People on the move: hires and departures at Aviva, Condé Nast, Ryanair and more

Magazine publisher Condé Nast has hired Edward Menicheschi as chief marketing officer and president, following the departure of Lou Cona.

Menicheschi, who was most recently vice president and publisher of Vanity Fair, previously served as president of WWD Media Worldwide and held a number of senior roles at Vogue and GQ.

Ryanair

John Hurley has joined Ryanair as the airline’s first chief technology officer as part of its annual £10m investment in a tech innovation hub.

Joining from US publishing firm, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Hurley will head up the innovation hub and its 200 strong team.

Aviva

Aviva has appointed Andrew Brem to the role of chief digital officer, where he will look to “drive Aviva’s group-wide digital transformation”.

Joining from British Gas, where he was managing director of commercial and product development, Brem will also handle marketing and branding across social media and the mobile internet.

AOL

AOL UK has appointed James Hayr to the newly created role of head of branded content.

Previously creative strategy director at technology startup Kinetic Seven, Hayr will be responsible for leading AOL’s larger brand integration across AOL content properties including The Huffington Post, MyDaily, Engadget, TechCrunch, Parentdish and premium video platforms AOL On and Be On.

Blu Cigs

Electronic cigarette brand blu eCigs has hired James Dodkin as marketing director, and Alistair Hall as commercial director following a recent rebrand.

Dodkin, who joins following positions at L’Oreal and Fosters Wine Estates, will oversee the marketing department, encompassing digital, advertising, social media, events, experiential and PR, to advance the current marketing strategy and develop the blu eCigs brand in the UK.

Northern & Shell

Northern & Shell’s digital director Jason Mawer has been appointed commercial director.

In addition, group trading director Jane Putley has been named deputy commercial director and she will oversee newspaper and magazine sales. Recently appointed head of digital agency sales Nick Bradley will report to Mawer alongside Putley.

Argos

Argos has brought in former Johnson and Johnson marketer Alyson Lockley to lead the development and delivery of its own brands strategy.

She reports directly into Argos marketing director Stephen Vowles and one of her first priorities will be to oversee the launch campaign for Argos' new furniture and homewares brand, Heart of House.

Clear Channel UK

Clear Channel UK has appointed Mark Smith, previously planning operations director at Kinetic, to the role of agency director.

Taking up his new position next month, Smith will work alongside Kerry Hindhaugh, Clear Channel’s agency director for WPP.

Bluemarlin

Bluemarlin has announced that Marcus Hewitt will be joining the brand design consultancy as executive creative director of its New York studio.

Hewitt is tasked with steering the New York office’s creative vision, leading the team and setting the strategic ambition for the company’s future growth in North and South America.

Newsquest

Newsquest has announced the appointment of Chris Moore, former regional sales director for Trinity Mirror, to serve as its new managing director.

The local multi-media group will employ Moore to serve as managing director of its Oxfordshire and Wiltshire operations, building on his expertise in the region.

TravelSupermarket

Online comparison tool TravelSupermarket has announced the appointment of Darren Bentley to fill the newly created role of marketing director.

Bentley will be tasked with overseeing marketing strategy for all above the line and digital channels by collaborating with existing partners and expanding the team.

Jam

Dan Beasley, head of mobile and partner at Jam, part of Engine, is set to leave the company to start his own agency.

The agency, which will focus on social mobile, is not set to launch until next year due to a notice period what will see Beasley working right up until Christmas Eve.

Vivaki

Geoff Smith and Anke Kuik have both been promoted to lead VivaKi’s programmatic media buying solution Audience On Demand (AOD) programme in Europe.

Smith has served as general manager for AOD in the UK for the past year, leading the business to seven-fold growth. As senior vice president, EMEA for AOD he has been charged with growing AOD across the region, including driving new commercial opportunities and ensuring a consistent agency offering.

Microsoft

Microsoft stalwart Steve Ballmer has announced his decision to stand down from Microsoft’s board in order to spend more time overseeing the LA Clippers basketball team.

The unexpected move means Ballmer, who led the firm for 14 years, has now severed all ties with the software giant, although he remains its single biggest shareholder.

Starcom MediaVest

Starcom MediaVest Group has appointed Liam Brennan to the role of digital strategy director.

Joining from Aegis Media, where he held the role of digital director, Brennan will now work across all of Starcom's clients where he will be responsible for driving digital planning, integration, innovation and thought leadership.

Saatchi & Saatchi

Saatchi & Saatchi has appointed Shannon Cullum to the role of chief executive for its Singapore and Malaysia offices.

Taking up the new role on 1 September, Cullum adds this to his role as chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi Indonesia and chief growth officer of Saatchi & Saatchi Asia-Pacific.

Quantcast

Quantcast has promoted Matt White to the role of UK managing director, following previous UK managing director Phil Macauley expanding his role to cover Europe.

Previously holding the post of sales director, White will now focus on increasing the UK team’s revenue base and doubling the staff in the London office.

McCann London

McCann London has poached Naked’s head of strategy, Nathaniel Hill, to join its team as planning partner.

Set to join the team on 26 August, Hill will build the channel planning capabilities of the department and take the strategic helm on cereal partners.

EMO

Simon Dodd has joined EMO in the newly created role of managing partner and has also joined the EMO Board.

Dodd, who was most recently worked at marketing communications agency Digger, which he founded in 2010, has previously served as managaig director of former Omnicom agency, MBA and CEO of RLA Group, in addition to roles at TBWA\London and Chime Group.

Dodd commented on his appointment: “It took a lot to persuade me to walk away from Digger and back into the mainstream, but I really think that what EMO does is truly impressive and will become even more fundamental in the coming years. Being part of the most proactive MarComms group in the UK, Creston, was the icing on the cake”.

Dodd was the regional chairman of the IPA and is currently an elected council member of the IPA.

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