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.

IAB Europe brings in its first chief economist

Dr Daniel Knapp has been appointed as IAB Europe’s first chief economist. The European-level industry association for the digital advertising ecosystem created the role to strengthen its market analysis and economic research offering for its corporate members and network of national IABs.

Knapp joins IAB Europe with more than 15 years of international experience in advertising research and forecasting. Most recently he was executive director for advertising research at global information company, IHS Markit. Knapp’s research areas span all domains of digital advertising, with emphasis in video, programmatic, platform economics, the business application of AI/ML technologies, agency transformation, and buy- and sell-side optimisation.

“The digital advertising industry is one of the fastest growing and evolving sectors I’ve worked with. From new policies and regulations, to emerging channels and industry challenges, there has rarely been so much scrutiny or success applicable to one industry,” said Knapp. “I’m excited to be a part of IAB Europe’s new academic division, as they ramp up their research and insight expertise to members and industry stakeholders. It’s crucial, that as the voice of digital advertising across Europe, IAB Europe continues to lead on identifying and sharing the latest trends and insights to innovative and sustain this sector.”

MediaCom makes changes from within

Tom Curtis, previous head of MediaCom Beyond Advertising (MBA), has been appointed to the newly-created role of executive creative director as the company looks to solidify its creative-first culture.

As a result, Dan Wood and Paul Tremain will jointly take over leadership of MBA. Wood’s job will be to grow partnerships, manage media owner relationships, and commerciality, while Tremain will drive branded content and production and also take up a position on MediaCom’s managing partners board.

The final move will see Lindsey Jordan take up the position of head of media creativity.

“We are incredibly proud to announce a new structure at MediaCom that builds on our existing creative talents and strengthens our position in the industry,” said Luke Bozeat, COO at MediaCom. “The team continue to work across a broad range of campaigns and will no doubt impress clients and colleagues with their outstanding talent.”

King crowned as Blis’ global commercial officer

Location data technology firm Blis has appointed Dave King as global commercial officer. Starting in April, King will join an executive team that features fellow recent appointees in CTO Aaron McKee and CMO Diane Perlman.

King was previously UK MD at Exterion Media, executive commercial director at Telegraph Media Group and MD of Emap Advertising. He brings an in-depth understanding of the market and has delivered successful commercial strategies, working closely with agencies and advertisers.

“My career has been marked by implementing results-driven business transformation in the media industry, and I am excited about the opportunity to join the leadership team and apply this experience at Blis, a company that I’ve been following for years and was also an early investor in,” he said. “Scaling up successfully requires a vision, clear strategy and a success culture – I will be drawing on my experience to help take Blis to the next level.”

Swrve appoints Aleardi as chief revenue officer

Mobile marketing automation platform Swrve has hired Joe Aleardi as CRO to fuel the company’s customer experience strategy and guide it through its next stage of growth.

Aleardi was responsible for IBM Watson’s go-to-market planning and execution, which included driving improvements in sales execution, customer acquisition, and engagement.

“The company has demonstrated to stand out as a leader in the sector delivering relevant interactions in real-time,” he said. “Consumer journeys are moving at the speed of now, and are no longer taking place in just one or two channels. I look forward to fortifying Swrve’s position in the market as the go-to solution for brands building connections with consumers in this dynamic landscape.”

Dr Kelly becomes marketing practice director at Jaywing

Dr Catherine Kelly has been appointed as marketing practice director at Jaywing, a data science, AI, and marketing firm.

Kelly first joined Jaywing’s data science team in 2017 and has been instrumental in the development of its marketing effectiveness proposition, implementing AI within attribution modelling and introducing more of a focus on data-driven personalisation and econometrics. Before joining Jaywing, she held the role of senior manager within Asda’s data science team.

“It has been abundantly clear to me since joining that Jaywing leads the way in data attribution modelling, and is developing the kind of highly specialised and tailored techniques that will shape marketing practices of the future,” said Kelly. “I look forward to taking the lead in ensuring brands leverage the incredible tools we develop to create truly impactful campaigns.”

Wharrad and Gervais join Mood Media

Mood Media, an in-store media solutions company, has hired Jonathan Wharrad and Alexandre Gervais. Wharrad has joined the firm’s London international headquarters as global vice president of Mood Media’s advanced solutions group (ASG), while Gervais will lead sales and business development at the company’s Paris office.

Under Wharrad’s command, the ASG will develop interactive and sensory experiences for clients on a global scale – with a focus on the luxury retail, banking, insurance and automotive sectors. He boasts 20 years’ experience in the technology and customer experience sectors and joins Mood Media from Grassfish and Moki, where he led the growth of customer experience software solutions to international scale. He will report to Simon Bexon, SVP of global systems, visual and affiliate.

“This is an incredible opportunity to take Mood’s existing offering to the next level and build relationships with some of the biggest brands across the globe,” said Wharrad. “Our aim is to help brick and mortar retailers face the ever-evolving future of Customer Experience and engagement, with a focus on offering brand value in-store in a way that is genuinely scalable.”

Gervais also brings 20 years of experience with him into his sales and business development role. In this role, he will manage c-level projects and negotiations, while taking charge of key French and international accounts including Nissan, Renault, Montblanc and PSA. He joins Mood Media from French retail and design agencies such as Malherbe Paris and Market Value.

“I am delighted to be joining a company that is already seen as a market leader in its field” said Gervais. “The creation of the new team presents a unique opportunity to cement Mood’s expertise in audio-visual Customer Experiences, and I’m excited to be a part of this amazing challenge.”

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