MindGym Continues U.S. Expansion, Hires Janet Ahn, PhD as Chief Behavioral Science Officer and Dan Heasman as U.S. Head of Creative

NEW YORK, April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, MindGym, a leading behavior change company that for over twenty years has equipped business leaders from some of the world's most ambitious and well-known companies to transform their organizations and cultures so they're ready for tomorrow, announced the recent hires of Dr. Janet Ahn as Chief Behavioral Science Officer and Dan Heasman as U.S. Head of Creative.

Dr. Ahn will leverage her behavioral science expertise to lead MindGym's global product innovation, research & development, and digital solutions expansion, including on topics such as how leaders can effectively manage teams in a hybrid workplace, organizational responsibility for individual employee wellbeing, management development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Heasman will design and customize MindGym's range of solutions into bespoke offerings to fit specific needs of companies in the U.S. market seeking to create behavior change in their organization. Both positions are newly-established at MindGym.

Dr. Ahn comes to her role at MindGym with extensive behavioral science knowledge and insights from her position as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Motivation + Innovation Lab at William Paterson University, where she has been published in many high-impact, peer-reviewed academic journals on topics related to motivation, goal pursuit, and cognitive biases.

Dr. Ahn also has extensive client service experience consulting for several Fortune 500 companies such as EY, Proctor & Gamble, Merck, and Capital One on behavior change issues such as expanding diversity, inclusion, equity & belonging efforts. Dr. Ahn earned her undergraduate degree from Barnard College, Columbia University, Master's degree and PhD in Social Psychology from New York University, postdoctoral research fellowship from Columbia University, and is based in MindGym's Manhattan HQ.

Dr. Ahn said of her new role, "I am honored to be the first Chief Behavioral Officer at MindGym and excited to join a company that is thinking big about the future of how we all live and work. I took the bold step of leaving academia just 6 months shy of earning tenure, during a pandemic, because I could not pass up this opportunity to use my behavioral science background to help some of the most ambitious organizations prepare their teams for a rapidly evolving world."

Dan Heasman brings to MindGym a depth of experience at the intersection of leadership and management coaching and the development of creative training programs. Most recently, as the Head of People at Packet, a digital infrastructure company, and Chief People Officer of MongoDB, a database company, he provided Human Resources leadership to the executive team during transition phases, coached senior leadership on workforce management through significant expansion, and established successful learning and development leadership programs.  

Heasman also brings first-hand perspective and understanding of what a good learning experience looks and feels like to employees and executives alike. He was a founding partner at The Rise Group where he helped major companies such as Pfizer, Coca-Cola, and Four Seasons to develop innovative, collaboration-rich cultures and increase their people's performance. Heasman is a graduate of University College London and now lives in New York.

"As a workforce management expert and training innovator, I am thrilled to help expand MindGym's system of on-demand digital learning services and lead a growing Creative Team to deliver bespoke client solutions," said Heasman. "I look forward to working closely with Janet, our U.S. President Wei-Li Chong, and the rest of the amazing MindGym team to grow our reach in the U.S."

The newly established positions will further fuel MindGym's global growth, including its investment in the U.S. market following the January 2020 hire of new U.S. President Wei-Li Chong. MindGym now has more than 200 employees and coaches across the U.S. and Canada, including hubs in the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and West Coast, and has delivered more than 10,000 virtual sessions over the past year alone.

"We are incredibly fortunate that Janet and Dan have joined the MindGym team. Their understanding of the science that drives our offerings and knack for people-first design will be invaluable assets as MindGym expands and deepens our work with clients across the country and around the world," said Wei-Li Chong, U.S. President of MindGym.

Founded in 2000, MindGym has changed the culture of many ambitious companies, including  Microsoft, MetLife, Southwest, Audi, and more than half the S&P 100, as well as many mid-size and smaller businesses.

About MindGym

MindGym is a behavior change company that equips the world's most ambitious companies so they're ready for tomorrow. Since 2000, MindGym has changed the culture of many ambitious companies, including more than half the S&P 100, equipping them with an all-important human advantage.

MindGym was founded on behavioral science, and continues to believe it's the best way to make swift and deep change to an organization's culture. MindGym translates proven behavioral science research into a unique set of experiences, products and tools that create company-wide behavior change. Rather than daily processes and systems, MindGym's coaches start helping companies create cultural change with their behavioral science methods. Instead of traditional courses and checklists, they create an innovative program of interventions and nudges to embed the change in the most practical and lasting way.

For more information, please visit themindgym.com.

SOURCE MindGym