before its merger with Talent2.
Mark has an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and Bachelor of Surveying with 1st Class Honors from the University of NSW.
Kevin Levine | CFO
Kevin Levine joined Appen in January 2016 as CFO and is responsible for the financial operations and IT of the company. Kevin is a Chartered Accountant with more than 25 years’ experience in executive operations and financial roles, in listed and unlisted companies, with particular exposure to startup, high growth, and distressed companies in the services and technology sectors. Prior to joining Appen, Kevin was the CEO and CFO of Rubicor Group Limited (ASX:RUB), one of the largest networks of specialist recruitment businesses in Australasia. Before that Kevin was the CFO of Trade Wind Communications Limited, an Australian public technology company previously listed in Canada and the USA.
Kevin has a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Accounting from the University of Witswatersrand, South Africa. Kevin was admitted as a Chartered Accountant in 1989 in South Africa and in 1995 in Australia.
Wilson Pang | CTO
Wilson joined Appen in November 2018 as CTO and is responsible for the company’s products and technology. Wilson has over 17 years’ experience in software engineering and data science. Prior to joining Appen, Wilson was Chief Data Officer of CTrip in China, the second largest online travel agency company in the world where he led data engineers, analysts, data product managers, and scientists to improve user experience and increase operational efficiency that grew the business. Before that, he was senior director of engineering in eBay in California and provided leadership to various domains including data service and solutions, search science, marketing technology, and billing systems. He worked as an architect at IBM prior to eBay, building technology solutions for various clients.
Wilson obtained his Masters and Bachelor’s degrees of Electric Engineering from Zhejiang University in China.
Jon Kondo | SVP, Sales and Marketing
Jon Kondo brings over 30 years of sales and marketing experience to Appen from global big data companies and SaaS-based start-ups, as well as a strong track record of revenue growth. As Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, his responsibilities include leading Appen’s global sales and marketing teams and ensuring strong alignment to deliver continued customer value and revenue performance. Jon brings an extensive background in data, technology, and customer-focused leadership to Appen.
Before Appen, Jon was co-founder and CEO of OpsPanda, a leading application for sales resource management that was acquired by Xactly. Jon’s additional leadership roles include Chief Revenue Officer at Replicon and CEO of Host Analytics which posted record-breaking customer growth every year. Before Host Analytics, Jon was Group Vice President at Oracle and SVP & GM, Americas at Hyperion.
Jon received his BA at UC Santa Barbara as well as his MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Kerri Reynolds | SVP, Crowd Sourcing Operations & HR
Kerri Reynolds joined Appen in March 2017 as SVP of Crowd Sourcing Operations & HR. With over 20 years of experience in global talent acquisition and across several human resource functions, she is responsible for the attracting and building of our global crowd of professionals and the Human Resources function for the company. Before joining Appen, Kerri was the Senior Director of Staffing Strategy at Microsoft where she developed and implemented global talent acquisition strategies for the 50,000+ person Sales, Marketing & Services Groups (SMSG). Prior to that Kerri spent her career with MasterCard Worldwide, The Gap, and Citibank.
Kerri has an MBA in Finance and International Business from Iona College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Fairfield University.
Roc Tian | SVP, China
Roc Tian comes to Appen with over 20 years of sales, consulting, and management experience from Fortune 100 companies. As Senior Vice President of China, Roc is responsible for Appen’s business strategy, sales, marketing, delivery, operations, and government relationships in the China region to ensure continued growth and high client satisfaction. Roc brings a wealth of sales, consulting, delivery and management experience to Appen, with a track record of success in scaling technology organizations.
Most recently, Roc was senior partner of IBM GBS where he led the client services, public sector, and enterprise application service lines across the mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan markets with remarkable business performance and achievements. Before that, Roc was also a core leader responsible for the growth of IBM’s global delivery center in China from 4,000 to over 10,000 people. Before IBM, Roc was a business quality director for HP’s global delivery center in China and a key leader responsible for helping HP grow from a start-up to over 3,000 people across China. Roc was also the founder and CTO of a technology start-up that grew to over 100 people.
Roc received his Master of Computer Applications and his PhD of Computer Software from Shanghai Jiao University.
Tom Sharkey | SVP, Client Services
Tom Sharkey joined Appen in July 2018 as SVP of the Content Relevance division, providing high-quality, structured data for artificial intelligence and machine learning-based search and social media platforms at scale. Tom has over 25 years’ experience in technology services and outsourcing, with extensive knowledge in sales and account management, technology service capabilities expansion, and industrialized, efficient delivery models.
Before joining Appen, Tom was SVP at Arvato, providing a range of large-scale services for a global technology leader with foundations in delivery excellence and automation. He also was a Managing Director at Accenture for over nine years supporting a wide-ranging portfolio of fortune 500 companies in Technology Services, Outsourcing and M&As across all industries.
Tom has a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering Technology from Arizona State University and an Associate of Science in Aviation Technology where he made the National Dean’s List and was a Scholastic All American.
David Poirier | SVP, Figure Eight Federal
David served in the US Army for over 20 years and was awarded two Bronze Star Medals for combat valor. His civilian career includes executive roles with government contractor Nana Corp, providing a range of services and leading rapid growth teams over ten years. David founded two technology companies in the government space: Tra6 Systems, a provider of IT services and solutions to the federal government, and BusPatrol, a developer of road safety systems to help police departments keep bus passengers safe.
David has an MA in Criminal Justice Administration from Chaminade University of Honolulu, and a BA in Government and Economics from St. Lawrence University.
