Kodah names Jasen Welsh Chief Growth Officer for expansion

Kodah has appointed founder Jasen Welsh as Chief Growth Officer, moving him from Chief Revenue Officer to lead the company's international expansion.

The Johannesburg-based automation business said he will oversee its global growth strategy and the rollout of the Kodah Koalition, a partner programme targeting 12 markets.

The move follows growth in South Africa, where Kodah has built its business around helping companies connect staff, systems and workflows with artificial intelligence while keeping human oversight in place. The company already has offices in the UK, Spain and Singapore.

Under the new structure, Ryan Jackson, Kodah's Chief Sales Officer, will continue to lead sales and revenue, allowing Welsh to focus on overseas markets and on building the partner network Kodah plans to use to enter new territories.

Partner model

Rather than opening offices market by market, Kodah plans to expand through local entrepreneurs, technology companies and sales professionals. The Kodah Koalition covers South Africa, the UK and Ireland, France, Germany, the Nordics, the UAE, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Brazil and the USA.

The programme offers three routes for members: Kodah Founder, for those building the business in a region; Kodah Partner, through either a Premier or Associate model; and Kodah Agent.

Members are expected to bring local leadership, market access and commercial execution. Kodah will provide its brand, products, sales processes, marketing, lead generation and implementation support. Participants do not need technical backgrounds.

Product offer

Kodah deploys Anthropic's Claude through four products aimed at different stages of adoption: Claude Workforce, which gives employees an AI workspace linked to business documents and policies; Claude QuickStart, which addresses a single business problem; Claude Konnect, which links systems and processes; and Claude Core, which acts as a central intelligence layer across teams and workflows.

Its approach is aimed at businesses that want to use AI within existing operations rather than replace technology already in place. Kodah also offers an AI assessment to help companies identify priorities and first steps.

Leadership view

Kodah's Chief Executive Officer outlined the rationale for the promotion and the expansion plan.

"Kodah has always been focused on helping businesses get more from the people, systems and technology they already have, with people remaining in control. Taking that approach into new markets is a natural next step, and the Kodah Koalition lets us do it alongside entrepreneurs and technology businesses who understand their markets," said Jono Williamson, Chief Executive Officer, Kodah.

"Jasen is the right person to lead this next chapter. He understands our business, our vision and what it takes to build meaningful partnerships," Williamson said.

Welsh said the shift in responsibilities would allow him to focus on reproducing the company's domestic progress abroad.

"With our sales and revenue in good hands under Ryan's leadership, I can now focus on replicating Kodah's success globally. The challenge for businesses isn't getting access to AI. It's making it work across their people, systems and everyday processes. That's where Kodah comes in. Through the Kodah Koalition, our members bring their local knowledge and relationships, and we bring the technology, expertise and implementation behind them. It's an exciting opportunity to build partnerships and grow Kodah beyond the markets we serve today," Welsh said.

Kodah describes itself as a South African agentic automation company and has been building its presence outside its home market through offices in Europe and Asia, as well as through channel relationships. The appointment of a Chief Growth Officer and the emphasis on a partner-led structure indicate it is seeking a faster international route than the traditional office-by-office approach.

The 12-market plan spans Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, giving the business a broad initial footprint for its next phase of expansion.