• by Larissa Faw , October 23, 2020

Michael Stich is leaving his dual roles as WPP Global Client Leader for Dell and Chief Business Officer at VMLY&R to join CourtAvenue (CA), a digital consultancy and product development company launched by agency veterans Kenny Tomlin (founding CEO of Rockfish) and Dan Khabie, the former global CEO of WPP’s Mirum.

As CEO/General Partner, Stich will be responsible for building the foundation for an entirely new wave of services at CourtAvenue (CA), applying strategy and innovation across all accounts and focusing on both existing and new paths of digital engagement. 

CA seeks to replicate the business model perfected at Rockfish to spin off products and sell them. Under his agreement, Stich will retain equity in CA. He will join the firm next month.

Stich’s jump from the traditional holding company to the start-up world was driven by the opportunity to build something and own it. He has spent the past two years leading the global account for Dell, and the global advisory practice for CMO clients in technology, retail, automotive, and healthcare industries, among others.

His career is intertwined with Tomlin who founded Rockfish in 2006 and eventually joined WPP after the holding company acquired the digital shop. During his tenure at Rockfish, Stich held several executive leadership titles, including CEO, CIO and COO. He remained close with Tomlin. 

“The events of 2020 have challenged me both personally and professionally and I’ve found myself increasingly focused on my core passions of digital revolution and entrepreneurship,” says Stich. “We are currently in front of a new wave of innovation that will change marketing all over again.

CA is also recruiting ex-Rockfish executive Scott Hamm to join CourtAvenue as Head of Data. In this new role, Hamm will be focused on exploring new data strains and helping clients leverage data to drive business decisions and create more meaningful and effective transactions. 

Although CourtAvenue had the unfortunate timing to debut in January 2020, the company has performed well despite global turmoil. Just this quarter, CA has added Taylor Guitars, Epson, Barkley and KIA to their portfolio of clients.