Omnicom Media Group’s OMD USA has named WPP data guru Rolf Olsen to the newly created position of chief analytics officer.
In his new role Olsen will lead a team of more than 120 marketing and data scientists, integrated across all account teams and agency functions, and designed to deliver faster, better insights for clients.
“There are few clients clamoring for more data, but most are in urgent need of an agency partner that knows how to connect the right data in the right way to drive maximum business upside,” says OMD USA CEO John Osborn. “Rolf’s experience in impacting business growth through innovations in data management, operations and solutions makes him the ideal choice” to fill the new role.
Olsen joins OMD from Group M’s Mindshare, where as chief data officer he drove the development of the agency’s marketing science offering and managed the tools and data partnerships for The Loop, the shop’s adaptive marketing operation.
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Prior to his stint at Mindshare, Olsen spent 10 years at Dentsu Aegis Network, lastly as senior vice president at iProspect, where he launched a new reporting and optimization product suite for the global performance marketing agency, while also leading marketing science teams across multiple Aegis agency brands.
At OMD, Olsen’s first priority will be expanding and extending the agency’s assets to support an end-to-end “intelligence engine” fueled by both data technology and experience-based intuitive insights.
This is going to be bad news for Omnicom. Olsen Was a huge racist and homophobe, which was part of the reason he was bounced around and finally pushed out of what is now Dentsu Aegis. Maybe he has cleaned up his act but I’d keep a close eye on him.