There’s a changing of the guard at Ground Truth as digital marketing executive Eric Hadley has been tapped to replace Monica Ho as CMO. Separately, ad tech sales and analytics veteran Jeff Hackett has joined as Senior Vice President of North America Sales.
Ho had been with Ground Truth — the company rebranded from xAd back in June — since 2011. She decided to leave GroundTruth to pursue “new opportunities closer to her home in Austin, TX,” the company said.
Meanwhile, the company is continuing to search for a new CEO to replace founder Dipanshu Sharma, who stepped down this past summer. “We do not have anything new to share on this matter, and our company is continuing to move forward. As highlighted in our release, the company is healthy and we see strong momentum in our business.”
The executive changes at Ground Truth occurs as the location technology landscape continues to grow amid rising demand for artificial intelligence to help target and analyze online and offline consumer behavior.
Since rebranding, the 9-year-old Ground Truth has sough to accelerate its evolution from its origins as a hyperlocal ad mobile ad network to a programmatic location marketplace and analytics provider.
GroundTruth had spent most of the latter half of 2017 attempting to “decouple” its advertising and media sales services from its location data analysis so that its insights can stand on their own.
As Hadley and Hackett take on their new roles, it’s unclear whether Ground Truth will continue that direction or plot another new course.
Hadley brings more than 20 years of marketing and sales leadership experience to GroundTruth, the company noted.
In taking on the CMO post, “he will lead GroundTruth’s global marketing strategy, including communications, insights, and demand generation, in order to position the company for its next phase of growth,” the company said.
As a 15-year veteran of Microsoft, he has a deep understanding on how to grow emerging tech companies and has worked withbrands including The Weather Channel, Pinterest, and Outbrain. Most recently, he served as president of creative agency, Mission.
“Eric has mastered the art and science of marketing backed by data to develop big ideas and long-lasting partnerships for household brands,” said Serge Matta, president, GroundTruth. His knack for understanding consumer behavior is a skill that will continue to solidify our stance that location is the greatest source of intent.
“Jeff also joins GroundTruth at a pivotal time for our sales force as we continue to push forward into new vertical categories,” Matta added. “Together, the two new executives bring immense experience that will accelerate and guide GroundTruth into 2018 and beyond.”
Previously with AdColony and comScore, Inc., Jeff Hackett will drive the sales organization’s growth across key agencies and brand categories, including Retail, Restaurant, Auto, and CPG. With an impressive track record growing media and mobile tech companies with brands including Bayer, L’Oréal, Mercedes-Benz, and Reckitt Benckiser Group while at Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), Hackett will continue to strengthen the company’s expansion into new markets.
Both Hadley and Hackett will report to Matta and will be headquartered in New York.