Earlier this week, Apple raised the stakes in its ongoing and nascent rivalry with Google when it entered the mobile ad space with its $275 million purchase of Quattro Wireless. As part of the acquisition, Quattro CEO Andrew (otherwise known as Andy) Miller will now take on the role of VP of Apple’s Mobile Advertising division, which we imagine is relatively new.
Apple tends to pride itself on its talent, so it’s often interesting to take a look at the individuals who fill up some of Apple’s more prominent positions. With that in mind, Dan Frommer over at Silicon Alley Insider was able to flesh out some of the details surrounding who Andy Miller is and what he brings to the table.
- Andy co-founded Quattro Wireless in 2006. (Here’s his LinkedIn profile.)
- Before that, he was SVP of business development and strategy for m-Qube, a mobile content company that VeriSign bought for $250 million in 2006 (and sold for peanuts last November).
- He was also CEO of WatchPoint Media, an interactive TV spin-off from MIT Media Lab. Goldpocket/Tandberg bought that company in 2003.
- He has a bachelor’s degree from Union College (class of 1990) and a JD from Boston College Law School (class of 1993).
- He was one of Ernst & Young’s New England entrepreneurs of the year in 2009.
Frommer even went the extra mile and asked some of Miller’s old competitors and colleagues what they thought of him. Here’s what they had to say.
- “Andy is a great entrepreneur. He is smart, hard working, charismatic and amazingly creative. He loves to be out with customers and partners and as a result always has a great pulse on the market and where things stand. I cannot be more thrilled that he and the Quattro team will now be part of Apple.”
- “Typical new media c-suite’er, Andy’s solid. One of the good guys.”
- “Nice guy.”
- “Seems like he’s a good manager and someone that has built some strong businesses. He’s one of my favorite CEOs out there.”
And just like that, Apple’s in the ad business. Don Draper would be proud.
Sat, Jan 9, 2010
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