Execs & Accounts for December 13, 2006

Tribal DDB has named Geoffrey Gougion the new managing director of its Los Angeles office. Prior to joining Tribal, Gougion worked in brand management for Nestlé, where he oversaw relationship marketing programs for the CPG giant’s infant formula business. He previously held marketing and new business positions at Weber Shandwick and Modem Media.

Siegel+Gale has promoted Jason Cieslak to be managing director of its Los Angeles office, while continuing his role as executive director of interactive media. Cieslak has spent the last 10 years at the agency with positions in its brand strategy, simplified communications, and interactive media practices.

Interactive marketing agency MRM Worldwide, part of the McCann Worldgroup network, hired Tim Cunningham to the post of EVP and director of customer and digital strategy for North America. Cunningham will lead MRM’s Strategy practice, focusing on one-to-one and digital strategies. Cunningham previously led the strategy and analytics practice on the West Coast for Digitas/Modem Media.

Digital River has appointed David S. Fowler as global VP of e-mail deliverability and privacy services for its BlueHornet division. Fowler will lead the deliverability management services team as well as the development of the new SureSend platform.

E-mail and database marketing firm Epsilon has named Ralph Searfoss its EVP of cross-channel sales. Searfoss had held senior management positions at Epsilon when it was acquired by private equity firm DMDA in 1997, and has recently served as a consultant to the executive team.

Former YouTube VP of sales Tony Nethercutt has joined mobile advertising network AdMob as its VP of advertising sales. At AdMob, Nethercutt will build out revenue models and sales teams, as he did at YouTube prior to its acquisition by Google.

Web analytics provider Coremetrics named Shawn Farshchi as chief operating officer. Farshchi previously held senior positions with WebEx Communications, BroadVision, DHL Airways and Pacific Gas and Electric.

Mobile marketing company Vibes Media has named Joseph Norton as its first CTO. The eight-year-old, Chicago-based technology provider delivers mobile services to entertainment markets, consumer brands and wireless carriers. Norton is a senior fellow of the Center for Research on Technology and Innovation at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and has most recently served as a principal of the SOCHIN Consulting Group.

Interpublic-owned PR firm MWW Group has picked Mary Ortega to be a VP in the company’s Chicago office. Ortega joins MWW Group with more than 20 years of experience managing media relations campaigns for some of the world’s leading brands including Coca-Cola, Motorola, Sony Electronics, Chrysler, Harley Davidson, Microsoft and United Airlines.

Online entertainment company Titan Global Entertainment named Jim Mazzarella to its Distribution Marketing Advisory Board. Mazzarella, formerly chief information officer at Titan partner Interep, previously served as a corporate VP at The Interpublic Group, and has been chairman of the technology committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA). Mazzarella left Interep in October to form Bungalow 3 Media, a company that will partner with new technology vendors to provide media-based marketing solutions to advertisers.