Wattpad Elevates Seema Lakhani to Chief Product Officer
Wattpad Co-Founder Ivan Yuen will step into the role of Chief Strategy Officer
TORONTO - June 28, 2019 - Wattpad, the global multi-platform entertainment company for original stories, today announced that Seema Lakhani has been elevated to Chief Product Officer. Lakhani was formerly Wattpad’s Head of Product. In addition to her new role as Chief Product Officer, Lakhani will remain General Manager for Wattpad Labs, the company’s research and development division. Wattpad co-founder Ivan Yuen will move into the role of Chief Strategy Officer.
Lakhani has been instrumental in driving Wattpad’s product innovations and monetization models, including Wattpad Paid Stories, Wattpad Premium--the company’s ad-free tier--and Tap by Wattpad. Under Lakhani’s leadership, Wattpad’s product team has grown to 10 product managers, while developing strong product practices and processes throughout the company. Lakhani’s new role signals the ongoing importance and innovation from Wattpad’s product team, shaping the company’s global product vision for continued international growth and innovations into new forms of storytelling.
“Seema has been a vital member of Wattpad’s team since she stepped into the office, defining our product vision and building a long-term roadmap for innovation,” said Allen Lau, Wattpad CEO & co-founder. “Her tireless efforts have seen the Wattpad community grow to more than 70 million users, while building responsible products and new monetization models that support our business and community. We are honored to elevate her to Chief Product Officer to see us through our next phase of growth.”
In addition to her product innovations, Lakhani has been instrumental in developing Wattpad’s culture of diversity and inclusion, providing leadership and public advocacy for diversity at Wattpad and the technology industry. Lakhani is a founding member of Wattpad’s Diversity & Inclusion committee, which has overseen the development of Wattpad’s industry-leading diversity initiatives, resulting in a majority women team.
“At Wattpad, our vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories, enabling diverse communities of storytellers to build a global audience and make a living from their craft,” said Seema Lakhani, Chief Product Officer, Wattpad. “I am excited to continue to support our business, writers, and the Wattpad community, with product innovations that lead the future of storytelling and entertainment.”
Lakhani joined Wattpad in 2013, moving into the role of Head of Product in 2016. She previously led the corporate development team at Torstar Digital and worked with hundreds of startups at MaRS Discovery District.
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Wattpad
Wattpad’s vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. Using the power of community and technology, the global multi-platform entertainment company is unleashing the full potential of stories to the world -- in any format. Wattpad’s flagship app is the world’s leading social storytelling platform, home to a community of more than 70 million people who spend over 22 billion minutes a month engaged in original stories. Wattpad’s Story DNA Machine Learning technology allows the company to understand and discover stories among the more than 565 million uploads on the platform. Wattpad Studios and Wattpad Books are transforming entertainment and publishing, using data-backed insights to turn Wattpad stories into books, films, TV shows, and digital projects. Wattpad Brand Partnerships offers a full suite of advertising products to help brands build deep engagement with Millennial and Gen Z consumers. Tap by Wattpad, the company’s second storytelling product, offers immersive interactive entertainment experiences in over a dozen languages. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada. Learn more at: company.wattpad.com