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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Index hires first CMO and CCO in Goode and Breslav
Lori Goode and Jessica Breslav have joined advertising marketplace Index Exchange as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Customer Officer, respectively.

Goode was most recently at Amazon Advertising, where she spent five years as its global Head of Marketing and Training. She brings more than 15 years of experience in the digital advertising space, including marketing leadership roles at Facebook and Microsoft. Goode will be based out of Index’s New York City office.

“Index has consistently built solutions that support publishers, advertisers, and ultimately consumers — allowing publishers to thrive while delivering efficient, quality inventory for brands,” said Goode. “I could not be more excited to join a team so committed to driving business growth for publishers and marketers alike, and I look forward to helping propel the brand forward as Index moves into this next phase of growth.“

Breslav comes from Criteo, serving most recently as Executive Managing Director for the Americas, where she saw the company through an IPO. She will be based out of Index’s Boston office, which opened earlier this year.

“Index’s status as a leader in the global programmatic ecosystem is reflective of its commitment to running one of the cleanest and most efficient ad exchanges in the space,” said Breslav. “I am proud to join a team that has continued to show a strong and sustainable approach to driving growth, and I look forward to helping Index double down on that commitment.”

Index has also promoted Will Doherty from Executive Vice President of Marketplace Development to Chief of Marketplace Development.

Banderas Coffinet named brand partnerships GM at Group Nine
Group Nine Media, one of the biggest mobile video publishers in the US, has appointed Sylvia Banderas Coffinet at General Manager of Multicultural Brand Partnerships and Marketing.  Reporting to Chief Revenue Officer Geoff Schiller, she will lead strategic development of the digital media holding company’s multicultural business needs, marketplace positioning, and branded content best practices, as well as spearhead relationships with multicultural agencies and advertisers to connect brand partners with Group Nine’s audience.

Banderas Coffinet has more than 15 years of media and publishing experience. She most recently served as Publisher, Chief Brand and Revenue Officer at Hello and Hola Media Inc., where she developed and led the strategic vision, content planning, revenue and profitability growth plan, while optimising the business operations of HOLA! USA. Banderas Coffinet served as National Advertising Director and Executive Beauty Director at People en Español, part of Time Inc. She has also held revenue generating roles at Glamour and Latina.

“Nearly 40 per cent of Group Nine’s massive US reach is multicultural and represents the country’s diverse millennial population,” said Banderas Coffinet. “Group Nine understands that there is not a one size fits all narrative for its audience and recognises that multiculturalism done well is mainstream done right. Its diverse, authentic and optimistic storytelling naturally attracts both hyper-engaged consumers and brand partners who are looking to nurture their own diversity initiatives across its platforms.”

Uberall chooses Phelps to direct sales
Toby Phelps has been hired as Director of Enterprise Sales at location marketing technology company Uberall. He will be developing and optimising Uberall’s enterprise sales strategy across the UK and the Nordics, driving team performance, and expanding its footprint in those regions.

Phelps brings over 20 years of experience in sales and SaaS. Prior to joining Uberall, he held senior roles at companies like Hitwise and Experian, where he led go-to-market strategy and growth.

“I’m incredibly excited to have the opportunity to be part of Uberall’s growth journey,” Phelps said. “Uberall’s solution stands out from the crowd, and I look forward to joining Uberall’s forward-thinking, forward-driven team, and its top-notch local partners, in accelerating Uberall’s brand pre-eminence and business expansion.”

Cho and Hoppe arrive at Captiv8
Captiv8, an influencer marketing platform, has added Saeyoung Cho and Stephanie Hoppe to its leadership team as Head of Strategic Partnerships and Head of European Operations respectively.

Cho will focus on strengthening industry partnerships and leading customer growth with enterprise customers. She brings a decade of experience working across paid, owned, and earned media to build a social-first vision with Fortune 500 brands. Prior to joining Captiv8, Cho was a Director at Horizon Media.

“Over the last five years, as both a customer and a branded context expert, Ive had the opportunity to see Captiv8 evolve into one of the strongest leaders in the influencer marketing ecosystem by placing forward-thinking strategic bets on influencer data ahead of the competition. I could not be more thrilled to partner with the entire team,” said Cho.

Hoppe will lead strategy and direction for Captiv8s European operations which includes expansion into the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands. She previously led business development at Relatable.

