stipso appoints John Watson as Director
stipso, the leading provider of Market Engagement solutions has announced the appointment of John Watson as a Non-Executive Director of the company.
John’s recent role was Managing Director of Lloyds Banking Group’s Small Business Lending Portfolio, setting the bank’s loans strategy and managing the lending risk though the recent banking crisis. He was also a founder member and Non-Executive Director of the new £2.5bn
Business Growth Fund plc. He is a Non-Executive Director of Northface Ventures Ltd and Managing Director of Dalnair Ltd.
His early career was spent with 3i and PwC supporting venture, growth capital and buyout transactions before joining Craneware as Chief Financial Officer.
stipso Executive Chairman David Farquhar commented: “We are delighted to have someone of John’s excellent reputation and track record join the board at such an early stage in the company’s development. He brings a wealth of corporate governance and transaction experience to the board and will provide a vital link between the company and our investors.
It is testament to the strength of the stipso value proposition and the greatly accelerated progress the team has made in winning our first customers some 3 quarters before originally projected as well as releasing the product well ahead of schedule.
John has already had a significant commercial impact on the business having made introductions for us to several customers including, Maven Capital Partners, who have recently signed up for our Market Engagement Platform. I will be working closely with John to continue to build the company’s reputation in key markets such as London and to strengthen our balance sheet even further over the next 12 months.”
In reply Mr Watson noted, “Working with a startup team like the one at stipso is a privilege and a challenge. stipso is one of the most exciting start-ups I have seen in Scotland for some time. The stipso product creates the ability for organisations to create two-way engagement
with their customers and communities through social media.
It’s both a local and a global market opportunity, served by an international team. It is a validation of their vision when an investment house like Maven Capital Partners engages with them at such an early stage in the product launch.
I look forward to working with David and the team over the next few years to build a really great company.”
