SAY Media Adds to Team

Anna Baird will be joining digital publishing company SAY Media as its chief financial officer, and Alex Schleifer will assume the role of creative director, the company announced. Baird was formerly a partner at Connor Group. SAY Media is backed by investors including NEA.

PRESS RELEASE

Today, SAY Media has announced two significant additions to its executive leadership team. Anna Baird will be joining SAY as its chief financial officer and Alex Schleifer will assume the role of creative director, leading strategic design and implementation. Baird brings more than 20 years of experience working with some of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies, from McAfee to KPMG, where she was the global lead partner for Google.

“Anna has worked with some of the world’s most prominent tech brands in Silicon Valley, and knows what it takes to help us grow into a global leader,” said Matt Sanchez, CEO, SAY Media. “Her experience with multi-billion dollar businesses on international expansion and scalability is unmatched.”

Formerly a partner at Connor Group, Baird brings two decades of solid tech-focused financial leadership to SAY. Before joining Connor Group, she was senior vice president at McAfee, working with the CEO and CFO on global strategy and infrastructure and organizational alignment. Prior to her time at McAfee, Baird was an integral part of the leadership team at KPMG in Silicon Valley for more than 17 years, most recently as global lead partner and working with several technology companies including Symantec, Oracle and Intuit.

“SAY Media has become a company to watch not only in Silicon Valley, but also on Madison Avenue as it’s one of the only companies able to apply innovative technologies with beautiful design aesthetics commonly found in sophisticated advertising offerings,” said Baird. “I’ve spent most of my career helping companies expand operations both here and abroad and I believe that SAY is an industry leader and innovator poised for incredible growth. I’m looking forward to joining and taking the company to the next level.”

Also, Alex Schleifer has been appointed creative director, previously serving as general manager of SAY’s Media Lab. Schleifer will own the creative vision and direction for SAY as it relates to the company’s portfolio of media properties, product offerings and client engagements. Prior to joining SAY, Schleifer founded Sideshow, a well respected creative agency known for building innovative digital experiences.

“Design is in everything SAY does as a company and the appointment of Alex to creative director marks an important milestone in SAY’s evolution and its commitment to quality,” said Matt Sanchez.

SAY most recently announced the appointment of Kim Kelleher as president and a new round of $27 million in funding from lead investor NEA, among others. Along with several recent acquisitions and executive appointments, the company is positioned to be a leader in the next evolution of digital media.

About SAY Media

SAY Media is a digital publishing company that creates amazing media brands. Through its technology platform and media services, SAY enables its portfolio of independent content creators to build passionate communities around key consumer interest areas such as Style, Living, Food and Tech. The company provides simple and accountable ways for the world’s top brands to engage with these passionate audiences, at scale, with a reach of more than 400 million people around the world. SAY Media is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices across North America, in the UK and Australia.