Twitch brings in Patel to direct on sales
Krishan Patel has joined Amazon-owned livestreaming service Twitch as EMEA Director of Sales. He will be responsible for the strategic direction of Twitchs commercial advertising team and lead the company’s rapidly growing advertising business, customer engagement and brand partnerships in the region.

With 18 years of global marketing, technology and business development experience in roles across the agency, publisher, telecommunications and ad tech space, Patel joins Twitch from Amazon where, as Director of Business Development for Asia Pacific, he led the company’s consumer business development and worldwide original equipment manufacturer partnership team.

“Twitch is more than a live streaming service – it is a genuine community and a dynamic place where creators can share the things they love with a community of millions,” commented Patel. “We have an incredible suite of solutions available to allow businesses to meaningfully interact with our unique and highly engaged audience in a creative and meaningful way. As we continue to grow across EMEA, I am looking forward to helping brands understand the art of the possible on Twitch and how we can help them deliver successful campaigns at scale.”

Solomon named CMO at Overstock
Overstock.com, an eCommerce home furnishings retailer, has welcomed Elizabeth Solomon as Chief Marketing Officer. She will oversee Overstock’s marketing efforts, including customer acquisition and retention, marketing communications, and marketing technologies.

Solomon most recently served as Head of Marketing for Amazon’s global private brands portfolio. Prior to Amazon, she held senior marketing leadership positions with consumer Fortune 100 companies, including Samsung Electronics, Walmart, and Nestlé.

“I am thrilled to join such an innovative and passionate executive team that has led the company through an amazing year of growth,” said Solomon. “I’m excited about the opportunities ahead and helping further amplify Overstock’s reputation as the premier online shopping destination for home furnishings.”

M&C Saatchi makes management changes
Tim Duffy has been promoted to the newly created role of Group Strategy Director, Worldwide, with Richard Thompson succeeding him as UK Group Chairman, at comms agency M&C Saatchi.

Duffy has been with M&C Saatchi since the beginning of the agency in 1995 and has worked with many clients in the UK and internationally.

Thompson joined the M&C Saatchi in 2013 when the agency acquired Merlin. He will continue to be Chairman of M&C Saatchi Talent, where he successfully acquired Red Hare & Grey Whippet to broaden the offering into the influencer space. Thompson is also Chairman of Surrey County Cricket Club (The Oval) and chairs Sport United Against Dementia.

“Tim is a brilliant thinker. Richard Thompson is a brilliant leader. We continue on our mission to deliver Meaningful Change for clients, our people, and the world,” commented Moray MacLennan, M&C Saatchi CEO.

Capano and Jogia promoted at Rakuten
Rakuten Advertising, Rakuten’s affiliate marketing service, has appointed Anthony Capano as North America Managing Director and Rakhee Jogia as International Managing Director. They will focus on growing the business through unparalleled client strategy and service, technology innovation, inventory expansion, and strengthening partnerships with brands and publishers around the world.

Capano served as Managing Director of Rakuten Advertising for almost a decade, beginning in Australia before relocating to London as International Managing Director. In his new position, Capano will create new opportunities for brands arising from deeper integration of Rakuten Americas properties, expanding the companys publisher network and identifying new areas for innovation.

“We have always believed that effective advertising requires more than technology. True success is found by layering technology with the partnerships, service, scale, insights and global reach of a world-class advertising ecosystem,” said Capano. “We are heavily invested in advancing technology and moving the advertising industry forward. I am honored to be part of a great leadership team and dedicated to advancing the revenue-generating value of performance marketing and the strategic influence of media.”

Jogia, who takes up Capano’s former role, will oversee the EMEA, LATAM and APAC markets for Rakuten Advertising, drawing from a decade of programmatic and affiliate experience with the business. Over the past three years, she focused on international partnerships, most recently as Vice President of Publisher Partnerships, International.

“Im excited for the opportunity to drive our clients business objectives and growth plans, especially as we continue to help them navigate a quickly evolving marketplace,” said Jogia. “We pride ourselves on delivering excellence around the globe, and will be looking inwards to strengthen and develop our people so they can excel in their roles and guide our brands and publishers through the coming period of economic recovery. To that end, we plan to introduce new initiatives that will help businesses at every step in their growth journeys take fuller advantage of the combined power of brand and performance marketing.”

DoubleVerify makes pair of EMEA senior hires
Nick Reid and Michael Fuhrmann have joined DoubleVerify (DV), a digital media measurement firm, as Regional Vice President for Northern Europe and Regional Vice President for DACH and Central Eastern Europe, respectively.

Reid will lead the executive of DV’s growth strategy in the UK, Benelux, Nordics, and MENA. He arrives from his role as Global Head of Agency Partnerships for Adobe Advertising Cloud.

“With digital content consumption on the rise and the importance of protecting and optimising ad investments in focus, DV’s role as a trusted provider of quality and performance data is key. I’m looking forward to cultivating relationships across the ecosystem as I head up DV’s team in Northern Europe at what is a pivotal moment for the industry,” commented Reid.

Fuhrmann joins DV in a newly evolved role as a result of the EMEA team growing. He was previously Head of Networks & Emerging, Global Partnerships DACH at Google.

“2020 has shown that it is more important than ever to invest in the right solutions to achieve a secure, high-quality and reliable advertising environment – given fraudsters are becoming bolder, regulations are becoming stricter and consumer privacy is paramount,” said Fuhrmann. “Ad tech is an important piece of the puzzle and I am looking forward to shaping the discourse on brand safety, ad fraud, cookieless targeting and further topics across all channels and environments in DACH and Central Eastern Europe.”

Executive duo appointed at Inmarsat
Mobile satellite telecoms company Inmarsat has hired Barry French as Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, while elevating Jat Brainch to Chief Commercial & Product Officer.

French – formerly CMO at Nokia – will sharpen customer focus, drive customer engagement and revenue generation to the next level, ensure Inmarsat is an effective and engaged participant in key policy discussions, and further enhance employee engagement. He joined Nokia in 2006 as Head of Communications, prior to which he was Vice President of Corporate Communications at United Airlines and Director of Corporate Communications at Dell.

Brainch – previously Inmarsat’s Senior Vice President of Group Commercial Management – will be responsible for Inmarsat’s evolving commercial and product strategy and roadmap and to ensuring that the company continues to lead the industry in advanced, customer-centric products and services that are designed specifically for mobility and Government users. Prior to joining Inmarsat in 2019, she held senior roles in telecoms and technology brands including Logica Group (now part of CGI), Telefonica Europe, and T-Mobile (UK).

“To make Inmarsat a truly customer-centric organisation, a key driver is to have the company’s marketing expertise combined under one individual at the executive level.  I am therefore delighted that Barry French, a world-class marketing and communications professional, is able to join us in what promises to be an exciting and transformational journey,” said Inmarsat CEO Rajeev Suri.

“I am also delighted that Jat Brainch will be taking up the vital executive-level CCPO role, which is central to our ability to successfully place the customer at the heart of everything we do.   Since joining Inmarsat, Jat has made an invaluable contribution to the transformation of the business and brings with her a wealth of experience in delivering a customer-centric approach to commercial and product management.”  

GroupM elevates Ruegger to president
Andrew Ruegger has been promoted to Global President of GroupM Commerce. He will scale commerce-focused products and services for clients to realise the data driven opportunities in expanding retail marketplaces and direct-to-consumer efforts. Ruegger also leads the group’s collaboration in WPP workstreams across commerce.

Ruegger is a GroupM veteran of over six years – the last two leading the group’s US commerce offering – with experience across data science, product, technology, strategy, innovation, eCommerce, SEO, and paid search.

