our principles
independent
We are fiercely impartial, neutral of allegiance to any specific technologies, partners or media companies. Our motivation is purely focused on maximizing the opportunity for our clients.
integrated
Our proposition is truly blended, reflecting the invaluable experience of our team. A comprehensive and seamless approach considers the complete picture in terms of assessing, deploying, monetizing and delivering value.
intelligent
The OOH space is changing rapidly. Our global experience and network of relationships is unparalleled in providing our clients with the latest intelligence in innovation, technology, insights and ideas.
invested
We see OOH as a force for good, a channel that can enhance people’s lives by informing, entertaining and inspiring them. We are committed to championing OOH as the catalyst to bring communities together.
Our Leadership
Tom Goddard, Chairman
London HQ
Annie Rickard, Managing Partner
London HQ
Carlos Viladevall Passola, Partner
Barcelona Office
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Tom is one of the most experienced senior executives in the field of OOH Media internationally and former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of several major OOH companies including Ocean Outdoor and CBS Outdoor’s International division, overseeing a team of more than 2,500 employees across Europe and Asia.
Based in London, with strong Irish roots, he is a regular guest speaker and panelist at international media conferences, as well as hosting webinars and podcasts. His experience encompasses all elements of OOH activity, from media channels to major municipal, transport and retail partnership contracts. He is also a specialist in digital transformation projects and is a strong proponent of AdTech.
He passionately believes in OOH’s growing importance in Smart City Programmes, the provision of civic amenity facilities and street furniture development.
Tom is also active in the field of philanthropy and is amongst others a Board Trustee of The London Irish Charity and Chair of their Campaign Board.
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Annie has over 30 years of executive experience in OOH at the highest level. During that time, she has been involved in developing and implementing strategies to grow businesses around the world, as well as acquisitions. She invested in people, insight and technology to create the world’s leading OOH agency.
She is a pioneer in the global OOH industry having been a founding partner of Posterscope in 1983, growing the world’s first OOH specialist agency into an international media powerhouse with revenues of $3bn+ and offices in over 35 countries. Posterscope is now owned by Dentsu. In 2013, she established an experiential marketing agency which grew to become MKTG (Dentsu), now operating with 1600 people across 18 countries.
Annie is passionate about the value of OOH to brands. She is also a founding member of the Women's Equality Party in the UK for whom she is an active advocate and campaigner. She is Chair of the Steering Committee and on the Executive.
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Carlos has more than 20 years of international experience in media, marketing and advertising work. He started his career within the FMCG industry across various senior marketing roles. After gaining his MBA from Harvard Business School, he joined Arthur D. Little as a management consultant where he worked on Corporate Finance, Strategy and Organization projects in several European countries.
He subsequently joined the leadership team of a digital media start-up that was later sold to Spain’s second largest telecom group where he later assumed responsibilities for the USA and LatAm. Carlos joined Dentsu in 2005 where he held various roles including Global Managing Director at Magic Touch (now MKTG), CEO of Posterscope Iberia and CEO at Carat Spain.
Carlos is an expert in digital transformation with a deep understanding of how data and technology can help businesses and institutions navigate the current competitive environment to achieve sustainable and efficient growth.
Carlos is also founder of HOOPworld, a self-sustainable non-profit initiative focused on abolishing child labour, using a holistic approach that breaks the vicious cycle of child labour and poverty providing a sustainable solution through professionalizing local industries as well as providing educational programs for children, youth and women.
David Gordon, Partner
Washington DC Office
Philippe Baudillon, Partner
Stephen Freitas, Partner
Washington DC Office
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As a pioneer of insight in OOH, David has conducted and commissioned extensive research programmes in the OOH space over a career spanning twenty years. He is passionate about using insight to make the medium more accountable and helping advertisers better understand the contribution of OOH to advertising activity.
After a brief time as a financial auditor, David moved into media research in the British commercial television market, spending two decades with ITV to develop strategies to sell the medium and manage change as new channels began to compete for share.
In 2001, David moved to Posterscope, the first appointment of a senior researcher on the buy side of the OOH industry. He changed how OOH was measured and reported, improving saliency and creating metrics that could be easily used in cross-media planning and effectiveness. As Global Insight Director, he advanced the industry’s understanding of the OOH medium, working with clients on audience measurement and conducting consumer impact studies, as well as championing OOH’s role as a communication channel.
David, born and educated in Scotland, has lived in Wimbledon for 40 years and is an active campaigner for an environment friendly approach in the design and build of local developments.
