We’re thrilled to welcome James Wilde to Croud as our new Chief Growth Officer (CGO) for EMEA. In this role, James will be leading our commercial strategy, driving growth across the region, and shaping the future of our business development efforts.
James joins us at an exciting time, as we continue to scale our brand and performance media offering following our recent investment partnership with ECI. His expertise, experience, and vision will be instrumental in accelerating our next phase of growth.
A proven growth leader
With over 15 years in the industry, James brings a wealth of experience from leading agencies, including Assembly, Wavemaker, Maxus, Spark Foundry, and PHD. Most recently, as Head of Growth & Marketing for Europe at Assembly (Stagwell), he introduced innovative business development strategies—such as an AI-driven growth engine - which secured the £40 million Pipedrive account.
Before that, at Wavemaker, James led 34 new client wins in a single year and achieved a 90% retention pitch rate, securing partnerships with brands like Audible, Trainline, and Wayfair, while retaining key accounts such as Transport for London and William Hill. His contributions to the industry earned him a spot in Campaign’s Top New Business Chiefs list in 2023.
Beyond his commercial expertise, James is a respected voice in the industry, having written for The Drum and Campaign on topics ranging from agency collaboration and media planning biases to client retention strategies.
