Former Industry West CMO Ian Leslie, Joins #paid as New Editor in Chief

Fast-growing creator marketing company brings on industry executive and eCommerce pioneer

NEW YORK & TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#paid, a creator marketing platform that connects brands with content creators, today announced the hiring of Ian Leslie to serve as Editor in Chief of its media brand, Banknotes. Leslie will be responsible for executing a high-growth vision for the brand. He will continue to make Banknotes the destination for marketing professionals and creators to find editorial content and research related to marketing, brands, eCommerce, and the creator economy.

"I am so excited to join the #paid team-leading Banknotes,” said Ian Leslie. “The #paid team has done an amazing job creating the gold standard of a B2B media site. I'm also excited to join the larger #paid team. I've seen the investment of its leadership into not only building an amazing product within the creator space but also into its people. The future for #paid is bright, and Banknotes will play a large role in defining that future."

Before joining #paid, Leslie was the CMO of eCommerce company Industry West and, most recently, Senior Director of Retail Advocacy at Bolt. He brings over 15 years of experience working with and selling to eCommerce, SMB, and Enterprise brands. As the new Editor in Chief of Banknotes, he will be leveraging his previous journalism experience to create a space where readers across different segments will find unique perspectives and news pertaining to eCommerce and retail and global market trends.

“There couldn't be a better time to have Ian join our team,” said Roger Figueiredo, VP of Marketing at #paid. “His experience across marketing disciplines makes him an excellent person to oversee the day-to-day operations and growth of #paid's media brand, Banknotes. Expect big things!”

#paid launched Banknotes in 2021 as an editorial media site covering topics and news related to eCommerce, Brands, and the Creator Economy. Since its launch, the media site has gained over 900,000 pageviews, welcomed 75,000 returning readers, and had its articles referenced, and shared in Vogue Business, Morning Brew, 2PM Inc, Forbes, and AdWeek.

About #paid

#paid is a creator marketing platform that sits at the intersection of brand and creator collaboration. Founded in 2014, #paid helps direct-to-consumer and Fortune 500 brands like Phillips Hue, Unilever and Sephora activate creators to drive growth. They're building the platform of record that powers content creation and distribution for brands globally. The better they do that, the better they can serve their creator community and provide them with the best place on earth to do what they love—create. For more information, visit hashtagpaid.com.