XLMedia to be led by Rakuten’s Stuart Simms

Rakuten‘s Stuart Simms has been confirmed as the new chief executive officer for digital performance marketing services provider XLMedia, replacing Ory Weihs from October 2.

Weihs is due to continue his position as CEO until Simms’ arrival, and thereafter will remain on the board as a Non-executive Director of the Company. From the date of Simms’ appointment, Weihs will continue to support the Board, whilst also allowing him to pursue other business interests outside of XLMedia.

Simms brings with him a wealth of experience in the performance marketing sector having previously held several board and senior executive positions, including as Chief Executive Officer, of Rakuten Marketing. Prior to his time at Rakuten, Simms held the position of Chief Operating Officer of Fits Me, a consumer data and analytics company acquired by Rakuten in June 2015.

Following its acquisition, Simms assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of Rakuten Fits Me, overseeing the integration of Fits Me into the enlarged group.

Chris Bell, Non-executive Chairman of XLMedia, celebrated the new appointment: “We are delighted to welcome Stuart to XLMedia and believe he is ideally placed to help deliver the next phase of our growth.  His extensive knowledge of the performance marketing arena and technology makes him an ideal candidate to lead our business and both myself and the Board look forward to working with him.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere gratitude to Ory for his outstanding contribution to XLMedia, a business he established in 2008. We are also pleased Ory will be remaining with the business as a Non-executive Director allowing the Board to continue to benefit from his expertise.”

During his time at Rakuten, Simms was tasked with carrying out a substantial transformation and re-structuring of the business, resulting in a return to growth. To achieve this, Simms drew upon the group’s in-house technology and integrate acquisitions, accelerating both revenue and profit growth.

As well as confirming Simms’ appointment, XLMedia has also confirmed that Inbal Lavi, currently Chief Executive Officer of XLMedia’s wholly owned subsidiary, Webpals Systems S.C.Ltd , has resigned from Webpals Systems in order to pursue other business interests.