Stephen Kenwright, the founder of SearchLeeds and Rise at Seven’s former CCO is working with Venture Forge.
He’s become Fractional Chief Commercial Officer at the Yorkshire-based Amazon agency.
“I had no plans to return to the fray in a CCO role, but the opportunity with Venture Forge was too good to pass up,” he explained.
“I was excited to get deep into Amazon, since I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface in my previous companies, plus working with Andy [Banks, Co-founder] and Jonathan [Newton, Co-founder], who’ve been friends of friends for a long time – and experienced retailers in their own rights – has been a great experience over the last few weeks.
“Most of all, it feels like an agency in its ascendency – and one where I can make a significant difference.”
READ MORE – Carrie Rose takes 100 per cent control of Rise at Seven
Kenwright will be leading on new business and marketing, helping to shape the agency’s commercial strategy, expand its market presence and support the next stage of growth.
“Stephen isn’t a stranger – he’s someone Jonathan and I have known of and rated for years,” added Andrew Banks, Founder and Managing Director of Venture Forge.
“So this was never just about hiring a CCO. It’s about the right person arriving at exactly the right moment: the point where our commercial ambition has outgrown what two founders can carry alone.
“Having an operator of his pedigree choose us tells us everything about where Venture Forge is heading.”
He brings almost two decades of commercial, digital and agency leadership experience to the role. He founded award-winning creative agency Rise at Seven in 2019, helping grow the business to annual revenues of more than £7 million, employing 110 people across offices in Sheffield, Manchester, London and New York before exiting after three years.
He currently works as a non-executive director and business development consultant to several agencies.
