Zendesk appoints Craig Flower as COO

Zendesk has announced a key leadership change as part of its ongoing operational and AI-led transformation. The company has appointed Craig Flower as Chief Operating Officer, tasking him with strengthening customer engagement, accelerating AI adoption, and improving execution across the organisation.

The move reflects Zendesk’s focus on aligning strategy with operational discipline as customer service platforms increasingly shift towards AI-driven models.

Expanding responsibility across customer engagement and AI

In his new role, Flower will oversee efforts to maximise the value customers derive from Zendesk’s AI tools. This includes simplifying adoption, improving service delivery, and supporting knowledge sharing across the Zendesk ecosystem.

A core element of this strategy is the creation of a dedicated centre of excellence. The initiative is designed to enable customers and employees to exchange insights, best practices, and learnings around AI-powered service delivery.

Flower will also focus on streamlining processes, aligning operations, and enabling faster execution across teams to support Zendesk’s broader business strategy.

Leadership continuity from within

Before taking on the COO role, Flower served as Zendesk’s Chief Information Officer. During his tenure, he worked on connecting teams across the organisation through updated digital tools, improved insights, and wider use of AI and ML to enhance internal service delivery.

Commenting on the appointment, Tom Eggemeier, CEO, Zendesk, said, “AI is fundamentally reshaping the future of customer service, demanding that all those serious about success operate with radical shifts in speed and efficiency. Craig is an unmatched leader with a relentless commitment to customers, operations, and transformation.”

Eggemeier added that Flower’s ability to bring teams together and convert strategy into measurable outcomes would be critical to delivering sustained value to customers.

Execution over intent

Flower highlighted the growing importance of execution in modern technology organisations, particularly as AI adoption accelerates.

“Modern tech COOs blend customer focus, business strategy, technology, and operational excellence,” said Craig Flower, COO, Zendesk. “The opportunity is to scale what is already working, drive alignment week in and week out, and deliver measurable results through efficient, modern processes.”

He noted that while strategy remains essential, consistent execution ultimately determines success as enterprises look to operationalise AI across service, sales, and internal functions.

Deep experience in large-scale technology transformation

Prior to joining Zendesk, Flower was Chief Technology Officer at TriNet, where he led product replatforming, digitised core processes, and accelerated the company’s transition to Cloud-based systems.

Earlier in his career, he spent more than two decades at Hewlett-Packard, serving as Chief Information Officer. During that period, he drove business model innovation alongside large-scale process and IT transformation, contributing to revenue growth and margin improvement.

Why this appointment matters

With AI reshaping customer service expectations, Zendesk’s decision to elevate operational leadership signals a push towards tighter execution, faster AI adoption, and stronger customer outcomes.

The appointment positions the company to move beyond experimentation and focus on scaling AI-driven service models through disciplined operations and cross-functional alignment.

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