The Ozone Project has announced a number of role changes and new hires within its commercial team. In a move reflective of the increasingly upstream, more integrated conversations Ozone is having with its agency partners, Natalie Dawson has been appointed to lead these discussions in the new role of Strategic Agency Sales Director. Similarly, Emma Cranston will move into the expanded role of Client Services Director demonstrating the platform’s commitment to world class customer service and innovation in key areas such as campaign measurement – Cranston spearheaded last year’s launch of the Ozone Attention Index. Ozone will also welcome Angela Decube to the team in January who joins as Senior Agency Sales Partner, in the Agency Sales team led by Jacque Chadwick. Prior to joining Ozone, Decube held a variety of different commercial roles at Hearst, most recently as Agency Director.
Social media agency, Born Social, has been appointed by Penguin Random House UK, to help tackle online abuse towards its authors and social media managers. For this brief, the agency will be responsible for developing new social guidelines to help the publisher manage increasing hate and abuse directed towards its content online. The guidelines will equip social media teams with practical tools to deal with trolling, as well as how best to support authors who are dealing with similar issues. It forms part of a wider piece of work that Penguin is doing to explore how to safeguard staff and better support authors’ mental health and wellbeing against this backdrop.
Precisely has announced that Patrick McCarthy has been appointed chief revenue officer (CRO). McCarthy brings to Precisely more than 25 years in technology sales and operational leadership as the company continues its growth trajectory while helping clients achieve unsurpassed business results through trusted data. Prior to joining Precisely, McCarthy was the executive vice president of sales and client development at Risk Management Solutions (RMS) where he was responsible for the go-to-market strategy and sales execution globally. McCarthy has also held a broad range of senior leadership roles at SAP and Oracle and has also led supply chain and procurement functions for PepsiCo and Frito-Lay.
GameBake, the fast-growth tech company that takes video games to global app stores and social media platforms, has announced that it has been named by Red Herring as one of the leading startups in Europe. Red Herring Top 100 Europe recognises and celebrates the innovations of Europe’s leading businesses. Selected from approximately 1,200 companies each year, it has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising companies and entrepreneurs. The GameBake distribution platform soft launched in May 2021 and has already onboarded almost 50 games, helping them access app stores, social media platforms and web-based gaming services worldwide.
Verasity is pleased to announce that it has completed a major corporate rebranding exercise and refreshed its website as part of its Q4 2021 Project roadmap. The new website, which now introduces new feature pages for the VRA token, the VeraWallet, VeraEsports, Verasity’s proprietary ad-tech stack, and a brand new offering in the NFT space, is the most significant brand transformation that the blockchain ad-tech leader has made to date. With a new look and unified approach for all of Verasity’s product verticals, Verasity is broadening its appeal to a wider audience. Transforming its engagement strategies, Verasity’s website now includes a content library that showcases the best of what Verasity has to offer—including the latest news, the hottest eSports tournaments, and a whole host of new features highlights for the Verasity community. The Verasity brand refresh also provides a renewed focus on UX and UI elements, providing a seamless user onboarding journey and experience for both B2C and B2B users—while showcasing Verasity’s existing partners and integrations.
Tech Mahindra, a provider of digital transformation, consulting and business re-engineering services, has announced that it has been named as a leader across 24 verticals and micro verticals in the Zinnov Zones for ER&D Services – 2021 assessment. Among the 25 categories on which the assessment was made, Tech Mahindra emerged as a leader in the following 24 categories – ER&D Services, IoT Services, Digital Engineering Services, AI Engineering, ER&D Services – USA, ER&D Services – Germany, Aerospace, Automotive, ADAS, Telematics, Consumer Software, Enterprise Software, Cybersecurity, Software Platform Engineering, Medical Devices, Telehealth, Semiconductor, Telecom, SDN-NFV, OTT, Industrial, Digital Thread, Contactless Retail, and Public Infra.
