Akeneo Appoints North America VP of Sales and Announces Outstanding Q1 Results

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May 09, 2019, 14:23 ET

BOSTON, May 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Akeneo, a leading provider of Product Experience Management (PXM) solutions for corporate brands and retailers, announced today that it started off the year with record-breaking sales in Q1. On the heels of securing a strategic funding round from Salesforce Ventures, signing on a slew of global brands, and introducing the industry-first AI-powered product data intelligence solution, Akeneo achieved 110 percent year-over-year revenue growth.

To continue and accelerate its growth momentum, today Akeneo also announced the appointment of veteran SaaS sales executive Michael Bender as the company's North America VP of Sales. Bender, who is known for driving revenue and launching new markets, has more than 15 years of experience leading top-performing sales teams at eCommerce technology companies. In his new role at Akeneo, Bender will be responsible for all aspects of the company's new business development activities in the North American market, reporting directly to Akeneo's CEO, Fred de Gombert.

"Mike is an eCommerce SaaS sales pro. He has an exceptional track record in exceeding revenue goals, building top-performing sales teams and putting in place rigorous sales enablement processes," said de Gombert. "As Akeneo continues to expand rapidly in the North American market, I look forward to working with him closely and building a world-class sales force."

Prior to joining Akeneo, Bender served as VP of Sales at eCommerce acceleration platform Yottaa, where he was instrumental in winning notable accounts, including Carters, Michael Kors, and Party City. He quadrupled the company's enterprise revenue volume and sales team size in less than two years. Before Yottaa, Bender spent more than four years at mobile marketing technology company Fiksu as the Enterprise Sales Director and later VP of Sales. He single handedly built a 15-person sales organization, closing seven-figure deals with top ten ad agencies and opening regional offices in NYC, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Earlier in his career, Bender also held senior sales leadership positions at Prospectiv and Autotrader.

"I'm extremely excited to join Akeneo," Bender said. "The company has achieved exceptional growth over the last few years and its PXM suite of products has a unique value proposition in the marketplace. I look forward to working with Fred and the team to help more brands and retailers craft great product experiences, and drive their omnichannel and cross-border commerce initiatives.

About Akeneo

Akeneo is a global leader in Product Experience Management (PXM) solutions that help merchants and brands deliver a compelling customer experience across all sales channels, including eCommerce, mobile, print, and retail points of sale. Akeneo's open source enterprise PIM and product data intelligence solutions dramatically improve product data quality and accuracy while simplifying and accelerating product catalog management.

Leading global brands, including Sephora, Fossil, Shop.com, and Auchan, trust Akeneo's solutions to scale and customize their omnichannel and cross-border commerce initiatives. Using Akeneo, brands and retailers can improve customer experience, increase sales, reduce time to market, go global, and boost team productivity. For more information, please visit https://www.akeneo.com or contact [email protected].

SOURCE Akeneo