• by Tobi Elkin  @tobielkin, February 3, 2017

Kargo, a provider of mobile brand advertising, on Friday announced the appointment of Ryan Polley as chief product officer, and Julie Vaughn Ruef, general manager of the firm’s new programmatic SHOPS self-service tool and managed service platforms. SHOPS launched late last year.

The company said both new hires will be instrumental in developing, managing and implementing Kargo’s product portfolio and SHOPS.

Kargo creates rich-media campaigns for more than 200 brands and maintains editorial alliances with 70 publishers.

As the company’s first chief product officer, Polley will manage Kargo’s product portfolio. He joins Kargo from Rubicon Project. Polley is the second former Rubicon executive who recently joined Kargo, following the appointment of Adam Chandler as chief business officer in December 2016.

Vaughn Ruef will lead the growth and development of Kargo's new SHOPS self-service platform that enables brands to buy targeted mobile advertising on editorial sites and apps from one place. A handful of advertisers are now transacting on SHOPS.

Prior to joining Kargo, Vaughn Ruef headed business development at the Greylock-backed mobile startup MessageMe.

Polley and Vaughn Ruef will report to Kargo’s president and COO Ryan McConville.

With the launch of SHOPS, Kargo Founder and CEO Harry Kargman told Real-Time Daily via email: "Now, we are focused on transforming the platforms to allow the discovery and buying of creative, data and content on a self-service basis. Hiring Ryan and Julie demonstrates our commitment to scaling the number of companies that can tell their stories on the mobile screen."