Angela Wei
The crossover between agencies and media owners continues. This time, however, it's the other way around.
Angela Wei, who spent almost three years at Time Inc.'s branded solutions division, most recently as executive director of digital marketing solutions, is joining the New York office of Arnold as chief digital officer, a new position. Wei, who starts Jan. 23, will report to office president Lynn Power and Matt Howell, the agency's global chief digital officer.
The hire comes in the wake of Turner Broadcasting System recruiting MediaVest's Donna Speciale to lead ad sales in its entertainment division and Time Inc. naming Digitas' Laura Lang to fill the role of CEO. Such moves underscore the desire of companies to diversify their ranks with hybrid players. What's more, in the digital age, the boundaries among media, advertising and technology companies have largely blurred.
Within Arnold, the Wei recruitment is part of global CEO Andrew Benett's push to expand digital capabilities. Other examples include the March 2011 hire of Howell and the May 2011 addition of Elliott Seaborn as an executive director in the Boston office. Howell came from Modernista! and Seaborn from Digitas.
Arnold New York counts 35 digital specialists among its 200 or so staffers. Its digital assignments come from the likes of Unilever, Aetna and Sanofi-Aventis.
Wei, 35, had worked at Time Inc. since April 2009. Before that, she was svp of marketing and production at online video company Heavy Inc. Earlier in her career, she worked at the Sundance Channel, MTV.com and Razorfish.
"Angela is a prime example of Arnold's global hiring strategy, which aims to attract people from a variety of companies and backgrounds and create teams with different knowledge, expertise and points of view," Benett said. "Angela will work very closely with Lynn and [chief creative officer] John [Staffen] to explore new ways of working. This extends beyond digital."
