Former Permira investor Alex Melamud named CFO; Coinbase HR leader Heather Krueger joins as SVP of People amid rapid expansion

Engine, the modern platform reshaping business and group travel, today announced it has surpassed 1,000 employees – up from 700 at the start of 2024. This milestone reflects not only rising demand from over 1 million travelers but also the company’s strategic use of AI to fuel its rapid growth. By embracing the productivity gains made possible by AI, Engine has accelerated its hiring plans and aims to continue growing at this rate throughout the year. To help guide its next phase, Engine has appointed two senior leaders: Alex Melamud as Chief Financial Officer and Heather Krueger as Senior Vice President of People.

These appointments come at a pivotal moment for the tech industry, where widespread layoffs and AI-role reductions have become common. Engine is charting a different course – expanding its workforce while using AI to accelerate human performance.

Previously, Alex Melamud served on Engine’s board as a Managing Director at Permira, where he played a key role leading Engine’s Series C financing. His transition from capital allocator to operator underscores a deep conviction in Engine’s long-term potential and growth trajectory. As Chief Financial Officer, Melamud will oversee the company’s finance, accounting, legal, and partnership functions, driving strategic financial leadership during this critical expansion phase.

“Engine has a rare combination of best-in-class talent and an industry-defining platform in a category that's still largely untouched by modern technology,” said Melamud. “I’ve seen the company’s momentum firsthand as a board member, and joining now as CFO is a chance to help scale something truly transformative.”

Prior to joining Engine, Heather Krueger led people strategy and operations as Coinbase’s Head of Talent Density, bringing deep experience from high-growth tech and SaaS organizations. Her move to Engine signals a strong commitment to scaling talent acquisition, leadership development, and strengthening the company’s high-performance culture. She will advance Engine’s vision of leveraging AI to enhance workforce capabilities – augmenting human talent rather than replacing it. As Senior Vice President of People, Krueger will drive the people strategy essential to Engine’s next phase of growth.

"I am incredibly bullish on Engine's trajectory and am thrilled to be part of this team at such a pivotal time of growth," said Krueger. "At Engine, we are committed to maximizing talent density by leveraging AI to amplify the strengths of our high performers. This isn't AI replacing people – it's AI enabling our exceptional talent to achieve unparalleled impact for customers on career journeys they can't get anywhere else. To attract and keep the best, we have to relentlessly raise the bar for performance and innovation as we scale."

Following several quarters of strong growth, Engine continues to expand its footprint in the $100 billion-plus business and group travel market. Its platform empowers tens of thousands of organizations to streamline travel programs, delivering significant time and cost savings. Innovative solutions such as Direct Bill, Incidentals, and FlexPro have helped businesses collectively save over $200 million – highlighting Engine’s commitment to efficiency and flexibility in corporate travel management, without contracts or membership fees.

About Engine

Engine is the modern business and group travel platform trusted by over one million travelers. Engine saves businesses time and money through an extensive travel network that connects to nearly every hotel, airline, and car rental company in the U.S. It offers single invoice billing, the flexibility to modify or cancel trips at any time without incurring fees, and a unified view of all company travel and spend. Customers rely on Engine to not only make travel easier to manage but also to make it enjoyable for everyone involved. Additionally, Engine helps coordinate room blocks for corporate offsites, sports teams, weddings, family reunions and more to help people get together in person. The company is backed by Telescope Partners, Blackstone, Elefund, and Permira. Learn more at http://www.engine.com.

Interested in using Engine? Visit engine.com/sign-up, or download our app on the App Store or Google Play.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250805387469/en/

"I’ve seen the company’s momentum firsthand as a board member, and joining now as CFO is a chance to help scale something truly transformative."