James Warburton, former CEO of Seven West Media, is set to join the board of Tinybeans as a non-executive director, effective from 1 July 2024.

In an ASX statement, the company said Warburton's extensive experience in the media, marketing, sports, events, and advertising industry is expected to assist in accelerating Tinybeans' strategy both in Australia and offshore.

Tinybeans recently completed a capital raising and is poised for growth. Its retail entitlement offer, which was completed in June, raised $2.7 million for the business. Among its key shareholders is Thorney technologies, which owns just shy of 30 per cent of total shares.

Tinybeans also recently secured a strategic partnership with Babylist, a leading US company serving millions of growing families every year with products and services across e-commerce, wellness and media. The partnership is expected to deliver brand awareness, subscriber growth and sales revenue for Tinybeans in the US. In 2023, over 650,000 families registered with Babylist; 81% of registrants are first-time parents. Babylist achieved revenues of more than US$400 million in 2023 and was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in retail for 2024.

Warburton has had an extensive executive and entrepreneurial career in the media industry. He served as the Managing Director and CEO of Seven West Media for five years. In its statement, Tinybeans noted the media exec drove digital to 50% of earnings, divested assets and integrated Prime Media into the Seven West Media group.

Prior to Seven West Media, Warburton was the CEO and Managing Director of APN Outdoor, where he led a significant transformation and turnaround at the company, which was acquired by JCDecaux for $1.3bn 11 months after his appointment in 2018.

In addition to his corporate roles, Warburton was also the CEO of the Supercars for five years, during which time he drove significant growth in the sport and funding deals for Archer Capital. He has held senior leadership roles at media buying company Universal McCann, Seven Media Group as Chief Revenue Officer for nine years, and the television company Network 10.

Tinybeans Chair, Chantale Millard, said, "James has impressive experience, leadership and knowledge within the broader media and advertising landscape that adds valuable strength to the board as it focusses on leveraging the business’s platform for growth. James’ appointment is an incredibly strong endorsement of the Tinybeans business and its commercial potential. The Board and Zsofi are looking forward to working with James to realise the potential of the Tinybeans business and maximise shareholder returns."

Warburton also expressed his enthusiasm for the new role, stating, "Tinybeans is a business that has incredible potential to grow and scale given the issues of privacy that will continue to be at the forefront of people’s minds. My interactions with the Chair and Chief Executive have been impressive, and I look forward to proactively assisting to maximise the return for all shareholders."

Under a directors employee incentive plan, Warburton will receive 10 million options to subscribe for ordinary shares in the Company across three trenches over the next 18 months. The board will seek shareholder approval for the Options at the 2024 Annual General Meeting.