NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Feb 15, 2017) - Persado, the leading provider of AI-generated cognitive content for top global brands, today announced the appointment of two executives. Grigoris Kouteris has been named Chief Financial Officer, reporting to Cofounder and CEO Alex Vratskides. Mr. Kouteris will oversee all financial operations, legal affairs, and human resources. Additionally, Maria Flores Portillo joins Persado as Vice President, UK, expanding sales efforts across Europe and reporting to Greg Dale, COO. Both are based in Persado's London offices.
Mr. Kouteris was most recently at Upstream, the leading mobile commerce platform that incubated and eventually spun off the solution that became Persado. As Upstream's Managing Director since 2012, he maintained full P&L ownership and day-to-day oversight of all operational and commercial aspects of the company. In this role Mr.Kouteris overperformed on net revenue and EBITDA targets through market expansion, product launches, and operational efficiencies. Other positions he held at Upstream, which he joined in 2006, included business development, global account management, and commercial operations. Before that at strategy consulting firm Mars & Co, Mr. Kouteris advised telecommunications and financial services clients on projects ranging from pricing optimization to organizational change management. He was also senior consultant at the European Tech Labs of Accenture, performing strategic research and analysis on emerging technologies like IoT and micropayments. Mr. Kouteris holds a BEng and a MPhil in Electronic Engineering from UMIST, Manchester, UK.
Ms. Flores Portillo comes to Persado from Ooyala, which she first joined in 2012 as VP New Business when it was still Videoplaza. Ms. Flores Portillo fueled growth by developing a new revenue line that rapidly surpassed the existing business, and was an integral part of the team that eventually sold Videoplaza to Ooyala. She then took on a wider role across EMEA, looking after business development, ad technology, and channel sales. Ms. Flores Portillo was previously a Strategic Partnerships Manager at Google, working with large media and brand companies across Europe to expand their advertising business, and a Senior Product Manager at EE, the largest and most advanced mobile communications company in the UK. Like Mr. Kouteris, Ms. Flores Portillo was previously at Upstream, filling a number of roles including Head of Business Planning, Account Director, and Business Developer. Ms. Flores Portillo holds an MSC in Mobile and Satellite Communications from the University of Surrey and Superior Degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Universidad Publica de Navarra.
"It is with great pleasure that I welcome Grigoris and Maria, both of whom I personally know from Upstream, and whose considerable accomplishments are a tremendous asset to Persado as we scale to accommodate accelerated growth and expansion, particularly in light of rising demand in the UK/EMEA," said Mr. Vratskides.
About Persado, Inc.
Persado's cognitive content platform generates language that inspires action. Powered by cognitive computing technologies, the platform exponentially enhances creativity by eliminating the limitations imposed by traditional message creation. Persado arms organizations and individuals with "smart content" that maximizes the efficacy of communication with any audience at scale, while delivering unique insight into the specific triggers that drive action.
Using Persado, leading brands such as Citi, American Express, MetLife, Microsoft, Neiman Marcus, Staples, and Verizon Wireless have realized one billion dollars in incremental revenue and an average uplift of 49.5% in conversions across marketing campaigns. Named a Gartner Cool Vendor in Data-Driven Marketing, Persado's investors include Goldman Sachs, Bain Capital Ventures, StarVest Partners, American Express Ventures and Citi Ventures. Persado is headquartered in New York City with locations in San Francisco, Chicago, London, Athens, and Rome. For more information see www.persado.com.