People on the move: Hires and departures at Facebook, Vice News, Bauer Media and more
This week has seen another wave of appointments and departures at brands, media owners and agencies. The Drum has rounded up the key hires below.
Facebook has appointed Patrick Walker, responsible for launching YouTube in the EMEA region, as director of media partnerships EMEA to guide media companies’ strategies across Facebook’s products.
Walker will be responsible for leading EMEA content partnerships with media companies across news, sports, and entertainment. He will be focused on helping media companies develop publishing and audience development strategies for products including Facebook video, Instant Articles, 360-video and virtual reality.
He joins from Rightster (now Brave Bison), a London-based multi channel network, where he was a non-executive director and formerly chief executive. Prior to Rightster, he was a founding investor and chief content officer for Base79, Europe’s largest YouTube network.
Vice News
Vice News has named BBC’s Neil Breakwell its London bureau chief, one of many newly created roles in the media company that will see Breakwell head up Vice UK’s news operation.
Breakwell’s appointment to Vice News came just hours after the division announced a number of layoffs across its UK and US news teams. At the same time, Vice promoted Josh Tyrangiel to run its weekly and daily HBO news programmes.
Bauer Media
Bauer Media has appointed Rob Munro-Hall (pictured) as group managing director of all of its UK magazine brands, following the recent announcement that the group has merged its UK magazine operations.
Munro-Hall will take responsibility for all 94 magazine brands in the UK, which include Empire, Heat and Grazia.
Bauer’s magazine operations were formerly run separately as Bauer Media and H Bauer. The media company merged its two UK magazine divisions earlier this month under Paul Keenan’s leadership as H Bauer Publishing chief executive David Goodchild announced his departure after 23 years.
Design Council
The chief executive of the Design Council John Mathers is to step down from his position this coming November.
Having guided the Design Council to win grant funding from The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) until March 2020, and a £3.65m award from the Big Lottery Fund, Mathers said that it is time for "new blood" to enter the organisation in the role.
In a note to staff, Martin Temple, chairman at Design Council, said Design Council is "entering a new phase", with trustees having just launched a new initiative to "address issues of national significance" with the aim of impacting positive social, environment and economic change.
Deutsch
Deutsch has appointed Rachel Mercer to serve as vice president-digital strategy director, the latest in a string of hires at the agency's New York City office as it aims to build out its leadership team.
She replaces Scott Lindenbaum, who is transferring to the agency’s LA shop and will serve as senior vice president-director of digital strategy, products and platforms.
This isn’t Mercer’s first stint at Deutsch. She left her role as senior strategist of digital and invention at the agency’s LA office two years ago to take on the role of senior strategist at London innovation studio Made by Many. Most recently, she served as strategy and innovation director at The Upside, also a studio in London.
Copacino+Fujikado
Seattle-based independent Copacino+Fujikado has hired former Publicis Seattle chief executive Scott Foreman as managing director. He will oversee the agency’s day-to-day operations, including new business, account management, media and production. Foreman, who spent 15 years at Publicis Seattle and is considered the driving force of the agency’s relationship with T-Mobile, will report directly to agency co-founder Betti Fujikado.
Prior to Publicis, Foreman briefly managed operations for Gamers.com, a portal for gaming enthusiasts that was launched in the early 2000s. He started his career at Foote, Cone & Belding, working on the Mazda and AT&T Wireless business.
Wieden+Kennedy
Wieden+Kennedy has announced the appointment of Eduardo Lima as executive creative director, adding the final piece to the executive team that includes Renato Simões, executive creative director, and André Gustavo, managing director.
“Edu has had one of the most brilliant and consistent careers in the industry to date. Like W+K, Eduardo has always put work first. We are very happy to welcome him back to Brazil – and to Wieden,” said Simões.
Added Gustavo, "Edu’s arrival is a great validation of W+K SP's current path. We are working with some of the best talent and best clients, those who believe that great creative work makes the difference for their brands and their business. Now our agency’s leadership is complete, and we will continue to focus on the quality of our work.”
Somethin’ Else
Content agency Somethin’ Else has confirmed the appointment to their board of Thinkbox chief executive Lindsey Clay as a non-executive director.
Thinkbox is the marketing body for commercial television in the UK and Clay has been the chief executive since 2014. She previously held senior roles with JWT and McCann Erickson before joining Thinkbox in 2007.
Clay joins a board that includes Karmarama executive chairman Jon Wilkins and chairman Tom Barnicoat, former chief operating officer of Endemol.
Somethin’ Else has also announced that founder Jez Nelson will take on the formal role of chief creative officer alongside his duties as chief executive, a role he has held since 2009.
Oliver Group
Oliver Group has hired former chief creative officer for O2 Czech Republic and O2 Slovakia, Milan Semelak, to drive its growth plans within Central Europe.
The move comes as Oliver announces that it will take over responsibility of O2 Czech Republic’s existing in-house creative team. The agency will provide strategic advice, creative idea generation and development for all major brand and product campaigns.
Semelak’s appointment will see the creation of a new role within the business as chief disruption officer. In this position, he will be responsible for driving and developing the brand globally, and further evolving the in-house business model offering.
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