Digital Marketing People on the Move: January 2014 Roundup

A roundup of many of the new hires, promotions, and other moves in the digital marketing industry at the beginning of 2014.

The saying “as goes January, so goes the year” is thrown around a lot at the beginning of a new year. And if we’re to believe the adage, a series of new promotions, hires, and other moves this month bodes well for the digital marketing industry in 2014.

Yahoo Chief Operating Officer Henrique De Castro Out

Yahoo Chief Operating Officer [COO] Henrique De Castro is leaving on January 16, according to the company’s SEC document. Yahoo’s statement says that De Castro will receive all severance and equity award benefits detailed in his contract, which are reported to be somewhere between $68 million and $96 million.

In 2012, Yahoo agreed to pay De Castro $62 million over four years to get him to leave Google, where he played an important role in building display advertising business. However, under De Castro’s leadership at Yahoo, the company’s ad business continued to languish.

It’s unknown as of now where De Castro is going and who will take over as Yahoo’s new COO.

Tom Arrix Joined Ampush From Facebook

Ampush appointed Tom Arrix to its board of advisors. Arrix will work with Ampush’s existing advisors and specifically advise on client strategy, strategic partnerships, and market/product development.

In the past seven years, Arrix had been working for Facebook where he was in charge of developing marketing relationships with industry leaders, including Walmart, American Express, and JPMorgan Chase. Prior to Facebook, Arrix led advertising and mobile sales team at Univision Digital, targeting the U.S. Hispanic market. He also led the sales efforts for CBS Sportsline.

David Brandt, New Executive Vice President of Advertising Effectiveness Strategy at Nielsen

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Nielsen appointed David Brandt executive vice president of advertising effectiveness strategy. With 35 years of experience in market research, Brandt will lead the development of Nielsen NeuroFocus, neuroscience-based copy testing solutions. He will also lead the team to advance Nielsen’s end-to-end advertising effectiveness capabilities within Nielsen Ad Solutions. Brandt will be based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“If you look at the capabilities Nielsen has created and acquired over the past decade, it’s clear that no other company can match the breadth of tools it has to measure, evaluate, and optimize advertising investments,” Brandt tells ClickZ. “This is a tremendous opportunity to push our understanding of how advertising works and how to best measure it well ahead of where we are now. I’m thrilled to be a part of that effort.”

Before he joined Nielsen, Brandt led innovations in the use of neuroscience techniques and socialized research at Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange (OTX). Previously, he worked as chief innovation officer at OTX, leading the development of its MediaCEP testing system. Brandt also held leadership positions at Ipsos ASI, an advertising research solutions provider. At Ipsos ASI, Brandt led the development and implementation of its Next*TV pre-testing system. He also served as executive vice president of Global Clients, working with many of the world’s largest advertisers.

Gary Nafus Joined Kenshoo From Oracle

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Kenshoo recently appointed Gary Nafus as managing director of the Americas. In his new role, Nafus will oversee expansion, strategy, and client delivery in Kenshoo’s key markets, including the United States and Canada, as well as Mexico and Brazil.

Nafus joined Kenshoo in March 2013 as vice president of sales and interim managing director, Asia Pacific. Prior to Kenshoo, he served as vice president of sales at Oracle Corporation in North America. Previously, he worked for PeopleSoft and J.D. Edwards as a regional sales director.

Mauricio Aguayo Leads Digital Solutions at Click 3X

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Click 3X recently named Mauricio Aguayo as director of digital strategy. With seven years of experience in digital media and content marketing, Aguayo will spearhead digital solutions for Click 3X’s clients.

“Click 3X has a talented team that’s always exploring new technologies and strategies in order to create groundbreaking and effective work,” Mauricio Aguayo tells ClickZ. “I’m excited to get started at such a cutting-edge company.”

Previously, Mauricio worked for digital agency ROKKAN, as well as social marketing agency M80. He is also the co-founder of a small nonprofit organization that aims to provide children better access to health care in developing countries. Mauricio holds a B.A. from New York University and a Master of Public Health Management from Columbia University.

Sky Holden and Matt Barash Joined AdColony

AdColony recently named Sky Holden as senior vice president of advertising sales and Matt Barash as vice president of business development.

With 14 years of experience, Holden will lead AdColony’s national brand sales team. Previously, Holden worked at Velocity Made Good, a provider of outsourced premedia services. He also held important roles at several digital companies, including 33Across, MySpace, iMeem (acquired by MySpace), Real Networks, and Tickle.

In his role, Barash will be responsible for growing AdColony’s premium publisher and media company partnerships across the mobile space. Before he joined AdColony, Barash served as head of business development at SessionM. Previously, he worked at Forbes as vice president of advertising & audience monetization. Barash also held key roles at Fox Interactive Media (Fox Audience Network), Traffic Marketplace, 24/7 Real Media, Discovery Communications, ESPN/ABC Sports, and Conde Nast.

Kyla Jacobs Named New Head of Business Development at TBWAChiatDay New York

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TBWAChiatDay New York appointed Kyla Jacobs director of business development. In her role, Jacobs will bring more business opportunities to TBWA’s New York office.

Before she joined TBWAChiatDay New York, Jacobs worked for Crispin Porter + Bogusky London (CP+B) as director of business development in Europe. At CP+B, she led the team to win European pitches for Coke Zero, Diesel, and Turkish Airlines and other accounts. Previously, Jacobs worked at Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Sydney-based WHYBINTBWA office.

In addition, Jacobs was a finalist in the “Women of Tomorrow” competition hosted by the IPA and Campaign. She was also a regular speaker at industry events, including European Advertising Week 2013.

Amanda Levy, Suzanne Michaels, and Lisa Penelton Joined Critical Mass

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After a recent announcement of two new global executives, Critical Mass further added three female veterans to its executive leadership: Amanda Levy as general manager, Suzanne Michaels as executive creative director, and Lisa Penelton as vice president of marketing science.

Levy has been at Critical Mass for seven years. Previously, she worked for OMD West and Dell, where she led online marketing.

With 20 years of experience, Michaels will be in charge of the creative departments in Chicago and Los Angeles, driving new thinking and creative excellence across all clients. She will join Critical Mass’ executive team and global creative council. Michaels will report to Levy and recently appointed chief creative officer Conor Brady. Prior to this appointment, Michaels was leading creative at DigitasLBi.

In her role, Penelton will oversee data science and marketing analytics at Critical Mass. Previosuly, she worked at digital agency Razorfish where she was group director of consumer insights, based in Chicago. Prior to that, Penelton built the analytics practice at DraftFCB and worked on the client side at United Way of America.

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