SINGAPORE — Anzu.io, the world’s most advanced in-game advertising platform, has announced the appointment of Tom Simpson, former SVP APAC at AdColony, as its newest strategic advisor with a special focus on the Asia-Pacific Region.
Simpson brings vital experience working with brands and game publishers across Asia-Pacific to connect gaming and marketing opportunities. He recently left mobile gaming in-app advertising platform AdColony, where he led the Asia-Pacific business, culminating in a sale to NASDAQ-giant Digital Turbine. Simpson also serves on the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) board in APAC.
On the appointment, Anzu Co-Founder and CEO Itamar Benedy said, “We are thrilled to have Tom, who is also a good friend, on board and are excited to learn from his invaluable knowledge and insight into APAC’s gaming and advertising industries. Tom will focus on guiding the development of partnerships to further Anzu’s opportunities with brands and game publishers in this strategically important region, which boasts the largest gaming community in the world.”
Simpson joins Anzu at a pivotal time, having recently announced a strategic partnership and significant investment from NBCUniversal and HTC, and renewed investment from WPP and Sony Innovation Fund. The in-game advertising platform also recently became the first in-game advertising platform to join Unity’s Verified Solutions Partner Programme, followed by the announcement of a new partnership with Microsoft in May. The platform has also just been named Best Ad Tech Platform at the Digiday Media Awards Europe 2022.
Simpson joins a well-rounded team of strategic investors, including Founding General Partner of Bitkraft Ventures Jens Hilgers, Ex-Global Chairman and CEO of Y&R, Global Marketing and Comms Executive and author David Sable, Whalar CMO Jamie Gutfreund, Former VP Sales & Distribution Strategy at Take-Two Interactive David Cox, and Krishan Bhatia, President and Chief Business Officer at NBCUniversal.
“I’m thrilled to partner with such a dynamic team and bring my passion for building strategic product and business relationships to help Anzu reach their next level of growth in this important region,” said Simpson. “Gaming is the fastest growing sector in media and marketing, meaning the play economy is hugely important right now. If work was the modus operandi for the industrial age, then play is how humanity creates value in the 21st century and beyond.”
