VCCP US has announced the appointment of Matt MacDonald as Chief Creative Officer. He will oversee all creative output for the agency in the states and serve as a business leader alongside CEO Brett Edgar and International Chief Strategy Officer Jonny Shaw. MacDonald joins from BBDO, where he was Chief Creative Officer of the agency’s New York HQ. Prior to his 10-year stint at BBDO, MacDonald was Chief Creative Officer of JWT New York.
Karen Martin, Chief Executive of BBH London, has been nominated as IPA President-elect to succeed Josh Krichefski, Chief Executive Officer of GroupM UK & EMEA. Martin was chosen following a formal three-month selection process led by former President Julian Douglas, Group CEO, VCCP who headed up the Presidential Nominating Committee. She is Chair of the IPA Effectiveness Group and, during her tenure at BBH, has helped clients including Audi and Tesco win IPA Effectiveness Grand Prix. Before BBH, Karen spent 14 years in Australia’s ad industry. She was Managing Director of Host Sydney.
Publicis’ Langland has appointed Gemma Cathcart as Managing Partner for its Advertising discipline. She will report directly into Katie McMorran and Clare Middleton, Group Managing Directors, and work alongside Kate Wheeler, Beth Timm, and Jake Davis, who lead the Clinical Trial Experience, Medical Strategy & Education, and Public Relations & Engagement disciplines, respectively. Cathcart joins from Avalere Health, where she was a Managing Director for the Global Marketing capability. She has spent much of her career within the Hive Health network, with leadership roles at Hive, Pollen, and eBee. In her new role, Cathcart will be responsible for ensuring creative and strategic excellence across the Langland advertising portfolio, nurturing cross-discipline work with her fellow Managing Partners, and driving year-on-year growth.
SeenThis, a streaming technology company, has appointed Hannah O’Neill as VP Sales, EMEA. Meanwhile, former UK GM Nick Titmus has moved to a new role as VP Sales, Expansion. O’Neill will be responsible for running the EMEA team, ensuring that SeenThis is offering the right mix of products for its agency and direct clients, as well as tech partners. She brings over 20 years’ industry experience to the role. Before joining SeenThis, O’Neill was at Nano Interactive, most recently as VP, Sales. She also spent 10 years at Amobee, culminating in a role as VP Agency Partnerships, EMEA. She’s also active in various industry groups, including Digital Leading Ladies, and is the UK IAB representative for SeenThis.
Adtech business EXTE has announced the appointment of Fergal McKenna as Regional Sales Director. Based in Manchester, McKenna will drive EXTE’s expansion beyond London. He will establish and nurture relationships with agencies and brands across the North, serving as the primary contact for clients outside of London. McKenna previously spent five years at MiQ Manchester as its first standalone sales employee.
Inspired Thinking Group (ITG) has appointed Joanna Wilby as Chief Creative Officer. Wilby, previously Executive Creative Director, will lead ITG’s creative direction and oversee the output of high-impact, halo content creation. Wilby will report to Sue Mountford, ITG UK CEO, and work closely with client teams to deliver across verticals including in store, social, CRM, and digital.
Amperity, an AI-powered customer data platform (CDP), has announced the appointment of Tony Alika Owens as its new Chief Executive Officer and member of the board. Before joining Amperity, Owens was the President of Worldwide Field Operations at LivePerson, overseeing the company’s go-to-market strategy and teams. Prior to this, he had progressive responsibilities running Salesforce’s field operations in the Americas and was a member of the executive committee. Owens also previously served as Group Vice President at Oracle. He currently serves on the board of directors for The Mandatum Foundation, SnapLogic, Pathlight, and CIPIO.ai.
Product experience management platform Salsify has named David Forlizzi as its new Chief Financial Officer. Most recently, as CFO at Veracode, Forlizzi spearheaded the financial strategy that supported Veracode’s expansion. Before Veracode, he served 11 years as CFO at Infovista, a global software and services company. He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, advising technology companies across Boston and Europe on growth strategies and financial discipline.
