March 27, 2012
OpenX Appoints Senior European Executives Ken Parnham and Farzad Khorsandjamal
Former ADTECH (AOL) and Northern & Shell senior executives will drive the growth of OpenX’s breakthrough advertising technology platform in EMEA
LONDON, March 27, 2012 OpenX Technologies, Inc. (OpenX), one of the world’s leading providers of digital advertising technology, today announced the appointment of two senior online advertising industry executives, Ken Parnham and Farzad Khorsandjamal, to help lead the company’s international business. Parnham has become Managing Director, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa); Khorsandjamal has become Commercial Director, EMEA. In the newly created roles, Parnham and Khorsandjamal will be responsible for rapidly increasing adoption of the company’s ad serving, ad exchange and yield optimization products. The appointments are immediately effective and both executives have joined OpenX’s European headquarters in London.
OpenX Enterprise, OpenX Market and the recently acquired and integrated LiftDNA by OpenX (LiftDNA) form the company’s breakthrough revenue serving platform. OpenX Enterprise, a paradigm-shifting digital ad serving platform launched in February 2011, has made significant progress in terms of product adoption with hundreds of publishers using the platform globally. OpenX Market, the company’s unique ad exchange platform, has experienced a particularly strong year-over-year growth rate of nearly 700%, a result of the growing number of publishers and advertisers recognizing the precision and strength of ad exchanges and the quality customers that OpenX attracts. LiftDNA, acquired by OpenX in February 2012, now adds a fully-integrated yield optimization solution that works completely within a publisher’s ad server.
“We’re very pleased that Ken and Farzad have joined the London team to use their extensive industry experience to grow and develop OpenX’s adoption across EMEA,” said Tim Cadogan, chief executive officer, OpenX. “Ken’s deep experience working directly with publishers and agencies, together with Farzad’s hands-on approach to helping publishers monetize their online properties, make them a formidable team to help publishers and advertisers scale and succeed.”
Prior to joining OpenX, Parnham was Managing Director for ADTECH (AOL) where he was responsible for all UK and Ireland business. Before ADTECH (AOL), Ken was Director of European Ad-Operations and Product Development with Hi-media (AdLINK Media) where he led the in-house ad exchange service and oversaw ad operations teams across Europe. Ken also previously held roles with Wanadoo (Orange-France Telecom) as European Group Head of Ad Systems and 24/7 Media (UK Sales Operations Director).
Khorsandjamal joins OpenX from Daily Express and OK! Magazine owner Northern & Shell where he was Group Digital Controller: Strategy, Development and Monetisation responsible for all of the network’s websites. Previously, Farzad was Commercial Director: Strategy and Development of Revenue Initiatives at Adknowledge Miva where he was responsible for Agency Sales, Business Development, Account Management and Editorial. Farzad has previously also held roles with Freeserve / Wanadoo (Orange-France Telecom), Clear Channel, Scottish Media Group, and News International.
“I’m excited to join OpenX and help publishers and advertisers scale and grow their businesses using OpenX’s technology,” said Ken Parnham, managing director, EMEA. “The online ad market is expanding incredibly quickly and OpenX’s unique revenue serving platform is something that should further accelerate that expansion.”
“It’s a great time to join such an innovative and fast growing company,” said Farzad Khorsandjamal, commercial director, EMEA. “I’m looking forward to helping publishers realize the potential of their operations with OpenX’s suite of technology products, in particular the new LiftDNA product which is without equal.”
About OpenX
OpenX is one of the world’s leading providers of digital advertising technology, enabling businesses to manage and maximize their ad revenue. OpenX products, including OpenX Enterprise, OpenX Market and LiftDNA by OpenX provide a comprehensive revenue serving platform by combining ad serving, an ad exchange and a breakthrough approach to yield optimization.
OpenX Technologies, Inc. is based in Los Angeles and is backed by leading investors including Accel Partners, Index Ventures and SAP Ventures. For more information, please visit www.openx.com.
OpenX and LiftDNA by OpenX are trademarks of OpenX Limited.