People on the move: Hires and departures at Mashable, EE, The Drum and more

Mashable’s UK editor Blathnaid Healy has stepped down from her role, The Drum has learned.

It comes just two weeks after its head of EMEA operations Ben Maher departed the company, the latest in an exodus of staff across the publisher's global operations.

Healy, who has been editor of Mashable’s UK division for nearly two years, will have her last day with the company tomorrow (3 June), a spokesperson confirmed to The Drum.

EE

Spencer McHugh, EE’s brand director, is to leave the business at the end of July following a 12-year stint with the telco. It comes just five months after chief marketing officer Pippa Dunn left in wake of EE’s merger with BT.

It is understood McHugh does not have another role to go to.

“I’ve absolutely loved my time here. I’ve worked with some incredible people, and been involved in some great campaigns. It’s been an extremely difficult decision, but now feels like the right time for me to pass on the reigns, as I look for a new challenge,” he said.

The Drum

The former Independent media editor Ian Burrell has joined The Drum to write a weekly column on the news business.

Burrell is a familiar face on the media beat having spent 20 years at the Independent where he enjoyed a longstanding role as media editor until the newspaper's closure in March.

Mat Braddy, former chief marketing officer for Just Eat and founder of stylist listing app Rock Pamper Scissors, has also joined The Drum as its agony uncle for start up brands to pose questions to and receive words of wisdom from.

'Uncle Mat', who started this week, will be available to answer questions from start ups about the major problems they face, sharing insights and knowledge from his own experience of growing new brands to become market leaders.

MediaSense

The former ISBA director of media and advertising, Bob Wootton, has been appointed to the advisory board of MediaSense.

Wootton will join the board immediately to assist with service and product development.

MediaSense advises global and UK clients with media investments of more than $3bn, including Adidas, Jaguar Land Rover, BP, Virgin Media and Lloyds Banking Group. Most recently, the firm has managed media agency pitches for Aviva, NSPCC and Erstebank

Dentsu Media

Dentsu Media has appointed a 32-year Dentsu Inc veteran to lead the charge in growing the business outside its native Asia Pacific region.

Takaki Hibino (see right) has been promoted to the role of global brand president, alongside his current roles as chief executive of Dentsu Brand Agency and Dentsu Media Asia Pacific (excluding Japan), which he will continue to do.

The idea behind the creation of the role is to push the Dentsu Media brand outside of the region.

Geometry Global

Geometry Global UK has announced the arrival of Steve Cooper to the newly-created role of creative services director.

In his new role Cooper will lead agency-client processes, creative department structure, internal and external production, and delivery along the customer journey. He will lead a team of 25 people.

Cooper joins from HeyHuman where he was operations director. Prior to this he held senior roles at Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare, Momentum Worldwide (McCann), Iris and Haygarth – helping to create campaigns for Sony Experia, Microsoft, Amex, UPS, Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Guinness among others.

Jack Morton

Global brand experience agency Jack Morton Worldwide has appointed Belinda Hall as its new director of digital.

Based in the agency’s London office, Hall will be leading Jack Morton’s digital offering, reporting to Adam Azor, senior vice-president digital and integrated marketing.

She joins Jack Morton having spent more than 15 years in the industry working with a variety of agencies across Europe and Australia including Lowe Profero (now Mullen Lowe), JWT and Iris Worldwide.

BBDO Indonesia

Silvia Pasaribu has joined BBDO Indonesia as client services director.

Prior to joining BBDO, Pasaribu spent 9 years as a group account director at Ogilvy & Mather Indonesia, working on brands such as Dove and Coca-Cola. She has also worked with clients such as Telkomsel and McDonald’s at Leo Burnett Indonesia.

With over 18 years of experience, Pasaribu will be a tasked with developing client relationships, fostering agency talent, and championing creative excellence.

Rufus Leonard

Independent agency Rufus Leonard has bolstered its strategy team with the appointment of Rosanna Covacich as brand strategy director.

Previously strategic client director at MSL Group, the Publicis Groupe integrated design and PR agency, Covacich has significant experience in both brand and digital strategy.

Reporting to Laurence Parkes, Rufus Leonard’s chief strategy officer, Covacich will initially be focusing on some of the agency’s key accounts including Odeon, London Stock Exchange Group and Lloyds Banking Group.

Ogilvy Worldwide

Ogilvy has appointed Gerald Lewis to the role of worldwide executive creative director for Dove. He will join immediately and report to the firm's worldwide executive creative director for Unilever, Andre Laurentino.

Lewis will be responsible for driving the creative vision and overall creative quality of Ogilvy’s work for the Dove brand. He will be based in London, which is the global hub for Dove, and replace Maureen Shirreff, who returns to Ogilvy Chicago.

Lewis began his career at Ogilvy in New York. Over an 18-year career he has worked at agencies including BBH, McCann Erickson and 72andSunny, on brands including Axe, Microsoft, Levi’s and Johnnie Walker.

DigitasLBi

DigitasLBi has expanded its Singapore creative team with the appointment of Keith Byrne as creative lead.

He will work primarily on the Unilever business while providing additional support to other clients.

Having recently moved to Singapore from DigitasLBi London, where he was involved with the launch of the content agency Lost Boys, Byrne brings more than a decade of digital creative experience from both Australia and the UK at Ogilvy, JWT and R/GA.

JWT

JWT has hired Marco Versolato in the dual role of chief creative officer of JWT Singapore and global executive creative director for Lux.

During his career, which spans more than two decades, Versolato has worked on creative campaigns for brands like Ita Bank, Whirlpool, McDonalds, and Johnson & Johnson.

He arrives at JWT from from Brazil’s DM9DDB, where he most recently served as vice-president executive creative director, a role he held for five years.

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