Comcast brings in Midha as CGO of ad division
Pooja Midha has taken up the role of Chief Growth Officer at Comcast Advertising, the division of Comcast which houses Effectv and FreeWheel.

She will oversee global marketing across Comcast Advertising, Effectv and FreeWheel, as well as Effectv’s newly launched sales development function. Midha and her team will build awareness for each company’s differentiated value and accelerate growth for local, regional, and national market opportunities. In addition, she will oversee and expand Comcast Advertising’s brand offerings, with the goal of enhancing products and solutions for the rapidly changing video marketplace.

Midha has over 20 years of experience in the media and advertising sector, most recently serving as President of True[X]. Here, she led the long-term corporate strategy for the company, daily operations, P&L management, and product vision. Prior to True[X], Midha was Senior Vice President of Digital Ad Sales and Operations at ABC Television Network and, before that, held a variety of senior sales and marketing roles at Viacom.

“I’m thrilled to join the Comcast family at such an exciting time for the company and the industry. The work that Comcast Advertising is doing across Effectv and FreeWheel to more effectively connect brands with their audiences and drive measurable results is industry-leading and inspiring,” said Midha. “I look forward to helping to propel this work and the company to the next level.”

Slootman takes seat on board at Instacart
Online grocery platform Instacart has welcomed Frank Slootman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Snowflake, to its Board of Directors.

Slootman, who boasts more than 25 years’ experience as an entrepreneur and executive in the enterprise software industry, joined Snowflake in May 2019. Prior to that, he was President and CEO of ServiceNow, where he helped grow the organisation from around $100m in revenue through an IPO, increasing its annual revenue to $1.4bn. Earlier, he was President of the Backup Recovery Systems Division at EMC and CEO and President at Data Domain.

“Over the past year, Instacart has changed the way our world thinks about ordering groceries. Today, it is a brand with a massive opportunity to build the future of online grocery for millions of consumers,” said Slootman. “I look forward to joining the Board and supporting the Instacart team as they enter the next chapter of growth.”

Deloitte hires Sims as digital CCO
Leslie Sims has joined Deloitte Digital, Deloitte’s creative digital consultancy, as its US Chief Creative Officer. She will also serve as Managing Director of Deloitte Consulting. Sims will work across the entire business to integrate creative capabilities, teaming with Deloitte Digital’s business strategy, design, technology, and data talent to help clients across industries explore the breadth of possibilities and value creative can engender.

Sims started her career as a Copywriter before working her way up to be CCO, first for Y&R, and then for Ogilvy, where she led the national creative vision for both agencies. In these roles, she created award-winning, transformative client work and was also named ‘Advertising Working Mother of the Year’ by She Runs It.

“Im a long-time admirer of Deloitte Digital and feel fortunate to be joining such a purpose-driven, strategic and immensely talented group. The flexibility and richness of Deloitte Digitals business opens the aperture for creativity to have an impact across every aspect of our clients businesses, from supply chain integrity to digital data management to a reimagined consumer experience,” said Sims. “Creatives are always the most excited when working on something thats never been done before — and if theres any place with the capabilities and relationships to do that, its Deloitte Digital.”

Topakas and O’Flanagan join Sitecore leadership team
Sitecore, a digital experience platform, has brought in Nasos Topakas as Chief Engineering Officer and Dave O’Flanagan as Chief Product Officer.

Topakas will oversee all engineering aspects of the company’s current and future products, including development, architecture, quality assurance, cloud engineering and shared services. Prior to Sitecore, he was the CTO at Prosper Marketplace. He also previously served as CTO for Art.com and StubHub and held positions with Kodak and Charles Schwab.

O’Flanagan will transition from his role as CEO of Boxever, following the close of Sitecore’s acquisition of the company. He will be responsible for defining and delivering Sitecore’s product roadmap and optimising user experience.

“Sitecore’s award winning platform along with our definitive agreements to acquire Boxever Ltd. and Four51 announced earlier this month, puts us in a position of great strength to accelerate our growth in the market,” said Steve Tzikakis, Sitecore CEO. “Nasos’ engineering background will position us well to deliver on our ambitious product development goals quickly. This, combined with Dave’s experience in data and personalization, will be essential as we look to accelerate our product roadmap and consolidate recent acquisitions to further enhance our market leading DXP and provide seamless solutions for our customers.”

Ozone hires Cranston to lead client services
Emma Cranston has been appointed Head of Client Services at digital advertising platform The Ozone Project. Effective 23 March, she will take responsibility for Ozone’s client services approach and lead the team who manage ongoing relationships and live campaigns with both media agency and advertiser customers.

Prior to this appointment, Cranston was Head of Display Activation at Manning Gottlieb OMD, one of many senior roles she held – including Head of Publishing and Investment Director – in a near 15-year career at the agency. Before Manning Gottlieb OMD, she worked for Carat.

“Having watched the evolution of Ozone from an agency perspective, I am incredibly excited to be joining a business that offers a really distinct, fully-scaled platform alternative for its customers,” said Cranston. “Ozone has been rightly applauded by the industry for challenging the status quo and I look forward to being part of the team that is creating new and better ways to approach digital advertising.”

Robinson and Chamberlain promoted at Momentum
Momentum Worldwide, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, has elevated James Robinson to the position of Chief Creative officer and David Chamberlain to Chief Experience Design Officer of its North American organisations.

Robinson will establish a single point of leadership for all North American creative team, with a shared focus and vision to deliver cutting-edge creative and best-in-class work. He joined Momentum New York in 2018 as Executive Creative Director and, since then, has led on creative work for clients including American Express, General Motors, Verizon, and Walmart.

Chamberlain will be responsible for shaping a new era of engagement for consumers and brands through ground-breaking digital experiences. Over the past five years, he has successfully built and elevated the agencys Experience Design (XD) practice. Hes also played an integral role in the creative leadership of the agency, as well as building out Momentums Digital Experience Design practice (DXD).

“James and David bring such a refreshing approach to creative vision, leadership and excellence,” commented Donnalyn Smith, President for North America at Momentum Worldwide. “They continuously create outstanding and award-winning work for our clients, and there is no doubt they will make their mark on the creative teams across North America.”

Opera recruits Hu as fintech EVP
Allen Hu has been named as Executive Vice President of Opera’s fintech arm, Dify. He will lead the Dify business following its recent launch in Europe.

Hu spent nearly 10 years at PayPal, where he was Regional Head of Global Core Payments. He gained expertise in fintech as a Venture Partner in Sequoia Capital China. Prior to that, he was the General Manager of Baidu Pay, the COO of Ping An FinTech, and Deputy General Manager of TenPay, where he launched WeChat Pay.

“I am delighted to join Opera and truly excited about the opportunity Dify has to become a leader in fintech,” said Hu. “Opera’s approach to initially offer its 50m monthly active users in Europe an online in-browser cashback service as well as the Dify wallet app marks the start of many innovative financial services Dify will offer. Just as PayPal captured the fintech world initially with its online payment solutions, I see huge potential for Opera to similarly disrupt financial services and become a key fintech player through Dify.”

Langford to direct strategy at Jaywing
Integrated agency Jaywing has appointed Adrian Langford as Director of Strategy and Planning for its retail offering. He will utilise his experience to head up strategy and planning for the agency’s retail clients such as Asda, Castrol, and Studio.

Langford was formerly Associate Strategy Director at McCann Central, where he successfully led pitches for HSBC Retail and Comic Relief. Alongside leading planning for clients such SC Johnson at Ogilvy & Mather, he has held Director roles at Boase Massimi Pollitt and J. Walter Thompson.

“I’m delighted to be joining such a well-established agency, especially at such an interesting time,” said Langford. “What drew me to Jaywing was the palpable ambition and enthusiasm of everybody I’ve spoken to and I’m looking forward to be able to join the team and help make those ambitions a reality.”

GainShare appoints Kelley as CX SVP
Matt Kelley has been hired as Senior Vice President of Customer Experience at performance marketing agency GainShare. He will lead consumer integration efforts across various digital channels and UX working to optimise client marketing programmes.

Kelley previously held SVP of consumer experience positions at Dentsu’s iProspect and Leapfrog Online.

“GainShare’s legacy in DRTV and video, combined with digital performance marketing underscores GainShare’s holistic understanding of the consumer to provide a truly connected customer journey – which is something many agencies struggle to activate across traditional and digital marketing efforts,” said Kelley. “I’m excited to enhance the work GainShare is already doing and to continue to deliver the integrated results GainShare is known for.”

Bousquet-Chavanne takes to the ESW Americas helm
eShopWorld, a cross-border eCommerce company, has appointed Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne as President and Chief Executive Officer, Americas. He will have overall responsibility for ESW’s Americas business and growth strategy as well as worldwide marketing. In addition, he will lead ESW’s new consulting division, The Reach Advisory.

