Case Study: Digital Bridge

Digital Bridge has been a key client of ours for several years, and we have been privileged to support the growth of their investment and IR/fundraising teams as they have built out in the US, Europe and indeed Asia. In 2021, in the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, Steven Sonnenstein, Senior MD, pioneered the creation of what instantly became the UK’s largest singular portfolio of outdoor advertising assets (billboards). Sonnenstein plugged these assets into a senior management team led by Damian Cox (the Godfather of billboard digitization) and Wildstone was born.

Background:

Results:

Digital Bridge identified the urgent need for a strong and experienced CFO, ideally bringing infrastructure investment experience, who could join the leadership team and support both the CEO and the investors in what was envisioned to be a fast and aggressive build strategy. Finding someone with the experience of owning and developing a large portfolio of unique and disparately located assets was important, and our search led us to look closely at digital infrastructure companies in Europe which fit the bill. Within a week of starting the search we had identified Jennifer Smith (until recently the CFO of euNetworks, a dense fibre business with assets across 17 countries) as a prime target and, with Zoom expediting interview processes, within two weeks she had established herself as frontrunner. Four weeks from the signing of the Engagement Letter, One Search closed the mandate with the successful signature of Jennifer Smith as inaugural CFO of Wildstone.

Portfolio:

Wildstone owns a growing portfolio of over 3000 outdoor advertising assets across the UK and Europe. Ranging from classic paper & paste billboards, through digital 48-sheet panels to super-premium sites, Wildstone own an impressive portfolio of sites and purchase new ones every week.

Leadership:

Steven Sonnenstein (Senior MD, DigitalBridge)
Damian Cox (CEO, Wildstone)
Jennifer Smith (CFO, Wildstone)

“Changing jobs during COVID was not easy. One Search were instrumental in keeping the interview process on track, feeding back to me as a candidate so that I felt comfortable with the job fit and culture during a period of mandatory Zoom interviews, and ultimately making sure both sides were happy when it came time to sign the contract. Their approach was just the right amount of involvement at just the right times.”

Jennifer Smith
CFO
Wildstone

“Our partnership with One Search has been extremely fruitful, yielding high caliber talent acquisitions in our investment team, our investor relations/fundraising team and even C-suite placements into our portfolio companies. We look forward to continuing this relationship long into the future”

Steven Sonnenstein
Senior Managing Director
DigitalBridge