GroupM Australia Appoints Chief Technology & Transformation Officer

Ryan Menezes joins from Publicis Groupe to lead performance, tech and data.

AUSTRALIA: 06/10/2020- GroupM Australia, the media investment arm of WPP AUNZ, has appointed Ryan Menezes as Chief Technology & Transformation Officer to lead our strategy on performance, technology, and data.

The appointment underlines WPP AUNZ’s strategy of Creativity empowered by Tech and builds on GroupM’s existing tech capabilities.

As CTTO Menezes will be responsible for programmatic, search and social, and adtech and martech consultancy, and will lead GroupM’s team of performance and digital specialists.

Menezes is a direct replacement for Cameron King who has decided to step down having relocated to the US with his family.

He will oversee GroupM’s growing media technology and programmatic divisions including, Xaxis, GroupM Commerce and Plista, working closely with GroupM’s Investment & Partnerships Team, and alongside GroupM agencies Mindshare, MediaCom, Wavemaker, and Essence and Addressable TV business Finecast, to deliver objectives for clients.

Menezes is currently Head of Digital & Commerce at Starcom Australia, part of the Publicis Groupe. He has more than a decade of digital marketing and agency experience, locally and overseas in Japan and Canada with roles at Publicis Groupe, Initiative and UM.

Mark Lollback, GroupM Australia & New Zealand CEO says: “Ryan is an innovative thinker with market leading digital marketing and transformation experience. He has a track record of delivering results and providing strategic leadership across local and international markets. At GroupM, we make advertising work better through data-based insights and sound media strategies and have combed the market for the best digital and tech talent with experience in marketing technology to help deliver that in Australia. I’m thrilled to welcome Ryan to the team in this critical transformation role.”

He will work collaboratively with the Chief Digital Strategy Officer within the Investment and Partnerships team and the broader WPP AUNZ organisation to bring together the key data and creative assets of the wider group to aid clients. Menezes joins GroupM on 1 November.

Menezes says: “I am really excited to join the GroupM family to build on the strong momentum Cam has achieved. I’m passionate about helping brands and agency partners navigate change by understanding their strategic business challenges and developing digital roadmaps for business transformation. Now more than ever, businesses are looking to quickly evolve in order to stay competitive, relevant and authentic. I’m looking forward to working with the amazing talent and market leading digital, technology and commerce solutions in GroupM team to enable digital transformation that’s purpose-built to deliver true business value for clients.”

Lollback adds: “Cameron has brought a fundamental shift to our business, setting up our tech and transformation practice within GroupM, and driving our strategy on digital, technology, and data. He is a fantastic operator, with an acute understanding of how to build high performance teams, deliver growth and drive organisation-wide transformation.  We wish him the best in the US.”

GroupM is part of WPP AUNZ, Australasia’s leading creative tech company.