Prior to joining ESW, Bousquet-Chavanne was CEO of Emaar Malls, owner of The Dubai Mall. He previously served as Executive Director, Customer, Marketing and M&S.com, for Marks & Spencer, helping drive the company’s digital acceleration. Prior to that, Bousquet-Chavanne was Group President at The Estée Lauder Companies, where he oversaw some of the company’s largest brands, including Estée Lauder and MAC, as well as the Designer Fragrances division. Bousquet-Chavanne presently serves as an Independent Director of Brown-Forman Corporation and was previously a member of ESW’s Retail Advisory Council.

“Brands today have unprecedented access to growth outside their home markets, but many don’t have the digital capabilities and local expertise they need to fully leverage international opportunities,” said Bousquet-Chavanne. “As a member of the ESW Advisory Board, I had the opportunity to get to know this skilled leadership team and help enable brands to quickly and cost-effectively scale their businesses. So, I’m very pleased to join ESW at this moment, when we see such substantial opportunity for further growth in the Americas and other regions, particularly in the fashion, luxury and beauty segments.”

Merkle selects Mayor as Salesforce lead
Michel Mayor has been chosen as Salesforce Practice Lead for Merkle EMEA and Dentsu’s CXM service line. He will lead and evolve Merkle’s Salesforce practice to help clients achieve the maximum value from their investment, across implementation, integration with their existing tech stack, and ongoing management to deliver and accelerate their customer experience transformation programmes.

Mayor moves to Merkle from his role as Chief Marketing Technology Officer for Dentsu across EMEA. In this role, he was responsible for advising clients on deriving value from martech business practices and technical solutions, and for accelerating Dentsu’s martech and CRM readiness across the region. Prior to this, he built digital transformation and CRM practices at Dentsu agencies Blue Infinity and Isobar Switzerland. He previously spent eight years at DuPont in CRM and Salesforce Practice Lead roles.

“It is an incredibly exciting time to be leading Merkle’s Salesforce practice in EMEA, which now has 500 consultants in one regional team,” Mayor commented. “We’re uniquely positioned to help clients get the most value from Salesforce’s cloud capabilities, across Marketing, Commerce, and Core Cloud for both well-known B2C brands and B2B leaders.”

Bowman to head up TV at Altair
Altair Media, a digitally-led media agency, has hired Phil Bowman as AV Director to head up its new TV department, which is aimed at brands which are new to TV or feel poorly served by what’s currently available to them.

Bowman joins Altair from Publicis-owned Spark Foundry, where he was Senior Group Trading Director.

“There has never been a more exciting time to launch a TV/AV offer to the market. Disruption and upheaval such as we have seen over the last 12 months, always bring major opportunity and that’s why we believe there is scope to redefine how TV media planning and buying is done,” said Bowman.

“Many brands are including TV in their ad plans for the first time. That includes a wide range of B2B brands who have seized the opportunity to target business customers working from home. And in our newly health-obsessed society, healthcare brands are increasingly eyeing up TV. These new entrants to the market require a different kind of offer. The trading approach that’s typical of many of the incumbents is unlikely to suit these first-time advertisers.”

Rokt adds Yaw as CPO
Hunter Yaw has been brought in as Chief Product Officer at eCommerce technology firm Rokt. He will lead Rokt’s product development and play a central role in Rokt’s product strategy and roadmap evolution.

Prior to Rokt, Yaw built and led the product and partnerships teams at Loadsmart and held several positions in the product team at Shapeways. He entered the tech space at a travel startup in Moscow where he ran their partnership with Airbnb, and subsequently built and sold his own startup providing data for restuarants.

“I am thrilled to be at Rokt and to be driving a cutting-edge, disruptive e-commerce product,” said Yaw. “The culture at Rokt is clearly focused on solving clients problems with versatile technology solutions. My passion for, and deep experience in, product development will allow me to enhance Rokts already strong product portfolio. I am looking forward to working with the team to help drive the company to the next stage of growth.”

Greenberg takes charge of sales at Audioburst
Audioburst, an audio search and delivery platform, has announced Andrew Greenberg as its Head of Publisher Sales. He will enable publishers to tap into talk-audio content.

Greenberg joins the company with 15 years of experience in digital advertising and publisher sales. He previously served as the Director of Publisher Development at Ogury and held prior leadership positions at companies like Content.ad and InterClick, which was later acquired by Yahoo! For $270m.

Audience Town turns to Green on sales
Andrew Green has been appointed Vice President of Sales at Audience Town, an advertising platform for real estate, moving, and home. He will spearhead Audience Town’s business development as the company prepares for a busy real estate season and broad economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Green joins Audience Town after serving in business development leadership roles at both PubMatic and Rubicon Project, where he worked with Fortune 500 advertising brands and major agencies on digital marketing strategies.

“There’s no place I’d rather be than Audience Town as the advertising and real estate markets continue to rebound from the disruption of 2020,” Green said. “The real estate industry has never fully embraced what’s possible with digital advertising, and Audience Town is poised to capitalize on an exciting market at a very exciting time.”

Sale joins P&P client services team
Page & Page and Partners, a communications agency specialising in health, wellness, and lifestyle, has hired Charlotte Sale as Senior Account Director. She will join a growing client services team to lead and manage continued delivery across both new and existing clients including Align Technology, Novartis, L&R, and Boston Scientific.

Sale has worked for both major pharmaceutical and dental manufacturers for over 14 years, including launching two world-leading products to the UK and Ireland. Her experience also includes Clinical Affairs, a role in which she deepened her knowledge of clinical research and created content for educational programmes.

“We are thrilled to welcome Charlotte to the Page & Page team,” said Lisa Lishman, Partner and Commercial Director at Page & Page and Partners. “With her enthusiasm and experience, we are sure she will be a real asset to the team. We know Charlotte is excited to help us further support healthcare professionals and patients through Page & Page’s work with our clients. Page & Page has had a successful six months in terms of growth and we’re pleased to be continuing this momentum with Charlotte’s appointment.”  

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Awin selects Ross to lead
Adam Ross has been appointed Chief Executive Officer at Axel Springer’s Awin. He succeeds Mark Walters, who becomes a member of the Supervisory Board.

Following a 15-year tenure as Awin’s Chief Operating Officer, where he helped shape Awin’s growth to over 1,000 employees across 15 international markets, Ross will now lead the company as it embarks on building the world’s leading open partner ecosystem.

“I have an ambitious vision for Awin over the next three years to transform our global network into a feature-rich martech platform, one that empowers businesses large or small to partner for mutual success,” explained Ross. “We had a phenomenal 2020 and have been humbled by that given the circumstances around us. It would be easy for Awin to become complacent but while I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved, particularly our staff’s resilience, there’s a lot of work to be done to continue our evolution. We’ve listened carefully to our customers and have a range of products and features either in development or due for release that will allow us to deliver significantly greater value for our partners. I will focus the entire organisation on that clear mission and look forward to the future with great hope, purpose and excitement.”

Alongside Ross’ promotion, Tim Lomborg has added the role of Managing Director for DACH to his existing responsibilities, succeeding Marc Hundacker.

Lomborg has been with the company for over 10 years and is currently Managing Director for the Nordics and Eastern Europe. From February, he will gain the additional responsibility of managing the DACH region.

“The German-speaking market and our DACH customers are of utmost importance to Awin and I look forward to making my contribution. Our team has worked incredibly hard over the past few years to build a solid foundation for growth and innovation with our partners,” said Lomborg. “I’m excited to kick-off this new chapter for the DACH region by addressing the current and future needs of our customers, ensuring we capitalise on the potential in the market whilst remaining at the forefront of trust, security and quality tracking that our partners expect of us.”

Selman joins Magnite as UK MD
Magnite, an independent omnichannel sell-side ad platform, has hired Julie Selman as its UK Managing Director. Reporting to SVP Head of EMEA Stephen Wing, she is tasked with accelerating commercial growth in the UK market.

Selman, who has over 15 years’ digital advertising experience, arrives from FreeWheel, where she most recently held the position of Senior Director and Head of Demand Strategy UK and Northern Europe. During this time, she played a key role in establishing the FreeWheel media team and led the launch of its connected TV product offering.

“With 49 per cent of adults owning a smart TV as of last year, CTV viewership is expanding and the UK ad industry is primed to respond,” commented Selman. “I am pleased to join Magnite at such a dynamic time. I am looking forward to working with the team to meet the complex needs of marketers and publishers and to realise the full potential of programmatic omnichannel advertising.”

Merkle promotes Taverner to CGO
Sam Taverner has been appointed Chief Growth Officer EMEA at Merkle, as well as serving the same role for parent company Dentsu’s customer experience management service Line. He will be responsible for providing strategic leadership to new and existing clients, helping them navigate Merkle’s CXM offering across marketing technology, data and analytics, CRM and performance media to deliver effective and efficient customer experience transformation programmes.

