Latitude’s Board of Directors
Dylan Thwaites, Chairman
Dylan graduated from Leeds University and was Bass’s youngest area manager by the age of 22, running 15 Liverpool pubs. He later joined Bass’s strategy and new concepts division, where he was part of the small team that devised the hugely successful All Bar One, It’s a Scream and O’Neill’s Irish Bar brands.
After ten years at Bass, Dylan opened a chain of pubs, before embarking on a range of e-commerce ventures with his business partner David Ashton, including a pioneering music mixing and download service.
In 2000, Dylan took a 25% stake in Corporem, a full service Internet company based in Cheshire, which covered everything from e-commerce sites and online marketing to software production. A year later, Dylan acquired the remaining 75% of the company and closed ten of its eleven businesses, leaving only one core specialty: search.
He subsequently became CEO of Corporem Global, one of the UK’s first dedicated Search Engine Marketing companies, and took the company from only six staff and £100,000 sales in its first year to five times the sales the following year. Dylan rebranded Corporem Global as Latitude in February 2005 and the company generated a turnover of £41m in 2007. The increasing turnover was largely driven by Dylan’s push for diversification, with the launch of social media, online display advertising and affiliate marketing products, as well as the introduction of Latitude White a PPC product specifically aimed at SMEs.
In October 2006, Dylan was awarded the sought-after title of Ernst & Young Technology & Communications Entrepreneur of the Year. The judges praised Latitude’s ability to sign big name blue chip clients and the award was seen as recognition of Dylan’s outstanding achievement in growing Latitude to its current position as the biggest dedicated Search Engine Marketing company in Europe (click here to view the press release).
Dylan was recently honoured to be advising the new Chancellor Alistair Darling on the most effective role Government can play in supporting entrepreneurship and what the priorities for action should be. Click here for more on this.
After 8 years as CEO of Latitude Dylan recently moved up to become Chairman of Latitude Group and handed the job of CEO over to Alex Hoye.
Dylan spends his spare time playing football for Westend in the Huddersfield District League and occasionally enjoys watching Leeds United. He is also a keen traveller and recently climbed Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Click here to watch a video of Dylan on “UK vs US Search Engine Marketing”, here for his White Paper, on the UK vs US search industry. Please click here for the video on the specialist Fraud Prevention role that is unique to Latitude.
Use our enquiry QuickForm to contact Dylan
Julie Moran, Chief Financial Officer
Julie is a results-driven, commercially astute Chief Financial Officer with responsibility for maximizing return from all areas of the business and identifying new methods of increasing revenue. She helps Latitude’s clients and shareholders achieve exceptional ROI, through her extensive experience in corporate and commercial business planning, leadership and legal compliance, as well as her deep understanding of how to execute cost-effective operational processes.
Julie also serves as company secretary and brings strong interpersonal skills, extensive knowledge, strong senior level experience and assertive capital management abilities to Latitude. Before joining the company in February 2004, she served as Financial Controller of a top legal practice, reporting directly to the CEO.
She was also Chief Financial Officer of a high-profile sporting charity that was heavily involved in sponsorship funding. She qualified as a chartered accountant in 2001, after spending three years in audit and corporate tax.
Julie is in the final stages of acquiring an MBA with the Manchester Business School and is an advanced stage marker for the ICAEW.
Click here to watch a video of Julie on ‘Latitude’s Recent Achievements.’
Use our enquiry QuickForm to contact Julie
Richard Gregory, Chief Operating Officer
As Chief Operating Officer, Richard is responsible for overseeing the successful delivery of Search Engine Marketing campaigns for all of Latitude’s clients. He also provides clients with strategic advice on the European Search Engine Marketplace.
Richard has served Latitude in a wide variety of roles since joining in October 2002, including Account Director, Head of Production, Head of Search and New Business Manager. Richard was heavily involved in the development of COBRA, Latitude’s proprietary bid management software. He also helped put together Europe’s largest team of search specialists. He is now responsible for Latitude’s client services department ensuring the companies high level of customer satisfaction is maintained, as well as driving the development of Latitude’s digital products.
Prior to joining the company, Richard worked in account and project management and business development for online agencies in London and Leeds. He handled accounts such as BT Cellnet (now O2), Volvo, Channel 4, MTV and Cadbury’s. He helped build the Poulter Net team—the new media division of Poulter Partners, a Leeds-based advertising agency.
Richard is the UK Chair of SEMPO and regularly speaks at industry events, including Haymarket’s Integrated Brand Building event, Jupiter Events’ Search Engine Strategies conference, the NMA Online Marketing Show and Ad Tech. In his spare time, Richard enjoys spending quality time with his wife and two daughters, as well as making observations on his blog: www.richardgregory.co.uk
Click here to watch a video of Richard on ‘Developments in Search Engine Marketing.’
Use our enquiry QuickForm to contact Richard
Rob Shaw, Chief Technology Officer
Rob is responsible for the IT infrastructure that underpins Latitude’s full range of client services. He ensures that Latitude meets the ever-changing needs of its clients and constantly seeks out fresh ways to utilise technology to give Latitude a competitive edge in the Search Engine Marketing market place.
Rob joined Latitude in October 2006 and has more than 18 years’ experience in the IT industry. He has managed IT services for some of the UK’s largest public and private organisations including British Gas, Barclaycard, Royal Bank of Scotland, Thames Water, RSPCA and O2. Before joining Latitude, he was IT Director for Ventura Customer Service Management, part of Next plc and the UK’s leading provider of outsourced customer services and business process outsourcing.
A regular speaker at the Call-Center Expo in Birmingham on topics including improving customer service through CRM technology, Rob spends his spare time renovating and installing home automation technology inside a 250-year-old barn in Yorkshire.
Click here to watch a video of Rob on the Importance of Technology in SEM.
Use our enquiry QuickForm to contact Rob
Neil McCarthy, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer
Neil McCarthy has worked in online marketing for the past 7 years. He is recognised as an industry expert in Search, with particular emphasis on the integration of paid with natural search campaigns and the value of search engine optimisation (SEO).
He has a specialist knowledge of the financial services sector, particularly insurance, and has conceived and implemented search strategies for Direct Line, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Arcadia, AirMiles, and Tesco.
Neil is a regular contributor to publications such as Marketing Week, NMA, Media Week and Revolution. He is also well known on the speaking circuit, having presented at the IDM, Internet World, ad:tech, Revolution events, the Online Marketing Show, e-Consultancy, Netimperative, and Travolution.
Use our enquiry QuickForm to contact Neil