“Over the last year, brands and platforms have re-evaluated every aspect of the retail ecosystem, from brand awareness drivers to a seamless transaction experience, to ‘last mile’ distribution channels,” said Ruegger. “Our GroupM network of more than 1,400 experts have market-leading knowledge in all commerce platforms, partners, and media investment options, giving them a specific understanding of how to drive sales for clients. GroupM commands unmatched commerce expertise around the world, designing and managing thousands of interactions and transactions daily, and I’m excited to be a part of it in this new capacity.” 

Brightley joins Langland to direct on creative
Publicis Langland has welcomed Mike Brightley as its Creative Director.

Brightley boasts over 14 years of healthcare advertising experience, working at Ogilvy Healthworld, PAN and, most recently, as Associate Creative Director at TBWA\WorldHealth.

“It’s an exciting time to be joining Langland. I have been working towards this next step in my career for a while and was attracted by the agency’s ambitious vision, deep-rooted commitment to creative excellence and unique approach to healthcare communications,” said Brightley. “Their Think Further ethos encourages curiosity and inspires proactivity: vital traits for a thriving agency culture. I can’t wait to share ideas and experiences with the team, continue to push creative boundaries and deliver the best work of my career.”

OneFootball appoints OTT VP
Nikolaus von Doetinchem has been hired as Vice President of OTT Streaming & Media Rights at football media platform OneFootball. He will oversee the platforms live-streaming and on-demand content offering.

Von Doetinchem joins OneFootball on the back of more than 20 years working within the sports media rights industry and is currently serving as President of Media at SportFive, ahead of his arrival at OneFootball on 19 April.

“The football media landscape continues to rapidly evolve and OneFootball is perfectly positioned to work with rights owners, platforms and broadcasters to provide fans around the world with an unrivalled OTT streaming offering. I look forward to working alongside Lucas and the OneFootball team in the years ahead,” said Von Doetinchem.

Kinsella takes seat on Fenestra board
Programmatic platform Fenestra has added Colin Kinsella to its Board of Directors.

Kinsella led Havas in North America for the last more than four years. Prior to Havas, Colin he served as CEO of Mindshare North America. During his tenure, he managed client relationships across a diverse portfolio, including Volvo, American Express, Unilever, and Nordstrom, and orchestrated the global launch of The Loop.

“The global regulatory environment for digital advertising is changing rapidly, programmatic continues to grow exponentially and advertisers with their agencies are increasingly focused on understanding where their money is going, how it is getting there and how to maximise their business outcomes,” Kinsella said. “Ive spent my career dedicated to that endeavour. As an investor, Ive been blown away by what Fenestra has achieved so far and am excited to help them more actively step-up to the next level.”

Tinuiti adds trio to board
Kevin Mayer, Anneka Gupta, and George Gallate have all taken board spots at performance marketing firm Tinuiti.

Mayer —who over a 23-year career at Disney steered the launch of Disney Plus and led deals such as Pixar, Marvel Entertainment, Lucas Film and 21st Century Fox in addition to serving as CEO of TikTok —will support Tinuiti’s growth plan from acquisitions to global expansion and deepening expertise in emerging social, streaming, and OTT/CTV.

Gupta, President and Head of Products and Platforms at LiveRamp, will apply her cross-divisional product development and data transformation experience to support the evolution of Mobius, Tinuiti’s proprietary suite of AI-powered marketing intelligence and media activation technology.

Gallate, a previous board member and investor in Tinuiti, will help guide the company’s international expansion as well as their continued leadership across Amazon and the broader retail media landscape. He spent 27 years at Havas, serving as Global Chairman and CEO of Havas Digital, and is currently Principal of MKTG2.U.

Pike reeled in by Covatic
Covatic, an in-app experience platform, has hired Daniel Pike as Chief Product Officer. He will be focused on refining the product and delivering value to clients whilst expanding Covatic’s offering as it moves into new markets.

As Head of Strategy at the BBC, Pike led the strategic case for a transformational shift in the BBC’s £1.4bn commercial activities, including the launch of subscription video on demand (SVOD) offers in the UK and USA, the closure of BBC Store, and the acquisition of UKTV.

“What really marks Covatic out – and what really attracted me to them – is that they reject the idea that fantastic in-app experiences can only be achieved via compromises to privacy,” commented Pike. “My focus, as ever, will be on customer and end user requirements – generating insights; creating definable, measurable and targetable user groups; driving retention and growing engagement. Covatic’s offering is unique in the market. I’m looking forward to working closely with clients to drive growth by creating engaging experiences for consumers.”

Jaywing adds pair to senior leadership
Kay Henderson and Chris Langan have joined integrated agency Jaywing as Operations Manager and Organic Media Director, respectively.

Henderson has experience with startups, web-builds, and mobile marketing and was most recently Operations Manager at Fonemedia, where she oversaw a bespoke customisation of the agency’s CRM system.

“I’m really excited to get stuck into this role in Jaywing’s Performance and Media Science team,” said Henderson. “What drew me to Jaywing is the agency’s ethos of collaboration and creativity, which really aligns with me personally. I’m looking forward to the opportunity of making a positive impact on people’s working environment, whilst also helping the business to run more smoothly and efficiently.”

Langan was Search Director at McCann Connected, where he spent four years growing the agency’s organic media offering. He will look to use his expertise to improve integration at Jaywing and drive growth across search strategies.

“Joining Jaywing felt like an easy decision. The talent and skill of the agency is extraordinary, and there’s a real passion to grow and continually meet the challenges our clients face in this unpredictable world,” said Langan.

“The agency has a product that truly differentiates itself from the marketplace and driving Organic Media as a part of the agency vision will be a great experience for me and the team.”

Paley takes up CGO role at Aisle Rocket
Marketing agency Aisle Rocket has hired Mike Paley as its Chief Growth Officer. He will drive business development for Aisle Rocket as the agency positions for robust growth in 2021.

Prior to joining Aisle Rocket, Paley served as Senior Vice President, General Manager at Vestcom. Previously, he held agency leadership roles as Senior Vice President, Shopper Marketing & Experiential at The Marketing Arm/Omnicom and Chief Marketing Officer at Square One.

“I was drawn to Aisle Rocket because it’s uniquely rooted in technology and data that informs dynamic creative, UX and performance media,” Paley said. “The future belongs to agencies that understand how to apply data across all disciplines. Data is no longer limited to just targeting and analytics. Creative and UX is now impacted greatly by data as well. Blending data across disciplines while relying on technology, programmatic buying, and AI is an exciting place to be. I welcome the opportunity to leverage my experience while working with great people to drive quantifiable business results for our clients.”

MediaCom promotes Lim to CPO
Jason Lim has been elevated to the newly created role of Chief Planning Officer at MediaCom US. He will oversee the full audience planning product at MediaCom, directing exceptional strategies into exceptional media plans and measurable growth for clients.

In his 10 years so far at MediaCom, Lim has overseen the performance-based practice and was charged with accelerating and optimising the impact of marketing programs.

“I am thrilled to be leading the charge at MediaCom in ensuring excellence in our media planning, media delivery, and media performance across all brands. Ensuring we continue to drive growth efficiently and effectively in new and dynamic ways,” Lim said.

Crawford added to ChannelAdvisor board
ChannelAdvisor, a cloud-based eCommerce solutions provider, has appointed Linda Crawford to its Board of Directors.

A former Executive Vice President and CEO of Sales Cloud Products at Salesforce, former CEO of Helpshift, and former Chief Revenue Officer and Customer Officer of Optimizely, Crawford brings over two decades leadership experience to ChannelAdvisor.

