Atlassian’s Pirow Cronje has been appointed head of operations at Year13 as the youth-focused tech company moves to become 100% AI native.
Cronje will lead the optimisation of Year13’s product, tech and commercial strategy, drawing on his ten years of experience at Atlassian to disrupt the company’s operations and bring AI to the forefront.
“We’re thrilled to have Pirow join the team as we are reimagining the business to have an AI-first product stack and expand our offering into global markets,” says Year13 Co-Founder and Co-CEO Will Stubley. “AI allows us to catapult ideas further than we imagine. We can move faster, build smarter and personalise the support we provide to truly meet students where they are and where the world’s heading. Pirow will play a critical role in implementing our vision.”
Cronje spent nearly 10 years at Atlassian, leading financial planning and analysis in Australia to support corporate planning, Jira product and research and development leadership in preparation for its initial public offering. He went on to lead the implementation of various customer strategy initiatives across analytics, program management, marketing and research teams.
“I’m thrilled to join Year13 as they transition to becoming AI-native,” says Cronje. “Year13 are long-standing leaders in tech and education, and I look forward to contributing to their global development and growth.”
Cronjefollows in the footsteps of veteran Atlassian product and engineering alumni Nick Menere and Mark ‘Chai’ Chaimungkalanot, who joined Year13 in 2023. Nick and Mark are heading up company-wide efforts to rebuild their entire suite of digital tools with AI at the core, including a new AI Agent program that provides students with 24/7, personalised support at scale, which is currently in beta testing.
“Our mission is to be the default global platform that young people turn to support them through the journey from school, through tertiary and into work, and we can do that with AI,” adds Stubley. “This is an essential time for us as we continue to enhance our tech solutions and expand our footprint into international markets.”
