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.

AppNexus
Ad tech firm AppNexus has made a raft of appointments to its senior executive team as the company marks its tenth anniversary.

Theresa Vu has been appointed SVP engineering; Julie Kapsch, SVP professional services; Andrew Rutledge, SVP North American sales & account management; and Joshua Zeitz, SVP marketing and communications. All four have been promoted from within the company.

The promotions all come in the wake of the appointment of Nithya Das as chief people & legal officer earlier this year. Das is responsible for all talent and culture programmes, and serves as the chair of AppNexus’ diversity & inclusion steering committee.

“It’s neither a surprise nor an accident that much of our senior executive team is being staffed by internal promotions rather than external hires,” said Das. “Over the last several years, AppNexus has thoughtfully approached and allocated substantial resources towards employee development, inclusion, and elevation. At a time when our industry is struggling to create a level playing field, I’m pleased that our efforts to drive diversity and inclusion, internal mentorship, and managerial transitions are paying dividends.”

Criteo
Targeting specialist Criteo has promoted Mollie Spilman to chief operating officer, alongside two other executive appointments.

Spilman joined Criteo in 2014, and has served in a variety of roles, most recently served as chief revenue officer. In that time, she has won the Working Mother of the Year and a Silver Stevie award for Female Executive of the Year.

As COO, she will lead all commercial teams – revenue, supply, operations and marketing – globally.

“Since day one, Mollie has brought deep experience and a strong, fresh strategic point of view to how Criteo approaches the agile and dynamic environment of commerce marketing,” said Criteo CEO Eric Eichmann. “Mollie understands the complex and nuanced challenges our customers face and is expertly positioned to ensure that Criteo exceeds expectations as we help to reshape the future of commerce marketing.”

Meanwhile, Grégory Gazagne has been promoted to executive vice president, global revenue & operations, with Cédric Vandervynckt filling his former role of executive vice president, EMEA.

Roast
Digital agency Roast has hired Ryan Foley as head of campaigns.

Foley joins from iProspect, where he held the role of senior strategist, and previously worked at Steak, the former agency of Roast founder Ollie Bishop.

“For me, the answer to creating content that matters doesn’t lie in assuming you can influence consumers through treating them like robots,” said Foley. “We need to understand people’s real interests and why they care about them. Only by doing this, can you create true value for people who are engaged, in a way that generates ROI for brands. This is an ethos I know Roast already hugely believes in.”

Selligent
Consumer insights firm Selligent has appointed Roy Jugessur as senior vice president, global sales.

It’s a promotion from Jugessur’s previous position of VP sales, Northern Europe, where he helped land clients including Ocado and AutoTrader. Before joining Selligent in 2014, Jugessur spent 12 years in the SaaS space, most notably at Experian.

“Roy’s track record and expertise in creating and nurturing high performance sales teams is second to none,” said Selligent CEO John Hernandez. “The board and I have every confidence in Roy’s ability to apply his deep experience on a global scale and to take a key role in driving our next phase of global hyper-growth.”

Prism
WPP-owned Prism has appointed a new management team as it repositions its offering as a sport and entertainment agency.

Dominic Grainger, CEO of the WPP Sports Practice, has been named chairman, while Jamie Copas, WPP’s global client leader for Team Aston Martin, will take up the role of group general manager. Both will continue to serve in their existing roles.

“It is an exciting time at Prism,” Copas said. “Our new positioning and team culture are real competitive advantages for brands looking to truly engage with audiences in sport and entertainment. We are a high energy business and enjoy collaborating with clients and agency teams to drive high returns on investment for our brands.”