Strava, the social network for athletes, will relocate its European operation to Bristol, UK, in conjunction with new staff hires and a new board appointment. The international team is set to double in size as Strava upscales to manage and accelerate growth.
Strava was founded in 2009 by Michael Horvath and Mark Gainey. Since its founding, Strava has grown from a handful of members to tens of millions of athletes around the world. At present, 150,000 new members sign up to Strava every single week. In 2015, Strava athletes uploaded a staggering 5.3 activities every second.
The social network has seen strong growth in 2015 globally; and new hires in the positions of Spain Country Manager, Brazil Country Manager and Australia Country Manager will help further accelerate growth in other key focus areas.
Gareth Nettleton, formerly Director of International Marketing for Strava has been promoted to VP Marketing and will direct all global marketing activities for the company in the US, Europe and rest of the world. Before joining Strava, Nettleton was Client Partner at AKQA in London where he ran the global Nike business and was responsible for thought leadership, brand planning and digital strategy across Nike’s global account. After spending nearly eight years at AKQA he joined Strava in 2013.
Sarah Robb O’Hagan has held senior leadership roles at Virgin, Nike, Gatorade and Equinox and now joins the Strava Board. O’Hagan was most recently President of Equinox, where as President she led the transformation of the business from a bricks and mortar health club to an ‘always on’ fitness lifestyle partner, ‘heavily enabled by technology and proprietary content’.
O’Hagan was named among Forbes magazine’s ‘Most Powerful Women in Sports’ and designated one of the ‘Most Creative People in Business’ by Fast Company. She brings both experience and a unique perspective to the Strava board.
Mark Gainey, CEO of Strava, said “We’re thrilled that Strava continues to grow across the globe and our new European base and expertise in new territories is a key part of our journey of expansion. While many of our athletes worldwide share some of the same goals, we ultimately want to get closer to our members in the areas where Strava is growing rapidly so we can better serve them on a local level.”
On the appointment of Gareth Nettleton to VP Marketing, Gainey added, “Gareth has already led the marketing strategy for Strava in Europe and has more than proved himself to be a key figure in the growth of Strava globally. I’m delighted to now have him heading up our growth and marketing for all territories as VP of Marketing.”
On the appointment of Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Gainey said, “Sarah is a brilliant addition to the Strava Board because of her vast experience in the sports and fitness sector and her industry-renowned leadership and creativity. She joins a varied and committed team who are integral to driving Strava forward.”