“As a recognized and respected business leader in the software industry, Linda will provide valuable strategic insight to our Board,” said Timothy Buckley, Chairman of ChannelAdvisor. “Lindas guidance will be instrumental as we continue our work to scale our global leadership position in e-commerce. We are so pleased Linda has joined our Board of Directors, and believe she will be a tremendous asset to ChannelAdvisor.”

Contend names president after gaining independence
David Blaser has been appointed President at creative studio Contend following its ‘amicable split’ with Mosaic.

With more than 20 years of experience in the marketing world, with a client-side  leadership role at Activision Publishing and in senior roles at leading ad agencies, including TBWA\Chiat\Day, AKQA, and 180 LA and Amsterdam, Blaser has a track record for delivering culturally impactful campaigns for brands including Nike, Playstation, Call of Duty, and Adidas.

“Having worked on both the agency and client sides of the business, Contend was an opportunity to do something different. Both Steven and I think this is the agency model of the future, with modular services that can break apart to fit a client’s needs, the creative freedom to stretch the boundaries and the flexibility to create custom solutions. We’re excited to see where it goes,” said Blaser.

Trio join Stationhead board
Stationhead, a social audio platform, has appointed Andrew McInnes, Bill Wesemann, and Avi Ellman to its Board of Directors.

McInees, Co-founder and CEO of TMWRK Management, will will bolster Stationhead’s ability to bring top talent to the platform, which has already hosted the likes of Trey Songz and Polo G.

Wesemann has experience serving in chief executive, sales leadership, and advisory roles at successful technology companies, including as an executive for Steve Jobs at NeXT computers. He is an early investor/advisor to Sonos, and a member of the board for LivePerson and Mylio.

Ellman, a Managing Partner at Delta Global, will bring his experience in live events to the board, having built and sold the largest liv event merchandiser in Latin America.

“Having Andrew McInnes, Bill Wesemann and Avi Ellman join our board adds another layer of invaluable expertise to the Stationhead team,” said Ryan Star, CEO of Stationhead. “As we move into the next phase of growth, these leaders will support Stationhead’s ambitious strategic plan to redefine radio and the future of social audio.”

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The Compass examines the potential ethical risks of data-driven campaigns from the perspective of the consumer through a single codified framework.

“Our Data Ethics Compass provides clients a consistent approach on how best to navigate ethical risk and prioritize and respect the privacy of people on the other side of the screen,” said Krystal Olivieri, GroupM’s Global SVP for Data Strategy and Partnerships. “This new capability demonstrates GroupM’s belief that even though you have access to certain data, it doesn’t mean you should always use it. We have an obligation as an industry to re-establish an appropriate balance.”

GroupM is working closely with its media agency, Mindshare, to apply the tool and framework to Unilever’s data-driven media activations.

“Creating a responsible digital ecosystem continues to be a priority for Unilever and adding an ethical overlay for use of data in media is a key next step,” said Jennifer Gardiner, Unilever’s Senior Director of Media. “Consumers are growing increasingly distrustful of advertising and lack clarity in how their data is being collected and used in profiling tactics. Our partnership with GroupM on the launch of this much-needed tool sends a reassuring and bold signal that we must all hold ourselves, our partners and agencies to the highest standards, truly putting consumers first.”

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Dentsu places Stagg in charge of CX and Merkle UK
Anne Stagg has been named as Chief Executive Officer of Customer Experience Management (CXM) for Dentsu UK & Ireland and UK Chief Executive Officer of Merkle. She will lead a business of 940 people at Merkle while also overseeing delivery across Dentsu’s CXM business which incorporates data and analytics, CRM, commerce, media, digital experience services, and B2B.

Stagg was previously Head of Client Services at Merkle, leading the creation of a fully integrated client services team across the company’s media, analytics, customer experience and technology service lines. She is also a former Managing Director of Indicia and Chief Client Officer at KMMS.

“This is a unique opportunity, to take on the role as Merkle’s first UK CEO in a time when we are reimagining the customer experience in the digital landscape,” said Stagg. “We are continuously improving our capabilities and the potential for our CXM line of businesses is tremendous when it comes to driving and supporting our clients’ digital transformations.”

Bondy rises to CEO at Vungle
Mobile ad platform Vungle has promoted Jeremy Bondy to Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Rick Tallman, who moves into the role of Strategic Advisor.

Bondy, who joined Vungle in 2014, has held a number of senior sales and operational roles at the company, most recently as Chief Operating Officer. He has been responsible for setting up and scaling Vungle’s commercial organization, establishing teams in Berlin, London, Beijing, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, New York, and Los Angeles.

“I am honoured to assume the role of CEO. Vungle has many exciting future growth opportunities, and I look forward to guiding our world-class team in creating the industry’s leading suite of tools to help mobile app developers maximise the value of their businesses,” said Bondy. “On behalf of the entire Vungle organisation, I want to express my gratitude to Rick for his invaluable contributions to the company’s historical success and, personally, for his mentorship in preparing me for this role. I look forward to his continued partnership with the company and wish him all the best.”

Salesforce names Bahrololoumi as UK CEO
Zahra Bahrololoumi has been chosen as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer at Salesforce UK and Ireland. She will join the company in March 2021 to lead operations in both key markets.

Bahrololoumi will join Salesforce from Accenture, where she leads the Accenture Technology practice for the UK and Ireland with a particular focus on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and platforms underpinning new applications. She also sits on the board of TechUK and is a Vice Chair of the Technology Leadership Group for the Prince’s Trust.

“I am excited to join a company with such an incredible track record of driving positive change and success for its customers,” said Bahrololoumi. “Salesforce provides outstanding technology to help businesses digitally transform and there is a unique opportunity for Salesforce to accelerate its growth in the UK and Ireland. Salesforce is also deeply committed to the role that businesses can play in society; I can’t wait to get started and support its game-changing work.”

Edwards to lead EMEA digital experience at Adobe
Adobe has appointed Lee Edwards as its Vice President for Northern Europe, Middle East and Africa. He will lead Adobe’s Digital Experience business across the region.

Edwards previously led Adobe’s Digital Strategy and Solutions business in EMEA, a position he had held since joining the company in January 2020 after 14 years at SAP. He will also take on the role of Managing Director for Adobe UK, helping to drive the company’s CSR and diversity and inclusion programmes.

“Earlier this year, Adobe was named the Best Workplace in Technology among large UK companies, but this is only the beginning. Now more than ever, it is crucial that our employees feel supported in their work, their career ambitions and their personal lives,” said Edwards.

“It’s not just good leadership, it’s also good business. Adobe’s global success this past quarter, including record overall revenue of $3.23bn and seven per cent growth year-on-year in our Digital Experience business, would not have been possible without the incredible engagement from our teams. I look forward to building on that momentum in Northern Europe and helping Adobe’s customers in every industry adapt to a new era in experience.” 

Group Nine selects Camara as DE&I head
Fanta Camara has been elevated to the role of Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at mobile video publisher Group Nine Media. She will design and lead a holistic DE&I strategy, identify growth opportunities, promote the adoption of inclusive practices and provide recommendations to senior leadership.

Camara most recently served as Human Resources Business Partner for Group Nine’s mobile news publisher, NowThis, where she developed tailored solutions for strategic workforce planning, change management and team building, in addition to serving as a Diversity and Inclusion Manager. Prior to Group Nine, she was Senior Human Resources Generalist at Snap Inc. Camara also held multiple human resources positions at The Estee Lauder Companies.

“Group Nine continues to lead the digital media space with its brands’ optimistic content that highlights diverse backgrounds, voices and opinions,” said Camara. “I am thrilled to bring my own personal and professional experience to further cement the company’s foundation as a safe place that is equitable, diverse and inclusive for every employee. We have ambitious goals and I am ready to tackle this crucial endeavour.”