Taverner joined Merkle in 2017, as part of the acquisition of Comet Global Consulting. In October 2020, he was appointed to run Merkle’s technology services division. Prior to his time at Merkle and Comet, he held senior roles at CACI, Experian, and Acxiom.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for Merkle across EMEA, as we evolve our customer experience management proposition and expand our footprint and CX transformation capabilities across the region,” said Taverner. “Our long-standing history in delivering data-driven, tech-enabled CX capabilities makes Merkle uniquely positioned to support clients deliver and accelerate their transformation programmes. I’m looking forward to helping them navigate the complex data and technology decisions required to accelerate their journeys across Merkle’s CXM offering.”

Ellison elevated to Global CDO at VMLY&R
VMLY&R Commerce has promoted Debbie Ellison to Global Chief Digital Officer. She will now be responsible for driving new business opportunities, revenue streams and enhanced capabilities for clients and VMLY&R Commerce alike.

Ellison was previously UK Chief Digital Officer for Geometry, which recently became VMLY&R Commerce. She joins the VMLY&R Commerce Global Executive Board but will retain her current role as UK Chief Digital Officer.

“I’m honoured to collaborate with our brilliant teams to accelerate growth for clients through connected, digital commerce experiences,” commented Ellison. “In close partnership with Michelle Whelan, UK CEO, we’ve significantly transformed our UK business by expediting proprietary product development, delivering new routes to market at breakneck speed and developing stores of the future.  I look forward to scaling our successes globally.” 

Dmexco turns to Garnefeld to direct on sales
Jan Garnefeld has been named as Director of Sales & Operations at the digital marketing and tech trade show business Dmexco, taking over from Christoph Menke-Salz.

Garnefeld joined Koelnmesse in 2018 and has been responsible for sales activities and managing key accounts for Dmexco. Before that, he organised large-scale sporting events and was in charges of sales at Talk Digital.

“We’re delighted to have Jan Garnefeld assume this role, he is an absolute sales pro who already has in-depth knowledge about the trade show business in general and also knows Dmexco and the digital economy inside out. And, of course, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Christoph Menke-Salz for his amazing dedication, which in particular contributed to the success of the purely digital Dmexco @home last year,” said Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse.

DeVlieger takes up CEO position at C Space
Customer agency C Space has chosen Jessica DeVlieger as its new Global Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Charles Trevail, who will continue to lead Omnicom’s Interbrand Group.

DeVlieger is currently President of C Space’s North American business, a role that she has held for four years. Prior to that, DeVlieger spent a decade spearheading the company’s sales and marketing efforts. She is also on the Executive Committee for the Great Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Positive Tracks, and a key supporter of WIRe (Women in Research).

“It’s a great honour to lead C Space, at such a pivotal moment,” said DeVlieger. “There is so much change in the world, and the ways companies interact with their customers is fundamentally and rapidly evolving. I feel so proud to lead an exceptional team, who are constantly innovating, to find new ways for the world’s biggest and most exciting businesses to connect with their customers, in more meaningful ways, to drive growth.”

MediaMath adds Karandikar to its board
Ashwini Karandikar has been elected to the Board of Directors at ad tech company MediaMath.

As Global President at Denstu, Karandikar launched, scaled, and operated Amnet (Dentsu Aegis Network’s global programmatic group) in more than 50 markets, as well as leading the Navegg and Accordant Media acquisitions.

“MediaMath leads the digital advertising ecosystem with a focus on delivering addressability, accountability and alignment through the Source framework and its unique and all-encompassing identity solution architecture,” said Karandikar. “Its commitment to delivering on innovative solutions that will work for brands, agencies, publishers and technology providers alike is why I joined, and I’m excited to help make it happen.”

Brujó becomes Interbrand President
Gonzalo Brujó has been elevated to Global President at Omnicom’s Interbrand Group. He will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of Interbrand Group around the world.

Brujó is currently Chief Growth Officer for Interbrand, a role he has held for three years. Prior to that, he spent more than 15 years scaling the Interbrand business in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

“It’s a great honour to step into this senior leadership role in the Interbrand Group, at such a pivotal moment,” said Brujó. “The role that brands play in our lives is fundamentally changing – as is the world we live in. Branding is no longer a moment in time – and the brands that stand still, will quickly lose relevance. I am excited to partner with Charles and our Executive teams around the world, who collaborate with our clients every day to achieve brilliant and highly commercial results, in this challenging landscape.”

Inkitt brings in Murnikov to lead engineering
Pavel Murnikov has joined self-publishing app Inkitt as Vice President of Engineering. He will focus on accelerating the engineering team’s rate of innovation and product roadmap delivery. He will also be responsible for leading the engineering team across all levels and building the various recruiting processes and systems required to continue attracting and developing the best talent.

Prior to joining Inkitt, Murnikov was Vice President of Technology at Activision Blizzard. Over his five-year tenure, he was responsible for launching their streaming and VOD platform and leveraging it for content delivery in AAA video games. He has also held the role of Chief Technology Officer at Major League Gaming and Shapemix.

“I’ve seen the power and impact Inkitt’s technology can have on people’s lives across the world, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to join them on their journey to build and launch even more innovative products,” said Murnikov.

Rössel takes up CFO gig at Adverty
In-game ad platform Adverty has hired Anders Rössel as its Chief Financial Officer. He will be responsible for the company’s financials, whilst providing strategic counsel to the CEO and the members of the Board.

Prior to joining Adverty, Rössel was CFO at Howden Insurance Brokers Sweden, where he drove a Finance Transformation Project, whilst also being responsible for IT and HR. He was also Head of Business Control at Cherry.

“I am excited to get stuck into my new role in such an innovative and fast-growing media company. Adverty provides unique ad formats, and its potential is huge – despite a challenging trading environment as we start the new year,” commented Rössel. “Adverty is genuinely setting a new standard for generating revenue and we anticipate many high-value deals and strategic long-term partnerships in the pipeline, both in the short and the long term.”

Hivestack makes pair of senior hires
Louis-Philippe Denis and Troy Yang have been hired as Global Chief Legal and Privacy Officer and Managing Director for North Asia respectively.

Denis, who will report to Founder and CEO Andreas Soupliotis, previously counselled Hivestack in his capacity as Chief Legal Officer for François de Gaspé Beaubien. Prior to joining Hivestack, he was corporate counsel for the power division of Brookfield Asset Management and has also worked for Gowling WLG.

“Programmatic DOOH has seen rapid adoption and unprecedented growth over the past year,” said Denis. “Not only is Hivestack constantly innovating and bringing leading products to market, but they are doing so with the utmost transparency. Hivestack currently works with all leading data partners globally and is adopting the best solution in a post-cookie world, so that it can continue to drive business outcomes for its clients and partners. I look forward to bringing my expertise to the team during this most important time.”

Yang is charged with expanding operations in North Asia across Greater China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan – including hiring regional talent, and onboarding and partnering with APAC demand, supply, data and omni-channel DSP partners. He joins from The Trade Desk, where he was Senior Vice President of North Asia.

“The opportunity for Hivestack in China and North Asia is really exciting. I look forward to using my experience to make Hivestack the go-to programmatic DOOH partner for both publishers and advertisers in the region,” said Yang.

Bonnici named CMO at Whereby
Whereby, a video meeting platform, has announced the appointment of Ryan Bonnici as its new Chief Marketing Officer. He will focus on building on recent international expansion, exploring opportunities in growth countries like Brazil, Japan, India and the USA.

Bonnici was previously CMO at G2.com and was shortlisted on the Forbes list of the ‘World’s Most Influential CMOs’. He has also held senior leadership roles at HubSpot, Salesforce, and Microsoft.

“Our relationship with work has changed completely. Many people have had a taste of flexible working culture and are keen not to go back to the way things were – even after the pandemic is over. As remote work and technology become more intertwined, attention will now focus on delivering brilliant user experiences while safeguarding privacy,” said Bonnici. “One of the main reasons I joined Whereby was because of how energised I felt after a day of calls on the platform compared to other clunky video call apps. With its extensive list of personalised features and ease of use – together with the belief in the decoupling of work and geographical location – Whereby offers a completely unique solution to the challenge thousands of companies face in adapting to the current landscape.”

Given makes two hires to client team
Becki Rassell and Immy Feenan have joined brand purpose agency Given as Client Lead and Client Manager respectively. Both new team members will sit under Lucy Smaill, Given’s Client Team Director, where they will help foster long-term client partnerships and ensure the objectives of Given’s clients.

Rassell’s arrives from her role as Account Director role on a social impact-related project at BBMG and over six years client and programme management experience at Wolff Olins and agency ThirtyThree. She will help grow the client team at Given and will lead the delivery of work across the agency and account growth for key clients, with a primary focus on John Lewis and Ikea.

