Fast-growing digital media company KOMI Group has named Sam Lenehan as its new chief executive officer, stepping up from his current role as group MD. At the same time, founder and current CEO Andrew Trotman moves over into the role of chief revenue officer.
KOMI said the leadership reshuffle follows “record-breaking growth and a recent international expansion, positioning KOMI to further scale its commercial success and global footprint”. The change in structure formalises roles already evolved in practice, and comes after more than £10 million in growth investment from equity investor BGF across 2022 and 2024.
Since 2021, KOMI has increased its turnover sixfold and grown EBITDA by seven times. Reaching 150m followers and 5bn monthly views across its 40+ social-first media brands, its proprietary tool, KOMI Insights, leverages real-time data to spot trends, optimise content and drive results for creators, clients and advertisers. The business is on track to exceed $25 million USD in revenue this year, with strong prospects for further growth.
Lenehan brings “a proven track record of operational discipline, team scaling, and strategic clarity,” according to the company. Moving into the CEO position, he will run KOMI’s daily operations, shape the strategy, lead the exec team, and drive international expansion. Trotman, who founded KOMI in 2016, will lead revenue growth, develop new commercial partnerships, and collaborate across teams to accelerate strategic growth and innovation.
Trotman said: “KOMI exists because of a fundamental belief in storytelling, using data backed creativity to build hyper-engaged digital communities. As the global spotlight on the creator economy intensifies, I’ve never been more excited about where we’re going. Sam has been at the heart of KOMI’s growth and success; his leadership, ambition and dedication have shaped our strategy since the very early years of the business’s inception.”
Lenehan added: “The trust Andrew has consistently placed in the team at KOMI has allowed us to create a really special culture that continues to deliver enviable performance.”
The restructure follows a slew of promotions at KOMI to build out the leadership team. This included the appointment of Sian Broderick as managing director of KOMI Publishing and Terry Pierce as group operations director, two of 30 internal promotions made in the last year. Last month, KOMI also announced its expansion into the US with the appointment of Nick Jennings as SVP of special projects, where he will be responsible for M&A opportunities.
Pictured: Sam Lenehan (left) and Andrew Trotman
