Advertising technology startup Hoppr has bolstered its board ahead of a planned global scale up, with the appointments of executives Vince Pizzica as co-chairman and Michelle Guthrie as a non-executive director.
Hoppr’s flagship solution, HopprTV, delivers targeted video and display advertising to individual set-top boxes.
The digital platform also supports interactive advertising to drive sales and engagement with analytics to tailor effective messaging.
Guthrie is a veteran advertising and media industry executive who over her 25-year career has held senior management roles at global media companies such as Google, Foxtel, BSkyB and Star TV in Hong Kong.
She most recently was the managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) where she oversaw a significant expansion of the public broadcaster’s digital footprint before a highly publicised dismissal which ended up in a legal battle before she was reportedly paid $800,000 to settle.
Joining Hoppr marks Guthrie's first role in a startup.
She says she joined the Hoppr board because it was an opportunity to bridge the gap between TV network providers and advertisers.
“Targeted addressable advertising in the UI is a powerful way for brands to communicate with their customers without disrupting the viewing experience,” she said.
“Hoppr is an Australian startup with global potential and the right internationally experienced team to deliver. Hoppr’s technology will help democratise TV advertising and unlock more opportunities for different sized businesses to reach their customers.”
Pizzica brings with him more than 30 years of experience across the public and private sector, including recent success in strategy consulting as well as C-suite roles at multibillion-euro global corporation Technicolor.
“Vince’s unique blend of marketing and tactical skills, together with his highly qualified engineering and technical background, will provide strategic direction during what will be a rapid growth phase for Hoppr,” Hoppr CEO Cyril Daoud says.
“In addition, Michelle’s experience across both traditional and emerging media companies will be invaluable to the Hoppr board as we prepare the rollout of our digital advertising platform globally over the next 24 months.”
Guthrie and Pizzica were officially elected to the Hoppr board at an annual meeting of directors on July 10, with Pizzica to share the position of chairman with Hoppr founder George Gelavis.
“I’m very excited about this next phase for Hoppr where we will seek to expand our international presence and unlock revenue streams for customers across the world,” Pizzica says.
“Hoppr is pursuing deals with streaming services around the world and is in advanced talks with a number of sizable providers in Europe and Asia to connect to its HopprTV solution.”
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