FutureLearn CEO Simon Nelson to Step Down at the End of the Year
Simon Nelson has submitted his resignation as the CEO of the company, which will take effect at the end of 2020.
Last week Futurelearn released a statement saying that Simon Nelson has submitted his resignation as the CEO of the company, which will take effect at the end of 2020. The FutureLearn Board has begun the search for his successor.
Until last year, the company was a wholly owned subsidiary of The Open University in the UK. With a £50M investment, SEEK Group became a joint owner of FutureLearn with The Open University.
FutureLearn was formed a year later than Coursera, Udacity, and edX in 2012 and officially went live in 2013. Simon Nelson has been the CEO right from the beginning.
The company now has 13 million learners registered on its platform.
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Courses1 | 578 | 736 | 883 |
| Programs | 13 | 22 | 35 |
| Academic Certificates2 | 7 | 14 | 17 |
| Degrees2 | 4 | 18 | 23 |
| Learners | 7.1m | 8.7m | 10m |
Class Central interviewed Simon Nelson, back in 2015. You can read the interview here: The MOOC Platform with a Twist: The Emergence of UK-Based FutureLearn
To see how FutureLearn has evolved over the years, check out Class Central’s Year in Reviews.
- FutureLearn’s 2019: Year in Review
- FutureLearn’s 2018: Year in Review
- FutureLearn’s 2017: Year in Review
- FutureLearn’s 2016: Year in Review
[1] The numbers represent the total number of courses offered in that particular year.
[2] Graduate and Postgraduate Certificates are listed under academic certificates, instead of under degrees.
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Albert Nwanne
I thank Mr. Nelson Simon for pilotting the global dynamic online/digital learning organization, (FUTURE LEARN). Futurelearn introduced me to online/digital learning, I participated in seven courses with future learn, with six certificate of achievement, it was really interesting, educative, and informative, infact, it had exposed me to the online global learning. I still thank the partnership Universities, like Open University UK. Unneersity of Groningen, The Netherlands, University of Oslo, Norway, Cambridge University UK. and so many others. I thank all the participants of Future learn online / digital learners for their Co -operation, for their exchange of ideas and knowledge, irrespective of ethic diversities The exit of CEO Simon NelSon is painful, a great lose to Future learn, but, it is mandatory that nothing comes without an end, he had contributed his ingenuity to global online/ digital learning. Fare well Mr. Nelson Simon in your future endeavors. Thanks in advance. My best regards to all future teamers. .Mr. Albert Nwanne.