Talon North America Elevates Jonathan Conway to Chief Operating Officer and Shabnam Irilian to Head of Business Operations
Expanded Leadership to Accelerate Growth with Tech-led Innovations andSmarter, Out-of-Home Performance Outcomes
New York, NY – August 13, 2020 – Talon Outdoor, a leading independent Out of Home (OOH) media specialist, today announced the appointment of Jonathan Conway as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and of Shabnam Irilian as Senior Vice President, Head of Business Operations in North America (N.A.). Conway, who previously held the position of London-based Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), will now be based in New York City. Irilian, who served as International Operations Director in London, has relocated to San Diego.
Talon North America Appoints New Leadership
“Since joining Talon seven years ago, Jonathan has played an instrumental role in building an incredibly successful business model, driving significant technological innovation, and establishing the agency as a market-leading, award-winning OOH specialist in the UK,” said Talon N.A. CEO Jim Wilson. “His appointment will ensure that Talon is poised for accelerated growth in an OOH sector undergoing unprecedented transformation.”
In this newly created position, Conway will work closely with Wilson in executing the vision and strategy of the North American business, building upon Talon’s strong foundation for driving growth – both for itself and its exceptional roster of clients. He will oversee the daily operations aligned with the agency’s “Smarter as Standard” philosophy and manage deal and partnership integrations. Additionally, Conway will be responsible for spearheading Talon’s technology advancements in the region, including the introduction of proprietary digital, data and attribution products.
As CSO, Conway led Talon’s Strategy, Data and Insights unit, guiding the development of the agency’s data-driven audience targeting and campaign measurement services. In 2017, he established Talon’s first analytics arm, before designing and launching Ada, the agency’s proprietary data management platform. Conway has also served as the strategic lead for Talon’s blue-chip accounts, including Google and McDonalds, earning multiple industry recognitions. Prior to joining Talon, Conway held positions at OMD UK and Kinetic Worldwide.
“I am excited to take on this new role at a time when the OOH sector is primed for disruption and innovation,” said Conway. “As a company, Talon’s purpose is to simplify a complex and powerful OOH medium with smarter, more creative and data-led solutions that drive real business outcomes for brands. I feel fortunate to have played a role in delivering on this mission in the UK and am now looking forward to working with Jim and the Talon team to replicate that success in North America.”
Also in a newly created position, Irilian will be responsible for optimizing Talon’s end-to-end business architecture to ensure that Talon’s people, processes, and products are scalable, adaptable and can capitalize on the growth opportunities ahead. She will be leading on-the-ground integrations and change management for mergers and acquisitions, and will work across internal and external teams to support Talon’s delivery of flawless campaign executions and outstanding client service.
Irilian joined Talon in 2016. She most recently served as International Operations Director where she played an integral role in the development and launch of Talon’s global network Plexus, as well as the management and integration of the Grandesign acquisition in 2019. Before that, Irilian was Head of International, overseeing the expansion of operations into the U.S. in 2018, and Business Director, leading OOH planning across Talon’s independent agency partners. Prior to joining Talon, she held U.S. and UK director and media planner positions at Kinetic Worldwide and Mindshare, where she delivered effective, award-winning activations for top entertainment and technology brands, including Apple.
“Shabnam’s high profile, global client track record has made her a driving force in OOH,” added Wilson. “Combined with her deep industry and operations expertise, Shabnam will reinforce our commitment to driving best practices and client service excellence to facilitate the next phase of Talon’s market expansion.”
“Under Jim’s direction, Talon N.A. is embarking on a bold new direction to drive growth and innovation in OOH. In this new role, I’m excited to explore new business pathways and collaboration, increase the value of our offerings, and build a lasting people-first culture. Being back in the U.S., I look forward to further building the strength of our Talon team,” said Irilian.