Outbrain creates new role to push Engage product across APAC

Outbrain has appointed Sigrid Kirk as head of engage product, APAC and EEMEA.Kirk (pictured) comes from a background of digital publishing and has spent over 10 years in several senior digital product roles, including chief product officer at News Corp Australia & Fairfax.Kirk will be based out of Outbrain’s Sydney office and will be looking after premium publishers across Asia Pacific and EEMEA regions.She will also push for the adoption of Outbrain’s publisher platform ‘Engage’. Engage is a technology that, through guided personalisation, gives both business and editorial teams within a publisher’s organisation the power to exert more control over how the content is managed across their properties. In this newly created role, Kirk will work with leading publishers in APAC and EEMEA to drive innovation. She will report to Outbrain’s VP of global product marketing, Matt Crenshaw.“Outbrain’s Engage platform continues to evolve as we innovate through our work with publishers on critical areas such as guided personalisation across video, mobile and native advertising,” said Crenshaw.He added that the company wants to work closely with leading publishers and deliver technology innovations that “move the needle significantly for greater audience engagement and monetisation across different device types.”Kirk added: “Having worked in publishing for many years, I’m a big believer in the power of great content, for publishers, brands and consumers. I also understand the importance and challenges around content distribution and amplification – the best content in the world has no value unless it is found and consumed, shared and acted upon.”The appointment is part of a global strategic commitment to grow and develop their partnerships with publishers and comes as the first senior product hire made by Outbrain in the APAC and EEMEA regions.