The Financial Times sixth fastest growing European company has appointed its first Chief Marketing Officer to accelerate its disruption of the automotive market.
Carwow - the online car buying website which last year raised $39 million in Series C funding - has appointed Phil Lloyd, previous Head of Advertising at Paddy Power, as Chief Marketing Officer to add further strategic direction to its leadership team.
Bringing experience across high growth start-up businesses, large consumer brands and global creative agencies, his appointment heralds the brand’s step-change as it pursues ambitious growth.
A 'full stack' marketeer with proven expertise across performance marketing, brand strategy, growth marketing and creative execution, Lloyd will be responsible for ensuring connected thinking across the brand, unlocking growth for the business with one central marketing strategy across different audiences.
Lloyd joins from Paddy Power Betfair PLC, where he was the Global Head of Advertising for both brands following the merger of the two businesses. He ran the pitch process appointing Lucky Generals as the consolidated creative agency in 2016 and ran a number of highly regarded campaigns for each brand. Most recently he's been based in San Francisco, helping scale a venture backed mobile gaming business in the US and UK.
Cutting his teeth and “growing up” in creative agencies including BBH and Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, Lloyd developed an adept understanding of how businesses can deliver successful marketing through clear strategy and creativity.
His appointment at carwow follows hot on the heels of key announcements from the business, including the brand’s expansion into France and Spain, its growth to 220 staff across four markets and the fact that it has sold more than £2 billion worth of cars since launching in the UK in 2013.
As part of driving continued expansion, Lloyd will look to engage agency partners that share his and the company’s vision, and match these partnerships with the best in-house talent.
Lloyd explains, “My aim is to help curate and deepen a marketing culture where the customer’s voice is represented through the entire business. The strength of the entire team at carwow is incredible, and now is the time for more car buyers across the UK and Europe to know about the power of our product.
“I can’t wait to work in partnership with founders, in particular the CEO James Hind. The modern CMO role is tough, but having the confidence and trust from an entrepreneur like James is a crucial support and inspiration to keep driving the growth agenda in the business.”
James Hind, founder and CEO of carwow adds, “Phil’s appointment is a crucial hire following a year-long search. He impressed in smarts, with both his passion and his ideas for how we can use customer insights to create an aligned marketing strategy and grow carwow at pace”.