DoubleVerify’s vice-president and country manager for ANZ Imran Masood has announced his move to Astus Australia as head of digital strategy ANZ.
Astus is an independent media trading company that enables clients to part-pay for advertising using their products or services.
In 2010, Astus formed a joint venture with WPP’s GroupM across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, which included the establishment of entities such as Astus APAC Australia Pty Ltd and Astus Media Private Limited in India, both with 50 per cent ownership by WPP. This partnership allowed Astus to expand its operations within APAC, working closely with WPP agencies.
However, in 2022, Astus decided to end this joint venture to operate independently in the APAC markets, aiming to collaborate with clients beyond WPP agencies. While WPP held partial ownership in certain regional joint ventures with Astus, the company as a whole remains independently owned.
Masood has been working in the advertising industry in Australia since 2009 when he joined Network 10 as an advertising sales executive from his native Dublin. He had been working for DoubleVerify since December 2019 and has had stints at Amobee, GroupM and Sizmek. He has also been an active member of the IAB.
“It’s already been an exciting journey working with David Jansen, Tom Bartlam and the fantastic team at Astus Australia. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with long-term partners and friends as we collaborate to build sustainable, forward thinking solutions,” Masood said of his appointment on LinkedIn.
