Billups, an independent out-of-home (OOH) agency, has announced key additions to its global leadership team, including the newly added position of Chief Global Growth Officer.
The leadership updates come as Billups continues to scale its global operations, focusing on growth through acquisitions, strategic planning, and innovation. The company, which has identified the Middle East as a key region for growth, is focusing on acquisitions, strategic leadership hires, and organic development to strengthen its presence internationally as well as in the region.
While David Hawkins will lead efforts in the Middle East as Managing Director, the region will be overseen by the newly appointed global leadership team.
Among the key appointments is Ranganathan Somanathan, known as Ranga, who joins as Chief Global Growth Officer. With extensive experience as CEO at Publicis Media and Omnicom Media Group in Malaysia and Singapore, Somanathan will lead efforts to enhance Billups’ global market share through client development, client services, and product development and marketing through cross-departmental collaboration.
“The diverse global out-of-home landscape offers tremendous opportunities for innovation and scale,” said Somanathan, “And I look forward to partnering with the billups team to drive meaningful improvements in brand preference and performance for our clients worldwide.”
Jaime Byrdak steps into the role of CEO for North America after more than 20 years in OOH media. With six years at Billups and previous roles including Managing Director at Kinetic, part of WPP, Byrdak will now oversee operations, client retention, and service expansion in the region.
Dave Williams, who joined Billups in 2022 to lead commercial operations in EMEA, has been named Global Head of Commercial & Investment. His expanded role focuses on optimising supply-side practices, driving bespoke media opportunities, and ensuring maximum value for advertisers globally.
Similarly, Tony Stoering, whose agency Heed was acquired by Billups in 2015, will take on the role of Global Head of Client Development, overseeing business development teams and mobilising resources to meet client needs.
Ben Milne, recently appointed as CEO for APAC, completes the leadership reshuffle. These changes reflect Billups’ strategic priorities to leverage its patented intellectual property, OOH impact measurement capabilities, and advancements in sustainability and accountability.
David Krupp, Global CEO of Billups, said, “These appointments reflect our commitment to expanding our best-in-class team, furthering our positioning of out-of-home as a key awareness and transaction driver for clients in the digital economy.”
The team will concentrate on advancing the company’s patented IP and OOH impact measurement capabilities, expanding client portfolios across borders, and introducing new practices in attention measurement, sustainability, and accountability.
As part of its expansion strategy, the company will continue to pursue a combination of organic growth and acquisitions.
