Guild, the ad-free platform for professional communities and networking, has appointed Gregor Young, formerly marketing technology director at the Financial Times as COO.
Young led the FT’s digitisation efforts and implemented the publisher’s martech strategy. Before that, Young was head of digital acceleration at Channel 4 and previously head of group digital product and marketing at BT, where he led a major digital rebrand.
Young is now part of Guild’s executive leadership team and reports directly to Guild CEO Ashley Friedlein. He is responsible for the product roadmap and delivery, as well as the people and operations to support Guild’s rapid growth.
This is the second major hire in six months for Guild, which in late 2021 appointed Michelle Goodall as CMO following a $2.7m seed raise to accelerate growth and product development.
“I’ve always looked for roles where getting the right digital approach can make a real difference not just to a business, but to the way we communicate,” said Young.
“Guild really embodies that attitude, as it creates a new and better way for businesses, and the individuals within them, to network and build communities and groups to achieve great things collectively.
“The power of your professional network is undeniable. I was a Guild member myself, invited in as part of an advisory group. I have met some great people there including Ashley, Guild’s founder, and that directly led to me being here today.
“There is a clear opportunity to create better alternatives to LinkedIn for growing a high quality professional network by being part of relevant communities and I think Guild has a big part to play in that.”
Ashley Friedlein, Guild’s CEO and founder added:
“Gregor’s expertise in engineering and digital product development means we can be confident the Guild experience remains of the highest quality and drives our ambitious growth plans. Our vision is for Guild to be home to your professional community, where your most meaningful conversations take place and where you make and nurture your most valuable professional connections.
“At Guild we believe in the power of professionals to create value for those hosting them as well as for the members connecting, communicating and collaborating within them. We have focused very hard on keeping Guild a high quality, trusted, environment. As a result, the quality of the professionals, and their conversations and connections on Guild, is amazingly high.”
