Mike Jacobson

Chief Executive Officer

Hailing originally from Canberra, Australia, Mike has an MBA from University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and worked as a Financial Analyst at various dot-com startups in Sydney and London prior to heading up the analysis function for the marketing team at PartyGaming PLC. Working closely with SEO colleagues Mike Nott and Tim Webb, they soon discovered a shared ethos for problem-solving. The seeds were soon sewn for the three to forge their own path and open an agency that mirrored their personal approach to work. Mike’s goal for Ayima was to become the expert’s expert, assisting the in-house teams at big yet under-performing brands and provide a fun and intellectually challenging environment for Ayima’s staff. The company’s reputation has been built on performance & delivering solid traffic and revenues for clients.



Mike Nott

Chief Operating Officer

With a background in IT and System Administration, Mike was an early convert to SEO, working for various Media agencies in London before heading the Search Function at PartyGaming PLC at the time of their IPO on the FTSE in 2005. The technical and strategic lessons learned from that venture fed directly to the foundation of Ayima in 2007 with his colleagues, Mike Jacobson and Tim Webb. Mike has spearheaded Ayima ever since then, never losing sight of the company’s goal to deliver top-level expertise via superior technology and exceptional talent. He is also a strong proponent of providing a flexible environment in which experts can thrive, a factor that has helped Ayima grow into a prosperous international operation and develop industry-leading solutions for the SEO community.



Tim Webb

Chief Technology Officer

A degree in Linguistics followed by a MSc in Software Engineering have given Tim a unique view of programming, with an exhaustive understanding of both user intent and how best to surface relevant information. This expertise naturally manifested itself as a career in SEO, working with Mike Nott at PartyGaming, and then launching digital agency Ayima. As CTO, Tim continues to experiment with the aim of taking the guesswork out of SEO, providing Ayima consultants with tools and data that demystify Google’s complex algorithms so they’re able to confidently advise clients on the best course of action.



Michelle Dempsey

Chief Finance Officer

After studying Business and Marketing, Michelle soon discovered her passion for finance, going on to study ACCA part-time, she has almost 20 years’ experience working in finance across various sectors including manufacturing, hospitality, and since 2009, marketing. Michelle has been Finance Director at Ayima since 2014, working to ensure that the finance team at Ayima meets the challenges of a growing company, from opening new offices to acquisitions to becoming a publicly listed company.



Nicky Applegarth

Managing Director - UK

With over 18 years widespread and hands on digital agency experience, Nicky has delivered industry-leading results and driven cutting-edge strategies across the full range of digital disciplines, working with numerous blue chip clients such as British Airways, O2, Vodafone, BT, Aviva, Marks & Spencer, P&O Ferries, The AA, Sky, Virgin Media, and Macmillan. As Managing Director at Ayima, Nicky has a unique view on what kind of digital marketing strategies businesses should be investing in, and how they can get tangible results from what they implement.



Mark Tempest

President - North America

Having begun his career in 2001, Mark brings his 17 years of digital marketing and SEO experience to Ayima as Senior Vice President for Ayima Canada. Focused on delivering exceptional results for the company’s leading North American clients, Mark and his team plan and implement technical SEO, CRO and organic audience-generation strategies that grow each brand’s online market share through a multi-channel approach. Mark’s lead on technical digital marketing has resulted in Ayima campaigns being showcased as best practice on numerous occasions in Canada.



Dean Chew

Managing Director - Ayima Asia

Dean entered the industry in 2002 through jobs that combined sales, coding and marketing, but he discovered that he was most interested in SEO because it was simply more fun to see the changes he implemented directly impact ROI. He brought his interests to Ayima in 2008 when he joined the then-burgeoning team as an SEO consultant. Soon after, he made the move from London to Asia, where he built and continues to manage a thriving & ever-growing team as the Director of Asian Operations. In addition to regularly speaking at events about SEO and digital marketing strategy, Dean delivers industry-leading results for enterprise-level & startup clients alike in sectors such as online gaming, telecoms and finance.