Zipabout have launched the first location-based, targeted and personalised digital marketing service to UK advertisers. Brands can now advertise to consumers on the move as they pass by retail outlets by utilising a unique ad-tech model, woven into a GDPR compliant framework that is built around a passenger’s journey. The launch follows successful trials with retail groups Pret A Manger, SSP and WHSmith, in which redemption rates for personalized vouchers sent to rail and bus passengers hit 25%, compared to display advertising redemption averages of 1.2% for Google Display and 3.7% for Facebook.
Blockchain and ad-tech company, Verasity, has announced that Elliot Hill has joined its growing team to lead communications, PR, and content strategy. Hill has worked in blockchain, PR and communications since early 2017, having previously worked with the likes of the Cardano Foundation, Occam Finance, Sygnum digital asset bank, Mode, and many other start-ups and established blockchain projects.
Rory Stewart-Richardson has joined Terra Virtua as Commercial Director. The experienced Stewart-Richardson will lead licensing across all sectors of Terra Virtua’s NFT focused business. Stewart-Richardson brings a wealth of experience to the business development role, having worked in similar positions in marketing. He’s also developed sponsorship marketplace Conexxi Partnerships over the past five years, its customers include some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment.
Total experience agency Tribal Worldwide has brought Hollywood glamour to its latest TV commercial for Wren Kitchens, with help from the creative talent behind The Greatest Showman. Director Michael Gracey, from production company Partizan, and the film’s choreographer Ashley Wallen used their skills to transform Wren Kitchen showrooms into stages for a full blown song and dance routine. The creative approach was to use the inspiration of musicals to capture the thrill and excitement of the Wren Kitchens customer experience. The creative execution continues Wren’s long tradition of breaking category norms with its established, trademark wry charm and humour. The ad launches on UK television with a 30 second and a 60 second version from the 18th of December, before rolling out in the US with 30 and 15 second versions from December 20th. The multi-media campaign will appear across radio, print, social and POS in the UK, as well as US TV and radio.
Taxi dispatch software provider, Autocab is expecting to create up to 200 new roles by 2025 following its forthcoming move to No.2 Circle Square, Manchester. A Greater Manchester tech success story, now backed by Uber, Autocab’s software supports 1,500 independent taxi companies in 30 countries. Autocab, will take 20,000 sq ft of workspace and joins the likes of global technology provider Hewlett Packard Enterprise, multinational construction technology supplier Hilti and professional services firm Accenture, in the city’s newest tech cluster at the heart of Manchester’s Oxford Road innovation district. Autocab says the move will support its growth objectives by giving it easier access to Manchester’s digital skill-base. The cloud-technology innovator will also benefit from close proximity to the city’s universities and scaleups based at the Tech Incubator. No.1 and No.2 Circle Square, have been designed to accommodate the high growth digital and tech businesses growing in or moving to the city. Part of Bruntwood SciTech’s UK-wide network of innovation districts, businesses located there benefit from the ability to collaborate as part of a national specialist community of digital tech-based businesses.
Partnership management platform, impact.com, has welcomed the new year with a new global parental leave policy, which outlines the enhanced support that it provides to eligible employees when they become parents or take on parental responsibility. With the company now offering up to 26 weeks’ fully paid parental leave globally, payments to employees will be integrated with any government-provided wage replacement benefits under applicable law. Meanwhile, its Employee Assistance Programmes provide confidential counselling, advice and support 24 hours a day. In the UK, shared parental leave is offered, with impact.com also outlining its Adoption Leave and Pay procedures in the new policy document. Furthermore, under the company’s guiding principles, all employees may request time off during working hours to care for dependents, to deal with unforeseen matters and emergencies, with no minimum qualifying periods for emergency and compassionate leave.
Gojob, a digital temporary recruitment agency which helps employers find candidates five times faster than traditional agencies and 20% cheaper, has officially launched in the UK. As a ‘social tech,’ Gojob aims to solve the mismatch between supply and demand by building a more inclusive labour market, providing access to employment regardless of age, gender, origin, qualification, or experience. Originally founded in France in 2015, Gojob went international in 2021 with the opening of a New York office, while its new London office is its first expansion into the European recruitment market.
