Uptake, a data analytics provider empowering fleets and industrial machines with the information needed to make better, more strategic maintenance decisions, announced it has named Adam McElhinney to the role of Chief Executive Officer.

McElhinney most recently served as Chief Data Science Officer and Vice President of Insights at human capital management software company Paylocity, where he oversaw teams of data scientists, software engineers, data engineers, and product managers. Before Paylocity, he led the data science team at Uptake, where he spearheaded the creation of its cutting-edge industrial data analytics tools as one of the company’s first 25 employees.

“I could not be more excited to rejoin Uptake and lead its next phase of growth,” McElhinney said. “In addition to expanding the company’s footprint in the transportation space, I will work closely with Uptake’s current customers, who want to leverage their investments in telematics and sensor data to gain even more insights across their fleets and existing assets. ”

Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, Uptake enables the world's top fleets to make data-driven decisions to mitigate risk, optimize maintenance strategies, reduce costs, and enhance safety and sustainability. Under McElhinney’s leadership, the company is currently developing a number of product enhancements for new and existing customers, including a suite of tire monitoring solutions and a new dashboard for a more granular analysis of fleet subsystem health.

“I am so proud to welcome back Adam to the Uptake team. He first joined as a data science leader and we are excited to appoint him as CEO. This is another reflection of our commitment to AI and to excellence in data-driven insights for our customers.” said Brad Keywell, Uptake’s co-founder and executive chairman.

A proven data science leader, McElhinney has filed 19 patents for his research in machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), software engineering, and big data technology. He is a former Adjunct Professor in the Computer Science and Mathematics departments at the Illinois Institute of Technology and was recognized by the Illinois Technology Association as the 2018 Technologist of the Year. McElhinney is the former President and board member of the Chicago Chapter of the American Statistical Association, and he serves as an advisor to several Chicago-area startups.