Celebrus CEO, Bill Bruno has been busy travelling the world talking to customers and partners about what’s keeping them up at night. In a fairly rare moment of calm, Steve Brooks, editor of Enterprise Times, managed to catch up with Bill about how Celebrus is evolving to meet the demands of an increasingly data-driven world.
A Future-Focused Vision
Bruno’s longer-term vision for Celebrus is bold: to use data to fundamentally improve relationships between brands and consumers by addressing key data challenges. His vision is “to make Celebrus a household name, to make sure that brands are using this technology, are getting value from it, and that they’re ultimately doing more for their consumers and building those better relationships. All our innovation will be focused on enabling that vision.”
Leveraging AI for Smarter, Faster Insights
A key element in Celebrus’ forward-looking strategy is the integration of AI and machine learning to drive better insights and automation. Bruno highlighted how Celebrus has embedded AI within its platform to help brands activate consumer data more efficiently and build stronger relationships faster.
Bruno noted, “We’ve embedded and invested a lot in machine learning in the product to help customers automate and get better insights, to build those better relationships more quickly. So, to me, AI is a buzzword. What really matters when it comes to AI is how you can effectively utilize that internally and externally. We’ve taken a much more pragmatic approach to that, than just running at a shiny object.”
Bruno said, “Externally, we’re doing this in two ways for our customers. One is exploring how we better support customers. Give them the ability to get questions answered more quickly. Give them the ability to better utilize Celebrus and expand their use of Celebrus in a more streamlined manner.”
Expanding Beyond Financial Services
When Bruno joined the company six years ago, it was to build the US business for the company, which was D4t4 Solutions at the time. The initial focus was on financial services, but Bruno wanted to move into other verticals.
While 60% of the business is still financial services, with four of the top ten global banks using it, the customer base has widened significantly to other verticals since taking the helm. The company now has customers in healthcare, travel, retail, and telco as well. For example, one of the largest healthcare providers in the US is now a customer, as is one of the largest global airlines. Both verticals are growing fast and are key targets for the business.
Bruno has also prioritised growing the company’s annual recurring revenue (ARR), which increased by 20.9% to £20.2 million in its most recent fiscal year. Listed on the London Stock Exchange (CBRS) the company has steadily climbed in value. Over the last year, its share price has risen over 60% from 175.00 GBX on September 25, 2023, to 287.90 GBX. Its results also reflects that growth.
The Path Forward: Innovation and Execution
Celebrus is positioning itself as a solution for the growing data problem plaguing CEOs. This includes the challenges of digital identity resolution and the ability to obtain and own true first-party data while navigating complex and constantly changing privacy and compliance regulations. As Bruno aptly put it, “We make collecting data across your digital assets frictionless and provide structure for digital data where other vendors fall short. We also help you better understand your customers by solving for digital identity in a way that’s compliant with GDPR and unimpacted by all the browser changes and regulations. This ensures that all use cases, whether for marketing or fraud, are better informed and more valuable.”
Looking ahead, Bruno plans to stay the course and continue driving innovation with a focus on people, systems, and culture. With Celebrus leading the charge in data analysis and identity solutions, the company is poised to help brands not only manage their data but use it to build stronger, more meaningful customer relationships. As Bruno noted, “All our innovation will be focused on building better relationships between brands and their consumers, because that’s what ultimately drives value.“
The Book Question
For most interviews I always ask business leaders what is the latest book they read? In this case Bruno, had a different and interesting answer to many others.
He replied, “So my free time is most usually spent either woodworking or studying Italian. If I had to go back and think what the last book I read was, it was one of the Harry Bosch series (Amazon Aus, UK, US) of novels because I love that series and the TV show that Amazon created from it. I don’t remember which one it was, but most of my time is in Italian textbooks these days.”
Why Italian?
“I have family from there. So it’s a sentimental thing for me to relearn that. We’ve spent a little bit of time in Italy, and I’ve really enjoyed applying what I’ve learned thus far. It’s a fun challenge.”
What do you make when you work with wood?
“Mostly it’s furniture and things like that; Furniture, shelving, or vanities for bathrooms as an example. I like working with my hands because it is very different from what I do with my day job. It’s a nice escape.”