“I have quite a bit of experience working on big brand programmes, so I am very interested in combining that brand experience with purpose and sustainability at Given,” said Rassell. “Using brands to elevate sustainability objectives and social causes is incredibly interesting and motivating for me. It is a privilege to be given the opportunity to make a difference with my skills and experience.”

Feenan joins from The Tree, where she worked as Digital Strategy Manager. She will work on developing current and future client relationships and help ensure projects are delivered smoothly.

“I am passionate and committed to Given’s values. It is super exciting to be able to bring my digital and client management experience to a purpose-focused role, and within such an intelligent and experienced team,” said Feenan.

Two new VPs at Audience Serv
Customer acquisition specialist Audience Serv has promoted Karsten Eckhardt to Vice President of Data Analysis & Deliverability and Tobias Vogel to Vice President of Lead Generation.

Reporting to COO Carlo Biondo, Eckhardt is responsible for monitoring business data and is in chare of the technology and strategic development and deployment of campaign management and deliverability. He has been working as a data scientist at Audience Serv since 2018 having previously worked as an analyst at Commerzbank.

Reporting to Founder and Co-CEO David Pikart, Vogel is now responsible for strategic planning as well as direct and indirect sales activities in the lead generation division. He joined Audience Serv in 2019 as Head of Lead Generation. Prior to that, he was Marketing Executive at WD-40 Company and Sales Marketing Manager at AdSalsa.

“With Karsten and Tobias joining our top management, we can continue to expand our lead generation solutions and further optimise our data management,” said Pikart. “Both areas are essential for Audience Serv’s market position. Not only have they proven their expertise in recent years, but also their ability to successfully implement short and long-term goals. That is why we see both of them as ideal choice for these positions.”

Productsup selects Kasemir as CPO
Thomas Kasemir has taken up the role of Chief Product Officer at eCommerce data integration company Productsup. Reporting to Co-CEO Kai Seefeldt, he will lead the global engineering and product management teams and will focus on accelerating product innovation.

Kasemir arrives at Productsup from Informatica, where he served for eight years as Vice President of Product Development, MDM Solutions. He has also previously held senior product roles at IBM and Heiler Software.

“Especially with the rise of social commerce, ecommerce success will more than ever depend on the capability to easily manage product feeds across numerous target platforms. Productsup has the right product, technology, and team to address this outstanding market opportunity and Im very excited to be part of their success story,” said Kasemir.

Raum named as EVP HR at Colt
Telecoms firm Colt Technology Services has appointed Tessa Raum as its Executive Vice President for Human Resources (HR). Reporting to CEO Keri Gilder, she will be responsible for leading Colt’s HR function and implementing the recently announced three-year strategy across the global organisation.

Raum joined Colt in July 2019 as Vice President of HR and has previously worked at companies including eMoney Advisor, Beyond (now Nexxt), and Analytical Graphics.

“It’s a time of tremendous change for the industry, Colt, and enterprises globally,” Raum commented. “In the last year, our people have worked tirelessly to support our customers and I’ve never been prouder to be a part of Colt. With our new strategy laid out for the next three years, I’m excited to empower our people to really execute on it, so we can all play a role in driving Colt forward together.”

Fantastic adds three new staff members
Gaby Kirwin, Jack Norman, and Alfie Johnston have all joined Fantastic Media, an integrated marketing agency.

Kirwin, who arrives as Marketing Account Executive, joins from a client-side role within events management. She has previously worked at Bewonder and Gig Retail.

Norman joins Fantastic as Digital Marketing Manager, coming from work on the client-side at The Skills Network.

Johnston, who holds a master’s degree in branded experience from Northumbria University, has been hired as Creative Designer.

“The agency has remained stable in the current climate, something we are proud of and grateful for. The team have worked exceptionally hard, adapting well to remote working, and continuing to give our clients a best-in-class service,” said Andrew Hobson, Managing Director at Fantastic.

“With many of our clients experiencing record results online, I’m delighted to announce a further step change in our digital marketing capabilities. A new generation of young talent bolsters our offering with exceptional skills, experience and energy…They will have a Fantastic career with our agency.”

The post Movers and Shakers: Awin, Magnite, Merkle, VMLY&R, Dmexco, and more appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

Merkle elevates Wagner and Komasinski to presidents
Margaret Wagner has been promoted to President EMEA, while Michael Komasinski has been named President Americas, at customer experience management company Merkle. The appointments will take effect 1 January 2021.

Wagner is being promoted to the dual role of President, Merkle EMEA and leader of the Dentsu CXM LoB in EMEA. As chief growth officer in EMEA for the past three years, she has been working side-by-side with Komasinski with a strong focus on gaining, growing, and solidifying client relationships. Prior to Merkle, Wagner was Chief Marketing Officer at Rapp and held executive positions at Wunderman.

“I am excited about the opportunity before me to lead Merkle EMEA, and to continue as part of a company that is reimagining the customer experience and what it means to provide value in an increasingly digital world,” said Wagner. “The future is one where data and relationships will play a central role, and I am eager to help Merkle realise opportunities as consumers and brands evolve.”

Komasinski is moving up into the dual role of President, Merkle Americas and leader of the Dentsu CXM LoB in the Americas. Over the past three years, he has been leading Merkles European business as President, Merkle EMEA and CXM LoB lead for Dentsu in EMEA. Before that, Komasinski ran Merkle’s US Digital Agency business and, prior to Merkle, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Razorfish and President at Schawk Retail Marketing.

“I am so proud of all that we have accomplished in EMEA over the past few years. This year, I have been especially inspired by our team and our ability to come together as a company and make great strides with our business,” said Komasinski. “Looking ahead, I am eager to take on my new role and return to the US to focus on the Americas region in the next development phase of our company.”

Nasard takes to helm at Kantar
Data and insights firm Kantar has chosen Alexis Nasard as its Chief Executive Officer, effective 30 December 2020.

Nasard joins Kantar with almost 30 years’ experience in the FMCG and retail world and is currently CEO of Bata. Prior to that, he spent six years at Heineken, culminating in the position of President of Western Europe Business and Global Chief Marketing Officer.  Earlier, he worked for 17 years with Procter & Gamble in a variety of marketing and general management roles.

“Throughout my career, Kantar has been a trusted advisor. Kantar’s data, insights and advice informed many of the strategies, as well as communication and commercial plans my teams and I led. As much as I understand Kantar’s heritage and reputation today, it is our future that excites me most,” said Nasard.

“The combination of Kantar’s deep understanding of consumers around the world, our proprietary data sets and our growing expertise in advanced analytics and artificial intelligence puts us in a leading position to reshape the insights and consulting market, whilst offering clients superior analytics they can monetise. This will be all the more relevant in the volatile and fluctuating environment we are living in as a consequence of the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, as clients need to operate on very steep learning curves.”

Instacart makes two executive additions in Hall and Bardin
Christina Hall and Ariel Bardin have joined online grocery delivery company Instacart as Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President of Product, respectively.

Hall, who has more than 20 years of experience, will oversee the company’s human resources, recruiting, and diversity, equity and inclusion functions. She will help support the companys teams across North America with a focus on building a holistic people and talent strategy designed to attract, retain and develop employees. Hall most recently served as Chief People Officer at LinkedIn and, previously, held key human resources role at Facebook and Intuit.

“Instacart has forever changed the way people connect with the retailers they love to access the groceries and goods they need. Instacart has enormous meaning to me personally as a customer and as a family member of shoppers who rely on the service as a flexible earnings opportunity,” said Hall. “Im proud to join Instacart during a time when people leaders play a more important role than ever before in scaling a performance-driven culture while supporting the health and wellness of employees and amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups. I look forward to working with the team and continuing the companys efforts to foster an inclusive working environment where employees can thrive.”

Bardin will oversee the company’s consumer, enterprise, and advertising product teams and development. He arrives at Instacart following more than 15 years at Google, where he most recently oversaw YouTubes full suite of creator products as Vice President of Product Management. Prior to YouTube, Bardin was responsible for product strategy and business development for Google Payments, and spent nearly a decade as a leader for Google AdWords.

“As more people make online grocery delivery part of their weekly routine, the role that Instacart plays as an essential service for consumers, retailers and brands has never been more clear. Im thrilled to join the team at such a pivotal moment and help increase the value we deliver across our platform through exceptional product experiences,” said Bardin. “Instacart has an opportunity to bring to life online the inspiration, product discovery and retailer affinity that consumers experience when shopping in-store, and Im excited to get started with Apoorva and the team on that work.”

Kleveno becomes Tinuiti SVP
Performance marketing agency Tinuiti has appointed Kolin Kleveno as its first Senior Vice President of Addressable Audiences. Reporting to Executive Vice President and Head of Media Obele Brown-West, he will oversee the innovation, integration and synergy for the addressable audience division.

