Stamford, CT, June 20, 2013 — Cengage Learning, a leading educational content, software and services company, today announced the appointment of Sandi Kirshner as Chief Marketing Officer. She will be based in the company’s Boston, MA office and will serve on the executive team reporting to Kevin Stone, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. In this role, Kirshner will be responsible for all marketing and communications activities within the company.
“I am excited to welcome Sandi to the Cengage Learning team,” said Michael Hansen, Chief Executive Officer, Cengage Learning. “Having been immersed in the education industry for the majority of her career, Sandi has proven herself as a leader in the industry who understands the importance of a strong go-to-market strategy that directly resonates with customers. Her commitment to students, faculty, administration and policy leaders make her a perfect match for where we are and where we are planning to go as a company. It is an exciting time to be in educational publishing, and I look forward to working with Sandi as she adds to her, already impressive, list of contributions to our industry.”
Kirshner joins Cengage Learning from Pearson where she served in various roles for a large part of her career. Most recently, she was Executive Vice President for Higher Education Policy and a member of the Higher Education Executive Committee, The Pearson Policy Steering Committee and Chairperson of the Accessibility Governing Board. Prior to that position, she served as Chief Marketing Officer for Higher Education, President of the Addison Wesley Higher Education Group and President of Allyn and Bacon.
In these roles, Kirshner developed a deep sense of the challenges and opportunities that exist in today’s higher education marketplace. She understands how to develop and implement branding, messaging and campaigns that produce maximum impact and how to build relationships with key stakeholders – including students, faculty, authors, and thought leaders. She is keen on spotting up-and-coming trends and working to mobilize an organization to move ahead of the trends.
Kirshner holds an MS in Marketing Communication and a BS in Journalism, both from Boston University.