The mobile marketing industry is ever-changing, and that applies to the people as much as the technology. Movers & Shakers is our regular feature following the hottest hires in the industry, so you can keep track of who’s joined which company, and what they’re doing there.

Now TV brings in Schwartz as director
Jamie Schwartz has joined Sky’s online subscription television service, Now TV, as Director of Brand, Marketing and Merchandising. Reporting to Managing Director Marina Storti, he will be responsible for core brand development and guardianship, marketing strategy and campaigns, media planning, as well as PR, social, editorial, and in-product merchandising.

Schwartz arrives at Now TV from Universal Pictures International, where he served as Executive Vice President of Marketing for Focus Features and was responsible for devising and implementing theatrical film release plans, international marketing strategy and campaigns, PVOD / VOD release strategy, and creative development. Prior to this, he held senior positions at The Weinstein Company, Momentum Pictures, and AMV BBDO.

“I am delighted to be joining Now TV. As films move from screen to stream, I’m excited to do the same,” said Schwartz.

Ainley to take up CEO role at Ericsson
Ericsson has appointed Katherine Ainley as Chief Executive Officer for the UK and Ireland, effective 1 February 2021. She succeeds John Griffin, who will return to his role as Country Manager for Ericsson Ireland having acted in the CEO role since October.

Ainley will join Ericsson from BT, where she has held a number of senior executive positions since 2007, including the recent roles of Managing Director of Ventures in Enterprise and CEO of Tikit, a then wholly owned subsidiary of BT.

“Ericsson is at the forefront of 5G deployment around the world, playing an especially critical role here in the UK and Ireland where the technology is so important to the economic ambitions for both countries,” commented Ainley. “I am honoured and excited to be joining as CEO in February and look forward to leading Ericsson’s accelerated network deployment and opening up 5G as an exciting innovation platform for the future in partnership with all mobile network operators.”

McCann makes series of promotions
Chris Macdonald has taken on the role of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at McCann, while Harjot Singh has been promoted to Global Chief Strategy Officer and Singleton Beato to Global Executive Vice President, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer.

Macdonald, who previously served as President of Advertising and Allied brands for McCann, will now focus on leading the advertising network, along with Singh, previously Chief Strategy Officer for McCann Worldgroup EMEA.

“I have been lucky enough to work for McCann in many different roles over the last 15 years,” said Macdonald. “McCann has an incredibly rich history of creativity and innovation, partnering with some of worlds biggest and best brands and is full of fantastically talented people. I look forward to building the best future for our clients, partners and all our people around the world.”

Beato joined McCann Worldgroup as Chief Diversity & Engagement Office in 2017 and was responsible for designing and leading strategic workforce diversity and engagement solutions. In her expanded role, she will report directly to McCann Worldgroup Chairman and CEO Bill Kolb.

In addition to the above promotions, Kate MacNevin, the MRM CEO, will add the title of Chairwoman.

Henderson and Hallahan join Blippar US leadership
Blippar, an augmented reality technology company, has hired Carla Henderson as Vice President of Brand Partnerships and Jack Hallahan as Executive Vice President or Partnerships. Both will report to CEO Faisal Galaria and work closely with US Chief Commercial Officer Keith Curtin.

Henderson built Blippar’s West Coast partnerships team in 2017 before relocating from Los Angeles to London for another gig. She now returns to Blippar to work with clients in both the US and UK. Before re-joining Blippar, Henderson held positions at LiveSmart, Vibrant Media, and True(X).

“I am thrilled to be back on the Blippar team,” said Henderson. “The company is a true pioneer in AR and uniquely placed to be a market leader as the technology is now entering the mainstream. With so many new clients on-board, Im excited to help them use Blippar’s technology to stand out from their competitors and meet their consumer engagement goals in highly creative, and unique ways.”

Hallahan has over two decades of partnership experience. He was previously Senior Vice President of Partnerships at Celtra, where he grew sales six-fold in his territory. More recently, he was Vice President of Partnerships at Thunder, where he introduced an account-based model to the sales team that delivered a 200 per cent increase in revenue.

“Audience engagement now calls for innovation more than ever before, making it an exciting time for AR technology,” commented Hallahan. “I’ve had my eye on Blippar for a long time, so I’m looking forward to using my broad range of experience to help its clients leverage AR in their businesses.”

DAZN adds Segev as CEO
Shay Segev and James Rushton have been named as Co-Chief Executive Officers at sports streaming platform DAZN.