Petranto to head up Kantar Analytics
Data and insights firm Kantar has appointed Chris Petranto as Global Head of Kantar Analytics. He replaces Fuentes who has taken on the role of Chief Operating Officer for the Insights division of Kantar.

Petranto, who will lead teams responsible for supporting client’s digital transformation, has been with Kantar since 2004. Before forming Kantar Analytics, he created and led Millward Brown Analytics.

“It’s a privilege to lead the team and further expand our solutions across the globe” said Petranto. “Since our launch in 2018, we have been on a mission to create the most advanced AI and machine learning tools, enabling our clients to make better business decisions, faster and at scale.” 

GroupM UK restructures
WPP’s media investment group GroupM UK has shifted Niel Bornman, Lisa Humphreys, Paul Rowlinson, Simon Willis, Charlotte Frijns, and Mark Collins into new roles as part of a restructure.

Bornman, currently Global Chief Technology Officer – Data, Product & AI at WPP, move to GroupM UK in January to lead its products and services squad as Chief Product and Services Officer.

Humphreys, current WPP UK Strategy Development Director, will begin a dual role leading the transformation and integration squad as Chief Transformation and Integration Officer, alongside her current WPP role.

Rowlinson moves from Managing Director of Group Digital UK to become Chief Customer Engagement and Growth Officer.

Willis will move from Managing Director of Investment to become Chief Investment Officer – leading the media investment management squad.

Finance and business operations will come together as one led by Frijns, Chief Financial Officer at Group M UK.

Collins will move from Chair of Investment to overall GroupM UK Chair.

“The changes announced today are the latest iteration of our goal to work in partnership with our clients to grow and create competitive advantage. By adopting a more agile way of working with these new overlapping squads we have the ability to adapt and shape our focus based solely on client needs,” said Karen Blackett OBE, GroupM UK CEO. “I am delighted with the new leadership at GroupM UK and thrilled to welcome both Niel and Lisa. Having worked with them for many years at WPP I am looking forward to having them as integral parts of this new era at GroupM UK.”

Tansill named transformation chief at Ogilvy
WPP’s Ogilvy New York has promoted Charlotte Tansill to the role of Chief Transformation Officer. She will lead an integrated strategy function for New York spanning all of the agency’s capabilities, while also partnering with Lauren Crampsie, President of Ogilvy New York, to drive the office’s business strategy and transformation.

Tansill has served in a range of roles across the Ogilvy network since joining in 2008, most recently serving as Executive Director of Ogilvy New York’s social media practice.

“I am grateful to Lauren and Ogilvy leadership for affording me this opportunity.  I am incredibly excited to accelerate growth at Ogilvy by leading our transformation and aligning our business practices with the evolving realities of our industry,” said Tansill. “Over my nearly 13 years at Ogilvy, I have fully embraced the strength of our culture and talent.  Our clients rightfully see us as thought-leaders, and we must innovate and deliver to maintain their trust.  I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure our leadership position sustains for years to come.”

DDB promotes Hesz and Rooney
Alex Hesz and Roisin Rooney have been elevated to the roles of Global Chief Strategy Officer and Global Chief People Officer at DDB Worldwide respectively.

Hesz will oversee the entirety of DDB’s global offerings and has work to harness the collective power of the global network. He most recently led strategy for the DDB’s Europe, Middle East & Africa and was Head of Strategy for Adam&Eve. He will continue to serve as Adam&EveDDBs Group Chief Strategy Officer for operations in both New York and London.

Rooney will lead recruitment, retention, leadership development and training and initiatives to ensure DDB talent is continuously advancing to stay ahead of client needs. She previously held the role of EMEA Chief People Officer at Adam&Eve.

“I am thrilled to elevate our current leaders from within the network into these roles,” said Worldwide CEO Marty OHalloran. “Things are changing rapidly, and were moving at pace to stay ahead. Alex brings an incredible track record from Adam&EveDDB, an agency known for its legendary work and clients. Ros experience in EMEA with growing the network, fostering our talent, and creating culture will ensure we are helping our people through this challenging time and into the future.”

Adams joins Kubient as partnerships SVP
Kubient, a cloud advertising marketplace, has hired Ryan Adams as Senior Vice President of Partnerships. He is charged with driving demand-side revenue and supporting supply-side inventory with the ultimate goal of growing partnerships and furthering Kubient’s development of relationships with brands, agencies, and publishers.

Adams has over 20 years’ experience as a sales and marketing professional at companies including Centro, where he was Head of Client Direct and Publisher Solutions in the East region.

“Kubient is a cutting-edge company driven by a passionate team of forward-thinking industry experts,” explained Adams. “I’m eager to join my new colleagues and work at a company that is bringing light to industry ad fraud and helping brands optimize their ad operations.”

FutureBrand turns to Esquivel as strategy chief
Eliza Yvette Esquivel has been announced as Chief Strategy Officer at brand transformation company FutureBrand North America. She will lead and build client teams across the agency, while developing and executing transformative strategic work for their global roster of clients.

Esquivel brings 20 years of marketing experience to the role, having previously served as the Senior Director of Global Brand Strategy at Microsoft, where she led a senior team of global strategists and partnership managers that managed the company’s productivity software portfolio. Before that, she served as Vice President of Global Brand Strategy at Mondelez International.

“I am excited to join a creative futures company,” said Esquivel. “I love thinking about and creating the future and see a huge opportunity to innovate the way thats done. I believe in the power of creativity to drive commerce and culture. With todays dynamic shifts in all areas of society, creativity is more crucial than ever.”

Lawson Johnston to manage partnerships at Hudson MX
Ad tech firm Hudson MX has named Sarah Lawson Johnston as Executive Vice President, Managing Director of Agency Partnerships EMEA.

Lawson Johnston joins Hudson MX after three years on the launch team of Covatic, where she will remain on the Board of Directors. Prior to this, she spent 22 years at Mediocean where, as Managing Director for Europe, she focused on new and existing revenue, oversaw the offices in London, France and Germany, and had full responsibility for the company’s European client relationships and business.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Hudson MX at such an exciting inflection point,” said Lawson Johnston. “They secured proof of concept through their work in local markets, they’ve established a fully comprehensive platform to replace legacy providers as the system of record, and they’re now breaking ground with the global agencies. The industry has been crying out for alternatives for years and Hudson MX has delivered a solution that far exceeds the original demand. I have great respect for JT Batson and I look forward to working with him and his team to develop the culture of the company and expand its reach.”

LivePerson adds Hamel and Higgins to exec team
Andrew Hamel has been hired as Executive Vice President of Operations and Emerging AI Businesses, while Shani Higgins has been appointed Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships, at conversational AI company LivePerson.

Hamel will oversee the daily operations of the company, help accelerate growth and scale, reimagine the future of work from a synchronous office-centric model to an asynchronous employee-centric workforce, and steer its business-to-consumer strategy and execution. Before joining LivePerson, he led the development of Amazon’s recommendation engines, search function, and other machine learning-powered experiences. Prior to that, he held leadership positions at Tacit Software, Infoseek, and Tumbleweed.

“Im proud to join LivePersons team as we build the new operating model to scale to the next level,” said Hamel. “Conversational AI is bringing about a shift as profound as search and social did, and its an exciting time to join the industry leader in this space.”

Higgins’ responsibilities include the selection and support of new global strategic alliances as well as the continued growth of existing partnerships. Prior to joining LivePerson, she gained over two decades of experience at companies including Mozilla, Infoseek, and Ziff Davis, as well as in her role as CEO of Technorati.

