GoDaddy launches Australian operations
Web hosting company, GoDaddy, has formally launched its operations in Australia. As part of the expansion, the company has hired former LinkedIn A/NZ and South-East Asia head of communications, Tara Commerford, as its new A/NZ country manager.
Based in Sydney, Commerford will be responsible for building GoDaddy’s presence in Australia and promoting its product portfolio that aims to make it easier for small businesses to create a digital presence.
GoDaddy offers a full suite of products localised for small businesses in Australia. It combines its products with customers, which includes help in finding a domain name, website creation and hosting, online marketing, and productivity tools.
Commerford has more than 15 years' international and commercial experience, with a focus on market entry, business development, organisational growth, and brand strategy.
Commerford said her extensive experience will help in accelerating the company’s growth.
“Australia is built on small businesses. They account for 96 per cent of all companies and the vast majority are micro-businesses. While nearly all of them are connected to the Internet, less than half have a website of their own.
“We want to help bridge this gap by continuing to empower small businesses to create and grow their online presence with relevant, affordable products and customer care,” she said.
GoDaddy international executive vice-president, James Carroll, said the company has gone through tremendous change over the past three years. This has resulted in its new vision, which is to radically shift the global economy towards small businesses.
“Our goal is to help them build impactful and effective digital identities that enable them to connect to their customers and manage and grow their businesses online. Australia was one of the top four markets (the other three are India, UK and Canada) that GoDaddy chose to open operations as a Tier 1 market.
“We are delighted to have Tara leading the business on the ground in Australia and with her at the helm, we have the opportunity to be closer to our small business customers and continue to help entrepreneurs turn their aspirations into reality,” he added.
GoDaddy India and Australia vice-president and managing director, Rajiv Sodhi, said small businesses currently face the challenge of creating a business identity as it’s becoming increasingly critical and complex.
“Not only are businesses creating their identity, but it’s about creating a dynamic website, manage social media, reviews and listings, as well as working from multiple devices. This has become a full-time IT job for small businesses,” he said.
As such, Sodhi claimed the business has increased its focus on serving SMBs. Its portfolio will be available via the channel and directly through the company.
“Even though we serve businesses at scale, small businesses sometimes need customised solutions so we have a wide variety of channels. We have affiliates, resellers, and Web professionals that all get certified through our program.”
Carroll added that the company will be looking to further expand into the Asia, Middle East, and European regions in the coming months.
