Avid Collective has revealed a new structure for its senior executive team, with founder Luke Spano moving from MD to CEO.
Commercial director Ezechiel Ritchie has also been elevated to the newly-created role of general manager.
Under the new structure, Spano will shift the majority of his focus to strategy, international expansion, and new business.
“This new structure allows both Ezechiel and I to divide and conquer in achieving Avid’s short and mid-term growth goals, while also giving increased focus to the long-term growth opportunities for Avid,” Spano said.
“This evolved operational structure gives us the best chance of expanding, and Ezechiel’s promotion will help us step into the next phase of our growth. We’ll do that through larger commercial partnerships and a more sophisticated internal structure
– both of which Ezechiel is best placed to lead, given his extensive experience leading high-growth businesses.”
Ritchie will lead the day-to-day business operations across all functions, and manage all larger commercial partnership discussions with brands and agencies. He will continue to report to Spano.
“It’s a very exciting time to be at Avid, as we continue with our mission to make advertising an interesting and engaging part of our lives, enhancing our experience, rather than interrupting it,” Ritchie said.
“The impact of our innovation over the past two years is reflected in our company’s remarkable growth and I’m thrilled to be able to support the team to continue this growth trajectory over the years to come.”
Ritchie joined the team in November last year, following senior leadership stints at Jellysmack, Taboola and Google.
“The impact he’s already had in his first six months at Avid has been extremely valuable, and I’m excited to see how he continues to elevate from a more central place within our business,” Spano added.
“Avid has recorded incredible growth over the past year and we’re now in an exciting position to be able to focus on bigger opportunities. We have a real chance to be a global business, on the back of our best-in-market native content solution but achieving that requires deeper focus. These structural changes are designed to support our aggressive growth plans and get the most out of our talent.”
The new structure follows the appointment of Niki Jones as head of operations and enablement, Rob Ewing as head of agency partnerships, and former commercial director Tom Gunter’s move into the product and solutions director role.