±±¾©Èü³µpk10

Verizon Media has hired Group M director of digital consultants Lindsay Wiles as head of programmatic in the UK in a newly created role. Wiles was previously commercial director of Group M's programmatic buying unit.

Anna Watkins, Verizon Media’s UK managing director, is building her senior leadership team with new positions, including a head of strategy and head of premium, alongside head of agency sales Steve McHenry. 

Verizon Media hired Spark Foundry's Monica Majumdar last month as head of strategy and Mindy Basra from Telegraph Media Group last year as head of premium.

Starting in September, Wiles will be tasked with leading the programmatic team while also showcasing the benefits of using the omnichannel buying capabilities of its demand-side platform, including native, mobile and video formats. The programmatic team is also tasked with securing new premium publishers’ inventory supply to feed into the sale-side platform.  

Verizon Media chief executive Guru Gowrappan has told ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 that the owner of HuffPost and Yahoo! Finance is differentiating itself by offering online ads around premium content by publishers, as opposed to the user-generated content of social media.

In her most recent role at Group M, Wiles led a team that linked the media buying group’s tech, products and services for clients. She has also previously worked at The Weather Channel as strategic sales director.

Watkins said: "Lindsay brings with her a wealth of experience to help customers understand how to drive the best results through programmatic buying. She is a fantastic addition to the team as we continue to build the Verizon Media business and brand in the UK as part of the global Verizon business."