Hambro Perks, the London-based Company Builder, with over 30 companies in its portfolio has announced today its appointment of Kate Burns as CEO of the company’s new media division.
After early successes at Alta Vista and DoubleClick, Kate paved her way as one of the best known internet advertising pioneers in Europe before joining Google as Director of the UK, Ireland and Benelux. Most notably, Kate was Google’s first employee outside of the US, driving strong international success under her watch.
Following Google, Kate was Vice President & MD Europe Bebo, and then CEO of AOL Europe. During her time at AOL, she led an astonishing business turnaround, successfully re-strategizing the business into an efficient profit making region.
After a successful tenure at BuzzFeed as European GM, Kate ran her own consulting practice. For her new role, Kate will work alongside Dom Perks, co-founder of Hambro Perks to grow the company’s media division, overseeing companies such as SeenIt, Takumi, Mettr, The Dots, Compass and recently invested Blend Media.
Dom Perks, co-founder of Hambro Perks says: “With a proven track record of success within the media and advertising industry, Kate’s insights and learning are unrivalled. I strongly believe that Kate is the perfect person to grow the new arm of the business, and continue building some of the UK’s most exciting start-ups.’
On her new role, Burns comments: “London is a powerhouse of media and advertising talent. I look forward to working alongside the leadership team at Hambro Perks to tap into this pool, and grow global, pioneering start-ups within the media division. ”
About Hambro Perks
Hambro Perks: the London-based Company Builder now boasts 30 companies in its portfolio since its creation in 2013, and has created over 1,000 jobs across the UK. Founded by Dominic Perks and Rupert Hambro, the company is unique for doing more than merely investing in companies. They build companies in house, pledging to hold the start-ups’ hands from idea to exit, avoiding ‘the failure rate that plague many early-stage investors’. The firm has backed some of the UK’s most promising start-ups.
Hambro Perks’ team often brainstorms its own start-up ideas and boasts an eclectic list of specialist mentors including creative directors, investment advisors, legal councillors, directors and insight experts. The employment of fast-paced entrepreneurs to back Hambro Perks’ schemes further accelerates the company’s’ strengths. Laundrapp, created by Dominic Perks himself, has been a notable success to come out of the portfolio, now employing 80 people. Dominic Perks is also responsible for tootle, a car selling platform that puts the impartiality back into second-hand sales by helping consumers easily get a reasonable price. Other start-ups in the portfolio include Seenit, an online content sharing platform that enables brands, and event hosts to connect through joint storytelling. What3words revol
