Aron Ain Explained

Aron Ain
Alma Mater:Hamilton College
Occupation:Software technology executive, author

Aron Ain is an American software technology executive[1] [2] and author. He became the CEO of UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) in 2020, a role he held until being named UKG Executive Chair, effective July 1, 2022. UKG was created from the merger of Ultimate Software and Kronos Incorporated, and provides global HCM and workforce management solutions. Previously, Ain had been the chief executive officer[3] of Kronos Incorporated since 2005.

Career

Ain joined Kronos in 1979 and has played a role in nearly every functional department at the organization. In October 2005, he was named chief executive officer and a member of the Kronos Board of Directors.[2]

In 2007, Ain led the effort to take the company private,[4] [5] after going public in 1992.[6]

Under his leadership, the company completed a major, multi-year business transformation, changing from a licensed-software model to a cloud, software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.[7] [8]

In 2016, Ain introduced new benefits[9] to employees such as open vacation time[10] and student loan repayment.[11] A new manager performance rating was also created, called the Manager Effectiveness Index (MEI), which captures employee judgments about managers' performance.[12]

In 2017, Kronos relocated its headquarters[13] [14] to the Crosspoint Towers in Lowell, Massachusetts.

In 2018, Ain’s book, WorkInspired: How to Build an Organization Where Everyone Loves to Work (McGraw Hill Education) was published. The book chronicles how he and the company’s leadership team used employee engagement as a business strategy to impart leadership lessons onto senior leaders, HR professionals, and people managers.[15] [16]

In 2020, Kronos completed a merger with Ultimate Software to create UKG,[17] and Ain became the chairman and chief executive officer of the combined company. UKG has more than 15,000 employees worldwide, and an enterprise value of $35 billion.

On June 1, 2022, UKG announced Ain would transition to UKG Executive Chair, effective July 1, 2022. Chris Todd, former President at UKG, replaced Ain as CEO.[18]

In December 2022, Ain became Operating Partner at Hellman & Friedman, in an effort to help H&F portfolio companies (like UKG) enhance exceptional leadership practices and inspired cultures.[19] [20]

Affiliations

Ain serves on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Hamilton College.[21] He is on the board of trustees of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.[22] He is on the board of directors of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (CJP).[23]

Honors

On multiple occasions, Glassdoor has named Ain to its list of Top 100 CEOs in the U.S.[24] In 2019, he ranked 30th out of the 100 highest-rated CEOs throughout North America and parts of Europe across all industries.[25]

In addition, he has been awarded the Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award,[26] the Massachusetts High Technology Council's Ray Stata Leadership and Innovation Award,[27] and the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council's CEO of the Year Award.[28] [29] [30] [31]

Notes and References

  1. News: Aron Ain of Kronos: The Incalculable Value of a Good Boss. Bryant. Adam. 2016-09-09. The New York Times. 2019-02-06. 0362-4331.
  2. Web site: Aron J Ain, Kronos Inc: Profile and Biography - Bloomberg Markets. 2018-11-30. Bloomberg.com.
  3. Web site: Aron Ain of Kronos Named CEO of the Year. 2016-09-19. JMI Equity. 2019-02-06.
  4. News: Kronos Goes Private. Lipton. Joshua. Forbes. 2018-08-02.
  5. News: Today In Business Buyout Deal For Kronos. 2018-08-02.
  6. News: Want to build a billion dollar business? Go overseas. 2018-08-02.
  7. News: New Kronos headquarters design mirrors reinvention play. SearchHRSoftware. 2018-08-02.
  8. Web site: Kronos Transitions to SaaS. www.bcg.com. 2018-08-02.
  9. Web site: Kronos Incorporated. reviews.greatplacetowork.com. 2018-08-02.
  10. News: The CEO of Kronos on Launching an Unlimited Vacation Policy. 2017-11-01. Harvard Business Review. 2018-08-02.
  11. News: Paying Down Employees' Student Loans Is the Hot New Perk. Fortune. 2018-08-02.
  12. News: This Company Lets Employees Rate Their Bosses Twice a Year. Fuhrmans. Vanessa. 2018-01-03. Wall Street Journal. 2018-08-02. 0099-9660.
  13. News: One of the state's biggest and best tech employers is moving to Lowell. 2016-02-29. Boston.com. 2018-08-02.
  14. News: At Lowell's Cross Point, a Towering Coronation for Kronos' New Headquarters. 2018-08-02.
  15. Web site: WorkInspired: How to Build an Organization Where Everyone Loves to Work [Book] ]. Oreilly.com . en.
  16. Web site: WorkInspired: How to Build an Organization Where Everyone Loves to Work . Porchlight Books . en.
  17. Web site: 2020-08-28. Next steps in the Kronos, Ultimate Software merger HRExecutive.com. 2020-09-15. hrexecutive.com. en-US.
  18. Web site: Brown . Jo-Lynn . Transamerica names Tampa executive president of World Financial Group and head of Transamerica Financial Advisors . TBBW . 30 November 2022.
  19. Web site: Aron Ain, Former UKG CEO, to Join Hellman & Friedman as Operating Partner . TecHR . 9 December 2022.
  20. Web site: Aron Ain . Hellman & Friedman.
  21. Web site: Hamilton College. Hamilton College. 2018-08-02.
  22. News: Beth Israel Deaconess board appoints Newton residents. Newton TAB. 2018-08-02.
  23. Web site: Our Leadership. 2020-09-08. Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (CJP).
  24. Web site: Top CEOs. Glassdoor. 2018-08-02.
  25. Web site: 2019-06-19. Glassdoor's Top CEOs 2019. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180615154638/https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/Top-CEOs-LST_KQ0,8.htm . 2018-06-15 . 2019-12-13. www.glassdoor.com. en.
  26. Web site: Kronos CEO Aron Ain wins an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in tech category. Reidy. Chris. July 3, 2012. Boston Globe.
  27. News: Kronos CEO Aron Ain Honored with Inaugural Ray Stata Leadership and Innovation Award by Massachusetts High Technology Council. MarketWatch. 2018-08-02.
  28. News: MassTLC Leadership Award Winners 2016 MassTLC. 2016-09-15. MassTLC. 2018-08-02.
  29. Web site: The 1 Thing You Need to Realize Before You Can Be a Great Leader. 2019-01-17. Inc.com. 2019-02-06.
  30. Web site: It's Tough to Earn Employees' Trust-That's Why You Should Try This Unconventional Approach. 2018-12-05. Inc.com. 2019-02-06.
  31. Web site: Want Your People To Work Inspired? Be An Un-Leader. Duncan. Rodger Dean. Forbes. 2019-02-06.

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