“Prior to joining Captiv8, my biggest frustration in working with some of the worlds most inspirational brands was the poor quality of the data that underpinned otherwise brilliant creative strategies. As influencer marketing matured to become an essential part of brands media budgets – the data that agencies were able to provide to clients didnt. Captiv8 marries human creativity with excellent data insights – whether you choose us as a full service agency or leverage our platform as a self-serve dashboard. Im excited to build on Captiv8s existing success stories,” said Hoppe.

Twilio welcomes Brazeau as CTO
Jeremiah Brazeau has been chosen as Chief Technology Officer by cloud communications platform Twilio, which recently announced it would be acquiring customer data platform Segment for $3.2bn. Reporting to Chief Product Officer Chee Chew, he will be responsible for leading Twilio’s technology strategy and roadmap.

Prior to Twilio, Brazeau was a Senior Vice President and distinguished architect at Salesforce, where he led a team of engineers and software architects to deliver highly scalable and secure SaaS solutions.? Before that, he was also a Principal Engineer at Amazon Robotics, where he pioneered the notion of robotics in the cloud.

“Twilio’s mission to fuel the future of customer engagement is so important, especially now in the time of COVID-19 where people are disconnected physically,” said Brazeau. “I believe Twilio is well-positioned to drive connectivity between individuals, customers, and companies. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to drive and accelerate the technology roadmap that enables Twilio to continue to connect people – a necessity for the world in these challenging times.”

Snow joins Extreme Reach to direct product marketing
Extreme Reach (ER), an asset management solution for TV and video ads, has announced Michael Snow as its Director of Product Marketing. He will work with the leadership team to drive the strategic vision for expanding AdBridges – ER’s cloud platform – creative asset management capabilities for the companys client portfolio of leading brands. He will also collaborate closely with the sales, marketing and product development teams.

Snow brings over 20 years of experience in the digital asset management industry, at companies including Interwoven, Oracle, and OpenText, where he specialized in customer experience, digital experience and rich media management.

“Extreme Reach is a true breath of fresh air – the company has the size, dynamic expert team, and history with an established customer base to create tremendous opportunities in the industry and its rapid development process enables a responsiveness to customer feedback that is exceptional,” said Snow. “Im excited to join a company with such an incredible product line and Im looking forward to working alongside this fantastic team to create something truly unbeatable to help our clients.”

Verb looks to Lilly for client services direction
Ben Lilly has been appointed as Director of Client Services at Verb Brands, a luxury digital marketing agency. Reporting to Founder Chris Donnelly, he will be responsible for driving strategic growth for Verb’s portfolio of luxury and premium brands, including The Maybourne Hotel Group, Bugatti, Creed Fragrances, and Grosvenor London.

Lilly was previously Client Partner at digital marketing agency iCrossing, before which he was Client Director at Digitas LBI.

“Verb is, simply, the leading luxury digital agency, and I couldn’t be more delighted to join Chris and his team. Yet digital never sleeps, and luxury is having to undergo rapid transformation in a much-changed marketplace in 2020,” Lilly said. “I’m looking forward to working with Verb’s creative, data and media teams to bring a stepped change to performance of some of the biggest names in luxury. The combination of performance marketing and creativity is a potent force and it’s an exciting time to be joining.”

Webb takes charge of digital at Lab
Lab Group, a collection of digital marketing, technology, and creative services agencies, has hired Matt Webb as Group Head of Digital. He will be responsible for innovation and digital services across all of four of its agencies – with a particular focus on digital agency Riverr – and will oversee the development of high-quality enterprise digital services, while also facilitating and inspiring innovative thinking.

Webb has more than 20 years’ experience in C-level technology roles at large digital agencies and most recently was Europe Chief Technology Officer at Valtech, where he oversaw major client initiatives and built its connected experience offering. Prior to that, he held positions at JWT, HeathWallace, and Mirum. Webb is also the founder of innovation consultancy Maker Unleashed.

“I’m super excited to be joining LAB Group at such an important stage in its evolution,” said Webb. “I’ve been really impressed by the group’s depth of expertise in behavioural science and the fascinating projects they’re involved in. I’m very much looking forward to getting stuck into what I love doing – leading, thinking, making and innovating.”

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John Legend takes charge of music at Headspace
Meditation app Headspace has appointed award-winning singer-songwriting megastar John Legend as its first-ever Chief Music Officer. Legend will work closely with Headspace Studios, Headspaces new multi-platform studio creating and distributing mindful living content, to harness the power of music to enhance members mindfulness journeys.

