E-commerce tech specialist Rokt announces leadership appointments including Dhruv Patel as CPO

Rokt, an e-commerce technology company using machine learning and AI to make transactions more relevant to shoppers, is strengthening its product and marketing teams with several new roles.

Dhruv Patel, co-founder and CEO of Aftersell, recently acquired by Rokt, has been named Chief Product Officer, and Claire Southey focuses on AI driven customer relevancy in her role as Chief AI Officer, both reporting to Bruce Buchanan, CEO, Rokt.

In addition, Pete Davies returns to the company as Senior Vice President of Advertiser Partnerships, a new position that will focus on demand expansion and growth in key verticals while fueling expansion into new areas such as telco, auto, and insurance. Davies was previously responsible for revenue growth at Rokt from 2013 to 2015. He reports to Craig Galvin, Chief Revenue Officer.

"Bringing Dhruv, and Pete into these expanded roles will accelerate our investment and progress in unlocking real-time relevance in the moment that matters most - the ecommerce transaction moment," says Buchanan. "Their collective expertise in AI driven product innovation, scaled engineering, and performance focused partnerships, will turbo-charge the way we help capture the full value of every transaction moment."

The appointments follow Rokt's merger earlier this year with customer data platform (CDP) mParticle to create an expanded offering that unlocks real-time relevance across e-commerce, advertising, and the customer experience. In 2024, Rokt saw revenues grow by more than 40% year over year to $600 million. The company also recently launched ACE, its new generative AI tool that helps advertisers maximise their return on ad spend.

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

E-commerce technology will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.