Ben Crawford joins Com Laude as CEO, Nick Wood re-joins as director

Com Laude is delighted to announce the appointment of two leading lights of the domain name and online IP protection industry.

Ben Crawford has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and Director. Ben was formerly CEO of CentralNic Group PLC (recently renamed Team Internet PLC), which he built from $2M turnover in 2012 to $700M in 2022.

Ben Crawford said: “I first tried to acquire Com Laude back in 2017, so it’s a dream come true to join the company as CEO. Com Laude is a very special company. The exceptional expertise and customer-focused culture always made it the industry leader in my mind, so I want to further invest in that to bring even more useful advice and services to our existing and future clients. I can promise you all stability and continuity in our people and our ways of working.

“Of course we do want the company to evolve, but in ways the customers and prospects want – with clear planning and communication, and no unwelcome surprises. So, you can expect to hear from us regularly about new initiatives, and we would always be grateful for your suggestions and feedback.”

Com Laude also announces that Nick Wood has been appointed to its Board as a demonstration of his long-term commitment to the company. Nick was co-founder of Com Laude and served as its CEO until 2017 and as Executive Chairman from 2017 to March this year when the company was acquired by private equity firm PX3 Partners. Nick said: “I’m delighted to re-join the Com Laude Board and to work with Ben, our team, and our clients, to navigate the changes ahead in domain names and online brand protection. Ben and I are looking forward to developing some exciting new initiatives with our old friends and colleagues.”

Glenn Hayward is leaving Com Laude after 6 years as CEO. His many achievements in that role culminated with the successful sale of the company to PX3 Partners in March of this year. Chairman Chris Donegan said, “We thank Glenn for his dedicated service to Com Laude and his tireless efforts to ensure the smooth transition of the business from its founders and earlier investors to PX3 Partners. We wish his continued success with his future endeavours.”