This week's London appointments

Murray Phillipson, Smart AdServer

Smart AdServer, an independent adtech platform, has appointed programmatic specialist Murray Phillipson as VP Demand EMEA.

Murray has previously held senior demand-side roles at Gumtree (Ebay), OpenX, Sovrn, and more recently a senior role for BlisMedia.

David Pironon, chief programmatic officer at Smart AdServer, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Murray to Smart AdServer, with his appointment strengthening our presence in the UK, a strategic market that drives European ad spend.

“As we work towards bringing publishers and buyers closer together – operating always with a shared-interest business approach – Murray’s vast expertise in leading demand-side teams will be a strong accelerator for the company.”

Murray added: “At a time when the value of digital advertising is under more scrutiny than ever before, I’m very pleased to be joining Smart AdServer, a company dedicated to transparency, which offers a comprehensive and efficient route to engaged audiences across key markets.”

Fou Brown, International Advertising Association UK

Fou Brown has joined the International Advertising Association UK (IAA UK) in the newly created role of vice president of diversity, inclusion and belonging (DIBs).

Fou, a global business director at MediaCom, will sit on the IAA executive committee and oversee a new diversity, inclusion and belonging steering group at IAA UK, as part of its ongoing commitment to increase equality, diversity and inclusion in the ad industry.

Fou has also recently launched her own scholarship and mentoring programme for Black students in the UK, with an ambition to help this community fight systemic racism through positive law and government policy change.

In addition, she has been announced as a member of the MediaCom Global Council for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging as part of a MediaCom and wider WPP initiative.

She has more than 12 years of industry experience in companies including MediaCom and PHD, based both in the UK and internationally.

Fou commented: “There has been a lot of attention given to the diversity, inclusion and belonging topic recently.

“From that has come a lot of positive reflection and discussion by people, media companies and brands – this is a good thing.

“However, it is essential to move from conversation to action, and to do so whilst there is momentum.

“I am therefore, very excited to be part of the IAA UK, where they are passionate about creating a more supportive and fair environment for people from all backgrounds.

“My role is to help drive this change within the IAA itself, and then develop and execute a plan for sustained change that benefits the most vulnerable communities within our industry and beyond.

“I am confident that my role on the MediaCom Global Council will only help what I am trying to achieve here with the IAA – equality.

“I am proud to have this responsibility and opportunity – it is another step on this journey to an industry that reflects, and respects, the multicultural and diverse society we live in.”

Wes Nichols, Adverity

Adverity, specialist in marketing data intelligence, has announced the appointment of Wes Nichols as non-executive director.

Wes brings more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, director and advisor, helping companies grow through innovative use of technology, data analytics and AI.

He is a partner at March Capital and currently serves on the board of directors for Neustar, Airship, Persado, ActionIQ and TrueCar (TRUE), and is a strategic advisor to Snapchat.

Alexander Igelsböck, CEO and co-founder of Adverity, commented: “As Adverity enters the next phase of its development and we continue to grow our presence in the market, it is the right time to expand our board.

“We are delighted to welcome Wes to the company and look forward to his perspective, guidance and acumen as we continue to tackle the challenges of data complexity.

“His experience and understanding of scaling innovative technology will be instrumental in helping shape our approach as we move into our next stage of growth.”

Wes said: “I’ve spent my career creating and scaling companies that enable data-driven decision-making, deployment automation and course-correction.

“Adverity continues to be a leader in helping businesses become more insight driven and agile with their data. “This comes at a time when data is the world’s most valuable resource. How a company understands and analyses its data is instrumental to its customer relevance and success.

“I look forward to supporting Alex and the team and sharing my experience in driving global scale and growth of innovative software companies”

Chris McDuff and Jessica Kinnear, Berkeley Rowe

Berkeley Rowe has announced the appointment of Chris McDuff as partner and head of the restructuring and insolvency team, with Jessica Kinnear as real estate associate.

With more than 20 years’ experience in the field of restructuring and insolvency, Chris’ practice has been in the fields of complex cross-border and domestic contentious and non-contentious restructuring and insolvency work.

This experience has been earned whilst practising in England & Wales, Australia, UAE and in the Cayman Islands.

Chris commented: “We all know that 2020 has been challenging but I look forward to building on the solid reputation that Berkeley Rowe already possesses in the areas of Insolvency & Restructuring.

“I believe in a client first approach, something that has become even more important during this challenging time, and together we will set course for more stable times once again.”

Jessica trained at an award winning law firm in the city, where she gained extensive experience in acting for lenders, companies, international investors, high net worth individuals as well as first time buyers in a wide range of property transactions.

She has worked with numerous international investors on the acquisition and disposal of large and complex multi-million pound property portfolios.

Her clients have spanned across Europe, China, United States of America and the British Virgin Islands.

Jessica said: “I am delighted to have joined a team that prides themselves on providing a high quality service to meet the demands of their clients, especially when we are seeing such a bounce back in the property market.

