Microsoft’s Ian Thomas joins Publicis Spine

Publicis Groupe’s data and technology division, Publicis Spine, has appointed Ian Thomas as its chief data officer, responsible for the wing’s overarching data and analytics strategy.

Thomas joins from a senior director position at Microsoft, where he led data, analytics and operations for the Xbox, Windows, Surface and Bing brands. He co-founded one of the first web analytics firms, WebAbacus, and has worked with agencies including OgilvyOne, Mindshare and Carat.

In his new role, Thomas will be based in London and report to the division’s CEO, Lisa Donohue, who said: “I am thrilled to have Ian join our executive leadership team. 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.”

Publicis Groupe created Spine in 2017 to drive marketing and business transformation by fusing data assets, technology and talent from across the network’s agencies. According to the network, the division has contributed to new business wins including Dunkin, Macy’s, Marriott and McDonald’s.