The mobile marketing industry is ever-changing, and that applies to the people as much as the technology. Movers & Shakers is our regular feature following the hottest hires in the industry, so you can keep track of who’s joined which company, and what they’re doing there.

Shutterstock elevates Silvio to CTO
Peter Silvio has been promoted to chief technology officer at Shutterstock, where he has been serving as head of engineering since earlier this year. He will continue to lead the technology organisation, partnering closely with the product and marketing teams to develop and implement products, and will be responsible for the company’s technical vision.

Silvio, who boasts 20 years of experience, joined Shutterstock as vice president of engineering and architecture in 2017 before being promoted to senior vice president, head of engineering & architecture in May 2019. Before Shutterstock, he was head of application development and architecture at Thomson Reuters.

“Over the last two years, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with an exceptionally skilled team that strives to innovate and improve our product and technology every day,” said Silvio. “I am excited for the opportunity to lead Shutterstock’s global technology team in our mission to deliver the best experiences for our customers and contributors globally.”

Palkhiwala named Qualcomm CFO
Qualcomm’s board of directors has appointed Akash Palkhiwala as executive vice president and chief financial officer, having been serving as the company’s interim CFO since August.

Palkhiwala joined Qualcomm in 2001 and has held a variety of roles in finance, including treasurer and lead for corporate finance overseeing the company’s overall financial planning and analysis. He has been part of senior leadership for over 10 years, most recently serving as senior vice president and finance lead.

“Akashs deep understanding of our business both operationally and strategically makes him the ideal individual to lead our finance function as we embark on a period that I believe may present the biggest opportunity for growth in Qualcomms history,” said Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated. “As the 5G ramp begins, I am thrilled to congratulate Akash on this appointment.”

Revolut brings in Gilbert as chairman
Martin Gilbert has been handed the role of non-executive chairman at fintech startup Revolut, starting 1 January 2020.

Gilbert, the former co-chief executive of Standard Life Aberdeen, co-founder of Aberdeen Asset Management, and chairman of the PRA Practitioner Panel, has been working closely with Revolut chief executive officer Nik Storonsky in an advisory capacity prior to his formal appointment.

“Revolut is a unique proposition in the digital banking world, and I’m pleased to be joining the Board at such an important stage in its development,” Gilbert commented. “Nik and the team have made great strides towards building the bank of the future, and I’m proud to add my deep experience of Board governance and corporate growth to the Board as Revolut continues to expand on a global scale.”

Coulson and Ham join Mediaworks
Digital marketing agency Mediaworks has hired Chris Coulson as marketing director and Chris Ham as performance marketing director.

Mediaworks will look to Coulson, who has over 20 years’ experience in marketing across a variety of industries, to provide critical perspectives for its diverse clients.

“The prospect of joining Mediaworks in this role and to be part of their growth was too big of an opportunity to turn down,” said Coulson. “To be part of one of the country’s leading digital marketing agencies, working with international clients on cutting edge and innovative campaigns is extremely exciting. The pace of change, partnerships built with clients, and the professionalism of the teams has been fantastic.”

Ham previously worked at Newcastle University, where he was involved with finance, eCommerce management, and database implementation. He has also worked at the University of Portsmouth and the UK Ministry of Defence.

Brave Bison hires three
Fran Hale, Ben Sinden, and Louise Parker have joined social video company Brave Bison as sales director, managing director of publishing, and chief of staff respectively.

Hale joins Brave Bison from PMYB influencer agency and has previously held roles at Myspace, Last.fm, Mixcloud, and Vevo, where she learned about the power of social video, the passion with which people consume it and the impact it has within the digital ecosystem.

“My career has led me to work with some of the most exciting names in music and video, so when a role became open at Brave Bison, giving me the opportunity to work at one of the world’s most valuable social content publishers, I immediately knew it was the right fit for me,” said Hale. “On top of that, the opportunity to work with such an industry titan as Kate [Burns] was too good a chance to give up.”

Sinden arrives having held leadership positions at Netflix, Telegraph Media Group, and ITV. In the past, he has led content and publicity teams at international publishers and global entertainment corporations, delivered video technology products and infrastructure, raised VC funding and built multiple digital teams and businesses in startup and corporate environments.

