LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CreatorIQ, the industry-leading creator marketing software for global brands and agencies, today announced it’s hiring web analytics and marketing software pioneer Chris Harrington as CEO. In this role, the dynamic Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) executive will lead and accelerate the company’s next growth phase as the creator economy’s total addressable market approaches half a trillion dollars.
Harrington has three decades of experience building SaaS businesses, most of which time has been spent serving CMOs and their marketing executives. Among his many accomplishments, Harrington served as President of Global Sales and Client Services at Omniture, a next-generation web analytics platform. During his seven-year tenure, Harrington took Omniture from $3.5M to over $500M in revenue (32% of that business was driven through an extensive agency partner ecosystem). Adobe eventually acquired the company for $1.8 billion.
Harrington also served as President and board member at Domo, a cloud-based data experience platform leveraged by enterprises such as Unilever, NBA, and TaylorMade. Harrington joined Domo when the company was two years old and grew the company from $7M to over $150M in revenue in under four years.
“I am thrilled to welcome Chris as the new CEO of CreatorIQ. His dynamic leadership and vision align perfectly with our mission to make Creator Marketing measurable, integrated, and essential. Chris’s track record of innovation and success in scaling SaaS companies excites me for what lies ahead. Chris’s empathetic leadership and dedication to clients’ success makes me confident that we have the right leader for our future,” said Igor Vaks, founder, board member and former CEO at CreatorIQ. “Together with our clients and partners, we will continue to elevate Creator Marketing, with CreatorIQ leading in measurement and technology. I look forward to supporting Chris in this journey and witnessing the remarkable success that lies ahead for CreatorIQ and our industry.”
Most recently, Harrington served as CRO at Entrata, a property management software company, where he drove all customer-facing operations. Before that, Harrington was CEO at InsideSales, where he optimized sales processes for clients like Dell, Caesars Entertainment, Fidelity, and American Express.
“Consumers today increasingly turn to the power of Creators throughout their entire buying journey and are moving their time and attention to the platforms that afford them this sense of community,” said Harrington. “As brands and agencies aggressively change their marketing mix to address this seismic shift in audience, creators play an integral role in helping forge authentic relationships with these consumers. As the creator economy’s most secure and trusted software infrastructure, I look forward to continuing CreatorIQ’s history of empowering scale, success, and innovation for our customers.”
Interim CEO Jon Namnath, who is also co-founder of creator intelligence platform Tribe Dynamics, which CreatorIQ acquired in 2021, remains a key member of the executive leadership team and CreatorIQ’s board of directors. Namnath has steered the company’s continued growth in the six months following founder Igor Vaks’ transition out of an operating role and was a pivotal force in the decision process that led to Harrington’s hiring. Previously, Jon was Chief Growth Officer at CreatorIQ, leading the company to consecutive record sales quarters and building a strong foundation for growth.
“As the global creator economy continues to grow, CreatorIQ has become an integral platform powering end-to-end efforts for more than 1,200 global brands and agencies, including United Airlines, Wella, and Dentsu,” said Jon Namnath, Interim CEO and Board Member at CreatorIQ. “Chris is a dynamic, engaging, and enthusiastic leader who has helped build several billion-dollar businesses and has the experience to drive growth for CreatorIQ and our customers and industry at large.”
With Gen Z’s global purchasing power reaching $450 billion and looking to control 17% of global retail spend by 2030, it is crucial for businesses to understand their preferences and behaviors.1 Notably, 72% of young people in the U.S. follow a creator, and over half have purchased a product from someone they follow.2
Client Commentary
Scott Friedman, CEO, Rare Beauty: “We would not have achieved the rapid success we have had at Rare Beauty without the creator community embracing and amplifying their love of the brand’s products and messaging to their audiences. With consumers spending more of their time and attention in various digital and online social spaces, the voices of beauty creators are more important than ever. It’s impossible to build a strong brand in the beauty space today without a robust creator strategy.”
Michelle Crossan-Matos, Chief Marketing Officer, Ulta: “At Ulta Beauty, we know true joy lives within the communities we belong to, and creators are the linchpin helping bring authentic connection to life through engaging content. To succeed in marketing today, you must acknowledge the power of creators, and we’ve embraced them fully within our marketing mix to not only story tell through relatable voices, but drive business results with lasting impact.”
Noel Mack, Chief Brand Officer, Gymshark: “As an organization, Gymshark has integrated creators throughout its business from product design through to creative execution to ensure they forge a deep connection with their consumer. Creators have been instrumental to the success of the Gymshark brand over the years and will continue to do so in the future.”
Alexa Tonner, Co-Founder and COO of Collectively: “Collectively has been working with creators for 11 years, but the last couple of years have been transformative – it feels like we’re at an inflection point. Brands are beyond the ‘test and learn’ stage because they see the impact creators have across the entire marketing funnel. We’ve seen a big shift in brands building big-picture, multi-year strategies and looking for agencies of record to help them develop, execute and measure impact. Creator marketing feels like where digital marketing was 20 years ago – critical for all marketers and central to all consumer touchpoints.”
About CreatorIQ
CreatorIQ is the most trusted influencer marketing platform for organizations looking to advance their creator marketing. Its enterprise-grade technology and industry-leading intelligence facilitate scaled creator discovery, streamlined workflows, and robust reporting while ensuring compliance and brand safety. Thousands of the world’s most innovative brands and agencies use CreatorIQ, including AB InBev, Logitech, Movers+Shakers, Nestlé, RQ, Sephora, Unilever and more. Learn more at CreatorIQ.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.
1 Source: ExplodingTopics.com
2 Source: Sprout Social, Morning Consult Pro