MIKE LUCERO, a six-year Microsoft veteran, has been promoted to group product manager, brand advertising, for Microsoft Corporation. In this position he will oversee and evolve the “Realizing Potential” brand campaign across 29 international markets and throughout the United States. Lucero was most recently group product manager for Xbox Live.

Hill, Holliday announced the appointment of LESLEY BIELBY as senior vice president, director of brand planning in the New York office. Bielby was most recently a global planning director at J. Walter Thompson, New York, handling Kimberly-Clark and Unilever personal care products.

Starcom USA, a full service media agency within Starcom MediaVest Group, has named Group Client Leader CHRIS BOOTHE an executive vice president of the agency. Boothe works as the key account contact on the agency’s Miller Brewing Co., Canon, and GAP business, with recent responsibility added for the agency’s broadband video investment and sports broadcast activities. Boothe joined Starcom in 1987, before the media agency became autonomous from creative agency Leo Burnett.

comScore Networks has recently added four executives to the company. As vice president, comScore Media Metrix, LESLIE DARLING is responsible for developing and managing relationships with media and agency clients. Prior to joining comScore, Darling was director of sales for the agency/media group at Nielsen//NetRatings. Named vice president, comScore Survey Research, LYNNE GILLIS is responsible for developing and managing key client relationships in the consumer packaged goods, retail and travel industries. Prior to joining comScore, Gillis served as vice president at Ipsos-Insight and at Synovate. PAMELA MCHUGH joins comScore Networks as vice president, comScore Survey Research, and is responsible for …

SkyTV has opened a Los Angeles sales and production office where JEFF VAUGHAN will be tasked with leading the sales efforts for their in-flight automotive show, Test Drive and for other SkyTV shows.

Search engine marketing consultancy Acronym Media hired STEPHANIE HART as a project manager. She will develop and manage custom search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click keyword advertising campaigns for Acronym's clients. Prior to joining Acronym Media, Hart was a marketing manager with the corporate eBusiness group of AIG.

Agentsmith, a developer of optimization and management solutions for the broadcast media industry, named MARK KOLIBAS as executive vice president. Prior to joining Agentsmith, Kolibas was founder and president of Trident Management Consulting L.L.C., a New Jersey-based marketing consulting firm.

Life & Style Weekly has named ROSANNA GIACALONE, formerly of Glamour, Elle, and Rolling Stone magazines, to the position of associate publisher. Giacalone was most recently the advertising director for Seventeen.

Kelly, Scott & Madison (KSM) has hired KATHY RETTKE as senior broadcast negotiator for Chicago market TV and CABLE. Rettke will be responsible for managing client and station relations, CPP development and post-buy analysis. Rettke most recently served as media buyer at LCI, Universal McCann’s national spot buying unit.

CMD has hired ERIC HOLLSTEIN as an account executive. Hollstein’s primary responsibility will be to manage client relationships, develop and implement strategies and support business development. For the past three years, Hollstein was employed as an account executive at XP Software where he developed existing client relationships and new business opportunities.