David Scribner, CEO of Virgin Mobile, is exiting the telco to take up the CEO post at Sensis' True Local SME division.
Scribner tells AdNews he is torn over leave the telco and the Virgin family, but exicited by a new opportunity.
“I'm excitied by what the team is doing over there in the digital space and keen to see how I can get my teeth into that and grow it," he says.
He is currently working out his notice period with Optus/Virgin Mobile and developing a transisiton plan for the future leadership.
He has led the telco for the last four years and says that means it's a good opportunity for someone else to come in with “fresh eyes”.
Prior to joing the telco he came from a marketing background with stints at Milo, AGL and Telstra focusing on brand, engagement and digital innovation.
True Local is a SME directory business which was acquired by the Sensis group in 2013.
John Allan, Sensis CEO, says that at 10 years old, it is time to accelerate True Lcal's growth and “realise its potential”.
“True Local has achieved terrific growth since Sensis acquired the business in March 2013 and the time is right to invest in the next stage of its development. In combining David’s expertise in digital innovation with the experience of the existing True Local team, we are excited about the future,” he said.
“Additionally, Skip has become one of Australia’s most popular order, pay and collect applications servicing over 800 cafes and continues to grow at a phenomenal rate. We expect this will be a stellar year for Skip as it explores complementary markets. Both are pure digital businesses that appeal to a primarily urban audience; it makes good sense to bring them under David’s leadership.”
In a statement, Scribner adds: “There’s no doubt the smartphone will continue to grow as the device of choice in how consumers search for and engage with businesses – there is great potential in how True Local and Skip harness this knowledge to help businesses gain more exposure, connect and transact with their community and generate advocacy for their business."
He joins Sensis on 20 March.
Josh Bayliss, Virgin Group CEO says: “We are grateful for David’s remarkable contribution to Virgin Mobile Australia and for nurturing a team who epitomise the Virgin way of doing things. The Virgin Group team has enjoyed working with David and we wish him all the best for his next venture."
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop me a line at rosiebaker@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day. Need a job? Visit adnewsjobs.com.au.