Aron Ain
{{Short description|American software technology executive, author, and CEO of Kronos Incorporated}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Aron Ain
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| alma_mater = Hamilton College
| occupation = Software technology executive, author
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Aron Ain is an American software technology executive{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/11/business/aron-ain-of-kronos-the-incalculable-value-of-a-good-boss.html|title=Aron Ain of Kronos: The Incalculable Value of a Good Boss|last=Bryant|first=Adam|date=2016-09-09|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-02-06|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Aron J Ain, Kronos Inc: Profile and Biography - Bloomberg Markets|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/1436337|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2018-11-30|website=Bloomberg.com}} 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{{what|date=June 2022}} and workforce management solutions.{{what|date=June 2022}} Previously, Ain had been the chief executive officer{{Cite web|url=https://jmi.com/aron-ain-kronos-named-ceo-year/|title=Aron Ain of Kronos Named CEO of the Year|date=2016-09-19|website=JMI Equity|access-date=2019-02-06}} 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.
In 2007, Ain led the effort to take the company private,{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/2007/03/23/kronos-hellman-friedman-markets-equity-cx_jl_0323markets20.html#|title=Kronos Goes Private|last=Lipton|first=Joshua|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-08-02}}{{Cite news|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9405EED81530F937A15750C0A9619C8B63.html|title=Today In Business {{!}} Buyout Deal For Kronos|access-date=2018-08-02}} after going public in 1992.{{Cite news|url=https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/want-build-billion-dollar-business-go-overseas/article/1186191|title=Want to build a billion dollar business? Go overseas|access-date=2018-08-02}}
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.{{Cite news|url=https://searchhrsoftware.techtarget.com/feature/New-Kronos-headquarters-design-mirrors-reinvention-play|title=New Kronos headquarters design mirrors reinvention play|work=SearchHRSoftware|access-date=2018-08-02}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bcg.com/en-us/industries/technology-industries/kronos-transitions-to-saas.aspx|title=Kronos Transitions to SaaS|website=www.bcg.com|access-date=2018-08-02}}
In 2016, Ain introduced new benefits{{Cite web|url=http://reviews.greatplacetowork.com/kronos-incorporated|title=Kronos Incorporated|website=reviews.greatplacetowork.com|access-date=2018-08-02}} to employees such as open vacation time{{Cite news|url=https://hbr.org/2017/11/the-ceo-of-kronos-on-launching-an-unlimited-vacation-policy|title=The CEO of Kronos on Launching an Unlimited Vacation Policy|date=2017-11-01|work=Harvard Business Review|access-date=2018-08-02}} and student loan repayment.{{Cite news|url=http://fortune.com/2016/03/03/gradifi-student-loan-payments-best-companies/|title=Paying Down Employees' Student Loans Is the Hot New Perk|work=Fortune|access-date=2018-08-02}} A new manager performance rating was also created, called the Manager Effectiveness Index (MEI), which captures employee judgments about managers' performance.{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/this-company-lets-employees-rate-their-bosses-twice-a-year-1514991600|title=This Company Lets Employees Rate Their Bosses Twice a Year|last=Fuhrmans|first=Vanessa|date=2018-01-03|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=2018-08-02|issn=0099-9660}}
In 2017, Kronos relocated its headquarters{{Cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/jobs/jobs-news/2016/02/29/tech-employer-kronos-relocating-headquarters-to-lowell|title=One of the state's biggest and best tech employers is moving to Lowell|date=2016-02-29|work=Boston.com|access-date=2018-08-02}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31419534/at-lowells-cross-point-towering-coronation-kronos-new|title=At Lowell's Cross Point, a Towering Coronation for Kronos' New Headquarters|access-date=2018-08-02}} 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.{{cite web |title=WorkInspired: How to Build an Organization Where Everyone Loves to Work [Book] |url=https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/workinspired-how-to/9781260136180/ |website=Oreilly.com |language=en}}{{cite web |title=WorkInspired: How to Build an Organization Where Everyone Loves to Work |url=https://www.porchlightbooks.com/blog/giveaways/workinspired-how-to-build-an-organization-where-everyone-loves-to-work |website=Porchlight Books |language=en}}