Legend’s appointment coincides with the Headspace’s launch of ‘Focus’ mode, which is aimed at helping its members to tune into what matters most to them.

“Im so excited to join the Headspace team as Chief Music Officer,” said Legend. “Songwriting and performing requires an incredible amount of mental focus, concentration, and present moment awareness. When Im able to cancel out external noise and tune into a state of relaxed concentration, thats when the creativity flows.  Thats why Im looking forward to helping others learn how to focus on whats important to them – and Ill be bringing some of my friends in the music industry along with me for the ride.”

Tumblr looks to City on entertainment partnerships
Terry City has been hired as Vice President of Entertainment Partnerships at Tumblr. He will work to redefine advertising partnerships with the entertainment and technology industries. In addition to advertising opportunities, City will work closely with the product team to guide the creation of new advertising products that allow for the development of bespoke campaigns for some of the industry’s biggest entertainment properties.

City arrives at Tumblr from Vice Media Group, where he held a similar role leading entertainment and technology partnerships. He has also held senior executive roles at Group Nine Media, Buzzfeed, Yahoo, and more.

“Tumblr is the pulse of the internet, and where Gen Z is discovering their next favourite thing, that includes all kinds of entertainment fandoms – from superheroes to anime and everything in between, which made taking on this new role exciting,” said City. “Tumblr as a brand has always been associated with fandom, and reinvigorating our relationships with film studios, TV networks, streaming platforms and other providers is critical as we look to partner with companies in the entertainment space.”

Rosario becomes diversity chief at BBDO
BBDO Worldwide, an advertising agency network, has recruited Jason Rosario as its Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. Based in New York and reporting to President & CEO Andrew Robertson, he will partner with senior leadership to impact agency diversity policy and plans, recruitment, retention, training, education, and leverage of the networks work to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, in the network, the industry, and society at large.

Rosario has worked with top clients including Netflix, Yahoo!, Spotify, Verizon Media Group, and Huffington Post, helping brands identify inclusive practices at the enterprise level. In 2017, he founded The Lives of Men, a social impact creative agency that explores themes around masculinity, mental health and culture. Prior to this, he worked for Verizon Media Group as Manager of Global Diversity & Inclusion and was the Executive Producer and Host of the Yahoo! News original web series ‘Dear Men’.

“We have a unique opportunity to transform BBDO, and the advertising industry at-large, through an intersectional and equitable lens. We want to continue to evolve our agencys mindset to foster a new wave of inclusive culture and accountability, while, of course, doing great and resonant work for our clients. Im excited to take on this next challenge at such an iconic agency and to see our progress in action,” said Rosario.

Social Chain says goodbye to Bartlett and McGregor
Steven Bartlett, CEO and Co-founder, and Dominic McGregor, Co-founder, have both decided to step down from their positions at social-first marketing agency Social Chain. Wanja S. Oberhof, currently Co-CEO of Social Chain will retain his position as CEO.

Bartlett and McGregor founded Social Chain in Manchester in 2014 with the aim of creating a social media publishing and marketing company that would disrupt the traditional marketing industry at a time when social media was undervalued and untapped. Now, Social Chain boasts an owned media reach of over 2bn views per month and has around 750 employees across Manchester, Berlin, London, New York, and Munich. In October 2019, it merged with Lumaland.

“Social Chain was conceived on a small desk in the backroom of the uni I had just dropped out of in Manchester. I was 20, full of wild dreams, and I believed we could take on the world,” said Bartlett. “What started as a crazy and sometimes ridiculed idea, in the mind of a few drop-out underdogs, at a time when people didn’t believe in the potential of this new thing called social media, turned into the most unforgettable ride of a lifetime.

“As I write this, at 27, we have more than 700 Social Chainers around the world, a world-beating team, we went public last year, we are the best at what we do, and we’ve just posted record numbers. The company is showing unbelievable momentum and I remain Social Chains biggest fan, supporter, and believer.”

Johnson chosen by Group Nine to lead content studio
Group Nine Media, one of the biggest video publishers in the US, has named Yosef Johnson President of its in-house branded content studio, Brandshop. He will oversee Brandshops full service creative development team across video, written, design, photography, talent, and creative operations for advertising partners. He will be elevated to Group Nine’s executive leadership team.

