UK company, Next2Friends, the mobile social media platform, has announced that Roy Shelton, an international telecom and technology executive has joined Next2Friends as Chief Executive Officer. The company has also expanded its international footprint by opening an office in New York City.
Shelton's appointment as CEO brings to Next2Friends over two decades of technology and telecom business expertise. Working with government, industry and investment communities worldwide such as Prime Carrier, Azure Solutions and Cerebrus, Shelton has gained a reputation for early identification of successful emerging technologies. At Next2Friends he will be leading an international team to deliver a strategic set of business opportunities that harness the convergence of mobile technologies and internet services.
"The Next2Friends business model is an obvious winner;" commented Roy Shelton, CEO of Next2Friends. "With such a comprehensive range of services for businesses and consumers alike, and the incredible groundswell of early interest and support, ramping up and extending our global reach is going to be both fast and fulfilling. We're already getting excellent feedback from major players in the industry and exciting times lie ahead for us all."
The New York City office is headed by Rachel Wilde, VP of Sales & Marketing. A business development specialist most recently at T-Mobile USA, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, Wilde specialises in building partnerships that drive businesses forward. Her role at Next2Friends includes managing a growing worldwide sales and marketing force delivering scalable social media marketing solutions.
Based out of the Midtown section of Manhattan, New York City, Next2Friends is strategically placed to take advantage of this business district's global news and entertainment outlets, major advertising agencies and growing financial services industry. "Midtown is the ideal choice for our first North American office;" added Rachel Wilde, Next2Friends VP of Sales & Marketing. "New York City is home to a large percentage of the nation's total technology early adopters as well as the innovative organisations shaping the new media trends and opportunities of the future."
Next2Friends also plans to launch offices in Asia as part of its drive to expand the company's global presence. Funded previously by a seed round from its management team and DropJaw Ventures, an early-stage emerging technology investor, Next2Friends has now closed its Series A round with a major US S&P 500 corporation and several UK Angel Investors.