Livewire Appoints New Global CEO

Livewire, the global gaming marketing company, has opened a new global office in London. The London office will be led by Tom Simpson (pictured above) who has been appointed Livewire’s global chief executive officer.

Simpson will head up Livewire’s global growth and business development as the company continues to expand internationally. Leading the global business from the UK, he will oversee team development and expansion across the company globally with a presence in the UK, USA, APAC and new markets soon to be announced.

He will oversee its vision, purpose and positioning, as well as brand and agency relationships, and product and tech development. He reports to the Board led by chairman Matt Berriman, co-founder & managing partner of RealVC (one of Livewire’s largest shareholders).

Tom Simpson was previously non-executive chair at Totally Awesome and SVP, APAC for AdColony, the largest global in-app marketing platform. He brings 20 years’ experience in tech, growth, marketing and startups and has been a founder and angel investor across adtech, ecommerce, big data, gaming and esports. He was a Campaign Asia 40 under 40 winner and Exchangewire AdTech Personality of the Year runner-up, as well as board member for the Mobile Marketing Association APAC and an Interactive Advertising Bureau committee member.

Simpson leads a newly expanded London team, with Jack Woodcock also appointed as head of creative strategy and John Crozier joining as general manager. Jack Woodcock joins from Twitch where he was creative strategy lead, EMEA for the past five years, while John Crozier was formerly the business development director at We Are Social.

Simpson joins Livewire’s new executive and senior management team that includes the recent appointments of Gareth Leeding as chief strategy officer; Michelle Sheehan, chief financial officer; and Anthony Alexander as chief revenue officer.

The newly expanded team of forty globally will solidify Livewire’s position as the leading gaming ecosystem expert and trusted gaming partner to brands and agencies.

As Livewire moves into its next chapter, Livewire co-founders Brad Manuel and Indy Khabra will be transitioning to new senior executive roles within the business, reporting to Tom Simpson. Brad will be driving Livewire’s publisher partnerships and Indy will be heading up the in-and around game media division.

“Now is the time for brands to get into gaming. We’re lucky enough to enjoy front row seats to a revolution — as the era of big social evolves into the play economy. I’m incredibly excited to join Livewire at this pivotal moment, and our focus is simple: building and acquiring the strategic, tech, data and creative capabilities to help marketers win in this new paradigm. But gaming isn’t about platforms, it’s about people. It’s built on human insights, ideas, community and culture; delivered at the scale of billions of engaged gaming eyeballs. And it’s how brands turbocharge growth in this next generation. I cannot wait to get started” Simpson said.

“Marketers and agencies are beginning to catch up with consumer behaviour and media habits with gaming now the most engaged media audience of all media verticals with 37% of consumption time, realising that gaming is the next major touchpoint to reach a highly-engaged, fast-growing and diverse audience. The opportunity for brands in gaming is huge and this is proven by the fast-growth the business has achieved since its foundation two years ago. Tom’s proven track record in gaming marketing globally, and his vision for the opportunity in the space, places him as the perfect leader for the business as Livewire scales up globally to dominate this rapidly growing category” Matt Berriman, co-founder & managing partner of RealVC, said.

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