Segev will join DAZN in the coming months from Entain. He will work alongside Rushton, who has been Group Acting CEO since June 2020. Rushton was previously Chief Revenue Officer, where he oversaw all market launches and revenue management functions.

“It is incredible to be given an opportunity to lead a business with global reach and ambition as well as the technology and resources to deliver sports to the world,” said Segev. “This role allows me to combine my passion for sport and transformative technology to disrupt and improve the consumer experience.”

Rushton added, “Having been intimately involved in DAZN since its conception, I am pleased and excited to welcome Shay and lead DAZN Group together as we enter the next exciting chapter in our evolution.”

Parkinson to direct entertainment at OneFootball
Digital football media business OneFootball has announced Denise Parkinson as its Global Entertainment Director. Reporting to UK Sales Director Edward Desbois, she will be responsible for working closely with entertainment clients from the world of streaming, film, gaming and music to help them distribute their existing premium commercial content and create new innovative solutions.

Parkinson boasts more than 25 years of experience in the media and marketing industries. She previously worked as Global Entertainment Director at Telegraph Media Group and as Director of Marketing EMEA at Walt Disney TV.

“I am hugely excited to join OneFootball. It is a powerful, innovative brand with a young, passionate and engaged audience and I look forward to forming new partnerships with like-minded brands and advertisers,” said Parkinson.

Incubeta appoints Lehne as CEO
Lars Lehne has become Group Chief Executive Officer at Incubeta, a digital marketing services group. He will take over from Founder Alan Lipschitz, whose company Interface made the reverse acquisition of Incubeta Holdings in 2011. Lipschitz will move into the role of Chairperson on the Board of Directors.

Lehne, who has more than 30 years of industry experience, previously spent four years as Global CEO of Syzygy. Before that, he spent seven years at Google as Country Director Agency DACH and also held senior management positions at agencies including Maxus, GroupM, Carat, and MEC. Lehne is also a member of the advisory board for Yext and Betterplace.org and an angel investor in Claimini.

“I’m thrilled and honoured to be joining such a forward-thinking and innovative company. Incubeta has continued to grow during one of the most challenging years for the industry which is a testament to the quality and hard work of every team member across the globe. The company has flourished under Alan’s leadership and its a great privilege that he’s trusting me to take his dream forward,” said Lehne.

“As marketing continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it’s harder now than ever before for brands to connect with their customers. By integrating Media, Technology, and Creative in a seamless way Incubeta has developed the right services and products to help clients grow in a digital world. Incubeta puts the ownership of the customer experience back into the hands of its clients. I can’t wait to see what the next chapter for Incubeta looks like.” 

Povey to direct on marketing at Feefo
Feefo, a reviews and customers insights technology company, has recruited Keith Povey as its Director of Marketing. He will be tasked with developing Feefo’s marketing strategy as the company further develops its customer-based business intelligence platform.

Povey’s previous experience has seen him work at all levels of the technology industry, from startups to global enterprises including IBM, Verizon, SAP, and Cisco.

“This was an opportunity too good to miss,” said Povey, formerly Senior Director, Content, Digital and Demand generation at Optiv Inc. “I’m excited to help Matt West fulfil his vision for the company as the outstanding SaaS-based customer insights platform, delivering immense amounts of value to clients and consumers through the growing power of its smart data analysis and actionable intelligence. Feefo is entering the next stage of its evolution, and our marketing will look and sound materially different to match the scale of our ambition.”

Rightpoint brings in Zalewski as Europe MD
Marty Zalewski has been named as Managing Director of Europe at Genpact-owned global experience firm Rightpoint. He will lead efforts to build on the company’s organic growth in the region.

Zalewski brings over 20 years of experience in growth-focused innovation to his role with Rightpoint. His tenure includes work in consulting and private equity including founding The Mindful Eye.

Cooper and Gedman join Conjura as directors
eCommerce data specialist Conjura has added Adele Cooper and Paul Gedman as Non-executive Directors.

Cooper, who will support Conjura on sales, marketing, and HR, was most recently UK & Ireland Country Manager at Pinterest. Prior to that, she worked at Google and then at Facebook in both their European and US headquarters across a variety of sales, marketing, and operational roles.

Gedman will help Conjura evolve and extend its eCommerce platform services. He was CEO of the beauty, wellness and luxury divisions at the Hut Group for over eight years. Before that, he was Head of Online at Littlewoods Clearance.

