Liverpool digital marketing agency Velstar unveils an experienced senior executive as its new CEO just weeks after completing a takeover that pushes annual revenues to £10m. Tony McDonough reports

Digital marketing agency Velstar has appointed experienced corporate officer Peter Birks as its new chief executive.

Peter joins Liverpool-based Velstar, a Shopify Plus, B2B development and marketing agency, just weeks after it announced a major expansion that doubled headcount and pushed annual revenues up to around £10m.

At the end of May Velstar acquired 9xb, a Leeds-based B2B ecommerce agency. The value of the transaction was not disclosed but the deal sees Velstar employee numbers rise from more than 60 to around 120.

Founded in 2016, Velstar specialises in designing, building and optimising Shopify Plus stores for online retailers, as well as providing a range of digital marketing services.

Following the appointment of Peter, Velstar founder Dan Sheard, who was previous chief executive and a major shareholder, will remain with the business on a full-time basis.

He will have a special focus on accelerating the growth of the company’s revenue, expanding the Velstar brand, as well as managing Velstar’s partner relationships.

Peter will join Velstar’s board, which currently consists of Dan Sheard and Graham Withe. Graham is the company’s managing director, heading up the marketing services. The board also contains four non-executive directors.

Before joining Velstar, Peter held positions as vice-president European retail for Staples, business president EMEA digital marketing and commercial operations for Avnet, and CEO of Ryman & London Graphic Centre.

In these roles, he has spearheaded the transformation from brick and mortar to omnichannel businesses with a strong digital footprint.

“I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to assist Velstar in its ambitious growth and change agenda,” said Peter. 

“The Velstar group of companies has a deep talent pool, focusing on exceeding its clients expectations  and is poised to rapidly become one of the largest development and marketing agencies in the UK

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“I am grateful for the warm welcome I have received from my new colleagues at Velstar and look forward to our shared journey of client centricity and exceptional financial results.”

Dan added: “In Peter, we are very fortunate to have found a very experienced leader, with a proven track record in growing and professionalising businesses, as well as in integrating acquisition targets.

“His experience will allow for a swift integration of the acquired businesses, and a larger focus on robust processes to support Velstar’s main assets, our esteemed clients and our excellent people.”