Sequoia-Backed SaaS Unicorn Insider Appoints Personalization Pioneer and Former Certona CEO Meyar Sheik as Global President

Insider, the global leader in cross-channel personalization and customer journey orchestration, announced that Meyar Sheik has joined its executive leadership team as Global President. Reporting to Co-founder and CEO Hande Cilingir, Meyar will help propel Insider’s meteoric growth internationally and in North America.

Powering highly individualized and orchestrated customer experiences for over 1300 retailers and brands worldwide, Insider achieved unicorn status in March of 2022 securing a $121 million Series D funding at a $1.22 billion valuation to become one of the few female-led B2B SaaS unicorns globally, backed by Sequoia Capital and other leading investors. Insider was named as the #1 Leader in The Forrester Wave for Cross-Channel Campaign Management 2021 and Gartner Magic Quadrant for Personalization Engines 2021. The company has also been named #1 Leader on G2’s Mobile Marketing Software and Personalization Grids.

“Insider has developed the most modern, powerful, and easy-to-use personalization platform in the industry, with the fastest time-to-value. Over 1300 customers and all the leading industry analysts have recognized the capabilities of Insider as an undisputed market leader. I believe the e-commerce market is ready for the next generation of customer engagement solutions and that’s why I am thrilled to join Insider to help our customers benefit from the immense potential of modern personalization.” said Meyar Sheik, Insider’s Global President.

Meyar is a digital marketing and e-commerce technology entrepreneur and an early adopter of Machine Learning/AI in e-commerce, with over 22 years of proven B2B SaaS market leadership experience. Meyar co-founded Certona in 2004, the longest-running market leader in e-commerce personalization, and was its CEO for 15 years until Certona was acquired by Kibo in 2019, where he served as Kibo’s President and Chief Commerce Officer until recently. Prior to founding Certona, Meyar was the CMO and COO of WebSideStory in 2000, the first real-time Web Analytics SaaS platform and the market leader for large enterprises. WebSideStory is now part of the Adobe analytics suite.

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“Insider has had an amazing ride demonstrating our superior technology leadership and delivering substantial value to our client partners across the globe, one country at a time. We are extremely proud of our lasting partnerships and look forward to rapidly expanding our footprint and solidifying our leadership in the North American and global markets. Meyar is the right leader at the right time to help Insider chart the course for the next phase of our aggressive growth and market domination journey.” said Hande Cilingir, Co-founder and CEO of Insider.

As a key member of the leadership team, Meyar will leverage his extensive industry experience and network to execute Insider’s go-to-market strategy and rapid expansion plans. Meyar will partner with product, marketing, sales and customer success teams to ensure Insider’s continued market leadership and world-class service.

“Digital marketers and retailers must continuously engage new customers and keep existing customers happy and returning to shop for more, which is quite challenging given the ever-changing consumer behavior and increasing shopper touchpoints. There are literally thousands of products and solutions enabling digital marketing and e-commerce but rarely does one come along as comprehensive, compelling and relevant as Insider’s cross-channel personalization and customer journey orchestration platform,” said Meyar Sheik. “Insider has elevated customer-driven product development to new heights by closely partnering with its customers and empowering digital marketers and e-commerce professionals across different industries, verticals, and geographies. I am very proud to be part of such an impressive team and culture.”

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