ARLINGTON, VA—Opower, the young software company that helps people reduce their energy bills, has named new comms leadership in the US and Europe, ahead of a review of its international agency lineup.

The moves come as the company steps up international expansion after going public earlier this year.

In the US, former Blackboard VP Matt Maurer comes onboard as Opower's first VP of corporate communications. Ruth Brown arrives from Mambu to take on a similar role in Europe, reporting to Maurer.

Opower reported revenues of $89m last year, from utilities that pay the company to use its customer engagement platform. Since launching in 2007, furthermore, many of Opower's competitors — including Google and Microsoft — have departed the space.

"One of the reasons Opower listed on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year was to raise funds to support our international expansion," said Brown. "My appointment is part of that process, as we build our teams in Europe, the Middle East and Asia to support our growing global business."

Opower currently works with a number of agencies worldwide, including Grayling in the UK. 

"Part of my remit is to review our existing agency partners to ensure we have the best teams in place to help us meet our business goals," explained Brown. "For Europe that means a re-pitch process which will take place in November and for Asia that means we will evaluate our support there in Q1 2015."