NEW YORK — October 3, 2024 – billups, the leading independent Out-of-Home (OOH) managed services agency, today announced the appointment of four senior leaders to drive growth across the Australia and New Zealand, and Europe and Middle East regions. David Hawkins has been named Managing Director, Middle East; Wissam El Rayess as Business Director, Middle East; Nicci Loudon as Business Director, ANZ; and Kirstie Caldwell as Account Director, ANZ. These appointments are part of a strategic expansion that includes acquiring four OOH agencies worldwide in the past year and a remarkable 123% revenue growth over the past three years. billups also recently named Claudia Valderrama as Global Chief Operating Officer and Ben Milne as Chief Executive Officer for the Asia-Pacific region.
David Hawkins, previously with JCDecaux, brings a wealth of experience in the OOH media industry. As Managing Director, he will lead the Middle East operations, focusing on expanding billups' presence in the region and delivering value to clients. Hawkins will be based in Dubai.
Wissam El Rayess, also joining from JCDecaux, has a strong background in agency relations and commercial partnerships. As Business Director, Middle East, El Rayess will drive business development initiatives and strengthen client relationships in this dynamic market. He will also be based in Dubai.
Nicci Loudon, formerly at Talon Outdoor, has extensive expertise in client services and business development. As Business Director, ANZ, Loudon will oversee regional operations and growth strategies. She will be based in Melbourne.
Kirstie Caldwell, with a successful track record at JCDecaux Australia and Talon, will serve as Account Director, ANZ. Caldwell will focus on enhancing client engagement and optimizing campaign performance for clients. She will be based in Sydney.
Hawkins and El Rayess will report to James McEwan, CEO, EMEA. Loudon and Caldwell will report to Ben Milne, CEO, APAC, who recently joined billups from dentsu.
“David, Wissam, Nicci, and Kirstie each bring strong market expertise and talent to billups as we continue our global expansion,” said David Krupp, Global CEO at billups. “Their appointments represent a significant step in our mission to make all Out-of-Home advertising accessible and accountable. With their leadership, we are poised to deliver even greater value to our clients by providing consistent in-house billups services and measurement across international activations.”
“billups has an opportunity to elevate the Middle East’s Out-of-Home advertising potential through advanced technology and data-driven insights," said David Hawkins, Managing Director, Middle East at billups. "As the Middle East embraces digital transformation, billups' expertise in programmatic buying and analytics will help our clients effectively reach their target audiences. Wissam El Rayess and the team will leverage our experience to support growth and impactful campaigns in this pivotal time for the industry."
"I look forward to returning to Australia and supporting billups’ focus on Out-of-Home optimization and analytics by applying my local and international experience," said Nicci Loudon, Business Director, ANZ at billups. “Ben Poole, Rohan Prasad, Kirstie Caldwell, and I will foster a collaborative culture with clients in the vibrant OOH sector."
About billups
billups is an independent global Out-of-Home (OOH) managed services agency helping advertisers, agencies, and OOH media owners strengthen media performance through a patented analytics and measurement platform. With over 20 years of experience and employees spanning 17 countries, the agency unites local OOH expertise with global accessibility to actualize international marketing initiatives. billups uses proprietary and patented AI-powered technology to plan, optimize, and report on media effectiveness, making OOH an indispensable part of media plans. Discover how billups shapes the future of OOH at www.billups.com.
