Publicis Spine Hires Chief Data Officer

In London, Publicis Groupe's 'Spine' data and analytics arm has appointed former Microsoft exec Ian Thomas as Chief Data Officer.

Publicis Spine brings together the group's data assets, technology and appropriate talent to help clients turn data into business insight. Thomas (pictured) joins after twelve years at Microsoft, where he most recently led global Digital Marketing, Data, Analytics and Operations for the Xbox, Windows, Surface and Bing brands. Prior to this, he co-founded web site analytics specialist WebAbacus, which was merged with The Usability Company and rebranded Foviance, then merged with service design agency Seren, and acquired by EY. Earlier, he worked for Lotus Development Corporation (IBM).

In his new role, Thomas will be responsible for Publicis Spine's data and analytics, and for fostering a culture of learning - in areas such as data strategy, data science and data engineering - across Publicis Groupe's Solution Hubs. He reports to CEO Lisa Donohue, who comments: 'This role is critical to Publicis Spine's mission to grow our clients' businesses through the transformative application of data. Ian brings deep data and analytics expertise spanning both creative and media to the role. His unique background will accelerate our expertise and capabilities in this important area and help us continue to evolve our strong, data-driven culture'.

Web site: www.publicisgroupe.com .