“From afar Ive seen Brave Bison grow strong business units across rights and channel management, establishing themselves as experts in social video growth,” commented Sinden. “With Kate Burns now at the helm, Brave Bison is ready for its next step. Leading the charge on rolling out owned and operated cross-platform brand strategy, to work with these already existing foundations, is a fantastic opportunity. Im looking forward to growing audiences across existing and new channels, featuring original and exclusive content that will appeal to digital audiences globally.”

Parker lands at Brave Bison from Insurtech Gateway. She previously worked as a technician on feature films for seven years, most recently working as a production coordinator on Taken 3. She would eventually go on to help launch Insurtech Gateway at Hambro Perks. There she became ‘head of deadflow’, vetting over 100 startups and taking startups through to investment.

“Having previously worked with Kate Burns on an emerging startup while at Hambro Perks, I immediately took to the chance of working with her again. Brave Bison is doing some incredible work in the space and I’m excited about joining such a talented team,” ended Parker.

Sharman to head up StreamAMG
StreamAMG, a provider of live video and OTT services, has selected Hugo Sharman as chief executive officer. He assumes the role as the co-founders – Duncan Burbidge and Joe Bray – prepare to leave following the completion of StreamAMG’s sale to the PA Media Group. From January 2020, he will be responsible for the ongoing growth of the business.

Sharman joined StreamAMG in 2018 as chief strategy officer, bringing more than 15 years of experience to the table. He previously served as commercial director at Deltatre, where he ran the commercial strategy for the company across key international markets and managed several client relationships including BBC Sport and Premier League during his eight-year tenure. He also led the delivery of digital properties for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Before that, he held senior directorial roles at Fast Web Media and Sportfive.

“StreamAMG is one of the most formidable operators in the live video and OTT market, with an exceptional reputation both for first-class technology and customer service. I am delighted that together, we will create opportunities for more customers to monetise their video content,” said Sharman.

“Under the leadership of Duncan and Joe, StreamAMG has also established a reputation for quality and innovation, continually reinforced by our teams across the UK and Malta.

“2020 will be an exciting year for the business as we carry on disrupting the market through product and commercial innovation. Our success will be achieved by continuing to introduce creative solutions to our customers’ challenges in this rapidly evolving market.”

Augnet brings in senior trio
Nicholas Nikrouyan has joined messaging as a platform firm Augnet as senior MNO advisor, while Lauri Paal joins as senior product & operations advisor and Ricky Junday as senior product manager.

Following a stint at Global One Communications, Nikrouyan joined Proximus (Belgacom) Group in 2000. In 2006, he became CCO at BICS, where he also acted as a member of its executive management committee, defining and implementing BICS growth and go-to-market strategy worldwide. 

“I am pleased to join the Augnet team, which is delivering SMS as it should be,” said Nikrouyan. “For over twenty years the industry has gone unregulated and with little compliance and Augnet is set to make a strong impact with its delivery of both cost savings and compatibility with compliance-driven environments.”

Paal oversaw the entire global voice services operation for Skype as director of telecom services and was instrumental in deploying the company’s global telecom capabilities to facilitate hypergrowth. He is currently chief product officer at KNEIP – a role he will continue.

Junday is a product lifecycle and solutions specialist with extensive experience across global operators, retailers and distributors including T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange, H3G, HTC, Nokia, and Symbian. He arrives from Ricochez Consulting, where he provided product market solutions with a focus on smartphones, connected devices, and AI. He is tasked with using his expertise to help drive Augnet forward at scale into international markets.

“We are excited to welcome this trio of experienced new faces to the Augnet team,” commented Daniel Gill, Augnet founder and CEO. “Their experience will be vital in accelerating Augnet on its journey to the next level.”

Colebourne takes spot at Searchmetrics helm
Search and content optimisation platform Searchmetrics has brought in Matt Colebourne as global chief executive officer. He will work with the entire Searchmetrics team to expand the international customer base for the company’s technology and raise the profile of search within the enterprise marketing agenda.

