Upstream Appoints Mike Linnert as GM North American Operations

SAN FRANCISCO and LONDON, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile marketing solutions provider, Upstream, has today announced the appointment of Mike Linnert as General Manager North American Operations. In this role, Linnert will be responsible for North American client development and account management. He will also support product management and marketing initiatives.

Linnert has more than ten years of experience in the technology space, having worked for Technology Crossover Ventures, where he invested in and held board positions on more than 20 private technology companies in the Internet and Telecommunications sectors. In addition, Linnert oversaw sales and business development as Vice President of client development for BeVocal, which was acquired by Nuance Communications in 2007.

"Mike's background in client relations, business development and product management makes him the ideal leader to head Upstream's continued expansion in the North American market," said Alex Vratskides, CEO of Upstream. "Upstream has a proven model of mobile-marketing success in more than 40 countries, and we look forward to supporting Mike as he expands our footprint in North America, helping brands and carriers drive incremental revenue via the mobile channel."

"Upstream's global reach in the mobile-marketing ecosystem and its work with some of the largest operators and blue-chip brands in the world were key drivers in my joining the team," said Linnert. "I'm excited to extend Upstream's profile and presence in North America, and look forward to helping the company achieve its global business goals."

Linnert holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Notre Dame University and a Masters in Business Administration from Stanford University.

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ABOUT UPSTREAM

Upstream (www.upstreamsystems.com) is one of the largest mobile marketing solutions providers in the world and a pioneer and innovator in the industry.

Upstream started its operations in 2001, launching some of the first global mobile marketing campaigns for blue chip brands like Coca-Cola, T-Mobile, Vodafone & Nestle. Since then the company has executed through its Marketing Communications Suite (MCS) platform, 160,000 campaigns in over 40 countries for some of the largest companies in the world, engaging more than 500 million consumers and delivering unparalleled conversion rates translating to over $500 million of incremental revenue for its clients.

Its unique ability to deliver highly effective solutions that extract value from any customer base has made Upstream the preferred mobile marketing partner for some of the largest companies across the globe including: Vodafone, T-Mobile, Telecom Italia, Orange, Telefonica, America Movil, Bharti Airtel, STC, MTN, Coca-Cola, Nestle, BSkyB, Unilever and Shell.

The mobile is the greatest direct response marketing medium ever devised but at the same time the most personal and intimate. On mobile, marketers must speak less but more convincingly. Upstream is singularly focused on effectiveness: developing the technology that maximizes customer response to every marketing pitch via mobile and delivering the highest improvements in customer conversion rates.

Upstream's unparalleled knowledge, built on deep analysis of billions of real customer interactions across all continents, is distilled in its Marketing Communications Suite (MCS): the most comprehensive and powerful mobile marketing technology platform in the world.

SOURCE Upstream