“Its an important time in LivePersons history to turbocharge growth,” said Higgins. “Im excited to join the companys team of experts as we distribute and integrate our industry-leading tech and inject even more value into our partner ecosystems.”

Ionita joins Organic dev team
Digital marketing agency Organic has appointed George-Andrei Ionita as Senior Developer. He will be focusing on leading back end development across multiple projects and his day-to-day responsibilities will include developing and maintaining cloud-based applications and APIs, ensuring efficiency and stability of backend code, working to design application architecture and helping to develop departmental processes.

Previously a developer at Prodo Digital, Ionita’s experience also includes stints at Fact Digital and Skiddle.

“I was blown away by the level of professionalism, expertise and knowledge at Organic,” said Ionita. “This role is every developer’s dream – being able to work with the latest tech and grow as part of a talented team, in a fun, relaxed environment.”

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Consumer Trust in Digital Marketing, a new survey conducted by GroupM, has found that six in 10 consumers are less likely to use a product if their data is needed for any purpose. For the study, GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, surveyed 14,000 consumers in 23 countries, asking questions related to their concerns with digital marketing techniques.

The study revealed that over half (56 per cent) of consumers want more control over their data, and 64 per cent of customers would have a negative perception of a brand if it advertised near inappropriate content. Additionally, on average, twice as many consumers agreed TV ads come off as more “positive” content, versus other forms of digital marketing formats. One-third (37 per cent) of consumers went on to say that digital ads come off as too intrusive.

“With pervasive reports of data security and privacy missteps, consumers are increasingly wary of information gathering about them as they move online,” said Christian Juhl, Global CEO of GroupM. “Media has evolved dramatically and it’s crucial the industry work collaboratively to make advertising work better for people around the world. As marketers, it’s our responsibility to ensure that we are using consumer information responsibly and transparently.”

“To make digital advertising work better for everyone, we must listen to what consumers are saying and refine our strategies accordingly,” said Chris Myers, report author and regional director, GroupM APAC. “Marketers should not pull back on digital advertising; on the contrary, they should push forward in ways that respect consumers’ evolving relationship with digital media.”

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Between 2019 and 2022, online video and social media will grow by 16.6 per cent and 13.8 per cent a year on average, mainly down to our increasing consumption of both on smartphones. Elsewhere, cinema will have an annual growth of 11.5 per cent, while television records no growth, newspaper shrinks 4.5 per cent, and magazine shrinks 8.1 per cent. Overall advertising expenditure has grown by 5.1 per cent on average since 2010.

However, a 1.6 per cent reduction in traditional mass audiences will cause media prices to increase by 6.1 per cent in 2020. Since 2010, commercial audiences have decreased by 1.3 per cent a year on average, while media inflation has averaged 6.5 per cent a year.

“The days when we could find audiences all in one place are long gone. Now, however, technology empowers us to find them wherever they are, online or offline, and win back value for our clients through efficiency and effectiveness – by ensuring that we target and reach consumers with the right message at the right point in the consumer journey,” said Matt James, global brand president at Zenith.

Typically, 2020 would represent a strong year of growth for advertising, with it being a ‘quadrennial’ year featuring the Summer Olympics, UEFA Euro 2020, and the US Presidential elections. Although, this time around, despite adding $7.5bn to the global ad market, the US-China trade war is expected to counter the ‘quadrennial effect’ and cost the global ad market 1.1 percentage points of growth in 2020 – down from 5.4 per cent to 4.3 per cent.

The US and China will still, however, lead global ad spend growth. Together, they are expected to account for 56 per cent of all growth in ad spend over the next three years, with the US market growing $39.1bn and China by $10.3bn.

India will be the third-biggest contributor to the global ad market, growing $4.3bn between 2019 and 2022. Its growth rate will be 12.4 per cent in 2020, compared to 4.8 per cent for the US and 4.1 per cent for China.

“As geopolitical tensions wipe out most of the expected gains from sport and elections, 2020 will be a disappointing quadrennial year for the ad market,” said Jonathan Barnard, Zenith’s head of forecasting. “If the trade war is settled, we are more confident for 2021, forecasting 4.5 per cent growth in global ad spend despite the absence of the quadrennial events.”

In a separate forecast from GroupM, global advertising spend is expected to grow 3.9 per cent in 2020, amounting to $628bn spent during the year. Of this, the WPP subsidiary expects internet-related advertising to account for $326bn – or 52 per cent – of ad revenue.

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GroupM picks Remling to take charge of people
Jennifer Remling has been named global chief people officer at WPP’s media investment group, GroupM. She replaces long-time talent chief Tim Cecere as he moves into the role of global head of people transformation at WPP.

Remling brings experience from roles at R/GA, AKQA, 360i and, most recently, Essence. She joined Essence as chief talent officer after its 2015 acquisition by GroupM and WPP. Here, she led people solutions through critical phases of international expansion, growing the workforce by 40 per cent as the company opened 18 offices worldwide.

“People are what make GroupM great – their creativity, drive for innovation, entrepreneurialism and passion for helping our clients grow. Jennifer really understands this and has spent the better part of the last four years working tirelessly alongside myself and our leadership team to build Essence into an agency where people truly are our biggest differentiator,” said Christian Juhl, GroupM’s incoming CEO. “I look forward to what she’ll achieve together with the incredible talent leaders across GroupM.”

Cecere has been with WPP in one way or another since 1989 when he joined Ogilvy as human resources manager. In his new role, he will focus on the architecture of an enterprise-wide people function that will enhance the capabilities of an integrated team for the benefit of WPP’s more than 130,000 people worldwide. As part of this, he will help re-think the ways in which to leverage enterprise technologies to support the career advancement and working lives of WPP’s people.

Lee-Skelton chosen to lead Pinterest’s Australia Business
Pinterest has appointed Carin Lee-Skelton as its Australia and New Zealand country manager following the opening of an office in Sydney.

Lee-Skelton, who has managed sales organisations at Pinterest for the past four years in the UK, will be focused on growing Pinterest’s work with brands in Australia and New Zealand to help businesses to succeed on the platform and ensure users are able to discover the most relevant content.

“I’m excited to work closely with businesses of all sizes in Australia and New Zealand to help them reach their audiences on Pinterest,” said Lee-Skelton. “People go on Pinterest to try new things like outfit ideas, recipes, beauty looks, dream trips and even home remodels. As people come to Pinterest full of intent, businesses have a unique opportunity to inspire them to bring their ideas to life.”

Pinterest’s office in Australia is its third office in the Asia-Pacific region, joining its offices in Singapore and Japan. The company launched advertising in Australia and New Zealand in 2017.

MediaCom names Potashnick as COO
Adam Potashnick has been promoted to the role of US chief operating officer at GroupM subsidiary MediaCom. He will lead the strategic execution of driving excellence and efficiency across all operations of the business.

Prior to this appointment, Potashnick was chief growth officer at MediaCom from 2015. In that role, he led multiple successful new business pitches, including Uber, Bose, Ally bank, Adidas, Reebok, Hilton, Amtrak, Signet Jewelers, Indeed, PhRMA, Richemont, MetLife, Walgreens, Sony PlayStation, eBay, and more.

As COO, he will retain his leadership responsibility for business development while taking on additional responsibilities for the business and financial operations of new clients to the agency, product development and the speciality services divisions which includes content, social, sports and sponsorships.

“My motivation has always been to create real, long term business growth for MediaCom and for our clients and now I can ensure we’re bringing them all the very best of MediaCom, GroupM and WPP every single day. I can’t wait to get started,” said Potashnick.

