In a significant leadership evolution for a titan of the software-as-a-service industry, Freshworks founder Girish Mathrubootham has announced he will step down from his role as Executive Chairman, fully departing the company he founded fifteen years ago to concentrate on his venture capital firm, Together Fund.[1][2] This move completes a carefully planned transition that began with the appointment of Dennis Woodside as Chief Executive Officer and will see lead independent director Roxanne Austin take over as Chairperson of the Board.[3][4] The departure marks the end of a founder-led era for one of the most successful India-born technology companies and signals a new strategic phase focused on enterprise growth and artificial intelligence under seasoned corporate leadership.

The leadership change has been a multi-stage process, underscoring a deliberate succession plan. Mathrubootham first transitioned from his long-held CEO position to the newly created role of Executive Chairman in May 2024, passing the chief executive baton to then-President Dennis Woodside.[5][6] Now, Mathrubootham will retire from all his duties at the company, including his board seat, effective December 1, 2025.[2][7] The company has been clear in its filings that the resignation was not the result of any disagreement regarding the company's operations, policies, or practices.[2][8] Succeeding Mathrubootham as the head of the board will be Roxanne Austin, a board member since May 2021 who has been serving as the lead independent director.[3][4] Austin is expected to work closely with Mathrubootham in the coming months to ensure a seamless handover of board leadership.[2] Following the transition, the company's board will be reduced to nine members.[2]

The new leadership team brings a wealth of experience from scaling some of the world's most prominent technology companies. Dennis Woodside joined Freshworks as President in September 2022, a move Mathrubootham stated was part of a long-term plan to eventually have him lead the company.[9][10] Woodside's extensive resume includes serving as the Chief Operating Officer of Dropbox, where he was instrumental in scaling revenue and leading the company through a successful IPO in 2018.[11][9] Prior to that, he spent a significant tenure at Google, holding various leadership roles including CEO of Motorola Mobility after Google's acquisition of the company.[5][12] His focus since joining Freshworks has been on accelerating investments in enterprise-grade products and driving growth among mid-market and enterprise customers.[13] Roxanne Austin brings a distinguished career in corporate governance, serving on the boards of major corporations such as CrowdStrike, Verizon, and AbbVie.[4][14] Her prior executive experience includes roles as President and COO of DIRECTV and as a partner at Deloitte and Touche.[14]

Mathrubootham's departure marks a pivotal moment in his celebrated career and for the Indian tech ecosystem. He founded Freshworks in Chennai in 2010, building it from a small startup into a global competitor to giants like Salesforce and Zendesk.[13][7] A defining achievement of his tenure was leading Freshworks to a successful IPO on the Nasdaq in September 2021, a landmark event that made it the first India-born SaaS company to be listed on a U.S. exchange.[13][6] In his next chapter, Mathrubootham will devote his full-time efforts to Together Fund, a venture capital firm he co-founded in 2021.[2][4] The fund is focused on backing early-stage SaaS startups, with a particular emphasis on the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector, aligning with a broader mission to help establish India as a "Product Nation."[7][4] This move reflects a growing trend of successful tech founders transitioning into venture capital to mentor and finance the next generation of entrepreneurs.[2]

This transition occurs as Freshworks doubles down on its artificial intelligence strategy within an intensely competitive market. Even as he stepped back to Executive Chairman, Mathrubootham's focus remained on long-term product vision, innovation, and AI.[13][12] Under Woodside, the company continues this push, developing and monetizing AI products designed to uncomplicate service software and deliver value.[15][16] Woodside has spoken about how AI is automating lower-value tasks, leading Freshworks to shift its hiring strategy toward engineers with more specialized, higher-value skills rather than entry-level talent.[15][17] The leadership change places a seasoned operational expert at the helm to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the AI revolution, aiming to drive deeper market penetration and expand its base of larger, more sophisticated enterprise clients.[18]

In conclusion, Girish Mathrubootham's final departure from Freshworks represents a natural and strategic evolution for the company. It concludes a founder's remarkable 15-year journey from startup visionary to public company leader and launches his new mission to foster innovation through investment. For Freshworks, it solidifies a new era under the proven leadership of Dennis Woodside and Roxanne Austin, who are tasked with steering the company's next phase of growth. With a continued and deepening focus on AI-powered solutions for the enterprise, this transition positions Freshworks to compete in a rapidly changing technology landscape, moving from a founder's vision to an institution built for sustained scale.