Former SCA digital chief Vijay Solanki named as CEO of IAB
Former chief digital officer of Southern Cross Austereo Vijay Solanki has been appointed CEO of the digital industry body the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).
Solanki replaces Alice Manners whose departure was announced back in March.
Ed Harrison, IAB Australia’s chair commented: “Having spent much of his career in digital marketing roles, Vijay brings a new set of skills and perspectives to the IAB.
“He will be tasked with bringing together an increasingly broad range of stakeholders including advertisers, agencies, media and technology business and charting a new course of growth and increased purpose for IAB as the ‘go to’ partner for all things digital.”
The appointment comes at a key time for the IAB when it is about to roll out daily reporting for its new digital ratings and amid ongoing pressure from media agencies for the publisher funded body to establish clearer rules on viewability.
For the last few months, the IAB has had its two most senior role, that of CEO and research director, vacant with the board bringing in former IAB CEO Paul Fisher to help out on “project work”. Fisher was recently named CEO of industry charity UN Ltd.
Solanki will not take up the role until August but said in a statement: “My strong roots in marketing strategy and my belief that technology is the armoury of the modern marketer allow me to bring empathy to the role and I intend to use this as I meet senior marketers, agency leads and publishers.
“Their input will help me shape our strategy to extend IAB’s role as the trusted partner for any organisation navigating the digital world.”
Solanki has more than 20 years in digital and marketing roles. Prior to SCA he was senior director for global digital innovation at Philips and has also held senior roles with Unilever, BP, lastminute.com, and was the global launch marketing director for Shazam.
Congratulations to Vijay and the IAB. This is a very strong appointment. Vijay brings an impressive set of skills and thought leadership to the IAB, keen to see how he can facilitate moving the industry forward.
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Great appointment from the IAB. Congrats Vijay.
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Excellent seasoned digital chops. congrats Vijay!
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