Prior to Tinuiti, Kleveno spent over 15 years at 360i, most recently as SVP of Addressable Solutions, where he founded the agency’s Addressable Solutions and Programmatic Buying Group. He has worked with clients including Capital One, Shiseido, Pernod Ricard, CarMax, Ben & Jerry’s, Chili’s, and Fossil.

“I was drawn to Tinuiti for its people-first culture and entrepreneurial spirit, but after an immersive onboarding, Im even more blown away by the talent and how well-developed the performance offering is; each team has true depth of knowledge and experience,”Kleveno said. “I am excited to build upon such a strong foundation and help advance the use of identity-powered addressable targeting and measurement solutions for our clients.”

Mediaocean promotes Dorman to CPO
Stephanie Dorman has been elevated to the position of Chief People Officer at omnichannel advertising platform Mediaocean. She has been tasked with prioritising diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), spearheading employee initiatives, and has already promote Nicole Brown to Vice President of DE&I.

Dorman has worked with Mediaocean for ten years and held senior roles in client services and customer experience.

“I’m both excited and gratified by the opportunity to build on Mediaocean’s extraordinary team and culture,” said Dorman. “In the short time since I started at this position, I’ve already seen an enormously positive reception to our efforts to make our team even more vibrant, supportive, and representative than it already is.”

Brown, who has been with Mediaocean for more than 15 years, will have direct accountability for Mediaocean’s DE&I efforts and outcomes. She will also oversee the company’s learning & development team, which oversees onboarding and internal skills training – efforts that are critical to DE&I efforts, as well as the growth of all team members.

Jones takes up BSO residency at Brand Safety Institute
The Brand Safety Institute (BSI), a non-profit advertising industry initiative, has selected Louis Jones as its next Brand Safety Officer in Residence. He will become the second person to serve the six-month role, succeeding BabyCenter programmatic chief Christine Desrosiers.

Jones, a consultant advising major companies, was formerly Executive Vice President of Media & Data Practices for the 4A’s, managing the associations thought leadership and standards efforts across brand safety, ID resolution, measurement, accountability, and attribution. Prior to that, he was CEO of Maxus North America. Jones has also served in a range of senior roles at Havas and other agencies.

“Brand safety is not a one-size-fits-all problem, as each brand has its own unique identity, opportunities, and needs,” said Jones. “Thats why BSI gives brand safety professionals the expertise, best practices, and relationships they need to understand and manage the complicated challenges facing each individual brand. I am excited and honored to be serving in this role, and I look forward to working with brand safety officers across the industry to help understand and address their needs.”

TPN names Water as CFO
Kayla Waters has been appointed Chief Financial Officer at TPN, a creative commerce agency. Effective 1 November, she will work alongside the leadership team, continuing to enhance operations and workflow, deliver cost-effective results, drive profitability and help the agency and its clients achieve success.

Waters has more than 20 years of experience in the finance industry and has served in various roles at TPN over the last 15 years, including Financial Analyst, Accounting Manager, Vice President & Corporate Controller and, most recently, Senior Vice President of Finance.

“Ive certainly had an amazing example of female leadership as Ive watched Sharon foster and grow this agency into what it is today. She is very committed to promoting women into top roles” said Waters. “I have also learned so much from Mike and will certainly leverage all of the efficiencies and processes that we built together as I step into this new role. My hope is to continue building an impressive service organization that not only drives results but has a bit of fun along the way.”

Cunningham joins Unlimited as CTO
Integrated agency group Unlimited has recruited John Cunningham as its Chief Technology Officer. Reporting to CEO Tim Hassett, he will be responsible for evolving Unlimited’s digital offering including adding firepower to its data, technology, and transformation capabilities.

Cunningham, formerly EMEA CTO at Wunderman Thompson, has held key technology positions at companies including Possible, Razorfish, Rosetta, Pixelpark, and Yahoo! UK & Ireland. He has worked with brands such as BT, GSK, Shell, Nestle, Adidas, Bayer, PMI, BAT, Audi, Aston Martin, Microsoft, HSBC, O2 Telefonica, and McDonald’s.

“It’s a really exciting time to be at Unlimited right now and I’m already seeing the agency go from strength to strength,” Cunningham commented. “What Tim and his leadership team have built is impressive; they have the talent, the momentum, and most importantly, their client-centric approach is one of the reasons I wanted to join. The Human Understanding Lab is an incredibly powerful offering for clients, and I’m thrilled to be part of such a dynamic team of neuro and behavioural scientists.”

Vibes appoints Rivera as CRO
Richard Rivera has been named as Chief Revenue Officer at mobile marketing firm Vibes. He is tasked with expanding and accelerating the use of the company’s engagement platform among enterprise brands, while helping these customers prepare for an increasingly mobile-centric future.

Rivera most recently served as CRO for Monetate, helping steer the company toward a sale that tripled its value. He has also held prominent revenue-generating roles at Medallia, Dialpad, Fuze, and Bladelogic.

“Ive worked with enough large global enterprises – across marketing technology to customer experience — to know that consumer-centricity is the foundation of a great company. My mission is to help brands realise the value of building and nurturing personal consumer relationships, while also optimising their existing digital marketing strategies. Mobile is the optimizer of digital engagement.” said Rivera. “Its rare to find a company with the unquestionable validation Vibes has across multiple verticals and the analyst community. My passion and expertise is in driving hypergrowth for a market at its tipping point. Mobile engagement and Vibes are at an inflection point and will disrupt and win.”

Filiberto and Naci arrive at VidMob
VidMob, a creative analytics platform, has announced Jeff Filiberto as its Head of Marketing Transformation Practice and Susan Naci as Client Partner, Beauty and Luxury Lead. Both will report to Head of US Sales Lisa Manowitz Rowley.

Filiberto will develop and helm the company’s strategic consulting practice to help enterprise brands improve their creative operations by leveraging VidMob technology. He joins from CAA Brand Consulting, where his teams developed marketing strategies and often digitally-led 360° programs for brands including Mondelez, Electronic Arts, Bose, Pizza Hut, HBO, JP Morgan Chase, and Tissot. Prior to that, Filiberto held roles at PepsiCo and Kraft Foods.

Naci will oversee US sales and brand partnerships within beauty and luxury. She joins from Amazon, where she led advertising for the CPG and beauty sectors.

“We’re excited to have Jeff and Susan join VidMob to help us broaden and deepen client relationships,” said Rowley. “Their understanding of advertiser needs and objectives, plus their proven track-records in driving results, will make them great assets to our company. We look forward to having them on-board to ensure that brands understand and leverage the power of creative intelligence to increase marketing ROI.”

Lab’s Verj selects Duda as UX head
Sabrina Duda has been appointed Head of User Experience at Verj, Lab Group’s behavioural science special agency. She will lead the agency’s user experience offering, overseeing design, delivery, and innovation and creating a bridge between research and creative implementation of insights.

Duda has more than 20 years’ experience in UX roles, with particular expertise in user-centred product development and user research. She has previously held positions at the Very Group, the UK Ministry of Justice, and Experian.

“I am very excited to be joining Verj and Lab Group. The group’s unique human approach and its combination of creativity, behavioural science and technology make this role the perfect match for me and my background,” said Duda.

“As a psychologist with over 20 years of experience in UX, I bring the user perspective to everything I do. Uncovering users hidden psychological motives, and observing and analysing their behaviour and pain points, creates successful products that fulfil users needs. When user needs drive product development, you can achieve the best possible outcome for customers and businesses alike.”

Betteridge welcomed as director at Picnic
Picnic Media, a mobile advertising company, has hired Saint Betteridge as its Commercial Director. He joins to help Picnic clients deliver high-impact, social-style ad formats and further raise the profile of the company across the UK advertising landscape and beyond.

Betteridge was previously Commercial Director at Unruly, where he led the UK agency sales teams in maximising revenue for the marketplace’s premium publisher video and CTV supply. He has also held roles including Managing Director of Advertising at Time Out Europe, Chief Revenue Officer Europe at Circus Street, Group Advertising Director at Dennis Publishing, and Ad Director at Emap Advertising.

“Picnic Media’s offering is unique in its ability to expand the high-quality ad experiences of social media to the open web. It’s also a great place to work – full of talented individuals who are passionate about this industry and great minds keen to develop innovative solutions,” said Betteridge. “I can’t wait to get started and help to raise awareness of Picnic’s offering amongst key decision makers in the UK, maximising its exciting value proposition and assisting in the development of its programmatic offering.”

Bazaarvoice brings in Hill as SVP EMEA
Ed Hill has been named as Senior Vice President EMEA at social commerce company Bazaarvoice. He will focus on executing company strategy and accelerating growth in the company’s EMEA business and client base.

Hill spent the last year and a half at Tibco as their UK and Ireland General Manager, where he worked to help transform the local brand to drive growth in customer acquisition and expansion. Prior to Tibco, Hill spent over five years at SAP running the UK sales organisation, driving innovation and business transformation, making it into one of SAP’s most established markets.

