Former Dentsu Aegis CEO Jerry Buhlmann Joins Digital Agency Croud as Non-Exec Chairman

Global digital marketing agency Croud appoints Jerry Buhlmann, former CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network, as non-executive chairman, in the wake of record growth and a recent multi-million pound investment for the independent business. Buhlmann’s focus will be to support the management and Board of Croud and accelerate the agency’s global growth, taking Croud’s unique model into the next decade.

Founded in 2011, Croud provides marketing strategy and consultancy alongside SEO, PPC, content, programmatic, paid social, creative, and analytics services to some of the world’s leading brands, including Vans, AMC Networks, The North Face and Hiscox. Croud also launched its global marketing platform, Serpico, in 2019, empowering in-house teams with expertise and technology.

Recommended AI News: Top 10 Countries and Cities by Number of CCTV Cameras

Buhlmann invested in the business as part of the recent £30m minority stake investment from LDC, the private-equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group. Croud’s co-founders Luke Smith and Ben Knight will be working alongside Buhlmann to further accelerate the agency’s global growth, which last year reached over 40% year-on-year growth and an annual revenue of over £15m.

Buhlmann has over 30 years’ experience in the media and advertising industries, most recently as Chief Executive of Aegis Group plc and then of Dentsu Aegis Network from 2010 to 2018, where he was the key driver of growth and led a number of high profile acquisitions, including the sale of Aegis Group PLC to Dentsu and the acquisition of Merkle. Jerry is currently Senior Independent Director at Inchcape PLC, a Director of Madison Sports Group and a Senior Advisor to management consultancy, OC&C.

Recommended AI News: The Future Of AI And Four New Demands On ERP Systems

Luke Smith, CEO and Co-Founder of Croud, said of the appointment:“It’s an absolute honour to welcome Jerry Buhlmann to Croud’s board. He is A-league when it comes to our industry, and brings a wealth of experience to our business. This is a huge validation of both the business the Croud team has built over the past eight years, but also our decision to remain independent and partner with LDC. With Jerry’s support and guidance we can continue on our mission to become the world’s finest technology and communications group over the next decade. We’re privileged that Jerry has chosen to be part of our next phase and we’re looking forward to having his wisdom and drive to continue our run of global growth.”

Jerry Buhlmann said: “Croud is an exceptional business with a high performance culture delivering innovation and value to its clients. Croud is at the cutting edge of new technology, new client-focused services and business models which will drive value for all their stakeholders.  Both Luke and Ben are dedicated and visionary leaders and I’m looking forward to supporting them to continue Croud’s outstanding growth and success.”

Recommended AI News: 20 SaaS Companies to Watch out in 2020