500px - Martyn Bassett Associates

The search for a CEO whose mission would be to usher in the next phase of growth and scale.

The Search Statistics

Number of days to the first round of resumes: 16
Number of candidates considered: 18
Number of candidates interviewed: 13
Number of business days to complete the search: 147

The Search

Our client engaged us to conduct a search for a CEO, whose mission would be to usher in the next phase of growth and scale at a global level. Our Stakeholders were the outgoing CEO (who had been in the role for almost 5 years), and the Board which is based in China.

The Client

500px is an international marketplace that brings together digital artists and a community of people who value and procure premium original content. Our client got its start in Toronto before expanding to the North American market to “shake things up” across a high-brow community of staunched industry elephants.

Fast forward to 2018, 500px caught the eye of an APAC-based digital content giant and was acquired. Today they operate as a well-funded subsidiary of that parent company.

Search Requirements

The requirements of this search led us to take a very targeted approach to the candidates we sought to identify and engage with. The two key requirements were fluency in Mandarin (written and spoken) and experience leading the Product Management function of a global subscription service-based business, preferably at scale.

It was also important for candidates to be experienced in building a business and launching new product experiences as well as partnering with global engineering leaders.

The Hire

This candidate has over 13 years of international business experience in China, the US, and global markets as well as 7 years of experience as a Product Management leader. Product experiences included both B2C and B2B across e-commerce, mobile apps, mobile games, and communication products. They had worked in a similar business model as a CEO for a tech company whose board was based in China. As a Chinese national and Canadian Citizen, they fluent in Mandarin (spoken and written) and English.

“When we put together the requirements for this role, we knew it would be a very tough position to fill. Thanks to Martyn Bassett Associates, we found the candidate we hoped for in the relatively short period of time. The communication was helpful, efficient and productive.”

–– Amy Liang, CEO, VCG (The Parent Company)

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"When hiring our first CPO, we were looking to branch out beyond our network. The Martyn Bassett Associates team was able to source candidates that we were wanting, but unable to get on our own. We were presented with a wide range of fantastic candidates."

"What I love about working with this team is they’re there to help. I have weird requests, they jump on the phone and we figure it out. I need someone in a hurry, they hustle. I maybe need someone ages from now, they keep an eye out. I have a question about a salary, or am unsure about how to approach something they know. We’ve used them for a few years, and we’ve had nothing but great experience working together. Wish I had found them a few years sooner.”

"We were impressed with both the speed and the high-calibre of candidates we had to choose from. Martyn Bassett Associates really listen to what you’re looking for and the entire process is very smooth and stress-free."

"The entire Martyn Bassett team was easy to work with and we were able to quickly develop an open and transparent partnership. Leveraging their strong expertise and extensive talent network, they helped us find the technology sales leaders and management services experts we needed."

"A true value-adding partner in identifying talent. The team at Martyn Bassett Associates were quick to zero-in on our requirements and rigorous in pre-qualifying candidates for consideration. They are focused and fast! Their expertise and experience added value throughout the process and resulted in an outstanding final outcome for Roadpost. This is a team that will strive to exceed expectations."