“The Bazaarvoice platform is hugely relevant and valuable to consumers, brands, and retailers alike, increasingly so in the current climate.” said Hill. “To join such an innovative and market-defining business at a time when it is partnering with the world’s leading brands to transform eCommerce from a solely transactional service into a personalised browsing and shopping experience was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. The exciting, dynamic nature of the business is a testament to the culture and leadership team that I am so thrilled to work with.”

Stelmach appointed Stadiumred president
Marketing collective Stadiumred Group has welcomed Jeff Stelmach as its Group President. Reporting to Founder and CEO Claude Zdanow, he will oversee core initiatives to support the company’s global growth vision, including agency finance and planning, agency operations and performance, new business and client relationships, and talent functions.

Stelmach has spent more than 20 years growing marketing firms, including Mosaic, Opus, Geometry, and EMI. He most recently served as President of Opus.

“I have been fortunate to have played a leadership role for multiple companies that have transformed the marketing agency landscape on a global level,” said Stelmach. “I see the same exact ingredients in Stadiumred that will pave the way for another important transformation in the global agency holdings model, including great vision, innovation, and a relentless commitment to creating true differentiation for talent and clients.”  

Adverttu opts for Hajas to lead growth
Annamaria Hajas has been hired as Head of Growth & Marketing at out-of-home advertising company Adverttu. She will lead Adverttu’s performance and brand marketing strategy and grow the company’s user base using its own on-car advertising and digital solutions.

Hajas joins from Yolt and has experience at technology startups and media agencies including MediaCom, Artefct, Geckoboard, GVC Group, and Perkbox.

“Adverttu’s culture is what any performance marketer dreams of – the freedom to experiment, impressive traction and the scope to scale rapidly,” said Hajas. “I am excited to join the team and get stuck in. Adverttu has an engaged, passionate driver community and these brand advocates are the perfect foundation for us to springboard from.”

Pair of business development hires made at Bango
Mobile commerce firm Bango has appointed Man Pham as its Regional Vice President of Business Development ASEAN and Keisuke Kishida as Account Director for Japan.

Pham, who joins from Fortumo, will work with Bango customers and partners to expand coverage and increase customer acquisition activities worldwide.

Kishida will lead new business development in payments, resale, and data monetisation for Bango in Japan. Before joining Bango, he introduced authentication services to banks and telcos, including NTT Docomo and Rakuten Bank.

“Online merchants working with Bango acquire, retain and monetize more users than they could outside the Bango circle,” said Bango CEO Paul Larbey. “Man Pham and Keisuke Kishida bring experience and leadership to the Bango Asia team. We look forward to welcoming many new merchants to the Bango Platform in 2021, and accelerating their growth across Asia.”

Mediafly opts for C-level reshuffle
John Evarts has been promoted to President at sales enablement company Mediafly, while Andrew Miehl has been named Chief Customer Officer.

Evarts, current Mediafly Chief Operating Officer, joined the company in 2010. During his stint, he has provided guidance and expertise in strategy, operations, administration, and financial management. Adding President to his COO title, Evarts will continue to work closely with Mediafly CEO and founder Carson Conant to support internal teams, while executing strategic initiatives for the company.

“As we continue to grow, it’s time for us to reassess and readjust as needed to meet the needs of our customers and our employees,” said Evarts. “Working at Mediafly for a decade, I have a good understanding of where we’ve been, where we are today and where we want to be in the future. Stepping into the role as President gives the executive team clear swim lanes to catapult Mediafly into the next phase of growth.”

Miehl previously served as Vice President of Sales at Instructure. Before that, he spent 12 years at CareerBuilder, where he served as Vice President of Software Sales, focused on increasing market share and creating customer-focused strategies.

“Mediafly’s dedication and commitment to providing customers with the best experience for their sales teams, going the extra mile to create unique features specific to the customer’s needs, shows they are passionate about every customer’s success,” said Miehl. “The team has already built a great foundation for me to start with, and my goal is to continue pushing Mediafly upward and onward in the sales enablement industry.”

Three hires made at Fingerpaint
Fingerpaint, a healthcare-focused marketing agency, has brought in Daniel Schroen, Danielle Bedard, and Krystal Gomola.

Schroen, who has a decade of experience in strategic business development, product management, and multichannel marketing, will serve as Head of Photo 51, a consultancy focused solely on advanced therapeutics.

Bedard has been named Director of Corporate Communications and Business Development, where she will ensure Fingerpaint offerings are cross-integrated for brand success. She previously served as Managing Director for Client Development and Organic Growth at Syneos Health.

Gomola arrives as bicoastal Lead Recruiter, with a mission to ensure personnel excellence as the agency continues to expand their business. She brings over 10 years of experience in health and wellness industry recruitment and joins from Tag Worldwide, where she was a Talent Acquisition Lead for New York and Los Angeles.

HelloDone recruits Gough and Sherwin-Smith
Andrew Gough has been named Vice President of Sales and Sean Sherwin-Smith as General Manager for Post purchase at HelloDone, a conversational AI platform. Both have joined from Narvar.

Gough, who has over 25 years of international enterprise sales experience, was Sales Director at Narvar. Before that, he was part of the commercial teams for Clicktale and IBM.

A 30-year eCommerce and logistics veteran, Sherwin-Smith served as Operations Director for EMEA at Narvar. He has also held senior positions at InPost, Pall-Ex Group, and CEVA Logistics.

“The arrival of Andrew and Sean is a real coup for us. It’s testament to both the quality of the engineering team we’ve already built and the size of the opportunity in front of us,” said Ed Hodges, HelloDone CEO. “As well as bringing a wealth of industry experience, they share our belief that conversational AI will not just deliver a better customer experience from order confirmation to arrival at their front door, it will completely transform the way brands transact with consumers.”

The post Movers and Shakers: Merkle, Kantar, Instacart, Tinuiti, Mediaocean, and more appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

According to Merkle, 82 per cent of marketers have a dedicated toolset that prioritizes and coordinates personalized experiences across channels, and 89 per cent of brands have an organizational structure to execute a personalized multi-channel marketing plan.

“Our research aims to identify clear steps for brands to evolve from being good at personalization to being great. In this report, we dig into the types of data that can enable personalization and the emerging tools and techniques that will drive ongoing improvements for customer engagement,” said Yara Lutz, senior vice president of CRM, Merkle.

When it comes to using third-party customer demographics, 70 per cent of participants use them in email channels, 40 per cent use them in digital media, and less than 30 per cent use them on site. According to Merkle’s research, between 35 per cent to 45 per cent of marketers said they use first-party customer profile and order history data across channels.

28 per cent said their brand messaging is based on one-to-one behavior triggers, and 81 per cent of participants said they are already executing defined loyalty programs. To bring in higher customer loyalty, 70 per cent of participants are using points-based tactics, and 35 per cent use surprise-and-delight tactics (rewarding customers with coupons after certain behaviors). 14 per cent of respondents said they don’t use any of these tactics.

“Our report strives to help marketers meet customer expectations through the use of data and personalization. Brands need to operate with the most current set of information about their customers and make the path to purchase fast and frictionless,” said Matt Seeley, EVP, technology services, Merkle. “Our survey results this quarter show that, while most marketers have embraced personalization, they are only using a fraction of available data to drive customer experiences. This research can help marketers to hone in on what data and tactics will help grow their brand and ultimately result in positive business outcomes.”

The post A majority of marketers have a budget for executing personalized messaging – report appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

Hyundai selects Zepeda as marketing head
Angela Zepeda has been hired as chief marketing officer at Hyundai Motor America. Reporting to Hyundai Motor America chief operating officer Brian Smith, she will be responsible for all of Hyundais marketing and advertising activities in the US, including the strategic direction, brand development, national and regional advertising, experiential marketing, digital and social media, brand partnerships, and lead generation, among other responsibilities.

Zepeda arrives at Hyundai with more than 25 years of experience. Most recently, she was senior vice president and managing director at Hyundai’s agency of record Innocean USA, where she handled all operations for the Hyundai business including creative, planning, and media operations. She was initially hired by the agency to head up business development.

Before Innocean, Zepeda was chief executive officer of Quigley-Simpson and, prior to that, CMO at Campbell Ewald-Los Angeles. She has also worked at agencies including TBWA\Chiat\Day, Team One, Rapp, Doner, and FCB.

“Its a great honour to be going in-house at Hyundai and Im excited by the challenge of leading the marketing team during this transitional time for the automotive industry,” said Zepeda. “Hyundai is a brand on an upward trajectory with sales growth that outpaces the industry, a revamped product line up, and a laser focus on the customer experience. Im looking forward to getting started and building upon the marketing departments recent successes and accomplishments.”

