New and notable appointments at BidX1, FREE NOW and Zipp Mobility

Pictured: Johnny O’Connor, Head of Commercial Property, BidX1

This week sees new and notable appointments at BidX1, FREE NOW and Zipp Mobility

Johnny O’Connor, Head of Commercial Property,
BidX1

Johnny O’Connor, Head of Commercial Property, BidX1

BidX1, a digital property investment platform, has announced the expansion of its Irish management team in advance of further growth in the market. Johnny O’Connor has joined the firm as Head of Commercial Property.

O’Connor will join Jonathan Fenn, who leads BidX1’s Irish team, as the online property specialist continues to expand its market share. O’Connor brings more than 20 years’ experience in the property industry and will oversee BidX1’s growing commercial team, advising across both auction and private treaty sales.

He joins BidX1 from CBRE, where he led the Retail team, specialising in retail leasing and investments. Prior to that, O’Connor was a Director at Cushman & Wakefield where he established a specialised investment team focused on the sub €5m market. 

Last month, BidX1 announced that it had secured funding from Enterprise Ireland, following a decision during the Covid-19 lockdown to open the platform to other agents through a Joint Agency model. The state agency is supporting BidX1 through its Agile Innovation Fund, and has made almost €500,000 available to the company, both to drive this partnership initiative and to enhance BidX1’s digital platform in advance of further international growth. 

BidX1 currently operates in the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Spain and Cyprus, with expansion into Portugal and Greece scheduled for the first quarter of next year. 

Johnny Horgan, Managing Director of Europe, BidX1, commented, “The advantage of being a market-leader is attracting talented people, both from the property industry and beyond, who want to be at the forefront of innovation in our industry. We’re delighted to have Johnny  joining the Irish team. 

“Johnny is a respected figure in the commercial sector with a proven track-record of building great teams, and his knowledge and talent will be of huge benefit to our commercial division. 

“The demand for a more modern, digital approach to property sales is growing. We’re delighted to have Johnny on board as we advance the reach of our digital model in the Irish market.”

Steven Blanc, Head of Residential & Business Development,
BidX1

Steven Blanc, Head of Residential & Business Development, BidX1

BidX1, a digital property investment platform, has announced the expansion of its Irish management team in advance of further growth in the market. Steven Blanc has joined the team as Head of Residential & Business Development. 

Blanc will join Jonathan Fenn, who leads BidX1’s Irish team, as the online property specialist continues to expand its market share. Blanc will take over responsibility for Business Development on the residential side of the business, having spent 16 years managing various Sherry FitzGerald branches, most notably the establishment and growth of Sherry FitzGerald Blanc in North Dublin. Blanc brings a wealth of experience across both sales and lettings, as well as expertise in New Home Sales and Development Site Acquisition. 

Johnny Horgan, Managing Director of Europe, BidX1, commented, “The advantage of being a market-leader is attracting talented people, both from the property industry and beyond, who want to be at the forefront of innovation in our industry. We’re delighted to have Steve joining the Irish team.

“Steven’s experience in establishing and growing residential branches makes him an important addition to our business as we continue to expand our service lines and client base.

Niall Carson, General Manager,
FREE NOW

Niall Carson, General Manager, FREE NOW

Niall Carson has been appointed as the new General Manager for Ireland for FREE NOW, Ireland’s largest taxi app. Carson has over 15 years’ experience working in the transport and mobility sectors. He has previously held roles with Hailo, car-sharing platform GoCar and car-rental

companies Europcar and Thrifty. Carson will utilise his previous experience across sales, operations and marketing in his new wide-ranging role.

Former General Manager Alan Fox becomes Regional General Manager with responsibility for Ireland, France and Portugal. Fox said of the appointment: “Niall becomes GM at a challenging time for the industry during the global uncertainty caused by COVID but I have no doubt that his determination, understanding of driver and passenger needs combined with his ambition to grow the FREE NOW network will make him an exceptional leader for the Irish team.”

Commenting on the appointment, Carson said: “I am excited about the opportunity to deliver a great service as demand from passengers and businesses begins to recover in the coming months, giving people peace of mind when travelling and helping our driver base get back to work after what has been a tumultuous time for everyone.”’

Peter McGannon-Gomez, Chief Operations Officer,
Zipp Mobility

Peter McGannon-Gomez, Chief Operations Officer, Zipp Mobility

Irish micromobility start-up has announced the appointment of Peter McGannon-Gomez, a senior US e-scooter executive, as the company’s Chief Operations Officer (COO). The appointment was announced as the NovaUCD-headquartered company accelerates plans to operate multiple shared e-scooter trials across the UK.

Prior to joining Zipp Mobility, Peter McGannon-Gomez was Vice-President for Operations at Blue Duck Scooters, a San Antonio-based company operating electric scooters in 7 cities across Texas and the Southeastern US.

Last year Peter successfully led a pilot shared e-scooter trial on the DCU campus to test the Luna consortium’s telematic device on Blue Duck Scooters. The Luna GPS technology enables scooter operators to pinpoint the exact location of their scooters within a 5 cm level of accuracy.

Zipp Mobility’s e-scooter model has recently been approved by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) for use in shared e-scooter trials, in co-operation with local councils, across the UK. The company, founded by Charlie Gleeson in 2019, has secured over €1 million in funding during the last 4-months to fund these trials.

Charlie Gleeson, CEO, Zipp Mobility said, “I am delighted to welcome Peter to the Zipp team at this very exciting time for the company. There are few industry experts out there with Peter’s level of experience and success in launching thousands of e-scooters in multiple cities. He is an ideal addition to our ambitious team as we gear up to launch our e-scooters in multiple cities across the UK and in time across Ireland.”

Before joining Blue Duck Scooters Peter McGannon-Gomez, whose mother was originally from Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, specialised in the management and organisational consulting to non-standard insurance companies, as well as managing more than 500 retail outlets in four states.

Zipp Mobility, headquartered at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin (UCD), is an Enterprise Ireland High-Potential Start-Up (HPSU) company.