Hobsons Global Management Team
Craig Heldman – Chief Executive Officer, Hobsons
Michigan State University
Craig Heldman's tenure with Hobsons began in 1995, with his appointment as national sales director. During this time, Craig directed the restructuring and expansion of the sales organization for Hobsons-US. In 1998, Craig was promoted to vice president of new business development, where he oversaw the expansion of Hobsons' product offerings and established strategic partnerships that solidified Hobsons' leadership position within the industry. Craig was promoted President of Hobsons U.S. in 2002 and to his current position as CEO of Hobsons in 2008. He is responsible for all facets of day-to-day operations and Hobsons Global strategic planning.
Prior to joining Hobsons, Craig held a variety of sales management positions with Procter & Gamble USA. Craig is an active participant in a number of industry organizations, including the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers, National Association for College Admission Counseling, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, where he holds a position on the Corporate & Philanthropic Council. Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts in finance and marketing from Michigan State University.
Jeremy Cooper – Chief Sales Officer, Hobsons
University of Leeds
Jeremy Cooper is Chief Sales Officer for Hobsons, responsible for global revenue and corporate marketing. Previously Jeremy was Managing Director of the Integrated Marketing Solutions division, overseeing the domestic, international and graduate marketing businesses for Hobsons US. Jeremy came to the U.S. office from Hobsons UK in 2007, where he had served as Deputy Managing Director and successfully launched the UK business's Technology Division and Service Center, an outsourced inquiry management solution for UK universities.
Since 1994, his long and varied Hobsons career has seen him work in sales, marketing, distribution and operations. Jeremy holds a degree in media, as well as a master's from the University of Leeds in the UK.
David Harrington – Managing Director, Hobsons Asia-Pacific
University of Sheffield
David Harrington is currently the Managing Director of the Asia Pacific division of Hobsons based in Melbourne, Australia and a member of the Global Leadership Team. He moved to Australia to set up the division in 1999 after spending 12 years working for Hobsons in the UK in various sales and management roles.
David is extremely passionate about creating effective and innovative recruitment solutions for his clients. He has enjoyed his 20 plus years at Hobsons immensely.
David holds a degree in Chemistry from the University of Sheffield in the UK. He is married with two school age children.
Kathy Ovens – Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness, Hobsons
Gettysburg College
Kathy Ovens is vice president of organizational effectiveness for Hobsons' global business. Kathy is directly responsible for all HR and corporate services functions in the United States, with strategic global responsibility for talent management and organizational effectiveness. Kathy joined Hobsons in October 2008 as senior director of human resources and assumed additional responsibilities for all U.S. facilities and administrative support in January of 2010. Prior to joining Hobsons, Kathy spent 20 years at Chiquita Brands International, ultimately serving as HR Business Partner for the North American business unit. During her time at Chiquita, Kathy had the opportunity to live in several cities in the United States, and also had assignments in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Antwerp, Belgium.
Stephen Smith – President, Hobsons K-12
Cornell University
Steve Smith is president of the elementary and secondary education division of Hobsons. Steve came to Hobsons in 2007 through the acquisition of Naviance, a company he co-founded. Prior to serving as CEO of Naviance, Steve lede-learning client engagements for major corporate clients including OgilvyOne Worldwide, IBM, Pfizer, Nestlé, and others.
Previously, Steve was Vice President of Digital Product Development at Peterson’s, then a division of The Thomson Corporation, where he played a key role in transforming a traditional print publishing business into the premier on-line services company in the field of education information and admissions. Prior to joining Peterson’s, Steve worked with the Thomson Technology Services Group as a founding member of its Internet consulting practice. Steve has also served as a practitioner faculty member at The Johns Hopkins University where he taught graduate level coursework in marketing and technology.
Todd Gibby – President, Hobsons Higher Education
Dartmouth College
Todd Gibby, President of Higher Education at Hobsons, is an experienced education technology executive, having led numerous successful companies within the sector. Todd is responsible for Hobsons' higher education strategy, solution set, customer relationships, and P&L. Prior to this role, Todd was the CEO of Intelliworks from 2007 until December 2011, when the company was acquired by Hobsons.
Previously, Todd held various executive management positions at Blackboard from 1999 - 2006, during which time the company grew from $2M to $180M in turnover; and prior to that he led business development at Campus Pipeline, an early-stage education software company. Todd's experience also includes roles in finance and strategic planning at Dole Food Company and Lehman Brothers. Todd holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Adam Webster – Chief Financial Officer, Hobsons
Cambridge University
Adam Webster is Hobsons CFO, a position he has held since 2004, having originally joined Hobsons in 2001 as European Financial Controller. During his time at Hobsons, Adam has been heavily involved in the acquisitions of Apply Yourself, Naviance, ChatU & Academic Engine. He also played a prominent role in the process of moving the focus of Hobsons' global business from graduate recruitment to the education sector. Adam oversees Hobsons' global Finance and IT Services teams.
Prior to joining Hobsons, Adam worked as a Business Analyst at Psion having qualified as a chartered accountant whilst working for Ernst & Young London. He also spent a year teaching in a rural school in Zimbabwe. Adam holds a First in Economics from Cambridge University.