Gildea joins GumGum to head up finance
Artificial intelligence firm GumGum has hired Patrick Gildea as chief financial officer as part of the company’s wider organisational and leadership changes.

Gildea joins with experience leading finance and strategy departments at businesses including Incentium, M-GO/Technicolor, Gracenote and, most recently, Joybird, which he led to a successful exit as acting CFO.

“A few months ago, we resolved to refocus our corporate strategy on the lines of business on which we were built––serving the advertising ecosystem,” said GumGum CEO Phil Schraeder. “Today’s announcements – Patrick Gildea’s addition to our executive team in particular – mark our commitment to that strategy. Patrick is a widely respected, high calibre executive, who knows what it takes to get the build on the success of global, tech-enabled businesses like GumGum. We’re all extremely pleased to have him on board.”

Elsewhere, Ben Plomion has been named chief growth officer, a newly created executive role responsible for creating value for clients, ensuring product-market fit, developing go-to-market strategy, and elevating customer experience. He will now lead the planning and sales team alongside the marketing team that he leads as chief marketing officer.

Adam Schenkel has been promoted to senior vice president of commercial development, another new role. Schenkel, who previously served as vice president of programmatic, will be responsible for maintaining and growing global advertising partnerships and integrations.

Travis O’Neil has been promoted to senior vice president of operations, where he will continue to lead GumGum’s account management, AdOps, design, and business intelligence team as he did during tenure as vice president of operations.

Finally, Ken Weiner, GumGum’s chief technology officer, will now oversee publisher development in addition to his engineering and product team leadership functions.

Essence gets new global CEO, experience lead
Kyoko Matsushita has been promoted to global chief executive officer at GroupM subsidiary Essence. Meanwhile, Claire Grinton has been moved up the ladder into the role of senior vice president, head of experience, EMEA.

Matsushita will replace current global CEO Christian Juhl, who will become global CEO of GroupM on 1 October. She will work closely with the agency’s global management team to continue driving its client-centric innovation in data, analytics, and technology, business growth, and employee culture.

Most recently, Matsushita served as Essence’s global chief client officer and CEO in APAC, having joined the agency in 2014. In her more than two decades’ experience, she has also worked at companies including Electronic Arts (EA) and Sony.

“I am deeply honoured to have the opportunity to lead this truly exceptional agency at a time when data and technology give us so much potential to unlock value for our clients,” said Matsushita. “Essence was founded to lead the industry in creating trustworthy, relevant, and valuable advertising. I couldn’t be more excited to see what we can accomplish when we combine this mission with our clients’ ambition and the power of data science and big ideas.”

Reporting to executive vice president, global director of experience design Garrick Schmitt, Grinton will be responsible for unifying Essence’s media, creative, content, and partnerships teams in EMEA with strategy to help clients scale creative innovation programmes.

She first joined Essence in 2014, working out of the company’s headquarters in San Francisco before moving to London in 2016. Since joining the agency, she has been a key member of Essence’s experience team, most recently as vice president, global head of experience strategy, and has worked with clients including Google, Universal Pictures, and HP. Before Essence, Grinton worked at agencies including Mekanism, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, and FCB.

“Whether it’s brand strategy, creative, or media, my experience has taught me the best solutions come when teams can draw from creative ideas across practices,” Grinton said. “Bringing these practices together will unify great creative thinking with great strategic thinking and transform the way we work, helping us unlock better creative solutions for our clients, faster than ever before.”

McLaughlin becomes chair of board at Qualcomm
Qualcomm has appointed Mark McLaughlin, former chairman and chief executive officer of Palo Alto Networks, as its chairman of the board, replacing Jeff Henderson, who has served in the position since March 2018.

Henderson, former chief financial officer of Cardinal Health, will remain on the board and continue to chair its audit committee.

“Jeff assumed leadership of the board during a period of unparalleled challenges, becoming our first independent chairman and guiding the board through the companys efforts to resolve significant business issues,” said McLaughlin. “The board is deeply appreciative of all that Jeff has done during this period of transition.”

Acoustic looks to Shea to manage transformation
Tim Shea has been hired as the first-ever chief transformation management officer at Acoustic, an independent marketing cloud. He is tasked with enhancing operational performance across Acoustic’s workstreams and transforming the way the company conducts business.

Shea is bringing more than 20 years of experience in the technology and service sectors into the role. He was most recently chief of staff & global head of corporate development and cost management at Getronics BV and senior vice president & chief administrative officer at CompuCom Systems.

“There are an overwhelming number of complex marketing tools available today, and Acoustic is filling a void in the industry by offering a simple, streamlined solution that focuses entirely on solving the challenges marketers face using open platform thinking,” said Shea. “I’m looking forward to overseeing Acoustic’s transformation as a standalone company with the market position, customer scale and proven technology to help marketers do their best work.”

LaPeters picked as VP of MSP at Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes, an advanced endpoint protection and remediation solution, has named Mike LaPeters as its vice president of worldwide MSP and channel operations. He will be focused on accelerating the company’s growth across the world, implementing new strategic initiatives to support the its continued expansion.

LaPeters joins Malwarebytes from AlienVault, where he served as vice president of global channels. In his 20 years of experience building and leading channel organisations in security, infrastructure, and storage software products, he represented the sales and channel efforts from inception through acquisition at four separate startups, acquired by the likes of Microsoft, Hitachi, SolarWinds, and Nimboxx.

“My passion is helping growth-stage companies achieve their full potential by tapping into key opportunities in MSP and channel sales,” said LaPeters. “I’m excited to work with Malwarebytes in part due to the company’s dedication to bring world class technology to the MSP and channel community, but also to extend its protection to new markets and customers in need of cutting-edge endpoint security solutions.”

Bloomreach hands strategy chief gig to Walker
Brian Walker has taken on the role of chief strategy officer at headless digital experience cloud provider Bloomreach. He will lead the company’s marketing team and play a role in driving its go to market and product strategies.

In his over 20 years in the digital commerce space, Walker has served in a range of roles including chief strategy officer at SAP Hybris, where he led marketing, product strategy, and channel both before and after SAP’s acquisition of Hybris software. Prior to that Brian was vice president and principal analyst focused on commerce technology at Forrester Research, managing director for global commerce strategy at Accenture Interactive and, most recently, chief strategy officer at Amplience.

“Bloomreach is a company Ive been watching for a while and Im thrilled to join their executive team at this point in their strategic evolution,” Walker said. “Bloomreach now offers the markets leading, API-first headless customer engagement and content solution. It has sophisticated AI built into its search, merchandising, and relevance services, and its APIs are the most robust and mature in the market. Also, the front-end frameworks and platforms they support and partner with are the most diverse. Todays customers, no matter if they are consumers or B2B users, expect simple, fast, contextual, and relevant experiences wherever they engage and Bloomreach is the supplier of choice for any business that aims to be at the forefront of delivering those.”

Vidal arrives as VibePay’s head of marketing
VibePay, a mobile peer-to-peer payments app, has added Nicola Vidal to its ranks as its chief marketing officer. She will be launching VibePay alongside young entrepreneur Luke Massie in September.

Vidal joins with over 19 years of experience from growing challenger brands including GiffGaff, ClearScore, and Wonga.

“This is a very exciting time to join VibePay and an amazing opportunity to work with an innovative challenger brand who puts their consumers at the forefront of their product,” said Vidal. “I can’t wait to launch later this year.”

VibePay, which was granted authorisation from the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) last month, was founded in early 2018 when changes to the Open Banking legislation enabled regulated businesses to access UK banks’ payments infrastructure. The app enables users to send and receive money by linking their bank account securely via open banking technology.