“Adele and Paul are high-profile industry names in technology and ecommerce. Their arrival in the business is a huge endorsement of the potential that I and the senior team see in Conjura,” said Fran Quilty, Conjura CEO.

 “They join us ahead of bold expansion plans for 2021 as we scale up our operations and launch a suite of new products to broaden our platform offer for e-commerce clients. I know their experience will prove invaluable in helping us deliver on our growth ambitions.”

DMA makes board appointments
Tony Miller and Mandy Merron have been appointed to the Board at the Data & Marketing Association (DMA).

Miller, who will serve a three-term on the DMA Board, is currently Marketing Director of WW (formerly Weight Watchers) and has previously held senior marketing positions at Disney and Havas CX Helia.

Merron has been named as Treasurer, succeeding Peter Smithson. She specialises in corporate finance and also served as Treasurer of The Telephone Preference Service for seven years until 2011.

“Tony and Mandy’s experience and commitment to the data and marketing sector are already evident, which will make their strategic advice and industry knowledge a valuable resource for the DMA and its membership,” said Stephen Maher, Chair of the DMA Board and CEO of MBA. “I look forward to working together, utilising their experience and passion to support the DMA and our initiatives that promote intelligent marketing across our industry, from the classroom to the boardroom.”

Rumford arrives at ChannelAdvisor
ChannelAdvisor, a cloud-based eCommerce solutions provider, has named Amy Rumford as Vice President of Global Services. She will lead ChannelAdvisors Global Services team, which includes customer implementation, global technical support, account management, and managed services.

Before joining ChannelAdvisor, Rumford worked as a consultant for the manufacturing industry. Prior to that, she served as Vice President of Supply Chain Services for Advance Auto Parts. Rumford has also served in senior operations and transformation leadership roles at Google, Lenovo, and IBM.

“Im truly delighted to join ChannelAdvisors executive team, and I am eager to work alongside each member of our dynamic Global Services team,” said Rumford. “Its an exciting time in e-commerce, and ChannelAdvisor strives to be at the forefront of innovation. I will be laser-focused on the needs of our customers and ready to tackle challenges to help them sustain and grow their businesses and seize new opportunities.”

AdInMo announces pair of senior appointments
Joanne Lacey and Konstantine Rybnikov have joined AdInMo, an in-game advertising network, as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Engineering respectively.

Lacey, as well as overseeing operations, will be responsible for driving awareness of the mobile ad tech company and help deliver the company’s commitment to enabling a developer-first monetisation channel, while also leading AdInMo’s industry engagement programme. She joins from the Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF), where she spent eight years as COO and sat on their global board. Lacey’s other previous experience comes from her time at companies including DeltaDNA, Player X, and I-play.

Rybnikov will be responsible for leading the company’s SDK development and mobile optimised platform. Prior to joining AdInMo, he held senior development positions including SoundFlow and ThoughtLeadr.

“We’re delighted that Joanne and Kon have joined our team at this key growth period for AdInMo,” said Kristan Rivers, AdInMo CEO.

“Joanne is someone I’ve been lucky enough to work with at both Player X and I-play and have always appreciated the strategic focus she brings to every role. AdInMo’s team ramped up significantly in Covid times and having a powerhouse of industry knowledge and a management team that’s worked together several times is a unique advantage.”

Bue Schultz and Söderblom bolster Adnami management team
Ad tech company Adnami has added Thomas Bue Schultz as Chief Technology Officer and Carl Söderblom as Vice President of Operations.

Bue Schultz will lead the technical team and ensure Adnami remains commercially and technically ahead of the curve with its products, while Söderblom will be responsible for defining and streamlining processes and taking a strategic role in executing on the company’s international growth plans.

Bue Schultz joins from cVation, where he spent seven years building technical solutions for airports and the aviation industry as Vice President of Software Development. Söderblom spent more than 10 years at Mediaplanet, where he was UK Managing Director for three and a half years before becoming Global General Manager. Söderblom’s most recent gig was at Teads.

“Carl is an entrepreneurial business leader with over ten years’ international management, sales and marketing experience. His knowledge of building teams and current ad market trends is second to none,” said Simon Kvist Gaulshøj, Adnami CEO.

“And Thomas’ technical expertise, having spent over two decades building software solutions for a range of different companies, will help us to optimise our high-impact formats in order for us to maintain our market-leading creativity and impact.”

