Zebra BI appoints Richard Cooper as CEO to lead next phase of global expansion

Ljubljana, Slovenia – Zebra BI today announced that Richard Cooper has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective February 1, 2026. The transition follows 11 years of founder-led growth under Andrej Lapajne and marks the company’s next stage of global expansion and operational scale. 

Since its founding, Zebra BI has grown into a global provider of advanced reporting and decision intelligence solutions used by more than 3,000 organizations worldwide, including the leading companies of the Fortune 500 list. The company now employs over 70 people globally and supports more than 1.5 million daily users across Power BI, Excel, PowerPoint, and its newest platform, Zebra AI. 

Scaling globally while advancing innovation

With record annual recurring revenues and impressive year-on-year growth, Zebra BI is entering a new phase. The leadership transition reflects a deliberate step to evolve from a founder-led startup into a globally scaled technology company focusing on a stronger presence in the U.S., deeper enterprise penetration, and accelerated development of Zebra AI.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built over the past 11 years,” said Andrej Lapajne, Founder of Zebra BI. “We started with a clear mission: help organizations move from raw numbers to decision-ready insights by building products users love. As demand grows and our ambitions expand, it is the right moment to strengthen our operational leadership. Richard brings the skills and scaling experience needed to expand globally while preserving the culture and product excellence that define Zebra BI.”

Strengthening leadership for the next stage

Richard Cooper joins Zebra BI with more than 25 years of international leadership experience across technology and SaaS businesses serving enterprise clients. He has led and scaled private equity–backed software companies through high-growth phases, strengthening go-to-market execution, expanding global operations, and building predictable, recurring revenue models. 

He brings deep expertise in scaling SaaS platforms internationally while maintaining strong customer focus and operational clarity. Known for his people-first leadership style, he builds high-performing teams that thrive during periods of growth and transformation.

As part of Zebra BI’s continued international expansion, the company has also established Zebra BI UK Ltd., further strengthening its presence in the United Kingdom and supporting its growing global customer base.

“Zebra BI has built a product that solves a real problem for finance and business teams worldwide,” said Richard Cooper. “Our next chapter is about scale: expanding our U.S. presence, deepening enterprise relationships, and accelerating innovation across our platform. I’m honored to lead the company forward and excited to build on this strong foundation.”

Andrej Lapajne transitions into the role of Founder & Chief Product Strategist and will continue serving as Chairman of the Board at Zebra BI. He will concentrate on accelerating innovation in Zebra AI, defining the company’s long-term product vision, and expanding strategic partnerships, particularly within the Microsoft ecosystem. 

The leadership transition reinforces Zebra BI’s long-term commitment to sustainable growth, operational excellence, and continuous product innovation. 

About Zebra BI

Founded in 2014, Zebra BI helps organizations turn complex data into clear, actionable decisions. Its purpose-built solutions elevate Microsoft Power BI, Excel, and PowerPoint with IBCS-compliant, decision-ready visuals that bring clarity, consistency, and strategic alignment to enterprise reporting.

Trusted by finance and business leaders worldwide, Zebra BI standardizes how performance is analyzed and communicated, enabling faster alignment, sharper insights, and better decisions at scale.

Building on this foundation, Zebra BI is advancing into AI-powered decision intelligence with Zebra AI, delivering automated insight generation and guided next steps that move teams from analysis to action. Today, Zebra BI solutions are used by more than 1.5 million business users across thousands of organizations globally, including Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PwC, Deloitte, Bayer, and Nike.