Prebid chooses Dove to take seat on its board
J. Allen Dove has been selected to join the board of Prebid.org, an independent organisation designed to ensure and promote fair, transparent, and efficient header bidding across the industry, joining existing members from OpenX, PubMatic, Rubicon Project, and Xandr.

Dove, chief technology officer at video advertising platform SpotX, joins the Prebid board as SpotX announces the availability of its latest Prebid adapter video header bidding solution.

“We are thrilled to welcome SpotX to the Prebid.org board as the first pure-play video platform and look forward to working together to make header bidding a first-class option for video publishers,” said Tom Kershaw, chairman of Prebid.org and chief technology officer at Rubicon Project. “As an independent organisation, Prebid.Org believes that working together with programmatic leaders like SpotX is the key to ensuring that fair, transparent, and efficient tools are adopted across the industry.”

De los Reyes to lead design at Varo
Mobile banking firm Varo Money has hired August de los Reyes as its chief design officer. He will lead the product design, brand design, and research teams.

Previously, De los Reyes led design for Microsoft Xbox, where he helped the company radically shift its design view to one that put inclusion and empathy at the centre of a product experience. Most recently, De los Reyes was a director at Google for the Search, Assistant, and News ecosystem and, before that, he led product design and research at Pinterest. He also spent more than a decade at Microsoft and helped design the internationalisation of Kodak’s web presence.

“Varos mission resonates with me because it fosters financial inclusion,” De los Reyes said. “It is the perfect problem space to apply inclusive design principles beyond physical or cognitive differences. Socio-economic exclusion affects millions of Americans. Varos potential impact could improve financial well-being at a national scale.”

Alteryx adds Heidersbach as marketing head
Amy Heidersbach has joined data science and analytics business Alteryx as chief marketing officer. She will be responsible for evolving the global go-to-market strategy and delivering data-driven programs that help businesses of all sizes leverage analytics to accelerate their own digital transformation and performance.

In her over 20 years of experience, Heidersbach has launched and grown marketplace businesses at Capital One and PayPal, and built purpose-driven brands at CareerBuilder, Magento, PayPal, and Visa.

“Alteryx is a dynamic brand and clear leader in the analytics space, evidenced by the companys continuous innovation, fast growth and customer passion,” said Heidersbach. “Enabling millions of citizen data scientists around the globe to learn faster, make better business decisions and have a positive impact on their customers is an important and audacious vision. Im thrilled to join the talented, passionate team that created the company we know today, and am ready to help Alteryx fully realise our vision by transforming how we use analytics to deliver more targeted, effective marketing programs and unleashing the thrill of solving for businesses and communities around the globe.”

Pair join Appen’s leadership team
Appen, which provides training data to improve machine learning, has hired Jon Kondo as senior vice president of sales and marketing and Roc Tian as senior vice president of China.

Kondo will be responsible for leading Appen’s global sales and marketing teams and ensuring strong alignment to deliver continued customer value and revenue performance.

Before Appen, he was co-founder and CEO of OpsPanda, which was acquired by Xactly. He also previously served as chief revenue officer at Replicon, chief executive officer of Host Analytics, group vice president at Oracle, and senior vice president & general manager of the Americas at Hyperion.

“AI and machine learning are transforming the way organisations deliver value to their constituents, and Appen’s quality offerings combining market-leading technology and crowd are unmatched in the industry,” said Kondo. “It’s such an exciting time to join Appen – the organisation has proven its leadership position in a hyper-dynamic market while maintaining the core values that make it a great company. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help lead the company to the next level of success.”

Tian is responsible for Appen’s business strategy, sales, marketing, delivery, operations and government relationships in the China region to ensure continued growth and high client satisfaction.

Most recently, he was senior partner of IBM, where he led the client services, public sector, and enterprise application service lines across the mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan markets. Before IBM, Roc was a business quality director for HP’s global delivery centre in China. He was also founder and chief technology officer of a startup prior to joining HP.

“Artificial intelligence is booming in China and is one of the most critical country-level strategic plans (called Next Generation AI development plan) announced by the State council. There is no doubt that China will be more open and proactive in accelerating digital transformation for the enterprise across all industries,” said Tian. “It’s extremely exciting to join Appen to support these initiatives for clients across China.”

GeekHive welcomes De Libero as a director
Gene De Libero has arrived at martech consultancy GeekHive as director of digital strategy and marketing technology. He will oversee the digital strategy and marketing technology branch of the company to bolster its selection of service capabilities that promote lifetime customer value.

De Libero hosts the ‘How Digital Marketing Works’ podcast and teaches digital marketing courses at the NYU School of Professional Studies, division of programs in business, and USFs Muma College of Business. He joins GeekHive after several years at Sitecore, where he served as digital marketing evangelist and as a director in the global strategy and industries group.

“Businesses need to ride the crest of change to stay relevant in todays marketplace, yet typically do not have the people to do so. Thats where GeekHive can help,” De Libero said. “Our team brings the experience, expertise, and skills to our clients that help them build solid digital strategies and unlock the power of their marketing technologies.”

Burger digs in to digital at MBT
MBT Marketing, a full-service marketing and advertising agency, has named Tim Burger as its director of digital.

In his more than 20 years of experience creating and leading digital marketing and social media campaigns, he was worked with account teams at both Amazon and Alibaba’s Tmall. He has developed and executed omnichannel marketing strategies for companies including Alaska Airlines, Hyatt Hotels and United Airlines, where he served as a global digital marketing and performance media leader. He was also previously digital marketing and eCommerce director at Delsey Luggage Paris, overseeing US eCommerce and digital marketing.

“I’m excited to join the MBT team. MBT excels at rapidly testing, analysing and producing effective creative across digital media platforms,” said Burger. “I look forward to bringing my experience in marketing technology, new media platforms and AI to further accelerate our client success in the future.”

R2i opts for Waite as media services VP
Andréa Waite has been appointed as vice president of media services at digital marketing agency R2i. She will lead the R2i team and services across a roster of existing and net new clients.

Waite has held managerial and/or leadership positions in her over 15-year career at places including Mindshare, Carat, and Starcom MediaVest. Most recently, she was with Verizon Media, where she was responsible for the strategic and commercial partnerships, including all C-suite/executive relationships.

“After a thorough search, we are thrilled to have found just the right leader in Andréa Waite,” said Jennifer Quinlan, R2i CEO. “Andréas extensive experience and accomplishments are a major asset as R2i continues to execute high-performing campaigns for our clients. And shes a great cultural fit – highly adaptable, curious by nature and a creative problem-solver with a global mindset.”

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eBay adds Thompson and promotes Rawashdeh
Pete Thompson has joined eBay as senior vice president and chief product officer, while Mazen Rawashdeh has been appointed as senior vice president and chief technology officer. Both will report to president and CEO Devin Wenig.

Johnson joins eBay from Amazon, where he served as vice president of Alexa Voice Service. Prior to that, he was chief operating officer of TiVo, where he drove the merger and integration of Rovi and TiVo. His over 20-year career has also seen him hold executive roles at Microsoft, T-Mobile, Ericsson, and Sonos.

Rawashdeh spent eight years at eBay between 2003 and 2011 before leaving to serve as vice president of infrastructure operation engineering at Twitter, where he helped scale the business through its IPO. He spent four years as an angel investor and tech advisor and then returned to eBay in 2016 to lead platform engineering, which he will continue to lead in his new role.

The company has also hired Scott Gaffney as vice president of search engineering from his role as vice president of engineering, web search & intelligent agents at Yahoo. In addition, Steve Metz has re-joined eBay as vice president of product analytics from Amazon.

