Former Thomson Local Chief Joins Employee Benefits Provider Perkbox as COO to Spearhead the Startup's UK Growth Plans

LONDON, January 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Gautam Sahgal, former CEO of Thomson Local, has been appointed COO of UK's fastest growing benefits provider, Perkbox(www.perkbox.co.uk). As CEO of Thomson Local, Gautam successfully transformed the company's business model from print advertising to digital and data revenue streams.

The move forms part of Perkbox's extensive UK growth plans, which has seen the platform grow more than 30 times in terms of customer base and recurring revenue in the last 12 months.

With current growth of 50% each quarter, Perkbox's innovative platform focuses on providing businesses with a pay-as-you-go cloud-based employee engagement platform. It now has over 300,000 paid members comprising UK's SMEs as well as established brands and large corporates.

Gautam Sahgal will be charged with optimising the product as well as developing and implementing a tighter sales and marketing strategy that will continue to position Perkbox as the best in class for enhancing and measuring employee engagement and for helping businesses reduce labour turnover. Perkbox is already working with a number of UK companies within the hospitality, catering and care home sectors - industries typically blighted by high labour turnover - to drive employee engagement and happiness, reward staff with relevant and desirable lifestyle benefits, and drive greater staff engagement to increase business productivity.

Saurav Chopra, CEO of Perkbox-parent Huddlebuy commented: "We are delighted to have Gautam on board. His extensive operational and transactional experience will be an asset to Perkbox as we deliver on our mission of making happy productive teams and continue our exponential growth trajectory."

Gautam commented: "The opportunity for Perkbox is huge. Millennials are changing what is expected of an employer not only in terms of benefits, but also in terms of training expectations and performance management feedback. Perkbox has the potential to become the leader in a number of areas where the employer/employee relationship is changing. Technology is influencing the format of benefits and rewards to the point where the platform is becoming the definitive one-stop shop for employee engagement, as well as personal and financial wellness."

Gautam continued: "I've learned in business that if you have to work - and most of us have to - then you might as well enjoy your job. Enjoyment means being engaged with the idea of what we are doing, learning, bringing some good to the world, and having fun with your colleagues. If we can further those causes at Perkbox, we'll be on our way to something really great. Getting people to be happy at work is about a lot more than business. It's a social mission."

Prior to acting as CEO, Gautam was also formerly FD at Thomson Local - a UK directory company that was in structural decline due to lack of innovation as well as collapsing under huge pension liabilities. In 2013, he led the company through a pre-pack administration process, eliminating pension debt and right-sizing the business before being formally appointed as CEO. He took the business on a transformation journey from being simply a print directory business to creating a series of data and digital products that generated real returns for SMEs. Prior to that, Gautam worked in corporate and investment banking at Citigroup, Exor Investments as well as Seat Pagine Gialle where he held roles first within the M&A team as well as subsequently being appointed Head of Group Planning and Head of Group Portfolio Strategy. He holds a BA from Georgetown University and an MBA from Bocconi University.

ABOUT PERKBOX  

Perkbox is a cloud-based employee engagement platform for business of all sizes, giving employers and employees a range of great perks, social reward and recognition tools, and a health and wellness platform.

Perkbox is the employee benefits brand of Huddlebuy Ltd (www.huddlebuy.co.uk), the UK's largest benefits provider for startups and small businesses. The Huddlebuy service helps businesses grow by offering handpicked business deals from trusted brands with offers covering financial, marketing, business, technology and telecoms, education and e-learning products, alongside personal and recreational perks.

Perkbox was set up after Huddlebuy's business customers expressed an interest in passing on these business and personal perks onto their employees. Perkbox is therefore the definitive and dedicated employee benefits service for all businesses big and small.

As well as easy online redemption of perks on desktop and via smartphone app, Perkbox members also receive a seasonal surprise 'Perkbox' box stuffed with treats and free goodies delivered straight to offices.

Perkbox was set up with the belief that the best companies to work for look after their teams. The most successful businesses are comprised of people who are engaged, satisfied and loyal. Providing perks helps build stronger teams and incentivises workers to aspire to greatness.

Until recently, only large corporations could afford to pay for employee perks. Perkbox's easy and wholly customised offering allows SMEs to reward and incentivise their growing team with perks that help build a happy work culture with an investment in line with their budgets.

Perkbox is a new platform created by Huddlebuy, a parent venture that helps small businesses grow by offering handpicked business deals across financial, marketing, business, technology, telecoms, education and e-learning products.

For further information, press enquiries and interviews with Gautam Sahgal, contact Andrea San Pedro, PR Director, andrea@perkbox.co.uk / tel: +44(0)7970-468982.

For more information on pricing and packages available, contact: help@perkbox.co.uk, tel: +44(0)20-8396-6812