“Powered is at the forefront of the interactive marketing revolution with a proven offering that world-leading companies like AOL, HP and Sony use to connect with their customers and decrease the time from consideration to purchase,” said Atherton. “I’m excited to join Powered and build on this foundation to bring the power of social commerce to many more brands around the world. As companies continue to shift their focus to non-traditional forms of advertising that truly engage customers, Powered is perfectly positioned to help these companies achieve maximum value from social commerce initiatives.”

Prior to joining Powered, Atherton was vice president of worldwide sales at global CRM leader Saratoga Systems, where he was responsible for over $25 million in revenue and led a worldwide sales organization in which over 45% of the revenue was generated internationally. He previously served as executive vice president of sales at Raindance Communications, a publicly-listed web and audio conferencing company. While at Raindance, Atherton led a sales and marketing organization of over 125 people and delivered over $74 million in revenue.

Atherton also served as president and CEO of Webscreen Technology from 2002 to 2005. In addition, he held executive-level sales positions at leading companies including Kana Communications, where he grew revenue from $14 million in 1999 to $120 million in 2000; Tumbleweed Communications, which grew revenue 177% in one year under his leadership; and MediaTel, where Atherton oversaw top-line growth of over 100% in less than 16 months. While at Apple and Xerox, Atherton won several industry awards and held numerous sales and marketing management positions, including Brand Manager and National Sales Manager.

“Randy has an incredible track record in driving corporate sales and closing impressive deals – and his enthusiasm, knowledge and leadership make him an invaluable addition to the Powered team,” said Dave Ellett, CEO of Powered. “Randy’s sales experience and extensive industry connections will enable Powered to bring Panorama to more global brands than ever before to help them connect with their customers on a deeper and more effective level.”

Powered provides innovative social commerce programs that help companies build an ongoing relationship between customers and their brand. Customers benefit from the wisdom and experience of others, participate in online educational courses and engage with an interactive community of enthusiasts to make more informed purchasing decisions. Powered communities are open to members and non-members alike, so consumers do not have to log in to enjoy all the benefits of the community. To date, Powered's online consumer programs have driven more than 80 million consumers to its clients' sites and generated more than half a billion dollars in product sales.

About Powered Inc.

Austin-based Powered Inc. is the market and technology leader in social commerce solutions that engage consumers and move them from consideration to purchase faster. Powered provides a proven way for the world's largest brands to use social commerce to drive sales, build brand loyalty and deliver a significantly higher ROI than other marketing programs. Manufacturers, retailers, media properties and web publishers also rely on Powered to gain new insights into consumer attitudes and buying behavior. Powered clients include AOL, Atkins, BusinessWeek, HP, iVillage, Motorola, Radio Shack, Sanofi Aventis, Shire and Sony, among others. For more information, visit www.powered.com