This week's London appointments

Alex Pollard, Quintessential

International spirits company Quintessential Brands Group, has appointed Alex Pollard as group chief finance officer (CFO).

Pollard brings with him over 20 years’ experience of business transformation in senior finance roles within the FMCG and pharma/biotech industries, with responsibility for international market leadership.

He joins Quintessential Brands Group following three years as CFO at AB Mauri, and his previous FMCG experience also includes three years as Regional Finance Director for FTSE 100 company, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company.

Warren Scott, CEO, explained: “Following the rapid growth of our business over the last eight years in the UK and Ireland, we now have our sights firmly set on accelerating our global growth strategy.

“Alex is a seasoned business leader and brings with him a wealth of global finance expertise that I’m confident will help to further strengthen our organisation. I’m delighted to welcome him to the Quintessential Brands team.”

Milly Preston, Excel Esports

Eports organisation, Excel Esports, has announced the appointment of Milly Preston as its head of marketing.

Milly joins Excel Esports from the conference and content platform Leaders in Sport, bringing over 8 years’ worth of global sports marketing experience.

Milly commented:“After 8 years in sports marketing, I was ready to take on a new challenge and the esports industry is an exciting and natural fit.

“From working at Leaders in Sport, I saw the integration of esports tracks with prominent spokespeople from the industry and how brands are focusing on targeting dedicated younger audiences.

“The team at Excel has a strong brand ambition and I’m excited to play a big part in elevating their global vision.

“The somewhat untapped opportunity for fan engagement with the dedicated esports audience is immense and I’m looking forward to understanding and growing the fanbase of Excel.”

Gérald Sauvageon, Smart AdServer

Smart AdServer, an independent adtech platform, has appointed Gérald Sauvageon as senior VP sales video/addressable TV. T

With 20 years of experience in the adtech and digital advertising industry - including 15 years at Google and DoubleClick - Gérald is charged with developing Smart AdServer’s business in the international video and addressable TV markets.

Gérald commented: “The convergence of TV and digital is having a considerable impact on the digital advertising value chain: all parties have to reinvent themselves and we can expect new business models to emerge.

“Smart’s unique status as an independent and trusted third party puts us in the unique position to support broadcasters and telecom operators in this transformation.

“It is this value proposition, based on a shared interest approach between all the players in the value chain, that made me want to join Smart today”.

Fiona Blakemore, Balderton Capital

Balderton Capital has recruited Fiona Blakemore (née Smart) as its new chief financial officer and head of portfolio financial ervices.

She will lead on all financial activities and work closely with portfolio companies, providing support as part of Balderton’s platform services team.

Fiona joins with over 20 years of experience working with asset management and venture capital companies, including six years at PwC and 16 years with Man Group, one of the world’s largest listed alternative asset managers.

Jerome Misso, operating partner of Balderton Capital, said: “I am delighted to welcome Fiona to Balderton at an exciting time for the firm.

“She brings a wealth of financial and management experience to help us build on our support for portfolio companies.”

Fiona added: “Having spent many years in the asset management sector it’s exciting to be joining Balderton and working closely with the entrepreneurs and investors who are building the European tech companies of the future.

“Balderton is well known for its passionate and committed support of portfolio companies and I’m thrilled to be joining the team.”

Ben Reeve, CF Commercial

CF Commercial has announced that it has appointed Ben Reeve as a full time consultant.

Ben joins bringing 30 years of experience across London, the wider UK and Europe. Prior to joining CFC, Ben advised on ground-breaking developments and individual specialist premises including the TVC in White City, Marriott Hotel Portfolio, and the Berkeley Square Estate.

Craig Fisher, founder of CF Commercial, commented: “The addition of Ben is vital to our growth across our mixed-use projects and his wealth of experience and contacts will see CFC go from strength to strength.

“2020 has started with a bang, and hiring Ben to work alongside the team has expanded our ability to shape mixed-use projects like Greystar’s Greenford Green, General Project’s Greenland Place and Henley IM’s Alkerden Market Centre and take on new projects across many more emerging submarkets.”

Gerry White, Rise at Seven

Rise at Seven, a creative SEO agency founded in Yorkshire has boosted its London presence with the appointment of Gerry White as SEO director.

Gerry White, former technical lead at global food delivery service Just Eat, will lead Rise at Seven’s technical SEO offering across both its offices.

Gerry has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and joins Rise at Seven after 4 years as Just Eat’s tech lead, having previously held senior SEO and analytics positions at agencies including Propellernet, SiteVisibility and Razorfish, plus stints at Premier Farnell, the BBC and within the UK Government.

Gerry commented: “Seeing the rise of Rise at Seven since they first came on the scene has been incredible, their client wins, attitude and energy, the team has strengths which I admire.

“It’s clear they have a focus on delivering what is required for clients, I am hoping my strengths compliment what is already a strong agency and help them continue to offer the best.”

Stephen Kenwright, Rise at Seven’s co-founder and technical director, added: “I’ve known Gerry for a long time and it’s pretty clear that he knows more about SEO than I ever will, with years of experience and knowledge to bring to this business so we jumped at the chance to hire him.

“His expertise in analytics, CRO and web development will help us to realise our vision of building an agency that’s equally brilliant at both the technical and creative ends of search engine marketing.

“We have big growth plans for the agency and a promise to deliver exceptional results to clients - and hiring talent is at our forefront.”