OMERS Ventures Announces Hiring of Kent Thexton as Managing Director

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 5, 2014) - OMERS Ventures, the venture capital investment arm of the OMERS pension plan, announces Kent Thexton is joining its team as Managing Director. In this role Mr. Thexton is responsible for leading investment activities in the North American market focusing on high-growth companies in the technology, media, and telecommunications sectors.

"Kent is an extremely strong strategic thinker with in-depth knowledge of the mobile and technology markets. He has experienced multiple successes in both operational and founder roles at large corporations and entrepreneurial ventures. OMERS Ventures, our portfolio companies and investment partners are very fortunate to have him on board," said John Ruffolo, CEO of OMERS Ventures.

Mr. Thexton has spent almost 25 years in both founder and operational management positions at growth companies globally, in roles including Founder, Chairman, President and CEO. He is currently a board member and consultant for some of Canada's largest and most successful technology companies.

His career highlights include his role as Chief Data and Marketing Officer and board member at UK telecom firm O2 Group plc, which sold to Telefonica S.A. in 2005 for $35 billion. At O2 Mr. Thexton, the only FTSE 100 board member at the time under the age of 40, had oversight of 1000 employees and achieved significant growth in the company's mobile data revenue and online division. Mr. Thexton also spent eight years at Rogers Communications in progressively senior roles including Chief Operating Officer.

Other successes include his senior roles at a mobile internet business and mobile email solutions provider, both of which experienced dramatic global growth under his leadership, and co-founding i-wireless, a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) partnered with US grocery-store chain Kroger.

Also an accomplished athlete, Mr. Thexton is an active triathlete and a former Canadian 1500 metre champion and record-holder. He holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.

About OMERS Ventures

OMERS Ventures (Twitter:@OMERSVentures) is the venture capital investment arm of OMERS, one of Canada's largest pension funds with more than $65 billion in net assets. It is an initiative of OMERS Strategic Investments (OSI), an investment entity with a mandate to build long-term strategic relationships with like-minded partners. As both an institutional angel investor and a later-stage investor, OMERS Ventures is looking for successful companies with significant growth potential and market opportunities. We are seeking like-minded partners with a shared vision of building a vibrant and successful knowledge economy. For more information please visit http://www.omersventures.com/.