Convene hires seasoned SS+K president and partner on the heels of $152 million Series D funding round
July 23, 2018 (New York, NY) – Convene, the leading partner for commercial landlords in building elevated, flexible-term meeting and office space, announced today that it has hired Brad Kay as the company’s first Chief Brand Officer. Kay will be tasked with driving the vision for Convene’s brand experience through all physical and digital touchpoints, as well as the development and execution of Convene’s advertising and marketing. Kay brings over two decades of start-up and enterprise marketing experience to Convene’s executive team.
“The commercial real estate industry is one of the last legacy industries to be disrupted, and Convene is helping landlords respond by creating the seamless environments that today’s top talent needs to do their best work,” said Bradley Kay, Convene’s newly appointed Chief Brand Officer. “Convene’s tech-driven, high-design work and meeting spaces create a sense of place and put the human experience first. I’m thrilled to be tasked with building this brand at such a pivotal time for the industry and the company.”
Kay’s hire comes a week after Convene announced its $152 million Series D round of financing, which included investments from real estate, technology, and innovation leaders such as Revolution Growth, RXR Realty, ArrowMark Partners, Brookfield, and The Durst Organization, among others.
“We are very excited to welcome Brad to the Convene team,” said Ryan Simonetti, Co-Founder and CEO of Convene. “With his far-reaching experience and notable achievements in brand development, he will play a critical role in expanding Convene’s footprint nationally and internationally, while furthering our endeavor to redefine the workplace experience and reach new and existing customers in more places and more ways.”
Prior to joining Convene, Kay was President and Partner of SS+K, an advertising agency partially owned by M&C Saatchi, for nearly 10 years, playing a leading role in building the agency and developing campaigns across multiple industries, including rolling out Kraft Mio, the most successful product launch in the food and beverage giant’s history; bringing the Chevy Volt – General Motors’ first electric car – to market; and launching Jet.com, among many others. Brad came to SS+K after serving as Executive Vice President and Executive Director of FCB’s digital practice and a member of the agency’s leadership.
Kay is currently a Board Member of the Advertising Educational Foundation (AEF), and Chairman of the Digital Committee. He’s been a speaker at the Cannes Lions Festival, featured in Departures Magazine, Business Insider, Digiday, and The Drum, judged for the Clio and Effie Awards, led panels for the IAB and Flipboard and written for Fast Company, Adweek and The Hub.
With its Series D round of funding completed, Convene is looking to grow its footprint globally, expand its service offerings, and launch a new workplace technology platform. By the end of 2018, Convene will have 23 locations in five cities totaling approximately 700,000 square feet and is projected to have 1,700,000 total square feet of space in 10 cities by the end of 2019.
About Convene
Convene (www.convene.com) is the fastest-growing network of full-service, tech-enabled meeting, event, and flexible workspaces. Founded in 2009, Convene has locations in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, with plans to expand globally. The company has been named one of America’s 100 Most Promising Companies by Forbes, one of LinkedIn’s Most In-Demand Startups, one of America’s fastest growing companies and Best Workplaces of 2018 by Inc. Magazine, and the #11 Best Workplace in New York by Fortune Magazine.
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