Johnson most recently served as Senior Vice President and Head of Brandshop, where he led the branded content studio across creative strategy and production. Prior to the formation of Group Nine in 2016, he was one of the early employees of NowThis and, before that, worked in Creative Account Management and Strategy at Wieden+Kennedy NYC.

“Group Nine is the leading digital media company reaching young people on the platforms where they spend their time – from Snapchat to Instagram, TikTok and beyond,” said Johnson. “I am thrilled to expand my role and to continue to help leverage Group Nine’s deep audience insights and best-in-class creative practices to authentically and thoughtfully connect advertisers to Group Nine’s massive audience.”

DoubleVerify selects Smith to lead on product
Jack Smith has been hired as Chief Product Officer for Demand Solutions at digital media measurement firm DoubleVerify (DV). In the newly created role, he will be responsible for advancing DV’s agency and brand advertiser solutions portfolio, with a focus on high-growth emerging channels, such as CTV. Smith will also lead all strategy and implementation efforts related to scaling the company’s product development and commercialisation activities.

Most recently, Smith was Global Chief Product Officer for Investment at GroupM, where he spearheaded product and technology design, media investment, data management, finance and other critical media agency functions. He also led the global blockchain strategy, made strategic investment and M&A recommendations, and led numerous innovation projects at the company. Prior to this, he was Chief Product Officer at Simulmedia.

“DV is a trusted partner for many of the world’s largest brands and media platforms,” said Smith. “Given my extensive background in digital media and advertising, I’m well aware of the issues around transparency, brand reputation and performance that global brand advertisers face. DV is leading the pack in terms of powering media quality and effectiveness – with exciting innovations in the domains of CTV and performance solutions. I’m thrilled to bring my product expertise to bear in support of the company’s mission – to build a better advertising industry.”

Three leadership changes at Lab
Lab Group, a collection of digital marketing, technology, and creative services agencies, has introduced a new leadership lineup. The agency group has promoted current Finance Director Rachel Howe to the role of Group Chief Financial Officer, and current Talent and HR Manager Priya Unwith to the position of Group Head of People, while hiring Harpreet Bushell as Group Chief Growth Officer.

Howe will be responsible for the group’s finance team, ensuring that all decisions made for the business are commercially sound. She will also support the financial growth of all Lab Group companies and roll out consistent processes and systems across the group.

Unwith will oversee people and talent for the group, covering everything from on-boarding new starters to implementing HR initiatives. She will advise and support Lab Group leaders on HR best practices as well as helping to attract and retain talent.

Bushell, who joined Lab Group from Valtech, is responsible for the overall revenue growth of Lab Group’s agencies, with a key focus on digital business. She is working to help unite all of the group’s revenue earners with achievable targets, and to facilitate teamwork and collaboration.

“I’m delighted to announce our new leadership team at Lab Group,” Jonny Tooze, Lab Group CEO, said. “Harpreet, Priya and Rachel are outstanding leaders and represent our focus on what we view as the three key areas for agency success: great work, people first, and commerciality. This move will give all three of them greater ownership of their specialisms while enabling me to further focus my attention on Lab Group acquisitions and IP development, as we continue to grow both organically and in-organically.”

AnyMind adds to board and management team
Vaibhav Odhekar has joined the board of directors at AnyMind Group, the company behind the POKKT mobile gaming ad platform. Meanwhile, Siddharth Kelkar, Aditya Aima, and Dinesh Kailash Kumar have all joined as Managing Directors.

Odhekar will continue to lead India and the Middle East for AnyMind Group, and will join other board of director members.

“We have put together a strong team, and Vaibhav will undoubtedly enhance this team even more,” said Kosuke Sogo, CEO and Co-founder of AnyMind Group. “We are just about to start a new era of growth, and the combined strengths of our board of directors and management team will propel us further forward.”

Kelkar has been appointed as Managing Director of Performance Business. He will be responsible for equipping performance marketers with the right set of tools by AnyMind Group globally, including offerings by POKKT, AdAsia and CastingAsia. Before joining POKKT, Kelkar held leadership roles in SVG Media, CNBC TV18, The Times Group, and Reliance Games.

Aima has been appointed as Managing Director of Agency Business, and provides marketing, creative and advertising agencies in Southeast Asia with the right capabilities across AnyMind Group’s suite of solutions. He formerly held leadership positions in Culture Machine Media, Astro Malaysia, Bloomberg TV, and Turner Broadcasting System.

