Stagwell has appointed Slavi Samardzija to the new role of chief data and platforms officer at Stagwell, effective today.   

Samardzija will lead data and platform initiatives, including the implementation of an AI-powered operating system that Stagwell has dubbed “The Machine,” as well as an advanced customer and audience ID graph that is being integrated into the company’s Marketing Cloud.   

Stagwell reported on its earnings call in July that Samadzija would be joining the company later in the year but didn’t say at the time what his role or duties would entail.  

Samardzija was previously CEO of Omnicom’s Annalect, which oversaw the development of the Omnicom marketing platform Omni and other assets. In July Omnicom announced that it reorganized its operating platform and key data and technology assets into a new unit to be overseen by Duncan Painter, CEO of the company’s Flywheel Group.  

Samardzija spent 25 years in senior data and technology roles at Omnicom and earlier at WPP.   

“Samardzija’s leadership will be a driving force behind our holistic data and platform strategy, reinforcing our commitment to champion digital transformation and deliver innovative results for our clients,” commented Stagwell chairman and CEO Mark Penn.