Veezu, which claims to be the UK’s largest private hire technology platform and taxi operator, has appointed a former Zoopla, Confused.com and Purplebricks marketing boss as its first chief marketing officer as it steps up its assualt on main rival Uber.
Joby Russell, who was most recently vice-president of marketing at Zoopla, will lead Veezu’s brand, passenger marketing and driver-partner attraction as the business continues to grow across the UK.
He brings more than a decade of experience building consumer brands in competitive markets and taking start-ups and challenger businesses to the top of their sectors.
At Zoopla, Russell conceived and delivered multichannel marketing campaigns which saw record levels of valuation requests. During his time at Confused.com, he oversaw the rebrand of the business and growth in market share of the key motor insurance category.
Russell also has vast experience gained at Purplebricks, helping accelerate the business from a small start-up to an IPO.
His appointment follows Veezu’s recent strategic investment in Cab 9, with his focus on making Veezu a household name across the UK and strengthening the customer proposition with our platform and product capabilities.
Founded in Wales in 2013, Veezu works by acquiring well-known local taxi and private hire firms across the UK and upgrading them with modern technology. Today, it partners with thousands of self-employed driver-partners, completes more than 25 million journeys annually and is licensed by 63 local authorities across England and Wales.
Customer experience and creative agency Initials CX was enlisted to handle Veezu’s nationwide ad account in 2022, and has been responsible for driving app downloads, establishing the “Smarter Local Rides” brand strategy, and executing multi-city ad campaigns.
Veezu managing director Jon Martin said: “Joby has built some of the best-known consumer brands in the UK, in highly visible and competitive environments. That experience is exactly what we need as we strengthen Veezu’s national brand while staying true to the local services people know and trust.
“With our investment in Cab9 and continued expansion across the UK, this is the right moment to bring him on board. We’re delighted to welcome him.”
Russell added: “Veezu is already the UK’s largest homegrown private hire business, and so the opportunity to turn this challenger brand into a household name is a great opportunity.”
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