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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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