Former Google One Head of FP&A joins Firstup to support the company's next phase of AI-
driven growth
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Firstup, the pioneer of intelligent communication and engagement platforms for the workforce, today announced that Ian Winkler has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. Winkler brings deep Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) and strategic finance expertise from high-velocity SaaS and AI companies, including building Google One's finance function from pre-launch to a multibillion-dollar business.
As CFO, Winkler will lead Firstup's finance, legal, and IT teams and serve as a member of the company's executive leadership team. In the CFO role, he will help shape the company's corporate strategy, capital allocation, and priorities. He will also drive the use of AI across finance and back-office operations, helping the company make faster, data-driven decisions to fuel profitable growth.
"Ian joins Firstup at an important point in our journey. We are excited about the strategic perspective, financial rigor, and strong business partnership he will bring as we pursue our next stage of growth and continue building a company of consequence," said Bill Schuh, CEO of Firstup.
Most recently, Winkler was Senior Vice President of Finance at Medable, an AI-driven life sciences technology company, where he focused on enterprise value creation, strategic FP&A, and disciplined capital allocation. Previously, Winkler spent more than eight years at Google, including five years as Head of FP&A for Google One. As the business's first finance hire, he built and led the finance team that helped grow Google One into the highest-grossing app on the Google Play Store. Before that, he led financial planning for Google's legal and trust and safety teams.
"Firstup has a strong leadership team, a product customers clearly value, and a big opportunity at the intersection of employee experience, enterprise communications, and AI," said Ian Winkler, Chief Financial Officer at Firstup. "I'm excited to join Firstup at this transformative moment and look forward to contributing to the significant opportunity ahead."
Winkler's appointment follows a strong first half of 2026, in which Firstup delivered 60% more capability to customers than a year earlier. Firstup's platform reaches millions of employees in more than 180 countries.
About Firstup
Firstup is the leading platform for intelligent communication and engagement that powers meaningful business outcomes. As a true "mission control" for workforce communications, Firstup is built for organizations with critically important frontline employees, delivering the right message to the right person at the right time. The platform enables hyper- personalized, data-driven journeys across channels (email, mobile, intranet, digital signage, and more), bringing alignment, clarity, and engagement to every level of the organization.
With integrations to core HR, IT, and business systems, Firstup reduces digital noise, surfaces actionable insights, strengthens employee experience, and helps clients maximize productivity and retention. Trusted by large enterprises worldwide, Firstup transforms internal communication into measurable impact. Learn more at www.firstup.io.
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