BC Business
Jeanette Gibson | BCBusinessNew head of community Jeanette Gibson.
A former marketing executive at Cisco Systems Inc., the network equipment maker, Gibson will be joining HootSuite as head of its community department. She’ll be responsible for user engagement and outreach, taking on the portfolio of the company’s former VP of community, Dave Olson, who is currently on sick leave. Gibson, who was most recently the lead on social media marketing at Cisco, spent 11 years at the multi-national giant in charge of corporate communications. During her time at Cisco, she oversaw the company’s communities program, which was credited for generating $200 million in savings through active customer retention, according to the release from HootSuite. Community plays a critical role as a vehicle in how customers view the company, says Gibson. HootSuite’s rapid growth and strength in the social media sphere were major draws, cited Gibson. Gibson is the company’s latest senior-level Silicon Valley recruit; in March, HootSuite hired VP of marketing Dee Anna McPherson, formerly of Yammer. The highest-level hire since announcing its record-breaking $165-million raise in early August, HootSuite has grown rapidly from 70 employees in early 2012 to 370 as of September. The company has also opened offices in London, New York and Hong Kong, and plans on aggressively growing its global presence, according to priorities laid out following August’s private placement.