Richter named chair of board at IAB Tech Lab
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Tech Lab has elected SpotX chief scientist Neal Richter as chair of its board of directors. He will play a key role in guiding the Tech Lab’s work to evolve privacy-compliant standards for programmatic advertising, simplify video ad delivery, increase supply chain transparency, and reduce fraud, among other initiatives.

Richter has more than 20 years of experience leading software teams and developing data-driven products. As co-chair of Tech Lab’s OpenRTB Working Group, he has helped the development of the OpenRTB protocol.

“It is an absolute honour to be elected chair of Tech Lab’s board of directors,” Richter said. “Having spent the past eight years collaborating with other members on standards like OpenRTB, I know how important our work is in building a better digital supply chain. I can’t wait to take an even larger role in driving the agenda and creating guidance and technology that supports the growth of video, audio, and other content and services worldwide.”

The IAB Tech Lab board also elected Eric Picard, Pandora’s vice president of advertising product management, to join its six-member executive committee.

The Ozone Project hires three
Bryan Scott has joined digital advertising marketplace The Ozone Project as marketing communications director, while Lucille Brune has taken the position of head of trading and Karen Ritchie as head of account management.

Reporting to chief executive officer Damon Reeve, Scott will lead the development and execution of the marketing, communications and event strategy. He has held positions at Capital Radio, DGMT and, most recently, Primesight, where he led the marketing team through the company’s acquisition by Global.

Brune, reporting to Ozone Audience managing director Craig Tuck, will focus on implementing campaign optimisation strategies specifically tailored to drive revenue growth and improve the advertiser experience. She joins from Captify, where she was trading director, working across Havas, Publicis, OMD, Aegis Media and independent agencies.

Ritchie arrives at The Ozone Project from STAQ. She will report to director of business development Dipti Patel and will focus on creating a streamlined approach to the on-boarding process for publisher partnerships, while identifying opportunities for publishers to grow their digital advertising revenue.

“As we complete our first year, The Ozone Project has made significant progress in delivering real scale for brands reaching engaged audiences in brand-safe and quality environments,” said Reeve. “By generating real business results for advertisers, we are closing the digital gap between brands and publishers and improving value for both. Delivering these results for advertisers are a wonderful and dynamic team, and we’re delighted that Lucille, Bryan and Karen are joining as we build the digital advertising environment of the future for brands and publishers.”

Flohr heads to Fox to lead on tech
Fox Corporation has recruited Yoel Flohr as executive vice president of technology & digital. Reporting to chief technology officer and president of digital Paul Cheesbrough, he will lead the digital product portfolio for Fox Entertainment.

Flohr will oversee digital products and relationships, including Fox Now, and will work closely with the Fox Entertainment team to develop and grow new digital businesses, partnerships and revenues.

He previously served as EVP of digital and franchise development for AMC Networks and Studios, where he oversaw its digital business. At AMC, Flohr promoted the development of global franchises like The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead and The Terror and ran the TV Everywhere business for all of AMC’s brands. Prior to AMC, he co-founded Thirty Labs and, earlier, founded Ventuation following his time as VP of digital at Shine Group.

“Yoel is the ideal leader to propel Fox Entertainment’s multi-platform and product management initiatives and partnerships,” commented Cheesbrough. “I am delighted to welcome him to the team and look forward to working together to build and grow our digital capabilities and revenue streams.”

Blackberry expands executive team with promotions
John McClurg has been promoted to chief information security officer and Christopher Hummel to chief information officer at Blackberry. Reporting to executive chairman and chief executive officer John Chen, both will begin their new roles on 26 October.

McClurg is currently Blackberry Cylance’s vice president, where he joined from a role as Dell’s chief security officer in 2016. AS CISO, he will lead all aspects of BlackBerry’s information security program globally, ensuring the development and implementation of cybersecurity policies and procedures across all divisions and corporate functions. McClurg will be responsible for identifying, evaluating and reporting on information security risks to the executive team, and serve as a company evangelist of best practices in cybersecurity.

Prior to working at Dell, he held senior positions at Honeywell International, Lucent Technologies/Bell Laboratories, the US Intelligence Community, the Department of Energy, the FBI, and the CIA.

Hummel, who is currently Blackberry’s vice president of IT and business application solutions, will serve as a transformational leader within BlackBerry, responsible for providing insights to the executive leadership on key technological innovations, ensuring IT considerations drive key initiatives across the company, and maintaining the highest level of enterprise security and employee privacy.

Hummel brings over 20 years of IT leadership experience to the role including service delivery, project management, network integration, and new business development across international locations. He joined Blackberry in 2012.

“These promotions recognise the impact of John and Christopher’s outstanding leadership in their respective roles,” Chen said. “With their skills and expertise, they will continue to work closely with me and the rest of the executive team to ensure continuity and growth across our business.”

Gott gets analytics practice lead role at Merkle
Merkle, a Dentsu Aegis Network agency, has promoted Ben Gott to the role of EMEA analytics practice leader. Reporting directly to Merkle EMEA president Michael Komasinski, his new role responds to the increasingly sophisticated and fast changing data and technology landscape, and sees the existing analytics teams from Merkle’s performance media agency and customer analytics business across EMEA brought together.

Gott, who was previously senior vice president of analytics & strategy, was director of analytics at Periscopix when it was acquired by Merkle in 2015.

“We have created several exciting analytical service offerings with clear value adds for Merkle and its clients,” said Gott. “I look forward to working with the incredible talent we have to make Merkle Analytics a unique and scaled proposition in EMEA. My vision is that this unit will drive Merkle’s solution development and elevate the Dentsu Aegis Network’s data, tech and analytics capabilities.”

Adform chooses Acton to lead UK team
Phil Acton has been appointed UK country manager at ad tech firm Adform. He will be responsible for further expanding Adform’s vision of an integrated advertising platform, drawing on his expertise in sales, new business development and account management to head up the UK team.

Acton will also cultivate and develop new and existing client relationships, as well as build on partnerships with brands, media and creative agencies.

He brings over 20 years of experience into the role including seven years at Adobe and 15 years in advertising and marketing software sales across the UK and EMEA.

Berman hired to take charge of comms at LivePerson
LivePerson, a conversational commerce solutions provider, has named Craig Berman as its senior vice president of global communications. He will lead the company’s internal and external communications strategy.

Most recently, Berman led public relations for Amazon Entertainment. Before that, he advised Jeff Bezos on corporate and crisis communications, led consumer public relations for Amazon’s retail business, and spearheaded communications for Amazon’s fulfilment network.

Prior to Amazon, Berman held leadership positions at MWWPR and worked in politics running and advising congressional and legislative campaigns. He began his career working for his home Congressman, John Kasich.

“LivePerson’s vision for conversational commerce is no less than a complete reimagining of how consumers experience their day-to-day interactions with brands,” said Berman. “Im thrilled to join LivePerson’s team of experts to tell the stories of how the brands we work with are changing the lives of their customers for the better.”

Avantgarde adds creative team of Cox and Terzic
Zander Cox and Marty Terzic have joined brand experience agency Avantgarde London as creative copywriter and art director respectively.

Both join Avantgarde from DDB, and previously worked together at FCB Inferno and Saatchi & Saatchi across clients including BMW, Oreo, Visa, HSBC, Mercedes-Benz, Betway, and Huawei.

The team’s responsibilities at Avantgarde centre on idea generation and development, focusing primarily on new business opportunities.

“Story has always been at the heart of everything Marty and I do, and in turn, it lies at the heart of everything that we work on,” said Cox. “We always strive to bring these stories to people in a way that means they can be immersed and active within them. We’re not talking to them, but talking with them, allowing us to shape the story together.”

Terzic added: “Avantgarde gives Zander and I the platform to create full immersive experiences that have storytelling at the heart of every project, giving people the opportunity to not just hear about the story, but to actually live it.”

Board and C-suite bolstered at Brandwatch
Digital consumer intelligence firm Brandwatch has introduced new board and executive team members. Guy Berruyer joins as chairman of the board, with Fergus Gloster taking his place as a non-executive director. Meanwhile, Eva Klein arrives as chief customer officer and Dan Freund as chief sales officer, joining Ian Collins, who joined earlier this year as chief financial officer.

Berruyer is currently also chairman of the board at Softomotive. He, most notably, served as chief executive officer at Sage for 17 years.

Gloster has the non-executive director role at Teamwork.com, Condeco, and Brightpearl alongside his new gig with Brandwatch. He was one of the founders of Salesforces European commercial presence and led Marketos European growth for over four years.

Klein, most recently, led customer success at Hubspot. She also led teams at Constant Contact, Invoca, Enservio and FatWallet.

Freund arrives from the role of chief sales officer at QuickBase. Prior to this, Freund worked at Oracle for more than 16 years.

Collins was global finance director at Christie’s, finance director at Twentieth Century Fox, chief financial officer at Marv Films, and had 10 years in senior finance roles at EMI.

