Cognism Hires New CFO and Appoints Pete Daffern as Chair of the Board

Cognism, the globally compliant sales intelligence company, has today announced that Miami-based Jennifer Grunebaum has joined the company as CFO to manage the finance and legal teams. She will split her time between Cognism’s UK head office in London and the US.

In tandem, non-executive director Pete Daffern has been appointed Chair of the Board.

Grunebaum joins with over 20 years’ experience of driving global companies to achieve profitable growth. She joins from analytics platform SaaS provider, Devo, where she led two equity raises and integrated two M&A acquisitions. Jennifer was also instrumental in the company tripling ARR and improving margins by more than 500 basis points.

Her career spans leading names in the media, technology, and education industries. She has experience in both multinational and small organisations, including private equity and venture-backed businesses. Companies include Knewton, Penguin, Time Warner and Exxon Mobil. 

Jennifer Grunebaum said:

“The opportunity at Cognism excited me because the potential is huge. It is a truly international company with exceptional leadership in CEO James Isilay. It’s the first thing I look at in a company - the leader, and he’s very impressive - he ensured he came to meet me in the US and that meant a lot.”

“My strengths lie in developing scalable financial and operational frameworks and efficiencies to help organisations create sustainability and growth opportunities, maximising ROI. Cognism is in an excellent position, and I am thrilled to be a part of its ongoing success.” 

James Isilay, CEO, said:

“Attracting Jennifer to the CFO role at Cognism is a real coup for us. It reflects our current position and the opportunities we must take to make real noise on the global stage.”

“Her experience in developing efficiencies and increasing growth margins for several global organisations in a venture-backed environment is second to none. We are excited about the future and what her experience can bring to us.”

Newly appointed Chair of the Board, Pete Daffern said:

“Cognism is a phenomenal success story and continues to achieve stratospheric growth. The journey has been extraordinary and it’s testament to the remarkable team we have assembled, whose dedication and expertise have been instrumental in the company’s success thus far.”

“I’m confident that with Jennifer on board, we’re poised for even greater accomplishments.” 

Cognism is a genuinely global business with its headquarters in London, UK and five further offices spanning three continents. Today the company has over 500 employees and 3k customers worldwide.

Jennifer and Pete take up their roles with immediate effect.

About Cognism

Cognism is a leader in premium sales intelligence, setting a new standard for data quality and compliance, trusted by 3000+ revenue teams worldwide. 

Cognism helps businesses connect with their dream prospects by providing premium contact, company, and event information, including firmographics, technographics, sales trigger events, intent data, verified business emails and phone-verified mobile numbers.  

Next level GDPR & CCPA compliance, combined with innovative technology and integrations with leading CRM and sales engagement partners, make Cognism the number one choice for businesses looking to create a predictable pipeline, find their next best business opportunity and overcome global compliance barriers. 

For more information on Cognism’s intuitive premium sales intelligence platform powered by world-leading data, compliance and targeting, please visit www.cognism.com.