Over the last several years, a number of factors—including the pandemic, shifting labor market dynamics, macroeconomic uncertainties, and technological advancements—have prompted a significant reevaluation of what “work” looks like among enterprise leaders. To help drive the growth and success of our enterprise business, and deliver work solutions to our largest clients, we were pleased to welcome Zoë Diamadi as Upwork’s General Manager (GM) of Enterprise.
Zoë came to Upwork with over two decades of experience as a go-to-market leader, strategist, engineer, management consultant, and innovator at many companies across tech, talent, and B2B. Since joining in June of 2023, she has overseen and evolved Enterprise sales, product, engineering, and operations.
We spoke with Zoë about her critical role in helping enterprises navigate the changing global work environment and dynamic hiring climate, her reasons for joining Upwork, and how she plans to champion the delivery of a best-in-class Enterprise Suite offering to our largest customers.
You have extensive background in technology and business. How has your journey prepared you for your role as GM of Enterprise at Upwork?
My journey has been an evolution through various domains, from engineering to management consulting, and what I like to call “intrapreneurship.” I spent six years as GM of LinkedIn Elevate, building the leading employee advocacy solution for enterprises, as well as time spent in executive positions for LinkedIn’s B2B organization, helping scale its three enterprise business lines.
More recently, I served as an operating advisor at Bessemer Venture Partners. There, I guided portfolio companies on go-to-market topics spanning revenue growth, efficient scaling, and operational excellence for sales and post-sales functions.
These experiences have given me a holistic perspective on enterprises, their business strategies, and opportunities that drive growth. This journey has led me to my current role at Upwork.
I believe we are at a critical inflection point in the future of work, and frankly, "work" needs to catch up to the technologies that are now enabling it to happen. Upwork delivers an end-to-end offering that gives enterprise companies access to a wide breadth of highly skilled fractional to full-time professionals and workforce solutions, enabling them to achieve incredible business outcomes. I hope to help even more organizations discover, and scale with, the transformational value of Upwork.
What motivated you to join Upwork?
Aside from what I feel is the perfect career fit, on a more personal level, I grew up in a small rural place in Greece. Every day, I saw firsthand how many talented and hardworking people were limited by their geography and couldn’t access the opportunities they wanted and were qualified for. These people in my memories represent an untapped pool of highly skilled talent who could have a huge impact on companies. Additionally, these companies and jobs represent a huge economic opportunity for these people to lift themselves, their families, and their communities up.
That’s why I’m so passionate about Upwork—and why I joined.
Over the last several years, a number of factors—including the pandemic, shifting labor market dynamics, macroeconomic uncertainties, and technologica...