--- title: "Zendesk hires new CMO as it pivots to AI agents" url: https://daily.dev/posts/zendesk-hires-new-cmo-as-it-pivots-to-ai-agents-vrdmg6p8g source_url: https://thenextweb.com/news/zendesk-tifenn-dano-kwan-cmo-ai-service type: article source: "The Next Web" published: 2026-05-27T18:29:22.684Z updated: 2026-05-27T19:04:20.497Z tags: ["ai-agents", "customer-service"] reading_time: 5 upvotes: 1 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Zendesk hires new CMO as it pivots to AI agents **[The Next Web](https://daily.dev/sources/tnw)** · 5 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Zendesk has appointed Tifenn Dano Kwan as its new Chief Marketing Officer as the company accelerates its pivot to AI-first customer service. Dano Kwan brings experience from CMO roles at SAP, Dropbox, Collibra, and Amplitude. The hire comes amid Zendesk's aggressive AI transformation, including the acquisition of Forethought (an AI agent platform) and Unleash (enterprise search), and the launch of its Autonomous Service Workforce vision. Zendesk claims its AI agents resolve over 80% of customer interactions. The company, privately held since 2022 under Hellman & Friedman and Permira, faces stiff competition from Salesforce Agentforce, Intercom's Fin, and Sierra. The CMO appointment is seen as part of building a narrative for either an IPO or strategic sale. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Zendesk acquires agentic customer service startup Forethought](https://daily.dev/posts/zendesk-acquires-agentic-customer-service-startup-forethought-h09pvqney) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Zendesk says its new AI agent can solve 80% of support issues](https://daily.dev/posts/zendesk-says-its-new-ai-agent-can-solve-80-of-support-issues-sgaxaogem) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Kana emerges from stealth with $15M to build flexible AI agents for marketers](https://daily.dev/posts/kana-emerges-from-stealth-with-15m-to-build-flexible-ai-agents-for-marketers-qlfyvkjyq) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The marketing guru who helped turn Khosla Ventures into an AI powerhouse is moving on](https://daily.dev/posts/the-marketing-guru-who-helped-turn-khosla-ventures-into-an-ai-powerhouse-is-moving-on-5ya7spb9w) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [OpenAI loses a second sales leader in a week to Salesforce](https://daily.dev/posts/openai-loses-a-second-sales-leader-in-a-week-to-salesforce-0pibvvjvj) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#ai-agents](https://daily.dev/tags/ai-agents), [#customer-service](https://daily.dev/tags/customer-service) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/zendesk-hires-new-cmo-as-it-pivots-to-ai-agents-vrdmg6p8g)