MediaSense turns to ex-Britbox chief as Pearch goes non-exec

MediaSense has appointed Matthew Gardner as chief operating officer to support its international growth plans.

He will start with immediate effect as MediaSense co-founder, Andy Pearch moves to a non-executive director role.

Gardner joins the media advisor group from Britbox International, the BBC-ITV joint venture taking British TV to global audiences, where he was chief finance & operations officer. In the role he was responsible for growth strategy, international expansion and investor relations.

Prior to that he held senior roles at agency group Dentsu International, video on-demand and tech business Vubiquity, EMI Music, Ascent Media and Ticketmaster.

Founded by Pearch and Graham Brown in April 2009, MediaSense specialises in operating models, pitch management and analytics. They sold a majority stake in the business for a reported £30m valuation to private-equity company Apiary Capital in 2021.

Gardner commented: “It’s an incredibly exciting time to be joining MediaSense. Having rapidly grown over several years, its global expansion goals are no less ambitious. The potential for growth in the marketing communications advisor sector is vast, as brands continue to partner with external partners to navigate the challenges in global media. I’m excited to join a leading, dynamic, innovative business and talented team and look forward to helping realise MediaSense’s global goals.”

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