Candid, the platform-based advertising and marketing group operating in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, has appointed Andrew Shaw as Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO), effective immediately. Operating at the group level, Shaw is tasked with overseeing Candid’s product strategy and technology infrastructure, with a specific focus on scaling the group’s agency brands. His arrival coincides with increasing market demand for Live Marketing™, Candid’s proprietary, AI-powered infrastructure that integrates strategy, media, campaigns, and creative. Shaw’s primary mandate is to transition this technology to enterprise scale and maintain its competitive edge in a rapidly shifting market.
Andrew Shaw joins Candid as its new Chief Product & Technology Officer.
Responsible for scaling the proprietary Live Marketing™ platform to enterprise grade.
Previously held senior product leadership roles at OLX and adidas.
Mandate includes strengthening technology foundations across Candid's UK and Dutch agencies.
Focuses on building a future-proof platform to deliver measurable client value.
Shaw reports to group leadership as part of Candid's continued tech investment.
Andrew Shaw brings an extensive international background in technology innovation and product architecture. Most recently, he served as Director of Product at OLX in Amsterdam and previously held a senior role at adidas in Germany. With over nine years of experience in the European technology sector, Shaw has developed a specialty in managing complex, international organizations. At Candid, he will apply this expertise to ensure the group's product roadmap aligns with the demands of global brand partners, specifically focusing on the intersection of AI and creative execution.
The Live Marketing™ platform serves as the central nervous system for Candid’s integrated client proposition. Shaw’s appointment is intended to turn this "proven technology" into a scalable, differentiated platform that can support the group's expansion beyond its current geographic footprint. By reinforcing the technology foundations that underpin Candid’s various agency brands, Shaw aims to create a unified ecosystem where data and AI drive real-time campaign optimizations. This approach is designed to provide clients with a robust, transparent infrastructure for managing their marketing spend and creative assets.
Shaw’s leadership is viewed as a critical component of Candid’s ambition to scale in the UK, the Netherlands, and additional markets. The appointment signals a commitment to moving beyond traditional agency models toward a technology-first approach. By focusing on "honest engineering" and scalable architecture, the group intends to provide brand partners with tangible, measurable value. As the advertising industry moves toward AI-native workflows, Shaw will be instrumental in shaping the governance and innovation frameworks required to keep Candid at the forefront of the digital marketing landscape.
"My remit is clear: to take Candid's Live Marketing™ infrastructure from proven technology to a truly differentiated, enterprise-grade and scalable platform — one that holds its competitive advantage in a market that is moving fast," said Andrew Shaw, CPTO of Candid.
"Andrew brings exactly the depth of product and technology leadership that this moment calls for," said Gerard Ghazarian, Founder & President of Candid. "He will be instrumental in shaping our product strategy and in building the technology organisation we need to realise our ambitions."
Candid is a platform-based advertising, marketing, and communications group operating across the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Driven by its proprietary Live Marketing™ technology, Candid offers an integrated approach to strategy, media, and creative, helping global brands achieve measurable impact through an AI-powered infrastructure.
