Pearson Appoints Sulaekha “Sue” Kolloru as Chief Strategy Officer

Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, today announced the appointment of Sulaekha “Sue” Kolloru as Chief Strategy Officer. Reporting directly to CEO Andy Bird, Kolloru will drive strategic planning across the company, advise on critical global and business priorities, help refine Pearson’s direct-to-consumer strategy, as well as chart the course for future growth. She will also lead the teams responsible for data, mergers and acquisitions, and oversee other investments and partnerships that support Pearson’s strategy. Kolloru’s appointment is effective May 16.

Kolloru brings more than 15 years of global strategy experience, most recently as the Vice President of International-Portfolio Strategy and Transformation at Delta Air Lines, where she built and led a new function focused on its international airline partners. While there, Kolloru identified and executed short-and long-term operational impact through Delta and its partners’ collective scale. She also served as the Vice President of Corporate Strategy where she led many of Delta’s strategic and cross functional programs. 

“Sue brings a strong strategy background guiding companies across consumer and technology sectors,” said Andy Bird, Pearson’s Chief Executive Officer. “Her experience building enterprise strategy teams and her track record of leading them through large scale transformations, will help drive Pearson’s focus on executing today and planning for tomorrow.”

 “I look forward to working closely with Andy and the executive management team to advance Pearson’s strategy and amplify the impact of the company’s remarkable capabilities,” said Kolloru. “There has never been a more exciting time to join Pearson, and I am humbled to have the opportunity to deliver innovative and creative strategic offerings to consumers and partners.”

Prior to Delta, Kolloru was Partner and Managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management strategy consulting firm. During her 13-plus years at BCG, Kolloru worked with many of the world’s leading technology and telecommunication C-suite executives on improving business and operational strategy, along with organisational effectiveness.

Kolloru has experience living and working abroad across Asia, Europe, South America and Canada. She holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BSc in electrical engineering from the University of Ottawa in Canada. She has served on several boards and non-profit councils focused on diversity and STEM, including the advisory council for The Jimmy Carter Center, Women in Technology (WIT) and The University of Ottawa (Canada) Engineering Department. She will be based in Atlanta, Georgia.