By Jonathan Easton

Streaming channel solutions provider Wurl has hired former Freewheel exec James Grant to lead its EU expansion.

In the role of SVP, strategy and partnerships, Europe, Grant will be tasked with driving Wurl’s EU expansion plans while overseeing existing distribution platform and content provider partnerships. This includes the recently announced partnership with Rakuten – a deal which marked a significant step in the company’s EU drive.

Grant joins from GroupM-owned Finecast, where he was a part of the global team behind its addressable TV products. Grant also held several roles within Comcast’s ad tech business FreeWheel.

The exec is based in London and reports to Wurl CEO Sean Doherty, who said: “James has been at the heart of the connected TV advertising business and brings his experience and insight to Wurl at a pivotal growth period for us. We are seeing FAST explode throughout Europe and we are uniquely positioned to deliver programming to all the leading streaming platforms while maximising monetisation.”