“This next chapter for Brandwatch will see more growth and an expansion of our offerings in digital consumer intelligence,” said Giles Palmer, CEO of Brandwatch. “Weve hired executives and non-executives who are capable of running a company many times our size. Its an ambitious move and the best team Ive ever worked with. I feel privileged to lead them, and Im excited to see what we can build to help our customers be more successful.”

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Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired majority stake in Ugam, an India-based data and analytics firm, which services both B2B and B2C clients. As part of the deal, Ugam will be integrated into Dentsu’s brand Merkle, a performance marketing agency. Merkle plans to use Ugam’s existing frameworks and tools to optimize Merkle and Dentus’s analytics business and capabilities.

“Ugam is vital to the execution of Merkle’s multi-year analytics strategy of creating a scaled on- and offshore shared analytics service across Dentsu Aegis Network.” said Craig Dempster, president, Merkle Americas. “With its experienced management team, highly-educated workforce, scale, and vertical market expertise, Ugam will bring high-end analytics capabilities, along with a broad spectrum of analytical decision support. Their focus on the US market and Fortune 500 companies will create many synergies and strengthen our existing relationships, opening opportunities for each of our client portfolios.”

Using Ugam’s set of solutions, Dentsu and Merkle will aim to offer improved and scaled analytics-based services within M1, Dentus’s people-based insights, planning, activation, and measurement platform. Ugam, now considered a Merkle Company, will be managed by Sunil Mirani, co-founder and chief executive officer, who will report to Craig Dempster, president, Merkle Americas. According to Ugam, the acquisition will not affect any other leadership positions or the chain of command.

Sunil Mirani, co-founder and chief executive officer, Ugam said: “We have found the perfect partner in Merkle. We complement each other’s strengths, with Ugam bringing advanced analytics capabilities at scale, and Merkle bringing a diverse client base with a largely in-country presence. Most importantly, the cultural fit was evident from day one, and the effects will be immensely positive for all our stakeholders – customers, employees, and shareholders. This deal marks a significant milestone in Ugam’s journey, and I look forward to this new phase with renewed vigor.”

“The US marketing and media analytics industry is growing increasingly competitive, diverse and global. With artificial intelligence and machine learning entering the mainstream, the range of services required to maintain and extend growth requires both complexity of services and efficiency of delivery,” said Alex Yoder, executive vice president, analytics for Merkle. “As the analytics business becomes increasingly commoditized, the pressure to expand capabilities into predictive and prescriptive methodologies simultaneously intensifies. Merkle’s majority stake in Ugam and its resulting enhanced scale and capabilities will be instrumental as we scale to effectively compete with top analytic consulting firms over the next three to five years.”

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Airship makes four executive appointments
Customer engagement company Airship has made four senior leadership appointments including Dale Flores as vice president of sales for the Americas, Neil Gariepy as vice president of infrastructure and security, David King Harris as vice president of sales for EMEA, and Jeff Winsor as vice president of technology services.

Flores will lead the expansion of Airship’s Americas sales organisation, growing solution adoption to generate greater business value for customers throughout the region. He brings two decades of global SaaS sales and customer success management to the role, including 14 years leading sales teams at Silverpop and IBM, and, most recently, was head of customer success at Clicktale.

Gariepy will lead Airship’s customer engineering, infrastructure and security teams, with responsibility for expanding Airship’s infrastructure globally while further optimising its cost, performance and security. Like Flores, he brings 20 years’ experience to the position, including 16 years leading cloud applications and infrastructure processes at Netsuite. Most recently, he served as vice president of engineering and information security at Percolate.

King Harris will lead Airship’s EMEA sales organisation directing regional growth from the company’s new London office in Southwark and its locations in France and Germany. He brings nearly a decade of sales leadership experience driving European business objectives for martech companies including Lyris, Silverpop, IBM and, most recently, Movable Ink as regional vice president of sales for EMEA.

Winsor, who has led Airship’s program management function that spanned leadership of several different technical teams for six years, has been promoted to lead the program management, technical documentation, and quality assurance teams.

“Dale, Neil, David and Jeff bring an incredible set of leadership skills to further refine and scale our teams, technology and expertise to best serve Airship’s expanding global customer base,” said Brett Caine, CEO and president of Airship.

Ahrendts joins Airbnb board
Angela Ahrendts has joined the board of directors at Airbnb, becoming its third independent non-affiliated board member.

For the past five years, she oversaw global retail at Apple, integrating the company’s physical and digital businesses across its online store, app and more than 500 retail stores in 25 countries. Prior to Apple, Angela spent eight years as CEO at Burberry, where she tripled the business and created the Burberry Foundation. That gig was preceded by her role as executive vice president at Liz Claiborne Inc., and earlier as president of Donna Karan International.

“I am elated by the opportunity to join Airbnb’s board of directors at this important phase on the incredible journey of the company and its community of hosts and guests,” said Ahrendts. “I have known Brian [Chesky], Joe [Gebbia] and Nate [Blecharczyk] for years and have a deep admiration and respect for their vision, purpose and the positive impact they want Airbnb to make in communities all around the world.”

Merkle brings in Stagg to head EMEA client services
Dentsu Aegis Network’s performance marketing agency, Merkle, has hired Anne Stagg to take up the role of vice president of client services for EMEA.

She will be responsible for the strategic direction of a portfolio of clients, predominantly across retail and travel, as part of the EMEA Client Services leadership team – while also extending the delivery of Merkle’s integrated data-driven services.

Stagg previously held the roles of managing director at Indicia, and head of client management at Experian.

“I’m really impressed with the team Merkle has built, having worked with many of them previously,” said Stagg. “What most attracted me to the role was the opportunity to work with the very best talent and technology the industry has to offer. Merkle’s portfolio of clients is fantastic and perfectly aligned to my experience. It’s particularly exciting that the role enables me to be client facing, delivering cutting-edge solutions, whilst also developing my team to be the very best they can be.”

Cortese takes charge of revenue at Singular
Marketing intelligence platform Singular has appointed Vince Cortese as its chief revenue officer. He will lead the company’s global sales team, helping expand the sales force domestically and internationally.

Cortese joins Singular from ad tech platform Kenshoo. Prior to that, he led sales at various levels in the marketing analytics industry at companies such as Adobe, IBM, Gartner, and Brandcast.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join Singular at this time as we are at the forefront of innovation in the marketing intelligence space,” said Cortese. “Singular not only has the best in class solution to help growth marketers meet their top line growth goals but our focus on customer centricity has been a major contributor to accelerating growth over the last few years. I am excited to be part of the team and help build out the company globally.”

Neuro-Insight selects Ginai as UK CEO
Shazia Ginai has been promoted to the role of UK CEO at Neuro-Insight, a neuromarketing and neuroanalytics company. In the role, which is effective as of 1 June, Ginai will be responsible for strengthening Neuro-Insight’s profile in the field of neuromarketing, as well as further expanding the business and its client portfolio.

Ginai joined the Neuro-Insight in 2017 as head of new business. Since then, the company has added a series of major brands to its client list, including The Telegraph, UKTV and Slimfast.

Before arriving at the company, she setup and led the global insight function at GHD. She preceded this with seven years at Proctor & Gamble, where she was responsible for designing and executing consumer research and building storytelling capability for their luxury fragrance and skincare brands.

Neuro-Insight’s previous UK CEO, Heather Andrew, will continue to work with the company as a non-executive director. Elsewhere, Mev Bertrand and Holly Jordon have been promoted to the roles of head of creative research and head of media effectiveness respectively.

‘’Having worked closely with Heather for the past 24 months, I am delighted to be stepping into the role of CEO at Neuro-Insight UK,” said Ginai. “The company has experienced astronomical growth under Heather’s direction, but while the rate of expansion has been significant (20 per cent year on year for the past four years), our targets remain ambitious. 

“It’s an exciting time for innovative research, particularly in the field of neuroscience, and we want to ensure Neuro-Insight remains right at the epicentre of this industry as it continues to grow and develop over the next few years.’’

Hillier joins Alorica to lead marketing
Customer experience solutions provider Alorica has added Colson Hillier to its executive leadership team in the role of chief marketing officer. He will be tasked with driving strategic planning, product development and execution of Alorica’s global marketing and communications initiatives.

Hillier boasts more than 20 years’ experience leading large-scale transformation in industries such as data services, ad tech, and fintech. Prior to joining Alorica, Hillier held numerous senior leadership roles at Verizon Wireless focused on new product development, big data Analytics, and digital marketing.

“Companies like Alorica have the unique opportunity to strengthen the connection between brands and their customers,” said Hillier. “I’m excited to be a part of the team and looking forward to making that happen by merging mind-blowing technology with vertical-specific commercial models so that brands can reach customers in the most impactful way not only now, but into the future.” 

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