Paramount ANZ has unveiled its new digital advertising leadership team as it focuses on key growth areas including “innovation, data and monetisation”.
The team will operate under the leadership of Diane Ho, national digital sales director and Shani Kugenthiran, digital advertising strategy and product director.
Diane Ho leads the digital advertising sales team and Shani Kugenthiran and her team will develop and deliver the overarching commercial strategy of Paramount ANZ’s streaming platforms across digital, ad products, data monetisation and advertising technology.
Ho said: “Our multidisciplinary digital sales team will support clients to capitalise on existing opportunities and keep future-focussed as we continue to respond to an evolving market.”
“We’re unlocking shared value and business growth for advertisers and Paramount ANZ by delivering meaningful and connected customer experiences through advanced use of data and technology,” added Kugenthiran.
The new Paramount ANZ digital advertising leadership team includes Zoe Kostos, head of commercial innovation; Milan Blazevic, head of programmatic, Phil Hammond, head of commercial data; Emily Rebecca Smith, commercial transformation lead; and James Vongdara, head of advertising platforms.
According to LinkedIn, most joined Paramount in the second half of last year, aside from Vongdara who joined in March after leaving SBS in December last year.
The team have held senior leadership roles across the industry including Seven West Media, OMD, The Trade Desk, SCA, Ziff Davis, Crimtan, Foxtel Media, Sky UK, SBS, GroupM and Dentsu.
Zoe Kostos, head of commercial innovation, is responsible for Paramount ANZ’s ad product strategy and innovation roadmap with a focus on developing new opportunities to increase advertising revenue and overall business growth.
Zoe started at Paramount ANZ last year and was instrumental in key partnerships with Innovid and KERV Interactive and the launch of premium digital ad products, Dynamic Video, AdSelector and BrandBOOST.
Blazevic, head of programmatic, will provide strategic leadership and decision making across the network’s suite of ad products and deliver best-in-class client solutions.
Blazevic will build and maintain strong client relationships with vendors, agencies and trading desks as well as thought leadership on planning, buying and evaluation of programmatic platforms, vendors, adigitalnd strategies including internal and external relationships with demand-side and supply-side platforms as well as data partners.
As head of commercial data, Phil Hammond will drive the strategic development and vision to commercialise Paramount ANZ’s data sets through unique product roadmaps that complement business and client needs.
Hammond will develop a holistic data product strategy that balances diverse perspectives, harnesses innovation and connection, maintains confidence and trust with users, and meets commercial business goals.
Commercial transformation lead, Emily Rebecca Smith will deliver a roadmap of initiatives unlocking Paramount ANZ’s long-term commercial growth and ensure customers underpin all digital strategies and data product development.
Working with cross functional teams, Emily will deliver unified, accessible and scalable solutions and enhance the network’s ability to address clients’ short- and long-term business challenges through data partnerships, audience enrichment and platform capability.
And James Vongdara as head of advertising platforms, will lead Paramount ANZ’s advertising technology strategy.
With more than 15 years digital experience across publishers and broadcasters, Vongdara will harness ad technology to drive revenue and deliver exemplary ad experiences across Paramount ANZ’s programmatic, ad product and data initiatives.
The new digital advertising leadership team is in market now collaborating with colleagues across the Paramount ANZ sales team and working closely with clients.
