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Friday Follow Up
The mother of all follow ups (so far), plus enrollment whiplash and a fun video panel on the future of regulatory actions
Phil Hill
January 24, 2025
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Welcome back, after a month-long hiatus, to the Friday Follow Up series for premium subscribers!
Kees Bol named as 2U’s new CEO
This section combines follow ups from three stories we have followed here. The first is about 2U looking for a new CEO. In November 2023 long-time CEO Chip Paucek left the company to be replaced by CFO Paul Lalljie. After exiting bankruptcy, the new 2U board asked Lalljie to step down in October 2024, replaced by then-CFO Matt Norden as an interim CEO. Yesterday it was announced that the new CEO will be Kees Bol, until recently the CEO of Boundless Learning. Norden will return to his CFO position.
Bol, of course, has his own history as noted in the 2U release.
Bol brings to 2U a proven ability to lead high-performing teams, manage transformations, and drive business growth. For over four years, he led what is now Boundless Learning, first as part of Pearson and later as an independent company, overseeing its carveout and guiding its return to growth and profitability. Previously, Bol led marketing, enrollment, and retention for Pearson's K-12 virtual school division. Before joining Pearson, he was Chief Marketing Officer at Strategic Education, formerly Strayer Education, overseeing successful strategic initiatives to grow enrollment, enhance student success, and improve institutional performance.
We of course covered the soap opera acquisition of Pearson’s OPM business, which then became Boundless Learning, with Bol as CEO. Boundless is finishing up its strategic planning and is likely to be more public with its corporate plans in the next few months.
That was not the only move by 2U in this announcement.
