• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, February 21, 2013

AOL Advertising has found a head of sales strategy and operations in Marta Martinez, MediaPost has learned.
 
Martinez comes from MediaMath, where she served dual roles as SVP of business development & operations, and chief marketing officer.
 
During her time with the data-management specialists, Martinez demonstrated a unique ability to translate complex ad technology solutions into tangible benefits, Jim Norton, SVP, and head of sales at AOL Advertising.
 
"Marta is a true innovator,” according to Norton.
 
In this newly created role, Martinez will be expected to lead and manage sales strategy and operations functions for AOL Advertising, including business operations and planning.
 
Earlier this month, AOL said fourth-quarter revenues were up 3.9% year-over-year -- to nearly $600 million, which represented the company’s greatest sales gain in eight years.
 
AOL "appears to have turned the corner," Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Youssef Squali wrote in a research note on the heels of AOL’s latest earnings.
 
Tim Armstrong, AOL chairman and CEO, attributed the strong quarter to healthy increases in global ad revenue, which grew 13% year-over-year. Looking ahead, “AOL has strong momentum entering 2013 and is positioned to continue on our growth path,” Armstrong said on Friday.
 
Half-agreeing with Armstrong, Cantor’s Squali wrote: “AOL is entering 2013 on stronger footing, but our visibility into revenue acceleration/margin improvement remains relatively poor.”
 
Prior to MediaMath, Martinez was SVP of global dorporate development at Havas Digital, where she oversaw the group’s executive and operational management.