Juhl named GroupM CEO
GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, has announced that Christian Juhl will replace Kelly Clark as global chief executive officer. Starting on 1 October, Juhl will be responsible for the vision, strategy, and operation of WPP’ media-focused companies.

Juhl is currently global chief executive officer at Essence, where he led the company’s acquisition by WPP in 2015. Before that, he held roles at Publicis, Razorfish, and USWeb/CKS.

“I’m truly honoured and grateful for this opportunity to help deliver on Mark [Read]’s vision for WPP as a creative transformation company,” said Juhl. “Media frames the future for creativity, and GroupMs incredible agency brands, talent, client partnerships, and scale give us the unique opportunity to help reshape the industry and the way people think about advertising.”

Twitter brings in Kim to lead business marketing
Gap Kim has been hired as head of global business marketing at Twitter. Reporting to vice president of marketing Brad Ramsey, he will lead the team which is responsible for marketing and messaging that helps brands understand the social media firm’s advertising solutions.

Kim has previously worked on digital adoption and growth across mobile, video, search, messaging, and social at companies including WhatsApp, Facebook, and Google.

“There’s no platform more embedded in every day culture and what’s happening than Twitter, and in this day and age, that is a critical opportunity for marketers to make meaningful connections with influential audiences to grow their business and brand,” said Kim.

“I’m thrilled to join the Twitter team and find new ways to bring Twitter’s value to life for all businesses, big and small, across the world.”

Trio handed new roles at MediaCom
MediaCom has promoted Nick Lawson, Josh Krichefski, and Kate Rowlinson in changes to their Worldwide, EMEA, and UK leadership teams.

Lawson, currently EMEA chief executive officer (CEO) and global client practice lead, succeeds Toby Jenner as worldwide chief operating officer. The 28-year MediaCom stalwart will be responsible for driving the network’s business development, marketing and product offers, while retaining his position as global client practice lead.

Krichefski, who has been at MediaCom since 2011, replaces Lawson as EMEA CEO after serving three years as UK CEO. He takes responsibility for 4,400 people across 37 offices. Rowlinson, the current managing director of worldwide hubs, will take over as UK CEO.

All three will begin their new roles in September.

“Nick, Josh and Kate’s track records in delivering truly innovative work are unparalleled and I am in no doubt they are the best people to lead the MediaCom network into its next exciting chapter,” said Stephen Allan, worldwide chairman and CEO. “They will bring forward thinking and rich expertise to our clients, helping them achieve their growth agendas, and perfectly exemplify our People First, Better Results belief. Their continued personal growth has and will continue to deliver the best possible results for the brands we work with.”

Rakuten promotes Capano to MD
Anthony Capano has been appointed to the newly created position of international managing director at Rakuten Marketing. He will now cover all territories outside of the US and Japan, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

As former managing director of APAC, Capano launched Rakuten Marketing to the Australian market and across the greater region. In early 2018, he was promoted to managing director of EMEA and has since spearheaded operations and overseen expansion in France and Germany.

“The momentum we’ve built internationally over the past few years has put the business in a fantastic position to begin tailoring and deploying our technology in new and exciting markets,” said Capano. “By providing the network and support brands need, we’re going to be able to offer clients countless opportunities to grow internationally.”

Weiss to lead creative at DDB, hires Nolan
Marketing communications network DDB Worldwide has promoted Ari Weiss to the role of chief creative officer, expanding his remit to include creative responsibilities. His first hire in the new role has seen Britt Nolan named as his successor in the role of chief creative officer for DDB North America.

Weiss joined DDB in 2016 and has since helped the company’s North America division to 38 Lions at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

Nolan arrives at DDB from Leo Burnett, where he spent 10 years, most recently as co-president and chief creative officer of the Chicago office. Here, he oversaw work that won more than 50 Lions and many more across international shows, including the Effies, the One Show, and the Clios.

“Jealousy is a powerful motivator in the creative community, and Britt Nolan has been making me jealous for many, many years,” said Weiss. “Im confident not only in his ability to keep raising the bar higher in North America, but also in his ability to partner with me and our leaders across the region to continue finding the best ways to provide our clients best-in-class creative output.”

Firefly expands measurement and analytics team
Taylan Yildiz and Michael Steinberg have joined Firefly, a rideshare advertising startup, as chief analytics officer and vice president of media and analytics respectively.

Yildiz, a 10-year Google veteran, will spearhead measurement and attribution product development. While at Google, he built novel measurement methodologies and led efforts to build custom and scalable research solutions on media planning, measurement, and customer insights with top global advertisers.

Steinberg has 24 years of sales, marketing, and business development experience in the New York City market. He previously headed sales at Mira and Clear Channel Spectacolor, the Times Square division of Clear Channel Outdoor.

“Measurement stands as the most desired attribute of out-of-home (OOH) advertisements, but measuring the effectiveness of a campaign has remained a challenge across the industry,” said Firefly CEO and co-founder Kaan Gunay. “At Firefly, we’re doubling down on our commitment to defy the drawbacks of traditional OOH channels, and I can’t think of two better people to lead our efforts.”

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As verified by the ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations), the Seals of Compliance relate to the company’s work toward reducing the risk of exposure to ad fraud and advertising misplacement.

“At a time when brand safety and ad fraud remain core digital advertising challenges, we believe the industry should be committing to best industry practices and independent certification, which is the core mission of JICWEBS,” said Stevan Randjelovic, brand safety manager at GroupM EMEA. “We are pleased to receive our DTSG seal once again and obtain the anti-ad fraud accreditation for the first time – both applicable across all GroupM divisions. This not only demonstrates our commitment to media quality and integrity, but that we truly walk the talk.”

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According to the latest forecasts from WPP’s GroupM, ad spend in the UK will see six per cent growth for 2018 – down on 6.4 per cent in 2017 – in reaching £19.9bn. Growth for 2019 is expected to sink further to 4.8 per cent, which will still be enough to carry spend comfortably over the £20bn mark.

Digital accounts for around 60 per cent of all advertising investment and, with that, accounts for all UK net advertising growth. Within this, pure-play internet increased 11 per cent in 2018 and is predicted to grow a further nine per cent in 2019.

Elsewhere, GroupM expects television ad spend to remain flat in 2018 and grow just one per cent in 2019, while print media investment will continue to shrink – with newspapers and magazines collectively dropping around 1.5 ad spend share points a year. This year, investment in news brands will account for 11.1 per cent of ad investment but, in 2019, will fall to 9.8 per cent.

On the other hand, radio spot ad revenue will increase 10 per cent this year – with radio owners taking in around £500m in spot revenue – and rise seven per cent in 2019.

“Future Brexit fall-out remains a complete unknown, but for now the economy is doing OK,” said Adam Smith, futures director at GroupM. “Ad revenue forecasts remain perhaps surprisingly positive, supported by digital commanding a rising share of overall marketing effort from a wider base of marketers large and small. The UK’s fluid media market favours optimism too. Advertisers know they can change spending plans almost at will, with low or no friction.”

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The mobile-first, six-second video ad format is compatible alongside other Xaxis video products and, according to the company, enables advertisers to reach 27m UK consumers in a brand-safe manner.

“Short-Form Video presents advertisers with the opportunity to deliver snackable content to consumers in a way that guarantees better brand recall and affinity,” said Harry Harcus, MD at Xaxis UK. “We’re pleased to launch the first product of its kind that delivers a cost-effective way to extend digital video advertising reach and frequency across premium social media channels, while complementing longer-form video content. Delivering content to consumers in an engaging, relevant and bite-sized format is a winning formula for advertisers and consumers alike.”

The video product is available now in the UK with Xaxis having plans to roll it out to other countries in the future.

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