Admix expands commercial team
Michael Silberberg has been hired as Vice President of Global Agency Partnerships, while Alex Faust has been appointed EMEA Vice President of Ad Sales, at games monetisation company Admix.

Silberberg arrives after 14 years with Google across three continents, including five years in London as Head of Global Platforms Leadership for WPP, Dentsu Aegis, and other agencies. Most recently, he served as the cross-functional leader across the entire WPP-Google relationship.

“Since I was a kid reading William Gibson, I’ve been excited by the prospect of ads engaged with immersive digital environments,” said Silberberg. “I can’t wait to drive growth of Admix’s ecosystem that enables game developers to monetize their virtual environments with in-play engagements for gamers.”

Faust spent five years at Spotify, most recently as global leader of its international ad sales and brand partnerships team. Previously, he spent seven years at Microsoft across UK and Global roles.

“With gaming top of the league for audience engagement, we are witnessing the next big shift in media. In-play brings real value to all: brands, game creators and audiences, so the road ahead is incredibly exciting,” said Faust.

Johnston promoted to CEO at Poq
App commerce firm Poq has elevated Jay Johnston to the role of Chief Executive Officer, taking over from Co-founder Øyvind Henriksen, who will continue to play an active role in the platform roadmap and product development as Senior Vice President of Product Strategy.

Johnston, who was previously Chief Technology Officer, will also join the Poq Board together with Chief Financial Officer Euan Menzies.

“I am both delighted and humbled to accept the role and the responsibility of leading the great team we have at Poq. We achieved much to be proud of in 2020, and the scene is set for an even more exciting and ambitious year in 2021,” stated Johnston. “I look forward to building on these strong foundations in order to create a clear framework for the companys vision, plan, targets and accountabilities that will capture our growing ambitions and harness the opportunity to further grow our success in helping our clients create best-in-class mobile commerce apps.”

Gamma appoints Wade as CMPO
Chris Wade has been announced as Chief Marketing and Product Officer at unified communications provider Gamma Communications. Reporting to CEO Andrew Taylor, he replaces Alan Mackie who has decided to step down and retire.

Prior to Gamma, Wade served as Chief Product Officer at Aptitude Software. He held a number of leadership roles in strategy, product management and marketing in several different operating businesses within The Sage Group.

“It is an honour to succeed Alan, who has had an extraordinary tenure with Gamma,” Wade said. “I am proud to be joining the company during a period of such unprecedented change in digital adoption.

“Gamma is a truly innovative company full of knowledgeable and talented people. Our strong reputation in the market perfectly positions us to help businesses embrace digital innovation through the adoption of UCaaS. I will strive to continue building on the companys great foundations, while further fulfilling our ambitions in the UK and Europe.”

Pair join sales team at OnwardMobility
OnwardMobility, the mobile security company which is set to release a 5G Blackberry Android smartphone this year, has welcomed Géraud Boutibonnes as Vice President General Manager EMEA and Global Accounts (EU) and Matthew McFee as Vice President of Government Sales.

Boutibonnes is responsible for establishing and expanding OnwardMobility’s sales footprint within the EMEA region and brings extensive experience in building sales organisations and engaging EMEA carriers. For the past 10 years, Boutibonnes developed mobile broadband, CiOT, and delivered innovative solutions with global carriers headquartered in Europe as VP of global accounts and partnership in TCL.

McFee will be instrumental in positioning OnwardMobility’s BlackBerry devices as the most trusted and secure solution serving government markets around the globe. Having started his career with Motorola, where he focused on radio common carriers, federal government, and subscriber cellular, he was recruited by his customer, BellSouth, to lead the New Product and Services Development team in the US and eventually Bellsouth International in LATAM. McFee has also built and developed teams at Kyocera and Sonim.

“We continue to see increased excitement about our company and pent-up demand for our new robust devices, and the addition of Géraud and Matthew enables us to quickly ramp up our sales efforts throughout EMEA and with key government accounts,” said Peter Franklin, CEO of OnwardMobility. “Both Géraud and Matthew bring extensive experience in increasing wireless device sales in key markets and will be important contributors to bringing to market OnwardMobility’s global flagship device, a feature-rich, 5G Android smartphone that delivers on security and productivity.”

