Xtract Expands

Customer analytics company Xtract, which specialises in predicting customer behaviour, with core strengths in mobile, social network and analytical optimisation,is opening a regional office in the UK, and has appointed Paul Hedman as CEO to spearhead international growth.
Hedman has over 20 years experience of the international IT and telecoms industries, having held leading roles in companies such as IBM, IBX and Telia. He joins Xtract from Seven Inc., the US based software company, which he joined as Seven acquired push email software company Smartner, where Hedman was CEO.
“It is an exciting time to be joining Xtract, building on a strong base of international customers world-wide, a clear and unique offering, with immediate customer benefits says Hedman. Our products offer unrivalled automated customer analytics solutions, for precise analysis and prediction enabling targeted advertising in online communities and social networks. I see great global opportunities for Xtracts proprietary solutions, in particular for mobile advertising solutions and social network analytics.”
Xtract Founder Kimmo Kiviluoto, who takes up the new role of CTO, adds:
We are delighted to have secured a talent like Paul. This will enable us to ensure we can meet the increased demand for Xtracts services and capitalise on the exciting opportunities we see ahead. Paul has fantastic credentials and international experience from the IT, telecoms and mobile industry. It is exactly what we need in order to pursue our international ambitions and further develop our offering.”
Xtract recently announced that it had raised venture capital from one of the largest technology-focused funds in Northern Europe, Eqvitec Technology Fund III. The money will be used to accelerate growth of the customer base for Xtracts proprietary XSL solutions, which include mobile advertising solutions to advertisers, as well as community and social networking analytics.