Vancouver’s ZoomInfo recently announced the company, which specializes in market software, data and intelligence, will expand its operations into Europe.
“In Q3 2021, the international business at ZoomInfo grew over 80 percent year over year while our investment in our data assets outside of North America also nearly doubled throughout the year. We’re now in an even better position to build on our momentum there,” Henry Schuck, ZoomInfo’s founder and chief executive, said in a statement to the press.
The company, which is one of the most valuable in Clark County, will eventually open a permanent office in London. It will relocate a number of senior executives to London this year, while hiring for positions in the United Kingdom to further sales and service capabilities locally and regionally.
In its statement, ZoomInfo’s leadership explained the step to set up shop in London, a key location for international commerce, is vital to its growth in the U.K. and in Europe.
“As of now, the only impact the U.K. expansion has on our headquarters here in Vancouver is that at least one of our experienced Vancouver-based executives is planning for a move abroad to London to help run the new office,” Schuck said in an email to The Columbian.
ZoomInfo named London-based Simon McDougall, a seasoned international veteran of data privacy, as its first chief compliance officer.
Among McDougall’s responsibilities will be continuing what the company says is one of it’s core missions — to provide transparency regarding how its professional contact data is gathered and used, while ensuring individuals’ rights to privacy.
McDougall recently served as deputy commissioner of the Information Commissioner’s Office, the U.K.’s independent authority charged with upholding information rights and promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.
As the company grows abroad, McDougall will be tasked with instilling trust regarding how data is used and supporting ZoomInfo’s compliance, given the changing privacy regulations globally and, specifically, Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation — one of the strictest privacy and security laws in the world.
“ZoomInfo is a leader in data privacy, compliance and security. Transparency and control are at the core of our data operations,” McDougall said in a statement to the press. “As ZoomInfo continues to expand in the U.K. and in Europe, we’ll help customers navigate complex data rules and regulations, so they can act responsibly in growing their businesses.”
ZoomInfo plans to move its headquarters in 2025 to a new waterfront building, expected to hold up to 3,000 employees, at the Port of Vancouver’s Terminal 1 development.