Kumar is now Managing Director of Product, with a main focus on POKKT products. He previously held product-related roles in InMobi, Microsoft IDC Bangalore, Yahoo!, Conformia Software Labs, and IonIdea.

“Our management team consists of entrepreneurs and vertical experts, and Siddharth, Aditya and Dinesh can now bring their own unique qualities and expertise to the table,” Sogo added. “With such a vastly expanded business, this move allows us to focus on expanding our existing market share whilst looking at new opportunities for further growth.”

Griffiths and Griffin take up senior roles at Visibilis
Leeds-based digital agency Visibilis has selected Felicity Griffiths as its Marketing Director and Charlotte Griffin as its Client Services Director. Both previously held senior roles on the management team at Jaywing’s Epiphany.

While at Epiphany, Griffiths held the roles of Head of Marketing, while Griffin was the Group Account Director.

“We’re in the middle of a really exciting period of growth, and bringing Felicity and Charlotte on-board has been a pivotal part of this,” said Ben Wolfenden, Visibilis founder. “Both Felicity and Charlotte bring a great deal of experience to the team but crucially, share the same focus and vision for the business that I do and have the right ambition and attitude to ensure we make it happen.” 

TAG chooses Meah to direct on threat intelligence
Danielle Meah has become the first Director of Threat Intelligence at the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG). She will lead the TAG Threat Exchange and work with the industry to foster an effective threat-sharing culture. She will also direct TAG’s role as the ad industry’s first and only Information Sharing and Analysis Organisation (ISAO), including expanding the work of the TAG Threat Exchange to rapidly identify threats to the digital advertising supply chain, share information on those threats across hundreds of companies, and work with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute the criminals involved. 

Prior to joining TAG, Meah was Global Head of Threat Intelligence for Citigroup, leading a cross-regional team of intelligence analysts, collections management staff, and partnership and engagement specialists. In this role, she was responsible for helping create an intelligence-led strategy with Citi’s security leadership to bolster the organization’s network defence posture. Meah has also previously held cyber intelligence roles at Booz Allen Hamilton, LookingGlass, and the US China Economic Security Review Commission.

“Malware and other supply chain threats cannot be effectively addressed by a single company working in a vacuum,” said Meah. “Like sentries in remote outposts, each company has only a partial view of the broader field of battle. By working together, however, our industry can scan the entire length of the supply chain in real-time, watching for emerging threats, then share that information through TAG with hundreds of other participating companies for action. I’m delighted to be joining TAG in this important role, as we expand our threat sharing efforts to build a safer medium.”

Parsons handed CPO gig at Criteo
Internet advertising firm Criteo has chosen Todd Parsons to take up the role of Chief Product Officer. He will lead and oversee Criteos product design and innovation roadmap, playing a critical role in the transformation of the companys technology platform.

Prior to joining Criteo, Parsons served as the Chief Product Officer at OpenX, where he led a global team in establishing the first people-based programmatic marketplace. Previously, as Chief Product Officer of SocialCode, he developed products to activate and measure first-party audiences across Facebook, Amazon, YouTube and other platforms. He also led Acxioms Marketing Services business and founded two startups, Aditive (acquired by Axciom in 2014) and BuzzLogic.

“In the constantly changing advertising industry, Criteo remains steadfast in its mission to provide outcomes for marketers, publishers and consumers alike through its multi-product platform and unparalleled data sets,” said Parsons. “Im thrilled to join Criteo at a pivotal time and look forward to shaping the future of advertising with its talented team.”

Kinetiq looks to Shah on product and tech
Rishit Shah has been hired as Chief Product and Technology Officer at Kinetiq, a TV intelligence platform. He is responsible for designing and implementing a product roadmap to accelerate Kinetiqs platform innovation and align product strategy with customer needs.

Prior to joining Kinetiq, Shah held executive product and technology positions at 7Park Data and Lotame, and launched digital products for The Washington Post.

“I am thrilled to join Kinetiq at such a pivotal moment in the companys growth,” said Shah. “I have a vision, one shared by the rest of Kinetiqs leadership team, of building a truly scalable AI & ML platform that extracts deep artifacts from video files to unite paid and owned media for ads, sponsorships and brand mentions in a way the market has not yet seen.”