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Philippe has had a distinguished diplomatic career including positions in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in several ministerial cabinets, in particular under French Prime Ministers Jacques Chirac and Édouard Balladur.
He was the managing director of the Paris bid for the Olympic Games in 2012 (2003-2005) and CEO of France 2 Television (2005-2008). He became president of Clear Channel France in 2008 and was a member of the Board of Clear Channel International until February 2020.
In 2018, he published the book “Reinventing Street Experience”, a study on smart cities and the impact of digital on the transformation of cities and urban way of life.
Philippe is passionate about sports, particularly tennis, golf, running, swimming and skiing. Through his company Sima International, he actively develops urban sports for citizens.
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Stephen has spent more than 30 years serving in leadership roles across the OOH industry. Most recently and for the past 22-years, he led US OOH marketing efforts as the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) Chief Marketing Officer. In that role, he served as spokesman and thought leader, helping to advance and unite the OOH advertising industry through education and promotion.
Before joining OAAA, he spent a decade developing high profile marketing programs for Clear Channel Communications and its preceding companies Eller Media Company and Patrick Media Group. As Senior Vice President for Marketing, he was responsible for global branding in 65 markets, strategy, research, public relations, and corporate communications. Prior to joining the OOH advertising industry, he worked as a media planner at several San Francisco agencies.
Located in North America, Stephen understands the value of OOH media and how the medium builds brands. His other passion is historic properties having served on numerous historic society and museum Boards.
Sheldon Silverman, Partner
Chicago Office
Fred Kuhlman, Partner
Amsterdam Office
Jim Liu, Partner
Shanghai Office
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Sheldon has spent the last 36 years as an advocate of integrated marketing strategies that combine brand awareness with actionable consumer touchpoint platforms. He has not only founded & led successful marketing firms & agencies, but also helped launch technology companies that extended the channels with which consumers and brands communicate. He has also worked with leading brands & Fortune 500 Companies to enhance brand equity & engagement.
Sheldon is the Founder/Chairman of Liquid Marketing and the Founder/CEO of SmartBomb Media Group. Sheldon was on the Inaugural Leadership Committee for the United Nations Media For Social Impact Summit as well as participating on an advisory council for the Obama White House on Multicultural Outreach ("It'sOnUs" campaign, Michelle Obama's "DrinkUp" campaign and the "Path to Citizenship" campaign).
Sheldon is a Trustee of the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation and on the Board of Directors for the Digital Signage Federation (DFS). He is also the co-chair of the DSF Global DOOH Council whose mandate is to foster educating brands and agencies on the power of DOOH & Place Based Media.
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Fred’s career started in publishing and database marketing. He has worked for several years as director of the Central Marketing Organization of the Dutch newspapers. He expanded his media involvement to the OOH industry in 1999, where he became managing director of Viacom Outdoor in the Netherlands (now Exterion Media).
Together with a business partner, Fred founded Nationaal Adviesbureaqu Buitenreclame (NABB). NABB is a consultancy firm specialized in advising that helps cities and municipalities in the Netherlands and Belgium tie together their urban media portfolios, to optimize the quality and income generated through OOH advertising.
Fred has worked for the largest cities in the Netherlands and Belgium as an expert creating value for cities. Not only in terms of money, but also in relation to sustainability, circularity, energy efficiencies and smart city developments. The major Dutch OOH tenders issued over the last 10 years were managed by NABB.
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As one of the most experienced and highly respected senior executives in China’s OOH industry, Jim has over 17 years of OOH experience in the Greater China region. Based in Shanghai, Jim’s extensive experience and industry insights encompass China’s very fragmented OOH market from top tier metropolis to lower tier cities. Jim is a specialist in digital transformation, corporate restructuring and business growth offering strategic counsel to many Chinese and international OOH media companies.
Jim began his OOH career in 2004 at Zenith Media as Chinese OOH head charged with developing the first OOH media databank scoring system which kept in place the agency’s winning competence.
From 2006 to 2013, Jim was instrumental in helping GroupM successfully consolidate its five agencies’ OOH operations under one brand, Kinetic China, and grew the OOH business in China over 750 percent in annual revenue, operating offices in 5 cities.
Jim is passionate about raising the bar for the OOH industry in China, particularly when it comes to data and technology uses to help OOH businesses provide better solutions to brands. Jim’s professional success is reflected in the many hats he wears as a media commentator and a highly sought-after international public speaker.
