SBDS Silver Bullet Data Services Group Plc

09 April 2024

Silver Bullet Data Services Group plc

("Silverbullet", the "Company" or, together with its subsidiaries, the "Group")

Board Changes

Silverbullet, a provider of AI driven digital transformation services and products, announces the following changes to the Board, effective immediately.

Darren Poynton will be stepping down as Group CFO and Company secretary. Darren has been an integral part of the business for the past five years, playing a crucial role in driving business growth. Under his financial leadership, Silverbullet successfully navigated an IPO in June 2021 and maintained a trajectory of strong financial performance. The Board wishes to thank Darren for his contributions and wishes him success in his future endeavours. Darren will be available for handover for the next two months.

Chris Ellis will be joining Silverbullet as Group CFO and Company Secretary. Chris Ellis is a qualified chartered accountant and an accomplished, target-driven senior executive with extensive experience gained from leading complex global private equity and publicly owned businesses. His industry expertise spans Financial Services, Healthcare, Technology/SAAS, and Oil & Gas sectors, ranging from enterprises with turnovers exceeding $1.5 billion and 2,500 employees to smaller businesses with turnovers less than $100 million and 50 employees.

Chris has significant experience in both public market and private equity, investor relations and fund raising, capital markets and leveraged finance and business strategy execution. Prior to joining Silverbullet, he held notable positions including Chief Operating Officer at McLaren Strategic Capital, Senior Financial Adviser at Agilyx AS, and Chief Executive Officer & Acting Chairman at Hydrodec Group PLC and CFO of GE Capital's largest business outside of the US. He has also held CFO roles in Syscap Group, Brook Henderson Group, and Betrusted (now Cybertrust).

Additionally, the Board is pleased to announce the appointment of AnnaMaria Khan-Rubalcaba as a new Non-Executive Director, who brings extensive senior-level experience in marketing technology and AI services. AnnaMaria serves as Chief Executive of HYD, an Omnicom Group Digital Product Agency, for over five years, from January 2019 to the present. Prior to her role as Chief Executive, she held the position of Managing Director, where she contributed to the operational and managerial aspects of the agency. Her insights will be invaluable to Silverbullet's progress in AI and further development of its 4D data platform.

Ian James, CEO of Silverbullet, commented:

"I am pleased to welcome Chris and AnnaMaria to our Board and look forward to their contributions as the Company continues to grow. With Chris's strategic ability and demonstrated success in driving growth and transformation, I am confident in his capability to significantly enhance Silverbullet's next phase of success. Anna-Maria also brings a fresh perspective which will enrich our strategic goals and opportunities ahead. Both Chris and AnnaMaria have experience in the US, and I am looking forward to tapping into their expertise in this area. I would like to thank Darren for his significant contribution taking the business from start up to an established public company. He leaves a lasting legacy, and we extend our best wishes to him for his next venture."

Chris Ellis, Group CFO and Company Secretary, said:

"I am thrilled to embark on the next phase of Silverbullets journey. As the industry experiences a key inflection point  in privacy regulation and the deprecation of the cookie, I see immense potential for growth and innovation in our global market. I look forward to seizing these opportunities."

Further information on the Director Appointments:

The following details in relation to the appointment of Christopher Ellis and AnnaMaria Khan-Rubalcaba are disclosed in accordance with AIM Rule 17 and Schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules:

Christopher John Ellis (aged 63) has held the following directorships and/or partnerships in the past five years.

HydroDec Group plc appointed administrators on 3 August 2021 and was subsequently liquidated on 23 April 2023 with no loss to creditors.

AnnaMaria Khan-Rubalcaba (aged 38) has held the following directorships and/or partnerships in the past five years.

There is no further information to be disclosed in relation to Christopher Ellis' and AnnaMaria Khan-Rubalcaba's appointments pursuant to AIM Rule 17 or Schedule Two, paragraph (g) (i)-(viii) of the AIM Rules for Companies.

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended by virtue of the Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 ("UK MAR").

For further information please contact:

About Silverbullet

Silverbullet's proprietary 4D AI advertising solution is designed to help advertisers target consumers in a "post cookie world". The product is a natural extension to its existing services business which already serves a blue-chip client base such as a leading UK hospitality brand and a Global Brewing company, amongst many others. The removal of third-party cookies has already been implemented by web browsers such as Firefox and Safari, with Google expected to phase out the use of cookies in 2024. 

Headquartered in London, the Group employs 80+ data specialists across five regions across the globe, including, the UK, Italy, Australia, USA and Latin America. The Group continues to look at other opportunities for expansion worldwide.

The Company has an established and growing services business with significant accumulated industry experience and a proven track record of delivering strategic digital transformation and activation services to its clients. The majority of the Board have held senior positions at global software companies and have significant industry experience across data engineering, SAAS product development and marketing.

The Group has close technical and commercial partnerships with multiple global technology providers, all of which have existing sales channels and are already delivering to clients.

The Group has established a strategic partnership and an entity with Local Planet, a scaled network of over 60 agencies across the globe.  Local Planet Data Services Limited was established in December 2020 and presents a significant opportunity to provide data services and the 4D product to the Local Planet agency network.