Media Contacts elevated group director of search, ROB GRIFFIN, to group head of its Search, Data & Analytics offering. SHEETHAL RAO was named senior insights analyst to oversee the analytics team in New York. Lastly, MARK EGAN was named global director of new business.

BOB AMBERG was promoted to national advertising director of National Geographic magazine.

Merkle promoted CHRISTIAN WRIGHT to the newly created position of chief technology officer and BARRY SMITH to chief information officer.

MARC USA promoted VIVEK SARAN from senior account planner to group account planner and SUZANNE BASISTA from account executive to senior account executive.

J3 Universal McCann named AMY PASCAL digital managing director for Johnson & Johnson Healthcare brands. Most recently, Pascal spent three years at R/GA as an account director working on Johnson & Johnson and Subaru.

DAVID MORGAN, president of Universal McCann Asia Pacific, was appointed the global network's chief client officer. JEFF CRESSALL, currently Universal McCann's chief executive officer in Australia, will succeed him in the regional role.

TargetCast tcm named MICHAEL PARENT as vice president, associate director of National Broadcast, a new position. Parent joins TargetCast tcm from OMD, where he served as associate media director, National Broadcast, managing $280 million in national TV for clients including Visa, Absolut, Ameriquest, PepsiCo and Dial.

RJ Palmer hired NKEM KALU as assistant media planner.

SARAH HOOKER, NANDITA SAHNI and HANNAH GREEN joined the advertising sales team at LinkedIn.

KELLY GATHERS and DONNA GRAZIANI joined McRae as advertising account directors, and MELANIE JONES joined as a media planner/buyer.