Open LMS Announces Executive Leadership Transition: Maura Connor Appointed Chief Executive Officer, Willem Boom Named SVP, Global Sales
Open LMS welcomes Maura Connor as Chief Executive Officer and Willem Boom as SVP, Global Sales, strengthening its global leadership for future growth.
Open LMS, a global leader in open-source learning management systems, today announced a transition in its executive leadership team. The organization will welcome Maura Connor to the role of Chief Executive Officer, and Willem Boom to the role of Senior Vice President, Global Sales.
Maura Connor, who will step into the role of Chief Executive Officer on August 17, is an accomplished executive with more than 30 years of experience within the education technology sector. Connor brings a profound understanding of the edtech landscape and a proven track record for translating strategic vision into execution and measurable business results.
Connor’s extensive leadership background includes 15 years at Pearson, where she was a VP in its higher education group. There, she first led a portfolio in its career, technology, and health division before starting a new digital-first learning portfolio in partnership with eCollege and Pearson Assessment. She has also served as CEO and COO for several prominent edtech and learning SaaS companies. Known as an operator who champions a customer-centric focus, accountability, and professional development, Connor is also an active mentor dedicated to advancing women into executive leadership roles.
"I am thrilled to join Open LMS at such a pivotal time in the digital learning space," said the incoming CEO. "Open LMS has built an incredible global ecosystem, and I look forward to working alongside this talented team to build on that momentum, expand our market presence, and continue delivering exceptional value to our clients."
Joining alongside Connor is Willem Boom, who has been appointed as the new SVP of Global Sales. Boom is a seasoned global sales leader with more than 25 years of experience leading high-performing, customer-facing teams across edtech, professional learning, and SaaS environments.
Throughout his career, Boom has specialized in helping organizations evolve from early-stage selling into disciplined, customer-centric go-to-market models. He has held senior leadership roles at Totara Learning, D2L, Boundless Learning, and FileWave, working closely with executive teams, boards, and private equity stakeholders to align growth strategies with customer success. At Open LMS, Boom will focus on driving global commercial strategy and scaling growth while maintaining a commitment to authentic, human-centered sales leadership.
As Open LMS embarks on this new chapter, the existing global leadership team and staff stand ready to support Connor and Boom, combining their deep open-source LMS expertise with the fresh operational and market perspectives brought by the new executive leadership. Concurrently, David Ells (former Managing Director) and Bill Conran (former Head of Sales) are moving on to pursue new opportunities after two and a half years of dedicated service. The entire Open LMS organization extends its gratitude to both leaders for their stewardship, support, and contributions, wishing them the best in their future endeavors.