Attention business Lumen Research has appointed Matt Bennathan as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). Bennathan joins from Zeotap Data, having previously pioneered programmatic adoption across Europe, North America, APAC and LATAM during his time leading international teams at eXelate, Nielsen Marketing Cloud and Oracle Data Cloud. With global responsibility for partnerships, platforms, publishers and buy-side relationships across all products, Matt will lead the commercial growth of Lumen at a time when advertisers are investing heavily in the attention economy.
Digital advertising platform Azerion UK has made three new hires to its commercial growth team as it continues to focus on expanding its business operations. Marco Perin joins the company as growth and strategy director following several roles at Nano Interactive. Two account director roles are filled by Genevieve Fitzhenry and Susana Yanez. Fitzhenry previously held senior positions at Ogury, Seedtag and Hawk, now an Azerion company; Yanez comes from Mumsnet where, as head of agency partnerships, she looked after the forum’s relationships with GroupM and Publicis.
Global marketing agency Incubeta, has appointed Lindsay Shirley as its new Chief People Officer. Bringing over 25 years of HR experience in global roles across Europe, North America, South Africa, and APAC, Shirley will oversee all aspects of Incubeta’s people strategy, from attracting top talent to advancing career growth and ensuring an exceptional employee experience. Her primary objective is to create a culture that not only drives satisfaction and engagement but also empowers employees to deliver outstanding work for clients.
M+C Saatchi Group UK has announced the appointment of Gen Kobayashi as Group Chief Strategy Officer. Kobayashi joins from global communications agency Weber Shandwick, where he was Chief Strategy Officer UK & EMEA, leading strategic integration and earned-first planning across the agency’s global client base. Over his 22-year career, Kobayashi has worked at agencies including Mindshare, Manning Gottlieb OMD, Goodstuff, DLKW Lowe, adam&eveDDB, The Brooklyn Brothers, Ogilvy, and Engine. In his new position at M+C Saatchi Group UK, Kobayashi will lead the agency’s strategic vision, and work to elevate strategic thinking across the business. He will work closely with Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M+C Saatchi Group UK, and the wider integrated leadership team.
Operational machine learning (ML) and performance advertising company Moloco has appointed Pat Copeland as General Manager of Moloco Commerce Media (MCM), the only AI-native ads engine that enables retailers and marketplaces to activate high-performing retail media networks using advanced machine learning. In this role, Copeland will oversee MCM’s strategic initiatives, product innovation, and customer engagement, driving continued expansion and impact of Moloco’s commerce media business. With over 30 years of experience in machine learning, advertising, and enterprise software, Copeland has led global teams at Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Zendesk.
Global fan engagement agency Engage Digital Partners – part of media, marketing and technology company Brave Bison – has promoted Ollie Trenchard to Growth Director, APAC, as the agency looks to expand its footprint across Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region. In his new role, Ollie will drive Engage’s growth across Australasia and APAC, leveraging his decade of experience working with rights-holders, federations, and sponsors in the sports industry. He will also spearhead the integration of Brave Bison’s performance services and SocialChain’s influencer marketing expertise into Engage’s offerings.
Spin Group, an independent 360 agency collective, has appointed John Smith as Chairman. With over 50 years of experience in the industry, Smith has held prominent leadership positions, including CEO of global media group BBC Worldwide, COO of global fashion brand Burberry PLC and Chairman of Jungle Creations and Seeker Music. Smith has held a widely varied executive career with extensive leadership in talent based, creative and digital marketing companies. He has also held multiple chairmanships and board positions in large companies, listed in the UK FTSE 100, USA S&P 500, and in private equity owned businesses, including chairs of audit committees
Global full-service creative agency IMA has promoted current Creative Director, Ben Ducker, to Executive Creative Director. Having previously ran his own production company, Rascal, and held the ECD role at Journey Further, Ducker will lead on accounts, such as Jet2, Next and Mira, and will be the driving force behind pitches for new creative briefs. IMA has over 300 employees across seven territories: Leeds, Manchester, London, New York, Sydney, Gibraltar and Cape Town.
