As Brndstr prepares for its next level of growth, which includes expanding into new markets, the agency’s Founder Simon Hudson is stepping down from his role as CEO. In the next few months, Mr Hudson will still be involved in the agency’s business decisions but he is already preparing on what his next startup would be.
“Over the course of 2018, I will gradually move into a more behind the scenes role – but will always be heavily involved in brand and business decisions because after all Brndstr is still my baby. I have a few plans to look at launching something new but as of now my focus is to help the transition across to the new leadership team,” said Mr Hudson.
In the four years of leading the Dubai-based creative tech firm, Mr Hudson’s leadership saw the agency support over 200 brands across eight countries and generating close to USD 5 million in revenue. Now, Mr Hudson is making way for a new executive team to help take the company from tech startup to international small and media enterprise (SME).
“Having built the company from the ground up and positioning Brndstr as the go to tech house for creative Twitter and Messenger campaigns we want to focus the attention on offering our services internationally. To do this we will require a team of leaders who are experienced in growth. My skill sets and passion lie in branding and creating excitement around a startup. My plan is to take a step down from the day to day CEO role and look at maybe launching something new in 2018,” said Mr Hudson.
Since Mark Zuckerberg announced that chatbots were going to be a key focus for Facebook at the F8 Conference in 2016, there has been a rise in the number of brands introducing them to their business.
Brndstr’s expertise comes in when large industries such as banks, airlines and automotive companies are looking to integrate a family of chatbots into their existing infrastructure. Brndstr has worked with various brands such as Emirates NBD, British Airways, Dubai Governments RTA, Axiom Telecom, McDonalds, CNN, Pepsi, Coca Cola and Samsung to name a few.
In future, Mr Hudson will remain involved in Brndstr as founding partner and help the new executive team with core decisions and branding.
“The success of Brndstr and being able to say we are still in business four years later comes down to everyone who occupied a desk at Brndstr. My job has been to drive the business forward and innovate where needed. Technology never sleeps and we have had to adapt over the years to make sure we are constantly at the forefront of what the world is doing. Without the amazing staff and people who have helped along the way, none of this would have been possible. Everyone who is either at the company or part of the Alumni should be proud to have played a part and I want to thank each and every one of them,” commented Mr Hudson.
Brndstr has seen a 300 percent increase in requests for BOTS in Q4 alone just from Dubai. The 2018 plans are to expand the platform to more international companies, with some key developments planned for Q1 of 2018. As one of the key partners for both Facebook and Twitter in the region, Brndstr will be busy helping more brands innovate and streamline their customer service channels.
