Cloud-based social WiFi provider, Purple WiFi, is investing in its US expansion with the recruitment of Anne Lakstigala to the role of Vice President, Americas. This strategic appointment enables Purple WiFi to fully implement its US sales plans, which comprise a combination of reseller and distributor agreements, and to cement manufacturer partnerships.
Anne, who will direct the company’s sales activity from Silicon Valley, has more than 15 years of global sales, business development and strategic partnership experience with extensive background in scaling new products and services into new markets. She has worked with leading technology and media brands including AT&T, Adobe, Disney and, most recently, Lucasfilm, where she was Director of Worldwide Distribution, leading licensing and distribution of the organisation’s film and television content library.
The appointment comes as Purple WiFi adds a number of new features to its social WiFi offering, including presence analytics and location based services, which allow businesses to gain even more valuable data around footfall and movements around a venue, from the guests logging in to the free WiFi service. This generates a clear picture of who is using the WiFi, where, for how long, what they are interested in and how their offline behaviour in the venue relates to online activity. The data can then be used to create an end to end customer engagement programme.
Anne will provide direction and support to develop the existing relationships with partners such as Ingram Micro and will put the strategic building blocks in place to enable further growth through both direct and indirect sales. Her experience of working on strategic agreements positions her perfectly to represent Purple WiFi, which has gained serious traction over the last 12 months with the introduction of new features and partnerships with big names such as Cisco and Ruckus. With the global WiFi market estimated at $40 billion currently and expected to more than double by 2018, the market opportunity is huge for Purple WiFi.
Gavin Wheeldon, CEO of Purple WiFi, said of the appointment: “We have some key distribution agreements in place in the US but we wanted someone on the ground there who truly understands channel relationships, the market and how our product fits. Anne has such a breadth of experience of partnerships and licensing within the key sectors we are most keen to target that she is perfect for the role and we are excited about the way she will be able to build the brand in the US and further afield.”
Commenting on her appointment to the role of VP Americas, Anne Lakstigala said: “It’s exciting to join a dynamic company that is committed to technology innovation and expansion within one of the fastest growing business segments – mobile and data analytics. I’m looking forward to leading this growth in North and South America and enabling a richer consumer experience in a multi-platform world.”