In 2020, Kronos completed a merger with Ultimate Software to create UKG,{{Cite web|date=2020-08-28|title=Next steps in the Kronos, Ultimate Software merger {{!}} HRExecutive.com|url=https://hrexecutive.com/here-are-the-next-steps-in-the-kronos-ultimate-software-merger/|access-date=2020-09-15|website=hrexecutive.com|language=en-US}} 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.{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Jo-Lynn |title=Transamerica names Tampa executive president of World Financial Group and head of Transamerica Financial Advisors |url=https://tbbwmag.com/2022/11/30/transamerica-names-tampa-executive-president-of-world-financial-group-and-head-of-transamerica-financial-advisors/ |website=TBBW |date=30 November 2022}}
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.{{cite web |title=Aron Ain, Former UKG CEO, to Join Hellman & Friedman as Operating Partner |url=https://techrseries.com/payroll-and-compensation-management/aron-ain-former-ukg-ceo-to-join-hellman-friedman-as-operating-partner/ |website=TecHR |date=9 December 2022}}{{cite web |title=Aron Ain |url=https://hf.com/people/ain-aron/ |website=Hellman & Friedman}}
Affiliations
Ain serves on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Hamilton College.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hamilton.edu/offices/president/the-trustees|title=Hamilton College|website=Hamilton College|access-date=2018-08-02}} He is on the board of trustees of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.{{Cite news|url=http://newton.wickedlocal.com/news/20161027/beth-israel-deaconess-board-appoints-newton-residents|title=Beth Israel Deaconess board appoints Newton residents|work=Newton TAB|access-date=2018-08-02}} He is on the board of directors of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (CJP).{{cite web|url=https://www.cjp.org/about-us/our-leadership|title=Our Leadership|access-date=2020-09-08|publisher=Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (CJP)}}
Honors
On multiple occasions, Glassdoor has named Ain to its list of Top 100 CEOs in the U.S.{{Cite web|url=https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/Top-CEOs-LST_KQ0,8.htm|title=Top CEOs|website=Glassdoor|access-date=2018-08-02}} In 2019, he ranked 30th out of the 100 highest-rated CEOs throughout North America and parts of Europe across all industries.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2019-06-19|title=Glassdoor's Top CEOs 2019|url=https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/Top-CEOs-LST_KQ0,8.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615154638/https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/Top-CEOs-LST_KQ0,8.htm |archive-date=2018-06-15 |access-date=2019-12-13|website=www.glassdoor.com|language=en}}{{Third-party inline|date=August 2020}}
In addition, he has been awarded the Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/07/03/kronos-ceo-aron-ain-wins-ernst-young-entrepreneur-year-award-tech-category/bGEIdfjfIi9v2I1md4YRLL/story.htmlc|title=Kronos CEO Aron Ain wins an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in tech category|last=Reidy|first=Chris|date=July 3, 2012|website=Boston Globe}} the Massachusetts High Technology Council's Ray Stata Leadership and Innovation Award,{{Cite news|url=https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/kronos-ceo-aron-ain-honored-with-inaugural-ray-stata-leadership-and-innovation-award-by-massachusetts-high-technology-council-2017-06-07|title=Kronos CEO Aron Ain Honored with Inaugural Ray Stata Leadership and Innovation Award by Massachusetts High Technology Council|work=MarketWatch|access-date=2018-08-02}} and the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council's CEO of the Year Award.{{Cite news|url=https://www.masstlc.org/masstlc-leadership-award-winners-2016/|title=MassTLC Leadership Award Winners 2016 {{!}} MassTLC|date=2016-09-15|work=MassTLC|access-date=2018-08-02}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/the-1-thing-you-need-to-realize-before-you-can-be-a-great-leader.html|title=The 1 Thing You Need to Realize Before You Can Be a Great Leader|date=2019-01-17|website=Inc.com|access-date=2019-02-06}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.inc.com/alison-davis/its-tough-to-earn-employees-trust-thats-why-you-should-try-this-unconventional-approach.html|title=It's Tough to Earn Employees' Trust-That's Why You Should Try This Unconventional Approach|date=2018-12-05|website=Inc.com|access-date=2019-02-06}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodgerdeanduncan/2018/11/26/want-your-people-to-work-inspired-be-an-un-leader/|title=Want Your People To Work Inspired? Be An Un-Leader|last=Duncan|first=Rodger Dean|website=Forbes|access-date=2019-02-06}}
References
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Category:20th-century American businesspeople
Category:21st-century American businesspeople
Category:21st-century American male writers
Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers
Category:American business writers
Category:American technology chief executives
Category:Hamilton College (New York) alumni