Mobile Media

Tristan O'Carroll, mediaweek.co.uk, 09 January 2009, 3:35pm

Gregory resigns from Blyk

LONDON - Blyk, the ad-funded mobile network, is parting company with UK chief executive Shaun Gregory, who is resigning for what the company termed personal reasons.

Gregory: will be replaced by Blyk co-founder Antti Öhrling

Gregory will be replaced at the end of Q1 by Antti Öhrling, co-founder and current executive director of Blyk. Gregory could not be reached for comment.

Öhrling said: "In 2008, Blyk achieved milestones in member and advertiser growth in the UK and it was a pivotal year in demonstrating that the model works for both young people and advertisers alike. We thank Shaun for his contribution to this success."

Öhrling co-founded Blyk in 2006 with former Nokia president, Pekka Ala-Pietilä.

Meanwhile, Pekka Ala-Pietilä will lead Blyk's international media partnering approach through which the company aims to gain greater flexibility and speed to capitalize on new growth opportunities and global demand for its media model.

This announcement follows the company's recent news of an additional €40m (£36m) in funding to support its ongoing operations and international expansion.

In September, Blyk, which offers users free calls in return for receiving ads and promotions, said it had signed up double the number of UK users it had targeted at launch 12 months previously. It reached its 100,000 one-year target after seven months in operation.