GotPhoto has appointed Mahesh Guruswamy as Chief Executive Officer. The appointment comes at a significant moment for the Berlin-founded business, which has shifted from its founder-led heritage into a professionally managed, EQT-backed software organisation and is now working to establish itself as an AI-first category leader in vertical software for high-volume professional photography.

“Faraday’s pitch and introduction was the real standout; it got me up to speed incredibly quickly. The preparation Faraday provided ahead of each stage, particularly their support with the board interviews and presentation, meant I could engage with full confidence rather than piecing things together myself. They were transparent about the business, the opportunity and what success would look like from day one. I am excited to have joined GotPhoto at such a consequential point in its development.”

- Mahesh Guruswamy, Chief Executive Officer of GotPhoto.

As a vertical SaaS platform digitising the workflow and commerce layer for high-volume professional photography, the platform combines shoot planning, image management and subject matching with white-labelled online storefronts, payment processing, marketing automation and print lab connectivity. This enables SMB photography studios serving schools, nurseries, sports, dance, events and adjacent portrait segments to replace fragmented, largely offline processes with a single integrated product experience. 

Mahesh Guruswamy was previously at Kajabi, where he served as Chief Operating Officer. His career spans more than two decades of progressive leadership in software, platform and marketplace businesses. He served as Chief Product and Technology Officer at Kickstarter, and held the roles of Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Engineering at Kajabi during an earlier tenure. Prior to that he was Vice President of Engineering at Smartsheet, a Software Development Manager for Alexa at Amazon, and spent the early years of his career in engineering and architecture roles at Fidelity Investments, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Homesite Insurance and Vanguard. The breadth of his experience directly addresses the interconnected CEO challenge GotPhoto faces: accelerating product delivery, building an AI-native platform, strengthening GTM execution and expanding US market presence, all within a clear EBITDA discipline.

This search assignment was led by Andrew Banks, Managing Partner and William Batt, Senior Associate at Faraday Partners, in collaboration with Dominik Stein, Partner; Marcel Goehre, Director; Erik Huggers, Senior Advisor; and Frankie Greenwell, Early Stage Talent Lead of EQT Group.

About GotPhoto

GotPhoto is a vertical SaaS platform helping high-volume professional photographers digitise their workflow and commerce operations. Founded in Berlin in 2012, the company combines purpose-built operational software for shoot planning, image management and subject matching with online storefronts, payment processing, marketing automation and fulfilment connectivity to help customers manage complex picture-day operations, improve end-customer buying experiences and convert more images into revenue.

GotPhoto is backed by EQT Group (Dominik Stein, Marcel Goehre, Erik Huggers and Frankie Greenwell).

About Faraday Partners

Faraday Partners is a global executive search firm supporting the most valuable companies in tech and their investors from early conviction to industry impact. We specialise in senior leadership appointments across all facets of leadership, helping organisations secure transformative leaders who scale businesses, drive innovation, and create long-term enterprise value.