Paradox Adds Former SmashFly CMO and Creates New Chief Talent Officer Role

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - December 2, 2019 -- Paradox, the leading Assistive Intelligence platform for talent acquisition and candidate experience, announced the expansion of the company’s executive team, adding former SmashFly CMO Josh Zywien as Chief Marketing Officer and moving industry veteran Jessica Rush into a newly-created Chief Talent Officer position.

“I’ve always believed the world’s best leaders never stop looking for opportunities to add game-changing talent,” said Aaron Matos, Founder & CEO, Paradox. “We’re thrilled to add Josh to our team, particularly coming off his success helping build SmashFly into a known brand in our industry. SmashFly’s thought leadership and voice is a hallmark in our space, and I can’t wait to see what he’ll do with the foundation we’ve built. Moving Jess into the Chief Talent Officer role is a natural progression as we continue to expand the Paradox team. It puts one of our best leaders in a position to influence and grow our unique culture.”

Zywien will serve as Chief Marketing Officer for Paradox, responsible for driving the company’s brand, digital, and experiential marketing efforts, while also supporting sales enablement and product marketing. Prior to Paradox, he led marketing and product at SmashFly, which was acquired by Symphony Talent in November 2019. Under his leadership, the marketing team increased qualified leads by more than 400%, helped the company land on the Deloitte Fast 500, and brought back one of the industry’s premier in-person conferences, Transform. Prior to SmashFly, Zywien helped OpenView grow into one of the world’s top venture capital brands.

“When I evaluate any opportunity, I look at three key things: People, Culture, and Product,” said Zywien. “Paradox is a clear leader in all three, but particularly the first two. Products will always evolve, but great people and culture set the foundation for constant innovation. In my career, I’ve seen very few companies truly aligned around a big, audacious vision — but the Paradox team absolutely is. They think big and aren’t afraid to shake things up if it pushes the industry forward. I’m so excited to join the team as the company continues to grow and evolve.”

Rush preceded Zywien as Chief Marketing Officer, and will move into the Chief Talent Officer role. Previously, Rush served as CEO of Recruiting.com, where she also led digital marketing, channel partnerships and client experience. Rush began her career at local job board, Jobing.com, where she held marketing and sales leadership roles.

“Culture isn’t lip service at our company — it’s one of the most critical, strategic parts of our business,” said Matos. “Moving Jess into this role gives us someone who can champion and evolve that culture, making sure we continue to be an inclusive, innovative place for people to build and grow their career.”

Paradox, which launched in late 2016, was founded with the belief that recruiters should spend their time with candidates, not software. After decades of founding and growing recruitment software and media companies, Matos noticed a striking trend. Walking into almost any corporate office, talent acquisition teams are glued to their computers.

“Most recruiters tell us they spend 80% of their time doing administrative work and 20% engaging with candidates. We’re on a mission to flip that ratio through Assistive Intelligence,” said Matos. “That message is resonating with talent acquisition leaders and teams who are committed to finding the best talent for their organization. Olivia is helping them transform their recruiting and that’s why our business is experiencing triple digit growth.”

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