Contentstack appoints Ogidi to lead UK sales
David Ogidi has been selected to lead UK sales and partner operations at content experience platform Contentstack as its Head of Sales for UK and Ireland. Reporting to Director of Sales Wim van Horen, he will be responsible for both account management and new business development.

Ogidi’s previous experience includes stints as Director of Sales for EMEA at Mobify and Vice President for International Business Development at Contentsquare.

“Businesses across the UK are now keenly attuned to the importance of the digital experience. Indeed, for many businesses, the digital experience that a customer has is either the dominant, or only experience they will have of a business,” said Ogidi. “This means there is huge potential for growth as businesses invest in and optimise this critical aspect of modern commerce. Contentstack will bring its industry-leading innovation and white glove customer service to bear on these opportunities and I am excited to be part of that drive.”

Double boost for Digilant
Digilant, an omnichannel digital advertising services company, has announced Katie Gargano as its Product Marketing Manager and Matt Mahgerefteh as Manager of Analytics.

Gargano will act as a liaison between sales, marketing, and product. She brings experience from her previous position as Supervisor of Digital Planning at Harpoon Digital. Prior to that role, Gargano worked at Church Hill Classics as a Marketing Coordinator.

“I’m thrilled to join the Digilant team to collaborate seamlessly with the marketing, sales and product team. Connecting our internal strategies, we can maximize growth and increase performance,” stated Gargano.

Mahgerefteh’s most recent experience was as Marketing Technology Manager at Cox Communications, where he was responsible leveraging data and leading marketing campaigns across multiple channels, including display, email, social media, video, and web. He has also held analytical and leadership roles at Wells Fargo, BlackLine, Viking Cruises, AEG Presents, Teleflora, Globe Life, and Nielsen Company.

“With a passion for ingesting large and various data sets, I’m excited to share my expertise with the Digilant team,” said Mahgerefteh. “As Digilant is focused on accelerating growth, I believe we’ll deliver optimal performance by leveraging a programmatic strategy and measuring analytics on all channels.”

Organic turns to Sereg on project management
Nora Sereg has joined digital agency Organic as Digital Project Manager. She will specifically oversee projects within the Sainsbury’s Group Account following the agencys recent appointment by Sainsburys to oversee the brands SEO. She has been tasked with focusing on building the PMO at Organic and embedding project management practices across the wider team.

Sereg joins Organic after leaving her role as Senior Project Manager at Water Babies.

“I enjoy working in a dynamic environment and empowering teams to deliver consistent, quality work has always been my passion,” said Sereg. “My motivation comes from working with highly skilled, vibrant individuals, and I work and live by the belief that in life there is always room for improvement. I’m enthusiastic to be a part of the Organic team, as I share the Organic values and I stand for what they represent.”

Mundra takes charge of partnerships at White Rivers
Digital marketing agency White Rivers Media has appointed Varun Mundra as Head of Client Partnerships. He will work to drive strategy-led creative innovations and their integrations across digital channels.

Mundra has previously worked with Dentsu Webchutney, Jack in the Box Worldwide, Ogilvy, and Isobar to build brands such as Visa India, Surf Excel, CEAT Tyres, Vaseline, Tata Motors, Knorr, Danone India, and Siyaram’s.

“While the digital advertising industry – along with the world – undergoes a drastic change and disruption, it’s a privilege to join White Rivers Media. I have seen the agency grow over the years, and was deeply impressed with their cutting-edge creative and martech innovations. I see White Rivers Media as a delightfully challenging assignment; an energetic, ever-growing team, where I could utilise all my learnings and experiences with Brand Building, Account Planning, and Management. I look forward to greatly promising times, where we define all that digital can and will be, together.”

Five9 opts for Murphy as CMO
Genefa Murphy has been hired as Chief Marketing Officer at Five9, an intelligent cloud contact centre provider. Reporting to CEO Rowan Trollope, she will partner with the other members of the executive team to continue to evolve the company’s brand and reputation in the Cloud Contact Centre as-a-Service space.

Murphy joins Five9 from Micro Focus where, as CMO, she led a worldwide team who drove brand, core messaging, influencer marketing, regional and global campaigns, digital demand and sales, and technical enablement.

“As a technologist and as a consumer, I was attracted to Five9 as their solutions are truly at the heart of what matters – bringing people and technology together to help create engaging customer experiences in an efficient and effective way,” stated Murphy. “This in turn allows Five9 customers to create brand intimacy and loyalty which will allow them and Five9 to be successful in today’s digital economy.”