Immediate, home to brands including Radio Times, Good Food, BBC Gardeners’ World, and Nutracheck, has appointed Neil Dickson as Director of SEO and Audience Development. Dickson will head up Immediate’s SEO and Audience Development team, part of the wider Customer Marketing & Subscriptions department, with a central focus on acquisitions, CRO, and upper funnel customer journeys. He was most recently Director of SEO at Hearst UK, where he built an SEO and affiliate team across 20 lifestyle brands, including Good Housekeeping.
Connected commerce company SMG has announced the appointment of Ollie Shayer as Senior Director of Global Strategy and Innovation. Shayer will lead the development of capabilities across media & insight, AI, and new-to-market propositions, identifying new growth opportunities and developing strategies for retailers, brands, and agencies. As Omni-Media Director at Boots, he helped shape Boots Media Group – the retailer’s retail media proposition – in partnership with SMG.
Cressida Holmes-Smith, CEO of Lucky Generals, has been appointed as the new Chair of the IPA Effectiveness Leadership Group, succeeding IPA President Karen Martin in the role. Holmes-Smith will co-ordinate the expert Client and Industry Advisors on the IPA Effectiveness Leadership Group to shape the overall direction of the IPA Effectiveness programme. This includes commissioning new industry learning and research into marketing effectiveness best practice and developing the agenda of the annual IPA Effectiveness Conference in October. She was also recently elected to the IPA Council for the first time.
Omnichannel measurement platform Kochava has announced that Peter Naylor has joined the company’s board of directors. Naylor will offer strategic guidance and help steer the company’s innovation and expansion. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Advertising Sales at Netflix, where he helped build the company’s first advertising business. He’s also held roles at Snap, Hulu, and NBCU.
Audience Store, a customer insight and programmatic media activation platform, has announced three senior leadership appointments. Paul Smith joins as Managing Director, bringing over 15 years of commercial leadership across digital media, adtech, and publishing. Previously MD at News UK, with senior roles at Audigent (Experian) and Global Radio, Smith will lead the agency’s commercial expansion and global growth strategy. Paul Snook joins as Director of Targetcast, Audience Store’s connected TV offering. He joins from Samsung with prior roles at Freewheel, ITV, and AOL. Eve Hughes also joins the leadership team as Fractional Chief Marketing Officer.
Ad campaign platform Creatopy has appointed Thibault Imbert as its new Chief Product & Growth Officer. Imbert will be responsible for overseeing product strategy, development and execution, as well as leading the company’s growth initiatives to expand its market reach and impact. Imbert brings over 15 years of experience in product management and growth at companies including Adobe and GitHub. He was most recently Chief Product Officer and Chief Growth Officer at Picsart.
Out-of-home media owner Alight Media has extended its leadership team to include Alexander Dixon as Head of Technology, Alfredo Garicoche as Director of Partnerships & Retail, Gillian Power as Head of Marketing, and Grace Stanton as Head of Delivery. The team has also welcomed Steve Bresgall as Direct Sales Director.
