• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, April 12, 2012

Filling the void soon to be created by Curt Hecht, Kurt Unkel has been named president of Publicis Groupe's VivaKi Nerve Center.

“Curt Hecht has built a strong foundation for the VivaKi Nerve Center, and Kurt Unkel is just the right person to drive our vision forward,” VivaKi CEO Jack Klues said Thursday. 

Hecht, meanwhile, is joining his old VivaKi colleague David Kenny at The Weather Channel Companies, where he will now serve as chief global revenue officer. "This is a huge win for The Weather Channel,” Kenny said. “Curt has a deep understanding of our industry.”

Regarding The Weather Channel, Hecht called it “a great brand" with "scale and leadership in digital and a fully distributed cable network.” 

In his new role, Unkel will report directly to Frank Voris, global CFO for VivaKi, while also receiving advisement from Rishad Tobaccowala, chief strategy and innovation officer of VivaKi.

A member of VivaKi parent Publicis Groupe for more than a decade, Unkel most recently served as EVP and general manager of Audience on Demand  -- one of the Nerve Center’s hottest practices.

Seen as one of VivaKi’s biggest revenue drivers, Audience on Demand presently services more than 350 clients and manages approximately 15,000 daily campaigns across display, search, video, mobile and social. 

Separately, Sean Kegelman has been named EVP of partnerships at the Nerve Center, and is expected to lead global partnerships with companies like Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL, and Facebook.

Marco Bertozzi has also been elevated to executive managing director of Nerve Center EMEA, where he will focus on continued expansion of the Nerve Center throughout the region.

The Nerve Center was formed in 2008 to provide tools, technology and offerings that give VivaKi agencies and their clients an edge in the areas of digital media and marketing solutions.

Prior to joining the Nerve Center, Unkel created and led digital strategy, investment, analytics and ad operations teams across Publicis Groupe, with a special focus on General Motors.