High5, a Global Total Talent Solution, Welcomes Kara Kaplan as CEO

SOMERSET, N.J., October 21, 2022 — High5, a leading provider of global talent solutions, is excited to announce Kara Kaplan as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Kaplan brings more than 15 years of experience driving growth in technology, innovation, and marketplaces.

“I am excited to build on the strong foundation High5 has established and bring new approaches to help accelerate our growth and deliver greater value for both customers and talent alike,” said Kaplan. “There is tremendous opportunity in bringing better solutions to the world of work right now, and High5 is poised to capitalize on market changes and challenges.”

Kaplan applies a human-centered, entrepreneurial mindset when responding to changing markets. In her previous role as CEO at Moonrise, an on-demand staffing platform for people to access shift-based work, Kaplan was able to pivot the business and technology after the pandemic to create a robust, outbound lead nurturing platform that enabled more people to continue working remotely and provided clients with much-needed support.

“Staffing, at the end of the day, is about people. I’m a mission-driven leader at heart, and I believe that High5’s solution can truly have an outsized impact on the global labor market. I’m also looking forward to building and nurturing the team as I know how vital it is to empower employees to build a strong culture.”

“This is an exciting phase at High5 and Kara’s vast platform experience, drive, and leadership will help usher us into our next chapter of growth,” said Ben Thakur, CEO of eTeam and founder of High5. “Kara’s genuine belief in High5’s capabilities will be instrumental in supporting our mission of connecting employers, recruiters, and talent in one seamless, people-centered network.”

Prior to Moonrise Kaplan co-founded Giftbar, the largest upscale, semi-closed loop digital gift card marketplace representing thousands of SMBs in 27 markets across the country until it was acquired in 2016. She spent her early career working in finance at Mesirow Financial and other venture-backed start-ups.

About High5

After 20 years in global staffing, we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. So, we brought together some of the best minds in staffing to create an ideal system. High5 connects talent, recruiters, and companies in one easy-to-use total talent solution. High5 not only makes it faster, easier, and more cost-effective for companies to find the people they need, but we also ensure that it’s a more pleasant experience for everyone.