Omnicom Media Group APAC expands Accuen into several local markets lead by Dharmesh Patel
Omnicom Media Group’s programmatic unit, Accuen, has formalised expansion of its strategic teams into several local markets across the region. The group will hand more strategic responsibilities over to local markets further bolstering local capabilities beyond the current major hubs of Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Sydney and Auckland.
In support of the expansion, Accuen has hired Dharmesh Patel to bolster support across regional operations excellence and audience insights architecture under the new structure. Patel was most recently Head of Programmatic at Unanimis London – a UK based digital advertising network specialising in branded and performance display advertising, across Internet and mobile. Patel will start in mid Q2 and report to Lee Smith, based out of Annalect’s regional headquarters in Singapore. Prior to Unanimis, Patel was Head of Media Technology at Profero London (now known as Lowe-Profero).
“We’re moving into a new phase with the business” said Smith, CEO for Annalect Group Asia Pacific, Omnicom Media Group’s technology, data and analytics arm. “We have made a lot of investments in education, technology, training and insights capability in the programmatic space. Many new markets are developed and autonomous now that the critical components, inventory structures and vendors are in place locally. We’re looking forward to a very healthy next stage in the programmatic landscape across the broader Accuen footprint” added Smith.
Matthew Harty, Regional MD for Accuen, will depart Accuen in Q2, two years after helping to seed the regional offering.
Smith said, “Matt has delivered beyond the brief to get us to where we are in the offering today. We were six months ahead of the market at launch under his leadership, and we are still ahead of the pack as we move into the next phase of the business. Matt has been instrumental in getting Accuen (and the marketplace) tuned up to deal with the new audience buying landscape. We wish him the very best in his new venture.”