December 10, 2003

Ask Jeeves plans to go on an acquisition and partnership spree in continental Europe next year, as well as build its R&D; and sales and marketing teams, according to new Ask Jeeves UK director of strategy Myles Runham.

Runham, who assumed the role of director of strategy in the UK in August, said Ask Jeeves was planning to develop a more international presence and is looking to Europe either for acquisitions or partnerships - or a combination of both, while a recruitment drive will focus on R&D; and sales and marketing to develop and market new search products for the UK and Europe.

He said: "We are clearly focused on growing the business to increase market share. Bulking up our US engineering skills as well as marketing and product development in the UK and US in the first quarter is key to that. We have no specific acquisitions in mind at the moment but we want to extend our international reach beyond our core focus on the UK and US markets."

In the wake of search merger activity this summer, Ask suggested it would pursue potential acquisitions, with Ask UK CEO Adrian Cox mooting a buy by the summer of next year, though he hinted that the PPC sector was unlikely to prove a potential hunting ground. Still, PPC firm Mirago remains unattached and has a presence in Germany, suggesting itself as a possible target.

Runham is responsible for development and strategic business planning for Ask.co.uk, having arrived from BBC Online in 2001, with his appointment as director strategy mirrored in the US where Paul Gardi took the role. Both appointments were made at the same time to improve co-ordination between the US and UK business, which had previously been run as distinct separate operations, according to Runham.

Although his promotion took effect in August, the company only made the official announcement today, timing it to coincide with the appointment of Shobit Kakkar as head of research in the UK.

Kakkar will be responsible for the management of the research team and will be charged with providing business information and intelligence for Ask.co.uk. Early in the month the internet search firm said it planned to increase its headcount by 20% to 30% over the next 12 months as part of its continued strategy to attract new subscribers and grow its market share.

Source: Net Imperative

        

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