Former Bastion Shine CEO Simon Curran joins Rokt as chief development and culture officer

Following the announcement of his departure in August, former Bastion Shine New Zealand co-founder and CEO Simon Curran is set to join Rokt, a leading ecommerce technology company using machine learning and AI to make transactions more relevant to each shopper, in the role of chief development and culture officer. He will be joining Rokt in its New York headquarters.

In this newly created position, Curran will report directly to Bruce Buchanan, CEO of Rokt, and join the company’s executive committee.

Says Buchanan: “Continuing to rapidly scale Rokt at more than 40% per annum is dependent on our ability to scale our people at the same pace. Simon’s unique ability to unlock the full potential of high-performing leaders and teams is a critical part of making this happen. Rapidly scaling businesses provide a unique opportunity for career acceleration. When combined with investment and the best development people, you provide a truly unique environment for our people to unleash themselves.”

New Zealand native Curran will join Rokt full-time after serving in a number of roles in learning and development for the company since 2022. He is the co-founder and former CEO of creative consultancy Bastion Shine and a partner in Propel Performance Group, a human capital and coaching business whose global clients include All Blacks Performance Labs, which is associated with New Zealand Rugby’s All Blacks & Black Ferns Rugby teams.

Says Curran: “This exciting and unique role underscores Rokt’s commitment to unleashing the potential of every member of the team and mirrors the company’s innovative approach to product development. I’m looking forward to bringing my past experience working with gold medal–winning athletes and global business leaders to the passionate executives at Rokt.”

Curran’s appointment will enable the company to further deepen this commitment with new programs and initiatives. This news follows Rokt’s previous announcement of being named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies, and its plans to expand its New York City headquarters.