Colebourne was the European vice president international for DoubleClick, part of the team responsible for growing the business prior to its sale to Google. He also managed the turnaround to profitability of eSpotting before its sale to FindWhat. His most recent role was EMEA managing director at Innovid, which he joined from Trinity Mirror.

“SEO and organic search have long been under-considered by senior marketing and business leaders. Partly due to its complexity, theyve tended to leave it to specialists and not fully appreciated how it can positively impact brand awareness, consideration and engagement. Were going to change that,” said Colebourne.

Barbarian selects Hines to lead on technology
Lamar Hines has been appointed chief technology officer at Barbarian, a digital creative agency backed by Cheil Worldwide. Among other things, Hines will oversee Barbarian Labs, the agency’s newly introduced offering that curate senior teams bespoke to brand clients’ business challenges.

Hines previously served as vice president of technology at R/GA, where he supported the agency’s enterprise technology service offering. He successfully managed large scale teams that focus on enterprise technology, technology consulting, and software delivery across R/GA’s global network.

“Barbarian is at a prime milestone in today’s industry climate. This is an exciting time for Barbarian with the introduction of a broadened client offering,” said Hines. “I look forward to working with the agency’s talented team to further advance its growth and success through the intersection of creativity, strategy and innovative technology.”

Theimann and Johns arrive at Applicaster
Applicaster, a media and TV app development SaaS platform, has turned to Bennett Theimann as chief financial officer and Jason Johns as vice president of sales for EMEA and APAC.

Based in the company’s New York City office, Theimann will report to Jonathan Laor, chief executive officer and co-founder. Prior to Applilcaster, he was the CFO at Conductor following stints as CEO and COO at Mojiva. Theimann has also held roles at TargetSpot, Hachette Flipacchi Media (Lagardere Group, Cellfish Media, Axel Springer, and Gruner+Jahr.

“I was attracted to Applicaster because of its unique approach to app lifecycle management through its SaaS platform, Zapp, and its fast-growing global footprint,” said Theimann. “The digital landscape is evolving quickly and I am looking forward to building on Applicaster’s position as a leader in the industry, ultimately ensuring that media companies are able to manage apps throughout their lifecycle.”

Johns will oversee Applicaster’s EMEA and APAC commercial and go-to-market strategies, extending the company’s work with sports brands, teams, and leagues, as well as broadcasters, publishers, and enterprise tech organisations. He will also report to Laor but be based out of the London office.

Before Applicaster, he served as vice president of global sales at Ooyala. He was also previously director of EMEA sales for Comcast Technology Solutions and vice president of business development at Piksel.

“There is an incredible amount of opportunity in the media app market,” said Johns. “Because of our ability to enable frictionless growth for customers, we’re very well positioned to take advantage of this opportunity. Beyond the market opportunity, I was attracted to Applicaster because of the company’s customer-first culture plus its ability and desire to drive value lead engagements. Few businesses buy technology without a clear understanding of the business case and full transparency of the cost-of-ownership around their technology investments – Applicaster understands this and provides flexible commercial models that scale and can easily be upgraded and expanded as business requirements evolve.”

Colt hands Carr financial chief gig
Gary Carr has been named as chief financial officer at telecoms firm Colt Technology Services. Reporting directly to chief executive officer Carl Grivner, he will lead a period of financial transformation for Colt, ensuring that all functions across the organisation are working together for the overall benefit of the business.

Carr joined Colt in 2014 as group financial controller before becoming deputy chief financial officer. During his time at Colt, he has been responsible for various commercial operations including leading the Financial Shared Service Centre in India.

Before joining Colt, he held several roles across BT global services – the most recent being vice president of finance control. He also held various leadership roles at Siemens, with his time there culminating in him being named finance director and acting managing director.

“Over my years with Colt, I have seen the company move from strength-to-strength, building its global presence and innovative product portfolio. Today, the industry is more fast-moving and dynamic than ever before. From a finance perspective, this rapid rate of change means that this function needs to be as innovative and agile as the rest of the business,” commented Carr.

“I have a fantastic team in India, Asia and across Europe, and I’ve no doubt they will rise to the challenge. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve to drive Colt’s continued success.”