Our People

• Management - Frank Grasso (CEO), Guy Wayland (Head of Search) & Johnny Kairouz (Director of Search)
• Board - Philip Alexander (Chairman) & Doug Adamson (Director)

 

Management

Frank Grasso – CEO/ Director

An energetic advocate of search engine marketing over several years, Frank founded an SEM consulting firm in Melbourne, Australia, in the late 1990s. He has parlayed this experience into the successful national e-Channel business, with media clients like Fairfax Digital and a travel portfolio that includes industry leaders such as Flight Centre, Octopus Travel and Asia Rooms. Frank’s continuing commitment to R&D led to the development of DynamicCreative™. Frank is also a co-founder and shareholder of WaterFind, a water rights trading service for growers.

Guy Wayland - Head of Search

Guy Wayland is the head of Search at e-Channel and has over eight years’ experience in Search Marketing. Prior to joining e-Channel Guy headed up the SEO division of Decide Interactive, now 24/7 Search, for over three years. Founding WMS Consulting in November 2004 to meet the needs of clients, Guy has continued to be at the cutting edge of Search Marketing. Guy joined e-channel in March 2009.

Guy’s focus is on marketing messages and copy, with an objective of not only attracting visitors, but also turning them into customers. As an early adopter of the Internet as a user, and at the very birth of the SEM industry in Australia, Guy is able to impart great insight into how most users navigate and deal with the web, and has seen several technologies, Search Engines and platforms come and go.

Guy’s past clients include Telstra BigPond, NTTC, Tourism NSW, Netcomm, NRMA, Monash IVF, Deals Direct, Big Air ,RACV, Orange, Three, Roses Only, Quest Apartments, Australand, and Mitre 10. Other major international clients: Marks and Spencers, and B&Q (U.K), University of Waikato (N.Z).

Guy is a noted speaker on SEO, with speaking engagements including ecommerce Explained (2006), CeBit’s e-marketing and SEO (2007, 2008), Search Summit (2007) and SMX Sydney (2008), as well as hosting the popular Site Clinic at Search Engine Bootcamp.

Johnny Kairouz - Director of Search

Johnny Kairouz heads up e-channel’s Agency Management division. Having worked in online marketing for over 10 years, specialising in Search marketing for 7 ,Johnny brings agency and direct competencies to position Search as a key component of implementing better marketing and advertising strategies within businesses.

Recently , as the Head of Search at Universal McCann, Johnny was responsible to help both the agency and client better understand how Search Marketing could best achieve marketing goals ,as either a standalone campaign drive, or the role of Search Marketing in a complex media schedule. These clients included Microsoft, The Australian Federal Government, Cathay Pacific, AMP and MasterCard.

Prior to Universal McCann, Johnny was the Online Sales Manager with Reed Business and was responsible for the introduction of the search emphasis with the Business Directories Infolink and Ferret. In 2004 Johnny headed up Search at Tempest Media and in 2002 received his search introduction with Australia’s then leading search agency Hitwise search Marketing. Johnny joined e-Channel in April 2009.

Russell Banks - Director of Technology

Russell is Director of Technology at e-channel search, where he leads the technical development team and is responsible for the company’s software development and technology infrastructure. Russell is an expert online strategist specialising in SEO, PPC and technology. He has extensive experience managing technical teams, most recently he was Technical Director at Excite Digital Media. He has also worked at Quotify, dgm and been the owner of YMC interactive. A pioneer in the industry, Russell’s experience stems from his role as Technical Lead for Search at Decide Interactive which later became 24/7 Real Media.  

 

 

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Board

Philip Alexander - Director

Philip has had a successful 24-year career in media and technology working in senior strategic, M&A, and operational roles in Europe, Asia and Australia. He held the role of Regional Corporate Development Director for Yahoo! In South Asia from 2002-2006, a role that included Board seats at Seek Ltd. and CarSales.com. Ltd. from 2002-2005.

Among several well-known transactions during this period, Philip led the sale of an 11.2% stake in CarSales to Fairfax. He also led the sale of 6.25% stake in Seek Ltd. to a major investment bank, and negotiated the sale of Sold.com.au to eBay Australia. More recently he has managed capital raisings and trade sales for a number of well-known digital businesses.

He has served as Chairman of the Internet Industry Association (IIA) in Australia, and retired as a Director and Treasurer in 2010. During his time at the IIA, Philip was actively involved in lobbying for industry-wide legislation and codes of conduct across a broad range of issues impacting ISPs – privacy, security, anti-spam, copyright, and broadband policy.

Philip has served as President and CEO of iBEAM Broadcasting Asia. Based in Hong Kong, he was responsible for launching iBEAM into the region. He was also the founding managing director of Chello Broadband Australia & New Zealand - recruiting the team and deploying the world’s largest fixed wireless broadband network in 2000/2001

His background includes senior roles with major media company VNU (now Nielsen Business Media) in Asia and Europe. As Asia Pacific General Manager for VNU, based in Hong Kong, he led the group’s expansion in the Asia Pacific region, including management of new Asia Pacific businesses in consumer and professional publishing and Internet services, marketing information, and the provision of television and radio programming.

In the early 1990s, he spent four years as Group Publisher and Managing Director (Europe) for VNU subsidiaries BPI Communications, Spotrack and Billboard Music Group.

Philip is now a Director of, and investor in, several media and technology companies in Australia and Asia and a strategic advisor to some of Australia’s leading media and technology businesses. He is Chairman of online search marketing and technology business, Echannel Online. He is also a Director at Hall Capital Strategies, an ASIC licensed boutique corporate advisory firm offering business strategy and advisory services, including capital raising, trade sale, merger and acquisition, and IPO services.

Doug Adamson - Director

Doug has extensive experience in media and technology, founding and building successful high growth businesses in Australia, the UK and Europe including one of Australia’s web pioneers, Nethead, which was on-sold to listed company Multiemedia (MUL) in 2002. Doug combines entrepreneurial experience with a love of building businesses. In representing e-Channel investor Playford Capital on the Board, Doug is playing an active role to ensure the business is positioned for robust growth.

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