Marketing software company SHIFT has hired former AOL Europe CEO, Kate Burns, as managing director of its UK and European operations.
Burns will work to expand SHIFT’s European presence and drive market adoption of SHIFT’s Open Marketing Cloud, which provides tools for planning, advertising and analysing social marketing campaigns for global brands across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
She will be based in London, where SHIFT opened its first international office in September 2013.
“Expanding our international footprint and the solutions we provide marketers is one of our top priorities. Global advertisers are challenged with driving the right message to the right audience at a local, regional and global level. We’re committed to delivering technology that allows marketers to leverage the data and advertising solutions they need to reach their customer, wherever they are and at anytime,” said James Borow, Co-Founder and CEO of SHIFT. “Kate is the ideal leader to drive our international growth and adoption of SHIFT’s Open Marketing Cloud.
As a proven digital veteran with deep experience in building successful European operations from the ground up, Kate will be instrumental in enabling SHIFT to provide new revenue opportunities to marketers.”
Burns brings nearly two decades’ experience working for the world’s largest and most successful digital brands. Most recently, she set up the EMEA operations for cross-device ad targeting startup, Drawbridge Inc. Prior to that she ran AOL Europe and led her team through a swift and successful business turnaround. An online advertising veteran, Burns joined Google as its first international employee, building its European operation from scratch – and eventually managing Region 1 as Director, UK, Ireland and Benelux.
“International advertisers are facing some of the same challenges as US advertisers.
Consumers are spread across devices and channels, making it extremely difficult for marketers to engage with customers at scale and achieve their business results,” said Kate Burns, managing director of its UK/Europe at SHIFT. “I’m thrilled with the opportunity to join the SHIFT team and help global advertisers adopt SHIFT’s Open Marketing Cloud. With over two decades of experience in this industry, I look forward to working with global advertisers to leverage SHIFT’s Open Marketing Cloud to make smart, real-time decisions that help maximise their ROI across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.”
Burns will be serving on the Innovation Jury at Cannes Lions, International Festival of Creativity, June 15-21, 2014, on behalf of SHIFT.
www.shift.com