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Phorm CEO quits
Friday 19th December 2008, by Daniel King
The chief executive officer (CEO) of Phorm Hugo Drayton has stepped down from his position at the company.
Earlier this month, the firm lost four other board members, although Mr Drayton will be maintained as an advisor to the company.
Lynne Millar, chief financial officer and David Pester, the general counsel are also leaving their jobs at the firm.
Phorm is an online marketing company that offers targeted advertising based on the browsing habits of broadband subscribers.
A number of internet service providers (ISPs), such as Tiscali and Orange, have distanced themselves from the technology made available by the company, saying that they will not embrace it.
However, other ISPs including BT and Virgin Media have made deals with the firm allowing it to test and use the software.
Virgin Media only use Phorm on an opt-in basis, but BT has recently completed a trial period with the company and is planning to adopt it in the future.
The stepping down of Mr Drayton comes as a surprise given that the business's share prices rose recently following the successful completion of the BT trials.
Mr Drayton said: "In 2009 we expect that Phorm's Open Internet Exchange (OIX) will be commercially deployed and I am very proud that the team we have established is now fully prepared to deliver on the company's enormous potential."
In the summer of 2007, BT was forced to apologise after it secretly trialled Phorm software.
The ISP then went public with its intention to mount a full test of the technology, which involved tracking web habits to serve people adverts mirroring their interests.
Categories: Broadband, Broadband Products, BT, Tiscali, Orange, Virgin Media
