Movers & Shakers: M&C Saatchi Mobile, Scopely, Xactly, PushSpring and Celtra

The mobile marketing industry is ever-changing, and that applies to the people as much as the technology. Movers & Shakers is a regular feature following the hottest hires in the industry, so you can keep track of whos joined which company, and what theyre doing there.

(Left to right) Christopher Contreras, James Shepherd, Micheline Nijmeh, Bernard Chen
(Left to right) Christopher Contreras, James Shepherd, Micheline Nijmeh, Bernard Chen

M&C Saatchi Mobile Names New Commercial Director for EMEA
James Shepherd has been appointed as EMEA commercial director at mobile first ad agency M&C Saatchi Mobile, joining the company to take responsibility for driving business growth and shaping strategy as the firm prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Shepherd joins from Havas Media Group where he held the position of Head of Mobile, and he has previously led mobile strategy at Ogilvy One, Engine Group and Blippar, as well as working with M&C Saatchi Mobile as head of business development.

“Im thrilled to be re-joining M&C Saatchi Mobile,” said Shepherd. “We are in a world where mobile is the primary screen in our lives; we access the internet from our mobile more than any other device. As mobile has become the dominant device in consumers lives, it is becoming the most important channel for brands who are increasingly looking for mobile-first digital strategies.”

Bernard Chen Comes Aboard Scopely as GM and Vice President of Product
Touchscreen entertainment network Scopely has hired Bernard Chen as the companys general manager and vice president of product, bringing a wealth of experience in the mobile gaming market to the company as it prepares to expand.

Bernard has worked as general manager of War Commander and lead product owner of Battle Pirates at Kixeye, helping to increase monthly revenues and initiating new product development tracks. He was also director of monetisation at Ubisoft, helping to develop Ghost Recon Phantoms and integrate analytics into the development process.

“I chose to come to Scopely because of its rare combination of dynamic management team, passionate team members, momentum, funding and business strategy,” said Chen. “Ive been in technology long enough to know that Scopely is a rare place – it’s an environment where the next big ideas can grow, full of people who want to make them happen.”

Xactly Brings Micheline Nijmeh in as Chief Marketing Officer
Cloud-based incentive solutions firm Xactly has named experienced marketing executive Micheline Nijmeh as chief marketing officer, responsible for driving global brand recognition and go-to-market strategy at the firm.

“Michelines proven track record of strategic thinking, data-driven decision marking and industry knowledge will help us elevate the Xactly brand, amplify our message, and continue to lead a new era in sales performance management,” said Christopher Cabrera, founder and CEO of Xactly. “We are delighted to welcome her inspiration and leadership.”

Most recently, Nijmeh was chief marketing officer at LiveHive, and prior to that served as senior director of integrated marketing for Silver Spring Networks, where she oversaw the global marketing strategy for its networking and data platform. She has more than 15 years of experience in the enterprise marketing area.

Darren Van Norman Appointed New Director of Product at PushSpring
Seasoned technology professional Darren Van Norman has be announced as the director of product at mobile app data and insights firm PushSpring, a newly created position that will see him tasked with formalising processes and growing the Pushspring product mix.

“Darrens formidable experience with aQuantative and Marchex makes him a fantastic addition to PushSprings team,” said Steve Dossick, CTO and co-founder of PushSpring. “As we continue to enhance our data and SaaS products for the advertising industry, Darren will be invaluable in helping us build the best offerings for our customers.”

Van Norman previously served as principal program manager at Marchex, working primarily in mobile search and display, and has held positions at aQuantive and Dimension4 that have provided him with excellent project management and developer skills across multiple functions.

Celtra Appoints SVP of Customer Success to Lead New Team
Digital display and video ad platform Celtra has formed a new customer success team, with Christopher Contreras set to lead the area as senior vice president of customer success, responsible for for improving the overall customer experience and driving value for users of the companys AdCreator software.

“We have a phenomenal best-in-class SaaS product for addressing one of the biggest digital advertising challenges,” said Mihael Mikek, founder and CEO of Celtra. “The potential for growth is enormous and a superb customer experience that can scale globally is the second ingredient we need to deliver on our promise. Chris will play an important role in our plan to establish Celtra as the leading ad user experience platform for digital advertising.”

Prior to joining Celtra, Contreras worked with Operative Medias customer success group as senior vice president, and as vice president of sales operations at Visible Measures. He has been responsible for developing customer strategy, growth, adoption and operations among customers, and brings excellent knowledge of the mobile market to Celtra.