Page 45 - AdNews Magazine Jan-Feb 2021
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                 approvals. I don’t need approvals on anything from anyone else bar myself.” He describes RyanCap as similar to Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital model but instead localised to the Australian market and comprised of
three core pillars: media, tech and data, and consultancy.
“It’s a unitary structure which gives us the opportunity to work not
in silos but all work together,” says Ryan.
“Whether it is media, tech and data, or consultancy, we’re working
hand-in-hand to ensure we’re enabling clients to transform in the digital economy.”
RyanCap’s digital media business, Ryvalmedia, currently makes up the bulk of the group with the JBZ Digital acquisition being rolled into it and bringing both staff and clients with it as well. Led by managing director Joseph Pardillo, it was the first to launch in the group.
Marketing data and technology business Foxcatcher launched soon after with David Gaskill at the helm. Foxcatcher has a focus on customer data, digital ecosystems and convergence, aligning addressable media with CRM, direct-to-consumer (DTC) and ecommerce outcomes.
Ryan says opening a Sydney office, as well as a consultancy and advisory business are on his agenda. Down the track, an office in Brisbane might also be on the cards as he builds RyanCap’s presence across Australia’s eastern seaboard.
In terms of talent, Ryan says he is on the hunt for the right people who are “hungry” to be part of what he is growing, and who fit the calibre and culture of the team.
“I’m looking for anyone who’s at senior digital capacity on the media side, tech and data side, and consultancy side,” he says.
“We need to bring some more diversity to the team. We’ve got a little bit of diversity — if you look at our gender split, it’s about 60-40. We’ve got a bit of maneuvering to do there.
“On the capability side of things, though, we’ve built good capability in Melbourne. Now it’s about replicating that in Sydney.”
The current Melbourne team has been working remotely since the launch of RyanCap, but is now set to move into its office this February. The office has been purpose built for the team and will allow for 50 staff. As the team evolves, Ryan says the building has more space to expand into.
Meanwhile in Sydney, the plan is to set up shop around March or April with a space that will allow for 30 people in its first year of business.
By the end of 2021, Ryan hopes to have somewhere between 50 and 100 staff, two offices and be gener- ating between $100-$150 million in turnover with 30 to 40 clients. However, he isn’t concerned with the size of those clients.
“A client, whether they spend a million dollars or whether they spend $40 million, they’re a client and they’re all just as important as each other,” he says.
At the moment the business has clients across sectors including entertainment, retail and financial services. Ryan is hoping to grow into the automotive area as well given his background working at Carsales.
He also hopes the growth and expansion of Foxcatcher will open doors to new sectors for the business as well.
“While we’ve been quite successful in picking up a number of clients in the traditional sphere, we also want to attract digital economy clients,” he says.
More mergers and acquisitions could be underway, too, pending the right fit of the business. Ryan says the businesses he is looking to acquire need to have digital capabil- ity. He is in talks with some already.
“I’m working with a lot of large consultants on those,” he says.
“Due to my history, I have a pretty good relationship with the large consultants who are brokering a lot of these businesses. The good thing is they’ve been incoming calls, which is nice.
“I’ve also given a lot of the large consultants information and cre- dentials on our business and what our plans are. So now we’re seen as a potential acquirer as well.”
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