SurveyMonkey Hires Ex-Microsoft Man Tony Ward as ANZ MD

DIY online research platform SurveyMonkey has appointed former Microsoft and LinkedIn exec Tony Ward as MD in Australia and New Zealand.

The online polling phenomenon entered the Australian market in May last year, and says one in ten Australians completes one of its surveys each month.

Ward's experience also includes time at LinkedIn and running his own cloud-based start-up. In his new role he will lead and build the team and aim to continue the strong growth already seen - around 25 ANZ jobs are planned in market development functions over the next few years. An immediate priority is to develop SurveyMonkey's collaboration with local advertising and marketing agencies, at whom the company's recently-launched Audience tool is pitched.

Tim Maly, COO & CFO of SurveyMonkey, comments: 'We're thrilled to have someone of Tony's calibre driving this vision. In particular, his understanding of the needs of marketers and creative agencies in Australia will be critical in continuing to grow SurveyMonkey's partnerships in this sector.'

SurveyMonkey was founded in 1999 and has over 450 employees globally and headquarters in Palo Alto, CA, USA. Globally, more than two million survey responses are received over the platform every day and the company has recently been valued at an estimated $2bn.

Web site: www.surveymonkey.com.au .