Russ Barr · General Manager · Managing Director
I build businesses and make them work better.
I'm Russ Barr. I've built a UK business from scratch, led a global software business with $100M+ ARR, and brought technical, commercial and operational teams together to help businesses grow.
Currently Country Manager, UK at JetBrains. Based in Essex, working with teams in London and internationally.
Selected results
100%
ARR growth
ScriptRunner, over three years
€7M+
ARR
Bynder's UK business, built from inception
130+ / 9
people / countries
The international ScriptRunner organisation I led
45%
revenue growth
Cloudinary's DAM business during my tenure
Selected work
A few examples of the work
Different businesses, different challenges. These examples show the scope of my roles, the work I led and the results achieved.
- 01
ScriptRunner
General Manager
October 2022 – May 2026
Growing a global software business
Full P&L responsibility, a strategy spanning product and go-to-market, and an international organisation that grew to 130+ people across nine countries. ARR doubled over three years.
Explore ScriptRunner → - 02
Bynder
Managing Director, UK & Ireland
August 2014 – February 2019
Building the UK business from scratch
Established the UK operation and built the team across sales, implementation and customer success. The business reached €7M+ ARR with consistent 110%+ net revenue retention.
Explore Bynder → - 03
Cloudinary
Managing Director, DAM
December 2019 – October 2022
Setting the direction for DAM
Led Cloudinary's Digital Asset Management business, with full P&L accountability, a five-year strategic roadmap and cross-functional leadership. Revenue grew by 45% during my tenure.
Explore Cloudinary →
Approach
How I work
I've worked in development, professional services and commercial leadership. That helps me understand what different teams need from each other, and where a business is getting in its own way.
- 01
Start with a clear direction.
People need to understand what the business is trying to achieve and how their work contributes. Strategy should help people make decisions.
- 02
Take responsibility for the whole business.
Product, customers, people and finances are connected. I am comfortable working across those boundaries and taking responsibility for the result.
- 03
Give people room and support.
I value clear expectations, trust and the freedom to get on with the job, with support when people need it.
- 04
Make the work easier to do.
Good operations help teams make decisions and deliver. I look for the structures, habits and practical changes that remove friction as a business grows.
Career
The career so far
My career has taken me from building software to leading the teams and businesses behind it.
May 2026 – present
Country Manager, UK · JetBrains
London / UK
Lead UK operations and statutory governance for a distributed organisation of 40+ employees, representing UK priorities across global People, Finance, Legal, Recruitment and Workplace teams.
- Defined the UK country strategy, positioning the UK as a selective hub for senior technical, AI/ML and research talent.
- Built relationships with universities, developer communities and industry networks to support talent attraction and employer visibility.
- Developed an evidence-led operating and workplace model for future UK growth, employee connection and a stronger shared UK identity.
Oct 2022 – May 2026
General Manager · ScriptRunner
London / international
Full P&L ownership of a global SaaS business with $100M+ ARR. Delivered 100% ARR growth over three years and scaled the organisation to 130+ people across nine countries.
- Multi-year strategy spanning product, go-to-market and organisational design.
- Structural and process changes to improve capacity and scalability.
- International leadership, operating cadence and execution.
Dec 2019 – Oct 2022
Managing Director, DAM · Cloudinary
London / international
Led the Digital Asset Management (DAM) business with full P&L accountability, a five-year strategic roadmap and 45% revenue growth during my tenure.
- Expanded enterprise adoption.
- Led a cross-functional matrix team.
- Improved workflows and operational efficiency.
Apr 2019 – Nov 2019
Managing Director, UK · BrandMaster
London
Established and led UK operations, introducing Digital Asset Management and Brand Asset Management offerings to a new market.
- Defined and executed the initial go-to-market strategy.
- Generated early recurring revenue and established an operating foundation.
Aug 2014 – Feb 2019
Managing Director, UK & Ireland · Bynder
London
Built the UK business from inception to €7M+ ARR, with consistent 110%+ net revenue retention.
- Built the local team across sales, implementation and customer success.
- Established a customer base ranging from charities to global enterprises.
- Embedded customer success and operational discipline.
Before that: services and software
VYRE and North Plains
Consulting and then leading professional services, helping organisations apply VYRE's platform to improve their content and asset management processes.
Head of Professional Services · North Plains Systems
Dec 2012 – Aug 2014
Continued leading professional services after North Plains acquired VYRE in 2012, supporting enterprise DAM delivery and the transition into the wider business.
Head of Professional Services · VYRE
Sep 2010 – Dec 2012
Led a services team of up to 50 across consultancy, project management, design and development, delivering enterprise DAM and related solutions.
Head Consultant · VYRE
Apr 2008 – Sep 2010
Senior Consultant · VYRE
Apr 2007 – Apr 2008
RNM Systems / Condeco
Development and technical leadership
May 2001 – Apr 2007
Joined as a developer and progressed to Head of Development, overseeing up to 15 ASP and ASP.NET developers. Later moved into project management and consultancy for the Condeco room-booking system.
Jul 1999 – Sep 2000
Rapid Response Team Developer · GSK. Built small, tactical software solutions for the R&D division.
Sep 1996 – Aug 1998
Information Technology Support Engineer · IFPI. Technology support in the organisation representing the international recorded music industry.
Recommendations
What colleagues say
Excerpts from LinkedIn recommendations.
“He affords great freedom and trust to his employees but is always on hand to offer support where needed or talk over a problem or issue.”
“Russ was fundamental in my growth at Bynder, tirelessly helping myself and the team grow to our full potential.”
About
A bit about me
I started my career in technology by building software. Since then I've led development and professional services teams, launched UK operations and run international software businesses.
I like understanding how things work, spotting what could work better and doing something useful about it. I am comfortable with the detail, but I also know that leading a business means deciding where to focus.
Away from work, I write fiction and ride bikes. I also volunteer as a bike mechanic with Thurrock Cycle Hub, helping turn old and abandoned bikes into affordable bikes for local people.
I'm particularly interested in how AI, publishing, digital content and learning businesses grow, and where technology makes them work better.
Education: BA (Hons) Computing & Information Systems, University of Brighton.
Contact
Let's talk.
If my experience looks relevant to what you're building or the role you're hiring for, I'd be happy to have a conversation.
Essex · London · International teams