Driscoll takes to helm of Elastic Path
Elastic Path, a headless commerce provider, has opted for Jamus Driscoll as its Chief Executive Officer. He will lead Elastic Path into its next phase, widespread market adoption of its microservices-based headless commerce solutions. Elastic Path’s Founder and former CEO, Harry Chemko, will assume the role of Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, reporting to Driscoll.

Prior to Elastic Path, Driscoll was CEO of Moltin, which was acquired by Elastic Path in January 2020. Before that, he held a variety of marketing, product, and sales leadership roles at Demandware.

“The eCommerce market has reached a once-in-a-generation inflection point, as business and technology leaders demand full control over their digital growth strategies. The days of cookie-cutter webshops are over; it’s time to realize a future where unique and ubiquitous digital commerce experiences power the next phase of growth,” said Driscoll. “I’m thrilled to take the helm at Elastic Path, and together with my colleagues, empower businesses to fully realize their digital ambitions.”

Aisle Rocket promotes Freeman to product lead
Noah Freeman has been appointed Head of Product at Chicago-based marketing agency Aisle Rocket. He will lead the agency’s product team to develop data-driven solutions across all digital channels.

Freeman was previously Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Social Fulcrum, a social agency acquired by Aisle Rocket in 2019.

“It was an amazing experience building our Facebook ad product portfolio over the past few years at Social Fulcrum. I can’t wait to broaden that work to more platforms and work on even bigger problems at the new combined Aisle Rocket,” Freeman said. “This is an exciting time to be leading the product team at Aisle Rocket into a new era of innovation, and we can’t wait to show our clients what’s possible.”

Bowers to consult Never.no on innovation
Audience engagement specialists Never.no has brought in Tom Bowers as an Innovation Consultant, with the hope of leveraging his extensive experience in interactive production and further developing an understanding of how content can be made for today’s audience.

Bowers has worked and innovated on major global TV shows & events including The Brit Awards, The Voice, Million Pound Drop, Got to Dance, and Crufts.

“I’m extremely excited to be working with Never.no to continue pushing audience and fan engagement innovation even further. Never.no’s technology solves many challenges faced to broadcasters and production companies in how to successfully engage audiences in a post coronavirus landscape,” said Bowers.

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Discovery and Axel Springer will retain a minority stake in Group Nine with Discovery as the lead investor. Group Nine intends to use the funds for continued IP investments across its brands, to fuel growth of its newly launched commerce division, and for potential acquisitions.

The collaboration with Discovery includes co-selling advertising campaigns across linear, mobile, and experiential. Group Nine has also previously produced social content for discovery for Shark Week and Inside the Royal Wedding.

“In a rapidly changing industry, it’s easy to get distracted,” said Ben Lerer, CEO of Group Nine. “Our commitment to executing on our original vision has been a real advantage that has allowed us to build best-in-class brands supported by a mature multi-brand infrastructure. This strong vote of confidence from our investors underscores the fact that we have the right model for a next generation diversified media company and we’re incredibly well-positioned to lean in – even while others are stepping back. More to come.”

The video publishing group, which is parent company to NowThis, The Dodo, Thrillist, and Seeker, was formed in December 2016 following an initial investment from Discovery of $100m. Now, The Dodo is the most engaged-with media brand on mobile in the world, NowThis is the most-viewed news brand on digital in the US, Seeker is the number one science brand on mobile in the US, and Thrillist is a top three publisher for food, drink, and travel in the US on mobile.

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Snap gets its first CMO
Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, has hired Kenny Mitchell as its first-ever chief marketing officer, starting in June 2019. Reporting to CEO Evan Spiegel, he will lead all consumer and product marketing programmes.

Most recently, Mitchell held the role of vice president of brand content & engagement at McDonald’s USA, where he guided the company’s strategic brand and consumer marketing agenda in the US. Prior to McDonald’s, he served as head of consumer engagement at Gatorade, where he led all global integrated consumer marketing efforts and pioneered the usage of Snapchat vertical video and augmented reality tools.

Mitchell has also overseen brand and consumer marketing for Nascar and served as vice president and general manager at the Dew Tour, a division of the NBC Sports Group.

“Snap is a great company with strong values, an inspired vision and innovative products that are empowering its global community,” said Mitchell. “I look forward to helping Evan and Snap continue to tell their story to people around the world, and working with my new colleagues as we define the future of the camera and self-expression.”

