After founding Brand Networks 10 years ago, Jamie Tedford is stepping aside as CEO and giving the role to a former Adobe and Yahoo executive who joined the Boston adtech company last year.
Brand Networks — which provides social media advertising software for Fortune 100 companies and other big ad spenders — announced on Monday that Chief Revenue Officer Todd Taplin has been appointed as CEO. Tedford will continue to serve as chairman of the company's board and will focus on corporate development and strategic partnerships.
As its new CEO, Taplin will be responsible for executing the company's vision day-to-day between its managed services and software, as well as growing its business and maintaining customer relations.
Taplin joined Brand Networks last year after serving as executive vice president and chief revenue officer at Celtra, a Boston-based creative management software platform for digital advertising. Before that, he held senior executive and sales leadership roles at Adobe and Yahoo.
Tedford started Brand Networks as a bootstrapped, tech-enabled service provider for ad agencies. Over time, the company developed its own software that would allow agencies to place their own ads on social media channels. This evolution was aided by the company's acquisition of two competing social advertising platforms, Optimal and Shift, which was supported by a $68 million investment from private equity firm AEA Investors.
The company now has hundreds of customers, including half of the Fortune 100 and 17 of AdAge's 25 Most Advertised Brands. It has also been chosen as an early advertising partner by Snapchat, Facebook and several other social networks.
"As the market needs and company focus have evolved, I’ve been working with my board on a succession plan that attracts an experienced operator with a rare combination of software, media and ad tech experience to lead Brand Networks," Tedford said in a statement. "I’m thrilled we found that leader and know Todd’s skills and industry experience will help guide our company into the future."