“The growth of the team is a credit to their technical excellence and effectiveness, and I look forward to being a part of their success.”

Jamie Gill, June Sarpong, Scott Morrison and Sian Westerman, British Fashion Council

The British Fashion Council’s (BFC) has announced four new appointments to its board of directors.

Jamie Gill, chief executive at Roksanda, June Sarpong, director of creative diversity at the BBC, Scott Morrison, founder of The Boom! and Sian Westerman, senior advisor at Rothschild & Co., will join the BFC executive board as non-executive directors.

Stephanie Phair, BFC’s chair, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Jamie, June, Scott and Sian to the British Fashion Council executive board.

“Each one of them brings unique experience and knowledge to the board and I look forward to working with them on our strategy that will continue to support and promote British talent while tackling the key issues such as sustainability, diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry.”

Jamie commented: “It means the world to me to join the British Fashion Council executive board.

“I am so proud of all the great work the BFC does and I am excited to now play a role in helping shape the council’s cause within the industry.

“I intend to utilise my diverse career background of architecture, accountancy and venture capital to support emerging British brands with the tools they need to scale internationally.

“It is more important than ever that the British fashion industry becomes a sustainable thriving hub inclusive of all walks of life.”

June said: “It is an honour to be joining the BFC board. The BFC plays such a crucial role in helping to power the creative engine of the UK’s fashion industry.

“Their work in nurturing and developing emerging talent is vital for ensuring our fashion industry continues to grow and thrive, the evidence of this can be seen throughout the sector.

“I am incredibly excited to be able to play a role behind the scenes to help champion diversity and inclusion being at the heart of the BFC’s decision making processes.”

Scott added: “What a time to be joining this incredible board. With huge global changes, it is more important than ever to unblock, unlock and unleash the future we want to see for one of the UK’s most creative industries.

“With huge opportunities to power up the unique blend of creative, commercial and cultural impact that fashion brings to the UK, I look forward to playing an active role in making that happen.

“I look forward to working with the diverse thinkers in this team to make it happen.”

Sian commented: “I am delighted to be broadening and deepening my involvement with the British Fashion Council at a time of change for the fashion industry.

“The fashion industry contributed £35bn to UK GDP in 2019 and as the industry faces the challenges of Covid-19, Brexit and the need to adapt and evolve to be more inclusive and sustainable, the renowned UK-based creative talent needs more support than ever to deliver sustainable, commercially strong businesses with the resources and business skills to compete in the global market.”

Stephen Beard, Knight Frank

Knight Frank, the global property adviser, has announced the senior appointment of Stephen Beard as a partner and head of EMEA and APAC Data Centres.

Joining Knight Frank from CBRE where he was an associate director working across the data centres division, Stephen will be at the forefront of building the firm’s EMEA and APAC data centres offer.

Stephen’s previous experience includes over four years of advising and transacting on behalf of investors, operators and occupiers on the global data centres market.

Alistair Elliott, senior partner and group chairman at Knight Frank, commented: “Stephen’s appointment is hugely exciting and drives forward our strategy to provide our clients with the best market-leading insight and commercial opportunities across the globe.

“He will be working closely with our capital markets team and global centre of excellence in the US to enhance our international operability in the burgeoning data centres sector.

“Stephen has an exceptional track record and unrivalled experience in this highly important sector and is the ideal person to launch and rapidly grow the EMEA and Asia Pacific practice, complementing our offering in the US and strengthening Knight Frank’s global capabilities in the market.”

Stephen added: “As an emerging asset class, the data centres market is growing exponentially; we are experiencing unprecedented levels of demand in the sector and there couldn’t be a better time to launch and grow a dedicated EMEA and APAC offer.

“I am looking forward to strengthening Knight Frank’s international go-to-market strategy, working closely with my colleagues around the world to provide our occupier and investment clients with the finest data centres market advice.”

Ian Trinder, Dominvs Group

Dominvs Group, a UK-focused property developer, has appointed Ian Trinder as its new CFO.

Ian joins the company as its new CFO with immediate effect, bringing to the business decades of experience in corporate finance, financial planning and analysis, strategic planning and risk management.

He was most recently CFO at Pegasus Life, a retirement living developer, backed by Oaktree Capital, where he arranged over £1bn of development finance and led the acquisition of Renaissance Retirement.

Before that, he was CFO at Audley Group, a developer and operator of luxury retirement villages backed by Moorfield.

Ian said: “It is an exciting time to be joining a business as entrepreneurial as Dominvs and I cannot wait to play a role in its future growth.

“Over the last decade I have watched its success at expanding into new areas of real estate development, and now I have a chance to be part of that continuing story.”

Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia, founder of Dominvs Group, added: “I am delighted to welcome Ian to the company.

“His deep knowledge of corporate finance, strategic planning and risk management, as well as his well-recognised track-record as an entrepreneurial CFO means he is the best person to join the company right now.

“Ian’s background across a wide range of property classes makes him a perfect fit for Dominvs, as we look to uncover new opportunities for further growth and expansion.”