Lee recruited to lead Group Nine’s commerce business
Group Nine Media, the mobile-focused digital media holding company behind Thrillist and NowThis, has named Brian Lee as executive vice president of commerce. Based in Group Nine’s New York headquarters, he will be responsible for licensing, merchandising, affiliate advertising, and direct-to-consumer products around the company’s brands, which also include The Dodo and Seeker.

Lee is the founder of SKIG, a New York based accelerator providing early stage startups with capital, strategic advisory, and business development opportunities. Most recently, he exited with Maker Studios, a digital content studio. At Maker Studios, Lee built the company’s merchandise and commerce business from conception all the way to its eventual $675M acquisition to Disney in 2014. 

“Group Nine has some of the most loved and impactful brands, coupled with the ability to leverage a host of deeply powerful insights,” said Lee. “I believe we are uniquely positioned to make huge strides in this space and can’t wait to get started.”

Abzorb hires Dykes as CCO
Abzorb Systems, a B2B telecoms service provider, has appointed Matt Dykes as chief commercial officer as it bolsters its senior team following record growth in 2018.

He joins following a 20-year career in the wholesale telecoms industry at Vodafone and O2. He brings an in-depth knowledge of the channel and strong relationships with the networks to Abzorb.

“This is a hugely exciting time to join Abzorb. The company has consistently posted double digit growth over the past three years and my goal is to make sure this organic expansion continues,” said Dykes. “The business has set a strong foundation for growth. We are now scaling up our technology roadmap to drive the pace of change for an industry that will soon be characterised by 5G, AI and data-driven decision making.

“The hosted telecoms technology and customer-centric approach at Abzorb is in their DNA and my goal is to transform the company from a commercial perspective.

“The opportunities to grow around our network-agnostic mobile offering and replace legacy systems architecture with cloud-based technology is huge. Our product roadmap reflects this and we are looking forward to launching exciting new products and services throughout 2019 and beyond.”

Clarke takes up MD role at Mather & Co
Sarah Clarke has re-joined Mather & Co, becoming the design consultancy’s managing director. She will oversee its studio and take a strategic view across all live and upcoming projects.

Clarke has over 15 years’ experience working in the museums, attractions and exhibitions industry and previously worked at Mather & Co as project director for five years before becoming a freelance exhibition consultant for more than two years.

She began her career on the Imperial War Museum’s Churchill Museum project team in 2002 and has held roles as exhibitions manager at the Natural History Museum, and head of exhibitions at the Dulwich Picture Gallery.

“We have some incredible projects and plans in the pipeline, so it is a fantastic time to rejoin the company and see them come into fruition. It’s great to be able to lead the team as we secure even more pioneering design work in the UK and beyond,” said Clarke.

“It’s a really exciting time for the business, and my previous experience in the industry, coupled with an in-depth understanding of Mather & Co, means I can hit the ground running as we finalise the latest wave of truly unique exhibition and design projects.”

Affle brings in Alam to lead investment & strategy
Mobile marketing firm Affle has appointed Gulrez Alam as chief investment & strategy officer. He will be focused on driving the group’s strategy and investments and use his experience to extend the company offerings to clients across the world.

Alam comes with 15-plus years of experience in digital media and has been successful entrepreneur having founded Resultrix, a leading digital marketing company across five countries. The Publicis Groupe later acquired Resultrix and he was appointed as the chief development officer for APAC at Zenith Optimedia (part of the Publicis Groupe). His most recent venture was an algorithmic trading company.

“This is an exciting time to join the Affle group as it is experiencing growth momentum through both organic and inorganic initiatives,” said Alam. “I am looking forward to be part of Affle’s growth journey and collaborate with its entrepreneurial teams across markets to drive growth through new strategic initiatives.”

Turner joins Dept as MD
Digital agency Dept, previously Building Blocks, has recruited Harvey Turner as managing director for design & technology in the US. He will lead in orchestrating the development of the agency’s service offerings in the US from its base in Boston.

Turner has nearly 25 years of experience producing quantifiable results in terms of sustainable growth, increased revenues and new business opportunities. He has previously head a managing director position at Grand Union, chief operating officer positions at Fresh8 Gaming and Quill, and chief executive officer at Bodugi Technology.

“Dept offers a best-in-class service offering, creating experiences that people want and businesses need,” said Turner.”I’m thrilled to join such a rich, diverse and vibrant company culture of experienced thinkers and makers. I look forward to this opportunity to spearhead innovation, growth and change for Dept in the US.”

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