Bluefin Labs Hires Former Publicis Leader as CEO

In the US, social media TV analytics firm Bluefin Labs has appointed former Publicis Modem CEO JP Maheu as Chief Executive Officer, working alongside the firm's co-founder and Chairman Deb Roy to focus on the growing the company.

The firm was founded in 2008 by Roy and CTO Michael Fleischman, building on their research at the MIT Media Lab. Its flagship Bluefin Signals technology platform analyzes comments posted on social media sites about US TV programs and commercials, and clients tap into this data to inform the buying and selling of TV space.

Maheu (pictured) joins six months after Blue Labsraised $12m in investor financing, which it is now using to fund expansion of existing technology and increase its sales and client service teams.

Most recently, Maheu served as Global CEO of Publicis Worldwide's digital arm Publicis Modem, prior to which he was Chief Digital Officer at Ogilvy & Mather, responsible for digital growth and innovation across the company's operating units. Earlier in his career, he spent six years at Razorfish, latterly as CEO.

Roy has been on leave from the MIT Media Lab for the last two and a half years, and will return next January, while remaining as Chairman of Bluefin. He comments: 'JP is exactly who we were looking for, with strong management experience and expertise in the world of advertising, including digital and social. We are thrilled that he has agreed to join us in taking Bluefin Labs to new heights.'

Web site: www.bluefinlabs.com .