In her new role, Parkes will have full responsibility for the Eye business in the UK, which holds the outdoor ad sales contract for seven airports, including Stansted, Gatwick, Manchester and Belfast.
Parkes joins Eye this week and will work alongside Rankin until he leaves the business in June to return to his native Australia.
Her direct reports will include Stephanie Sheth, Eye's marketing manager, business, and commercial director Nicole Gueretta, head of client management in Manchester Alan Gibbons and a to-be-appointed head of client management in London, as well as the heads of HR and finance.
Former national sales director Lee Cutter left Eye earlier this month.
Parkes was at CDS Global for 21 years until August 2011, and was most recently responsible for the UK and Australian operations of the company as group managing director from 2006, with a seat on the global executive board.
CDS Global offers data and subscription services to third-party publishers as well as Hearst-owned magazines, and during her time at the company, Parkes held senior roles in its sales, marketing and operations functions.
Since leaving CDS Global last year, she has run her own consultancy.
Jeremy Corfield, global director, commercial at Eye, said: "It's been a pleasure getting to know Sarah during the recruitment process.
"She brings with her not just a tremendous drive, commitment and commercial focus, but also a fantastic personal style, solid common sense and strong integrity, with a huge amount of valuable knowledge and experience."
Parkes said: "With an exciting new brand position built on the foundation of a strong product, Eye's media is the best in the business and creates the perfect environment for brands to interact with consumers.
"And the team has a dedication to providing excellent levels of customer satisfaction that matches my own. I can't wait."
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