Push messaging expert Urban Airship opens new office in London to expand its international customer base

Mobile push messaging specialists Urban Airship has opened a new office in London today, hiring Nigel Arthur as the Managing Director of its UK division in the process.

The company’s new premises can be found at The Hospital Club building near Covent Garden, London, where it plans to rapidly expand its team and push for a larger base of international customers.

Urban Airship has made a name for itself by providing push-messaging features for other companies’ apps. The company’s clientele include ESPN, Netflix, Red Bull, Sega and ABC News, among a whole host of other recognizeable brands.

Now the firm is looking to expand further. Earlier this month Urban Airship acquired Tello, a software as a service (SaaS) and mobile application company that specializes in creating passes for Apple Passbook.

Arthur, a 20 year-old digital marketing software sales and services expert, will be in charge of carrying on Urban Airship’s upward trajectory. He was previously the managing director of UK operations at ExactTarget, and has also served in sales leadership roles for Premiere Global Services, Responsys and WebTrends.

“I was the first ExactTarget employee outside of North America and rapidly grew its London office to 58 employees with 300 percent revenue growth in just over a year,” he said. “Considering mobile’s growth and Urban Airship’s leadership position, I anticipate a brilliant year ahead.”

To coincide with the office opening, Michael Richardson, co-founder and director of partner strategy at Urban Airship, has relocated to the new London premises alongside Christian Howes, a digital and mobile expert and industry commentator.

Urban Airship was created in Portland, Oregon back in 2009. Steven Osborn, another of the company’s co-founders, had been tasked with creating a backend system for push notifications and in-app purchases for a gaming firm. He eventually realized that there was an opportunity for a firm dedicated specifically to these features.

Future PLC, a publishing house known for magazines such as T3, Edge and Total Guitar, is a customer of Urban Airship and also has offices in London. They used the company to improve their portfolio of apps so that they included news and subscription alerts, as well as a number of push notification features. Mark Wood, CEO of Future PLC said he anticipated “even closer interaction” with the company moving forward.

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