A marine technology company which is developing a boating navigation app has appointed a former Google marketer to oversee growth.
Savvy Navvy, founded by Dorset-based businessman Jelte Liebrand, has hired US-based Alex Ostler as chief marketing officer, as the company looks to scale, having surpassed one million downloads across the globe. Mr Liebrand, who himself used to work as a software engineer with Google, has described the app as the "Google Maps for boats".
Ms Ostler has spent more than two decades in marketing and began her career in Google Maps' engineering, innovating on mapping technologies. Ms Ostler has a track record of repeatedly scaling growth for tech startups, and has joined the Savvy Navvy’s global remote team from US point-of-service software firm Arryved.
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Mr Liebrand, Savvy Navvy’s chief executive said: “Now in our seventh year here at Savvy Navvy, we are actively shaping the marine industry for the better and challenging the bigger navigation apps in the market. Alex has a wealth of experience, has spent years at Google and has expertise in marketing for high-growth start-ups. We’re super excited to have her on board.”
Ms Ostler added: “I'm thrilled to join savvy navvy and am eager to unlock new avenues of growth across the globe with the world’s savviest boaters.
“The company's transformative impact on boating technology is captivating. With robust go-to-market strategies, a brilliant and diverse team, and immense potential for scaling, savvy navvy presents a golden opportunity for any marketing professional.”
Alongside the appointment, Savvy Navvy said it had also grown its engineering team, appointing two new developers based in Berlin and Poland.
Earlier this year the company rolled out a new version of its app with new features such as navigation mode, anchor alarm upgrade, clouds and rain overlay and wind gust features. The platform has added functionalities for paddleboarders, kayakers and jet skiers.